Saturday, November 23, 2002 Meeting Notes

AGENDA

0. Check-in
1. Nov. 24 study group
2. Letter to Fort Lewis
3. Adam Bray's peace walk & PJH's participation
4. December 8th Coalition plans
5. Last Thursday evening
6. Listserv
7. Announcements

CHECK-IN: a few scattered notes on remarks by those present:
- Elaine is back from California; Esalen is still great!
- Ken said he was back after a few weeks away and was interested in getting in touch with what's been going on.
- Amy said she also felt she had a lot of catching up to do.
- Marilyn expressed concerns about the listserv and about Thursday's December 8th Coalition meeting.
- Adam said he was feeling good and that had just heard about a piece in today's Tacoma News Tribune about his upcoming peace walk.
- Benjie said he's been busy with assignments at UW Tacoma.
- Dorothy attended a workshop on nonviolent communication on Nov. 10 at a senior center in Seattle led by Jorge Rubio (see announcements).
- Rob said he was feeling energized.
- Sarah was back after a while away; she now has e-mail and is looking forward to learning more about what's going on.
- Vivi attended the Thursday evening meeting and also the recent FOR meeting focusing on the media.
- Mark said the 'national security strategy study group' of SNOW members he's been working with met on Tuesday and had finished a document entitled "Iraq Is a Tree, Not a Forest" that would be on the agenda of SNOW's Nov. 25 meeting.
- Sallie noted Thursday evening's meeting's difficulties and fallout but felt that it was good to be back in the thick of it.
- Chris said she was feeling exhausted and that it's all too much sometimes.
- Karen K. said had gone through moments that were hard to deal with recently but has been helped by thoughts from Rilke ("You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born . . . fear not the strangeness you feel. The future must enter into you long before it happens") and from Einstein ("A human being is part of a whole, called by us the 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty").
- Colleen was just back from Madison, Wisconsin, where the city council has passed a resolution strongly critical of administration policies -- one of many cities doing this.

1. Study group. A study group will meet at Chris Martin's (call 572-6315 to RSVP) on Sunday evening, Nov. 24, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to discuss four documents: the "National Security Strategy of the United States" released on September 17, 2002 by the National Security Council and the White House; "Joint Vision 2020," released in 2000 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff; "A Grand Strategy" by John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Policy (November/December 2002); G. John Ikenberry, "America's Imperial Ambition," Foreign Affairs (September/October 2002). The goal: to seek ways to communicate to the broader public the danger that the "Bush doctrine" represents to core values.

2. Letter to Fort Lewis. There has still been no response to the Oct. 12 letter signed by a dozen PPJH members addressed to Lt. Gen. Soriano, the commanding general at Fort Lewis, concerning the behavior of military personnel at the October 7 peace vigil. Mark will send another copy of the letter with a cover letter noting requesting a response and noting that a recent Tacoma News Tribune article said the U.S. Army regarded Fort Lewis as a model of good military-civilian relations.

3. Adam Bray's Peace Walk. For details, see the Adam Bray Peace Walk Webpage. The leg of the walk next Saturday, Nov. 30, will begin at Summit United Methodist Church at Canyon and 104th. While the route is still to be determined, Adam will probably be on Route 7 by noon; he follow Route 7, Route 507, and Route 510 to Yelm. Half a dozen PJHers indicated an interest in walking part of the way with Adam. Logistical arrangements for this PJH participation will be firmed up at next Saturday's meeting. Response to Adam's walk, including media interest (an article in the Tacoma News Tribune on Nov. 23; KOMO 4 plans to cover Adam's departure), has been gratifying.

4. December 8th Coalition. Colleen reported on the meeting of the 'Content group' that met to plan content of the Dec. 8 event just before this PJH meeting. The plan is for hundreds of people to meet at 1:00 p.m. near the Tacoma Mall Office Building (off Pine St.). Tables with information will be set up. After some brief speaking and music people will set off and walk around the mall & over the overpass; some may engage in other legal, nonviolent activities. A 'Logistics group' and a 'PR group' are also making plans. These will be reported to the main group at the next meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., at the Anna Lemon Wheelock branch of the Tacoma Public Library, 3722 N. 26th St. (Who will facilitate that meeting is still uncertain.)

5. Last Thursday evening. Marilyn described something that occurred at the Nov. 21 December 8th Coalition meeting, and that group's response (and our individual responses) to the incident, which has led several people to withdraw from participation in the coalition. Colleen, Mark, Karen, Ken, Sallie, Rob, Chris, Vivi, Adam, and Elaine also offered thoughts about it. Several noted that there is probably not one single truth concerning what occurred or its significance. How to learn from and heal after the incident were discussed; the group reached consensus that it would be appropriate and helpful to try to provide for a moment of healing at the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday to refocus the group on the spirit of peace and the needs of peace, stated in a positive manner, including symbolic elements like a candle and a moment of silence, without however diverting the focus of the meeting from the work at hand of organizing the Dec. 8 event.

6. Listserv. Marilyn expressed frustration about aspects of the functioning of the listserv. Some feel that they are getting too many e-mails. A group including Ken, Adam, Benjie, and Rob will look into possible solutions.

7. Announcements.
(a) Dorothy described the work of the Puget Sound Network for Compassionate Communication for the creation of a Nonviolent Peaceforce skilled in "Nonviolent Communication," and passed out information about this.
(b) Vivi announced upcoming appearances of Steven Zunes. (i) Steven Zunes will appear at a SNOW-endorsed event on "Alternatives to War" will take place at Antioch Univ., Room 100, 6th and Battery in downtown Seattle on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ii) Steven Zunes will speak to the Rainier Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (iii) Steven Zunes can be heard on KUOW radio at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 25. (iv) Steven Zunes will speak in Kane Hall on the Univ. of Washington campus on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7:00 p.m.
(c) Carrie announced that as part of the "decompression" from the Fort Benning protests last weekend people will attend the Monday, Nov. 25, 4:00 p.m. showing of "Bowling for Columbine" at the Grand Cinema and proceed to the Littles' house afterwards; anyone interested is welcome to join in. She also announced that Carpenters for a Democratic Union reports a big swelling of support in the labor movement for sending a delegation to Iraq in mid-December -- watch for a fund-raiser that may be organized soon to support this. ALSO, Carrie has Chiapas coffee (organic, shade-grown, supports indigenous farmers) available for sale ($10/pound).
(d) Colleen announced that the ACLU is sponsoring an event at the Experience Music Project on Dec. 8 featuring Doctor DeMento on music censorship and featuring Uncle Bonsai among the participants. Tickets are available for $10 to ACLU members; Colleen can get tickets at this price for those interested.
(e) Mark reported two events on the PLU campus: (i) Rep. Jim McDermott will speak in the Univ. Center (Chris Knutzen Hall) on Monday, Nov. 25, at 5:30 p.m.; (b) on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, there will be a candlelight vigil at 5:30 p.m. on Red Square.