MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing (Tacoma, WA)
February 6, 2010

PPJH convened in regular meeting at 10:00 a.m. at Associated Ministries, in Tacoma, WA.

Present for check-in at 10:35 a.m. (15 minutes late): Sallie, Colleen, Ray, Nancy, Sol, Sarah, Mark, and Rob.

AGENDA

1. PPJH FUNDRAISER (Sallie)
The May 1 date for a PPJH fundraiser cannot yet be confirmed and is on hold, probably for another week...

2. PUGET SOUND INTERFAITH YOUTH CAMP (Sallie)
The first meeting on the restructuring of the Puget Sound Interfaith Youth Camp, looking to put the camp on a strong, lasting foundation for 2011 and on into the future, will take place on Monday, February 8. Please contact Sallie (253-383-3056 ext. 105) if you're interested in helping or want more information.

3. MARCH 19 MARCH (RAY)
An antiwar demonstration sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and United for Peace of Pierce County (UFPPC) will take place on March 19, 2010, the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, with the theme "War Costs -- Who Pays? -- Who Profits?" It will begin at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Federal Courthouse on Pacific Ave., and will march to the Pacific Avenue I-5 overpass at 5:30 p.m. (those who can't make the rally at 4:00 p.m. should come directly to the overpass at 5:30 p.m.).

4. KEEP 9/11 TRIALS OUT OF MILITARY COURTS (Mark)
PPJH discussed and endorsed UFPPC's Feb. 4 statement entitled "Keep 9/11 Trials Out of Military Courts!"

5. ZIZEK IN FIVE EASY LESSONS (Mark)
UFPPC's Monday evening reading group, Digging Deeper, is spending two weeks reading Slavoj Zizek, who has reinvigorated the Left's historical project of the global emancipation of humanity. Brief discussion.

A FEW RANDOM REFERRALS

1. THE ACLU CAPITAL PUNISHMENT PROJECT is fighting for the end of the death penalty by supporting moratorium and repeal movements through public education and advocacy. (Colleen)

2. THE SEATTLE ART MUSEUM'S SHOW "ALEXANDER CALDER: A BALANCING ACT" will continue until Apr. 11, 2010. "From miniature maquettes, works on paper and jewelry to monumental sculptures and one of the artist's largest mobiles, this exhibition offers viewers a sense of the range of Alexander Calder's work from 1927 through the mid-1970s. More than forty original works of art—many of them from Jon and Mary Shirley's extensive collection, which is rarely seen by the public—trace the development and amazing creativity of the American master sculptor, with particular depth in his most celebrated period, the late 1940s." (Colleen)

3. STANLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Cynthia Johnson, principal) in Tacoma's Hilltop (425 students) is doing an extraordinary job encouraging reading with its Accelerated Reading program and 90-minute reading blocks. (Nancy)

4. THE BIOLOGY OF TRANSCENDENCE: A BLUEPRINT OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT (2002) by Joseph Chilton Pearce presents a hopeful argument that the heart (compassionate mind) is a categorization of brain function with equal stature as the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, and lower brain. (Sol)

5. GEORGE DAVIES is an internationally known expert and researcher on sports physical therapy, athletic training, shoulder, knee, open and closed kinetic chain topics, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and Isokinetics. He teaches at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA. (Sarah)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. DIGGING DEEPER BOOKS FOR FEBRUARY (Mark)
UFPPC'S Digging Deeper has announced the reading selections for February for its Monday night book discussion circle, held Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mandolin Café (3923 S. 12 St., Tacoma). As mentioned above, two works by Slavoj Zizek are currently under discussion.

2. FRIENDS OF SABEEL CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE (Nancy)
On Feb. 19-20, 2010, the premiere event of Sabeel Puget Sound, a member of Friends of Sabeel-North America working with and on behalf of Palestinian Christians for justice through nonviolence in the Holy Land, will be held at Saint Mark’s Cathedral (1245 Tenth Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102), featuring internationally acclaimed speakers and activists. The conference title is "The United States, Israel and Palestine: What Does Justice Require of US?" Over two days the situation in Israel and Palestine today, the experience of occupation, the role of U.S. policy, and nonviolent strategies for peace will be explored. The dinner and keynote address, by Naim Ateek on Fri. evening, Feb. 19, has been moved to University Presbyterian Church (4540 15th Avenue, N.E., Seattle, WA 98105), a few miles from St. Mark's. Among the other speakers are Neve Gordon, Kathleen and Bill Christison, Mark Braverman, Jeff Halper, Steve Niva, Cindy and Craig Corrie, and Tom Nelson. Registration for the full conference is $75, which includes two lunches and a dinner. For more information, see here.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark