Meeting notes for People for Peace, Justice, and Healing

February 11, 2006

Meeting notes for People for Peace, Justice, and Healing
February 11, 2006

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing met at 10:00 a.m. at Associated Ministries, 1224 South "I" St., Tacoma, on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006. Present for check-in: Sallie S., Arthur, Louisa, Rob, Karen K., Sheila, Kyle, Mark, Vivi, and Colleen.

AGENDA

1. Brainstorming on Mar. 18 event with Ugandan coffee farmer, whose work has an interfaith dimension. Discussion of possibilities. Consensus: Saturday afternoon is the best time for an event.

2. Sallie found a fine Sept. 2002 statement by more than 2,000 librarians, library workers, and archivists supporting "weapons of mass instruction" instead of war; signatories included a Tacoma librarian, Kristin Starnes.

3. Discussion of speakers at the Mar. 19 antiwar event: input. How important are celebrities? Inconclusive discussion.

4. Brainstorming on a name for the Mar. 19 event. Discussion focused on Arthur's idea: "Peace for the Generations." Various versions discussed, no consensus formed.

5. Louis mentioned CodePink's idea of "Tell It to George," a video testimony project. Discussion.

6. Arthur expressed appreciation for PPJH's support and after-rally dinner on Feb. 4 for the Leonard Peltier event, and inquired about feedback to improve the event in the future. Minor suggestions on how to improve communication, directions, etc. Universally positive impressions of the event. Discussion of the historical development of Native American culture in the region, and the suppression (and hiding) of local culture.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Louisa will repeat her New Orleans talk at the Friends meeting on Feb. 19 (11:00 a.m.) and at First United Methodist on Mar. 19 (11:00 a.m.).

2. There will be a Mar. 25 teach-in at UPS by a group of progressive faculty and staff. (Sallie)

3. Free director assistance is available at 1-800-FREE-411. (Sallie)

4. The Northwest Detention Center roundtable meets every other month; we may want to send a participant. (Sallie)

5. PLU's Scandinavian Studies program will sponsor a discussion of the Danish cartoon controversy on Wed., Feb. 15, at 6:00 p.m. in Hong International Hall; various faculty members will speak, including Claudia Berguson, Troy Storfjell, Peter Grosvenor, Mark Jensen, Cliff Rowe, and Ann Kelleher.

6. The PLU Peace Studies Working Group and PLU's Students for Peace will co-sponsor a talk by Pratap Chatterjee, author of Iraq, Inc.: A Profitable Occupation, in Xavier 201 on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University at 6:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17 (no charge).

7. On Feb. 27, UFPPC's book discussion group, Digging Deeper, will begin a month-long discussion of a group of books pertaining to American core values: 1) Jimmy Carter, Our Endangered Values; 2) Anatol Lieven, America Right or Wrong; 3) Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire; 4) Cornel West, Democracy Matters; 5) Thomas Frank, What's the Matter with Kansas?