KINGSTON, N.Y. Sept. 14, 2015 – Ralph Nader will be among the noted speakers and performers who will join global forecaster Gerald Celente and his Trends Research Institute for the launch of Occupy Peace during a rally here at noon on Sept. 20.
Nader, a relentless advocate for core American values and rights, will be among the speakers and performers helping to ignite a powerful movement backed by an action plan to advance peace and the prosperity that comes with it.
Robert Thurman, one of the world’s best-known authorities on religion, Gary Null, alternative health and well-being authority and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan will also speak at Occupy Peace, reflecting the different dimensions of the effort needed to bring America to a constant state of peace, rather than a constant state of war.
Celente, founder of Trends Research Institute, has for more than a decade tracked the endless march to war championed by the nation’s politicians, the military and a complacent news media. Celente contends it’s time to say no to such madness. Occupy Peace will the vehicle by which that message will initially be delivered.
Occupy Peace is designed to stir additional grassroots peace initiatives across the country by providing practical action plans with specific goals and objectives, such as holding elected officials accountable for their senseless and endless support for a war mentality.
“On the day before the world marks the International Day of Peace, our rally will launch a new kind of peace movement, one powered by an action plan to spread and advance the core principles of Occupy Peace across the nation,” said Celente.
A war mentality abroad, Celente has said, strips Americans of their rights at home, “invading your privacy, limiting your right to free speech and subjugating you to military tactics imposed by your local police department.”
Celente went on to say that Occupy Peace is not only aimed at bringing peace abroad, but at home. “The military mindset has made We the People the enemy of the state,” he said.
The noontime rally will be held at the four most historic street corners in the United States: the intersection of Crown and John streets in Kingston, where many of the foundations of the U. S. Constitution were established by the state’s first legislature.
The Sept. 20 rally will offer visions from its notable speakers of some of the steps needed to understand what a state of peace, rather than a state of war, may look and feel like. And the rally will feature local musical groups known for their originality and inclusiveness, to provide Occupy Peace with a rollicking soundtrack.
Speakers and Performer Bios
Ralph Nader has been in the forefront of progressive political activism for 50 years. His name is synonymous with grassroots reform in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. Nader has been a staunch critic of corporations, which he believes wield too much power and are undermining the fundamental American values of democracy and human rights. He helped found many governmental and non-governmental watchdog organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Public Citizen, and several public interest research groups. Nader has run for president four times
Robert Thurman is a worldwide authority on religion and spirituality who is probably best known as an eloquent advocate of the relevance of Buddhist ideas in our daily lives. He’s been named one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential Americans and been profiled in The New York Times. He co-founded Tibet House US in New York City with actor Richard Gere and the Menla Mountain Retreat and Healing Center in Phoenicia, NY with his wife Nena.
Gary Null has been one of the country’s foremost advocates of alternative medicine and natural healing for nearly four decades. An award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Null’s outspoken views on public health issues have brought him into prolonged conflict with the country’s medical establishment.
Cindy Sheehan has been a peace activist who has protested against the American empire since her son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004. She attracted international attention the following year for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift encampment outside President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch. Today, she continues the fight as the host of Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Radio Show.
Joey Eppard is a music writer and recording artist who’s best known for his groundbreaking work as lead vocalist with the experimental/progressive rock band 3. In addition to his work with 3, Eppard has performed with such outstanding musicians and bands as Parliament-Funkadelic and Bad Brains. His music has been characterized as being “a dark night of the soul that delivers you to the light.”
The Percussion Orchestra of Kingston, aka “POOK,” was founded in 1997 by three percussionists from diverse backgrounds who also worked as educators and social workers; their idea was to get kids off the streets and provide them with meaningful activity and important life skills. Members of POOK learn rhythms from all over the world that they turn into unique arrangements of traditional material.
The Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band and Social Club (RIA) is an open and integrated musical / marching band and social club dedicated to unity and creativity. The RIA brass band believes that making music together is another way of making a good life for everyone who comes in contact with their music.
The Saints of Swing are an extraordinary collective of some of the finest musical performers you’ll find in a region that’s world-famous for its musical pedigree. The Saints epitomize the diverse and eclectic American music experience, specializing in foot-tapping performances of the best of swing, ballroom, Dixieland jazz and down-home blues.