MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING
People for Peace, Justice and Healing met Saturday, November 20, 2010, at Associated Ministries. Present for check-in: Sallie, Carl, Karen, Mark, Nancy.
General Discussion: Recent Security measures and changes at the airports, especially as they affect persons with medical implants. Absurd situations -- like TSAing the flight attendant with thirty years experience, etc. Members encouraged to contact, for instance, Sen. Maria Cantwell's office or the ACLU with suggestions, concerns, and complaints. Report on recent Physicians For Social Responsibility event awarding lifetime achievement award to Bill Bichsel, S. J.
Events:
Plowshares Five to appear in court on Mon., Nov. 22, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. to ask for a dismissal of charges against them. Report below.*
PJH will be moving its meeting place to another venue beginning on Dec. 18, 2010. Our last Saturday meeting at Associated Ministries will be on Dec. 11, 2010. Group present decided to meet at Commencement Bay Coffee House on Dec. 18. (There will be no meeting the following week, Dec. 25.) It is located at 2354 South Jefferson. Final decision about new meeting place to be decided. Come check out Commencement Bay.
Digging Deeper with Mark Jensen: Meets Monday evenings, 7:00 to 8:30 at the Mandolin Cafe. Current reads (Nov. 22 & 29): The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Maxwell's Demon: Why Warmth Disperses and Time Passes by Hans Christian von Baeyer.
*Plowshares Five Report
Steve Kelly, Ann Montgomery, Susan Crane, Lynn Greenwald, and Bill
Bichsel appear before Judge Benjamin Settle in Federal Court on
Nov. 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., to present motions to dismiss their case. They are
being tried for their "illegal" trespass at Bangor, early morning of
November 2, 2009. All are veteran protestors -- all are in their
sixties and up -- of our nuclear weapons arsenal which they describe as
"illegal under national and international law as well as the teachings
of our faith and general humanitarian law." (Also bad for our health
and pocket books.) Susan Crane was first to testify (as above)
followed by Ann Montgomery, who reminded the court of the testimony of
her longtime friend Ramsey Clark -- they met in the '60's during the
Civil Rights movement. Clark, former U. S. Attorney General under Pres. Lyndon B.
Johnson, appeared on behalf of the Plowshares Five the previous
Thursday also before Judge Benjamin Settle. An important part of his
testimony was his support of the group's efforts to present a
"necessity defense," which was later denied by Judge Settle, as was
their first motion to dismiss. Further and more detailed information
about the day's proceedings can be found by Googling "Ground Zero Bangor."
Trial by jury begins at 9:00 a.m., Dec. 7, 2010, before Judge Settle.
Maximum possible sentences range as high as ten years. Your support
is appreciated.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen