Saturday, April 3, 2004 Meeting Notes

Meeting notes, People for Peace, Justice, and Healing

Tacoma Peace, Justice and Healing met Saturday, April 3, 2004 at Associated Ministries at 10:00 a.m. Present for check-in were: Elaine, Laura, Colleen, Mark J., Sallie S., Rob, Benjie, David (Benjie's Dad), Sheila, Kyle, Vivi, and Karen H. EARTH CHARTER READING: Rob read Section 8 of the Earth Charter: "Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge required. a. Support international scientific and technical cooperation on sustainability, with special attention to the needs of developing nations. b. Recognize and preserve the traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom in all cultures that contribute to environmental protection and human well-being. c. Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain."

AGENDA:

CAPITOL STEPS TICKETS
S.M.A.R.T. SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, MAY 16, 17 OR 20
DEPT. OF PEACE
BORDC-TACOMA UPDATE
PROF. CHAVAN VISIT
SEEKING ALTERNATIVES TO WAR EVENT
EARTH CHARTER - OCT. 9
NW EARTH INSTITUTE
ANNOUNCEMENTS

CAPITOL STEPS TICKETS: Sallie S.
Sallie has two good tickets to the Capitol Steps concert on Thurs., Apr. 8, that she's unable to use, $25 each, row D. [These were disposed of at the end of the meeting.]

SMART SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, MAY 16, 17 OR 20: Sallie S.
SMART = Sensible MultiLateral American Response to Terrorism, an initiative begun by Physicians for Social Responsibility. Ira Shorr, the organizer of the national campaign, is setting up speaking engagements. Possible dates: May 16 (a Sunday evening), May 17 (Monday, any time), or May 20 (Thursday, early in the day). The SMART campaign has five components: 1) Prevent acts of terrorism; 2) Monitor WMDs; 3) Address root causes; 4) Reprioritize spending; 5) Find alternatives to war. "It is time we stopped equating security with aggression. National security is supposed to be about protecting our people, but an appetite for belligerence and bloodshed weakens us and makes us more vulnerable," says Lynn Woolsey, U.S. House of Representatives (Marin and Sonoma Counties, California). Sallie will pursue.

DEPT. OF PEACE: Laura Would endorsing the proposal to establish a Cabinet-level Department of Peace at the Federal level be of interest to PPJH? A question to address. To be continued.

BORDC-TACOMA UPDATE: Karen H.; Mark
The Bill of Rights Defense Committee-Tacoma, led by Tim Smith, continues its vigilance with respect to the Homeland Security prison that Correctional Services Corp. is trying to open in the near future on the Tacoma Tideflats. Karen H. described a tour of the prison given by "Chief Gus," in the company of Tacoma City Council member Tom Stenger and Kent Alcorn. Mark reported on planned events on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday [when a grand pseudo-opening was held]. For more details, see the "Local News" section of the UFPPC website (http://www.ufppc.org)

PROF. CHAVAN VISIT: Mark
Mark confessed to failing to follow through on this matter and being guilty of dereliction of duty. Elaine promised to examine the possiblity of organizing something in Tacoma in mid-April.

SEEKING ALTERNATIVE TO WAR SERIES: Sallie & Mark
Discussion of the idea of a talk by historian Bob Ericksen, professor of history at Pacific Lutheran Univ. Mark will pursue.

EARTH CHARTER - OCT. 9: Sheila
Sheila led the organization of Earth Charter Community Summit last year but won't be able to do it this year. A few people are needed to begin the process. To be continued.

NW EARTH INSTITUTE: Sallie
Sallie received a call on Mar. 25 from Judy Olsen (253-853-7001, judy@nwei.org), who has been hired by the Northwest Earth Institute, an organization that reminds Sallie of Earth Ministry Seattle in the way it speaks to the Protestant community about environmental matters. -- NW Earth Institute is coming to give 8-week courses for 6-12 people. Format: meet for an hour and discuss weekly readings. Current course offerings include (1) Voluntary simplicity; (2) Exploring deep ecology; (3) Discovering a sense of place; (4) Choices for sustainable living; (5) Globalization and its critics. There was a meeting at 7pm on Mon., Apr. 5 in the Gig Harbor branch of the Pierce County Library to get test groups going in anticipation of a larger effort in the fall.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Colleen: On Tuesday evening, Benjie Peters will present his thesis work on "Martin Luther King Jr. and Economic Justice," after a bread-and-soup dinner at Colleen's place, 4417 S. 12th, Tacoma. Due to space limitations, only PPJH members are invited; PLEASE TELL COLLEEN if you plan to come (cwaterhouse@att.net or 579-9680).

Elaine: On Wed., May 12, the TUFF group will present a Town Hall forum on marriage equality. Speakers, time, and place TBA. Intention: educate and mobilize.

Benjie: Sarah Laslett said PPJH could co-sponsor the coalition-building workshop entitled "From Chaos to Community: Where Do We Go from Here?" on May 14-15. PPJH endorsed and will contribute $100. Leslie Braxton will be the keynote speaker Friday evening, May 14. On Saturday, there will be a morning large-group workshop, with smaller working groups in the afternoon.

Vivi: On Sat., Apr. 17, the Western Washington Spring Assembly of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) will take place in West Seattle. Call for Susan Donaldson for carpooling.

Vivi: On Sun., Apr. 25, the County Delegates' Convention will take place.