MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING
August 25, 2007

People for Peace, Justice and Healing met at 10:00 a.m. on August 25, 2007 at Associated Ministries . Present for check-in were Jan, Mark, Ray, Susan, Nancy, and Dorothy.

AGENDA

1. FIGHTING CO-OPTING OF SEPTEMBER 11 (Group)
Decided to go ahead and rent the auditorium at the History Museum for a Sept. 11 showing of Adam Curtis's 2004 BBC documentary, "The Power of Nightmares." Decided the best time to begin showing Part I will be 6:30 p.m. Because of the length of the film, no other program is planned. The cost exceeds slightly our resources so we will ask United for Peace of Pierce County, which has shown it in the past, to co-sponsor. Nancy will call the museum to book it. Mark agreed to write a press release. More work needed on publicity (poster, media, community contacts) to get the word out about the showing. -- NOTE: For those unfamiliar with it, "The Power of Nightmares" traces in parallel the development of American neoconservatism and Islamist radicalism and interprets them as "the last political idealists," bent on exploiting "the politics of fear." Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc., called "The Power of Nightmares" "arguably the most important film about the ‘war on terrorism’ since the events of September 11." A summary of the argument of the documentary, with links to .pdf files of one-page summaries of each part, can be viewed here.

2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL'S REPORT ON THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. (Dorothy)
Discussed an Aug. 7, 2007, report of the comptroller general of the United States, David Walker, arguing that not only are American fiscal practices unsustainable, "on a path toward an explosion of debt," but "[c]urrent U.S. policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration, and Iraq also [is] on an 'unsustainable path.'" Walker summarized his report in an article published this week in the Financial Times of London, drawing parallels with the fall of Rome. Since the report has not been given much press in the U.S., agreed it's worth circulating and publicizing it. -- The report itself is found in a .pdf file here. -- NOTE: UFPPC's book discussion group, "Digging Deeper," will be taking up a number of books making the Rome-U.S. comparison in January 2008, including Cullen Murphy's Are We Rome? (2007), in a discussion led by David Gilmour, Ph.D. (Classics).

3. OPT-OUT FORM REPORT (Nancy and Susan)
Distribution successes and difficulties in Tacoma high schools discussed.

4. ARLINGTON NORTHWEST (Nancy)
Arlington Northwest will be set out on Ruston Way on Sat., Sept. 1. Those who wish to help set up the markers (one for each U.S. military death in Iraq, which today stands at 3,725) should come around 6:00 a.m. The project will be in display all day Saturday.

5. PACT/UFPPC/VFP (TACOMA CHAPTER) PEACE FEST (Susan)
Tomorrow, at People's Park (Martin Luther King Jr. Way & 9th Ave., Tacoma) -- help get the word out and come to the festival! It received a good write-up in this week's Weekly Volcano.

6. IRAQ WAR DEBATE IN TACOMA ON SEPT. 21 (Mark)
At 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 21 at King's Books (218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma), United for Peace of Pierce County will sponsor a debate on whether the U.S. should stay in or leave Iraq. Arguing for staying will be Prof. Sid Olufs (Political Science, Pacific Lutheran University) and arguing for leaving will be Prof. Steve Niva (International Relations, Middle East Studies, and Political Theory, The Evergreen State College, Olympia). The event will be free, and is timed to take place on a day that is not only International Peace Day but also the kick-off of the Iraq Moratorium, which United for Peace of Pierce County recently endorsed. (http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/6608/) The Iraq Moratorium urges citizens' commitment to concrete action against the U.S. occupation of Iraq every third Friday of every month until U.S. troops leave that country.

7. BUSH PROTEST IN BELLEVUE ON AUG. 27 (Ray)
To carpool to a mammoth anti-Bush rally coinciding with the president's attendance at a fundraiser at the Bellevue Hyatt (NE 8th & Bellevue Way) for Dave Reichert (R-WA 8th) in Bellevue, meet Ray at Krispi Kreme at the Tacoma Mall at 10:30 a.m. Many will be heading to Bellevue to join what is expected to be a massive demonstration supporting the impeachment of the president. For more information, see the press release of Washington for Impeachment here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. STUDY CIRCLES ON AMERICAN IMMIGRATION POLICY, SAUL ALINSKY -- Aug. 27 (Mark)
The final discussion of American immgration policy will take place on Mon., Aug. 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Café, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma. The books: Roger Daniels, Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants since 1882 (2004); -- Erika Lee, At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943 (2003; paperback 2007); -- Lucy E. Salyer, Laws Harsh As Tigers: Chinese Immigrants and the Shaping of Modern Immigration Law (Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1995); -- Philippe Legrain, Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them (Princeton University Press, 2007); -- Mark Steyn, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It (Regnery, 2006). For more information see here.

After a break for Labor Day, a two-part discussion of the life and ideas of radical organizer Saul Alinsky will take place on Sept. 10 & 17, same place, same time. For more information on this, see here.

2. MOVEON 'TAKE A STAND' DAY -- TUES., AUG. 28 (Susan and Ray)
No Iraq Escalation and MoveOn are calling for vigils on Tues., Aug. 28, National Take a Stand Day, demanding "that members of Congress and the Senate take a stand with the vast majority of Americans who want a safe and responsible redeployment of American Forces from Iraq. Across America, over 100 'Iraq Summer' organizers are working to involve thousands of ordinary Americans in an effort to pressure targeted members of Congress to vote to bring a safe end to the war. This 'Take A Stand Campaign' will culminate with 'Take A Stand' town meetings to be held on August 28th, immediately before congress reconvenes." Two events are listed by MoveOn in Tacoma, both at 7:00 p.m.: (1) Pacific Ave and 19th St. So. (20 registered participant(s)) Tacoma, WA 98402, across Pacific Ave from the museum; (2) 68th & South Sheridan Street, Wapato Park main entrance (17 registered participants), Tacoma, WA 98408: "Directions: Take 72nd Street exit from I-5 and travel east, take the second left turn at Sheridan. Turn into park at 68th. Go around the large flower circle and you will then see the flowers, the lake the fellow vigil-ers. Park immediately and join us."

3. EVENING OF POETRY AND COMMUNITY DISCUSSION -- Sept. 26 (Mark)
The South Sound Voices education project, in collaboration with Voices in Wartime and the Northwest SPokenword Lab (SPLAB!) presents five outstanding poets (Sam Hamill, Dunya Mikhail, Roy Seitz, Sarah Zale, and Bill Ransom) who articulate the effects of war and invite reflection on these losses and prevention of future wars at Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts, 2011 Mottman Rd. SW, Olympia, WA, in an evening of poetry and community discussion entitled "Healing the Wounds of War." Tickets $11.24; students with ID free. This event is a fundraiser for South Sound Voices. Sponsors of the event or materials include: Northwest Social Justice Fund; Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Fun. Endorsement: Voices in Wartime; Poets Against War; SPLAB!; Veterans for Peace; South Puget Sound Community College and BRICK. For more information, phone 360-412-1519.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark