MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING
April 12, 2008

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing met at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2008, at Associated Ministries. Present for check-in: Sallie S., Sally M., Rob, Terry, Nancy, Mark, and Vivi.

AGENDA

1. PLUG-IN (Rob)
Rob is developing a proposal for POJH to engage with the Plug-In or Adopt-A-Dealer campaign initiated by Co-op America in participation with the Rainforest Action Network and Global Exchange. The program encourages car dealers to call for plug-in hybrids. From the web site: "The single biggest step we can take towards breaking our oil addiction is for the automobile industry to produce cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars. That is why we are working to convince Ford and GM to dramatically improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles and begin mass producing plug-in hybrids today. -- All you have to do is start a conversation with your local car dealer. Use our talking points, sample letters and a step-by-step guide to get your campaign on the road. We are working together to get auto dealers to speak up for the climate and their best interests." To be continued; please inform yourself about the campaign for future reference.

2. APRIL 18 ANN WRIGHT EVENTS -- PUBLICITY (Sallie S.)
Assignment of responsibilities for publicizing Ann Wright's two appearances in Tacoma on Fri., Apr. 18.

3. PAUL RICHMOND'S CANDIDACY (Mark)
Discussion of Paul Richmond's Mar. 18 announcement of his challenge to Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA 6th). Richmond is a Port Townsend attorney formerly from Seattle. His campaiagn is emphasizing Dicks's record on the Iraq war, civil liberties, and "the war economy." Richmond is "against Dicks's co-sponsorship of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, saying it expands the list of actions that could be considered terrorism" (*Kitsap Sun*, Mar. 20, 2008). He is a former supporter of Dennis Kucinich for president, and supports the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as soon as possible. Unless we are mistaken, as of today, three and a half weeks after he declared, Paul Richmond's candidacy has not been mentioned by the News Tribune of Tacoma. (The News Tribune did report on Cheryl Crist's antiwar challenge to Brian Baird in the 3rd Congressional District, on Feb. 28, two days after her declaration.)

4. VIGILS (Nancy)
Discussion of how to invigorate participation in vigils.

5. PUBLIC INERTNESS (Terry)
Discussion of some notions of mass psychology, including the ideas of Milton Erickson.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. DIGGING DEEPER (Mark).
On Mon., Apr. 14, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Café, bestselling author Daniel H. Pink (A Whole New Mind) will speak; last week UFPPC's book discussion circle, Digging Deeper, read the volume and members will be on hand to ask questions. -- On Apr. 21 & 28, Digging Deeper XLVI will examine two books by Howard Zinn: A Power Governments Cannot Suppress (City Lights, 2006; hardcover 2007 -- "[A]lmost three dozen brief, passionate essays that follow in the tradition of his landmark work, A People's History of the United States, taking up the cause of ordinary Americans fighting for social justice. Shunning conventional notions of American history, Zinn instead strives to decouple the country's history from its 'mythology,' in part by examining familiar contemporary concerns like class, race, civil liberties, immigration, and the Iraq War." --Publishers Weekly) and You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times (Beacon, 1994; paperback 1995; new ed. 2007 -- a recent collection of essays.

2. DALAI LAMA'S VISIT (Sallie S.)
For more details on venues at which the Dalai Lama is appearing in Seattle and podcasting and live streaming of events, see the web site of Seeds of Compassion. See also http://www.uwtv.org/dalailama/

3. VOTER-OWNED ELECTIONS (Rob)
On Sat., May 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church (1115 South 56th St., Tacoma), a panel will discuss opportunities and challenges presented by the apporval of a bill by the Washington Legislature allowing local jurisdictions to create programs that offer public funds for local political campaigns. The panel includes Marilyn Strickland (Tacoma City Council), Nick Licata (Seattle City Council), Craig Salins (Washington Public Campaigns Director), Julio Quan (former director of Centro Latino), and others. Lyz Kurnitz-Thurlow, president of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County will moderate. Refreshments will be served before and after the forum.

4. "LET THEM KNOW I'M ALL RIGHT" (Sally M.)
Sally O'Kane McClintock's "'Let Them Know I'm All Right,'" appears on page 13 of the April 2008 issue of Senior Scene (Tacoma, WA). Sally knew Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) when she was a student at Antioch College in the late 1940s, and describes some extraordinary experiences related to her life and to the life and death of Martin Luther King Jr.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark