MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing
June 5, 2010

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing met on June 5, 2010, at 10 a.m. at Associated Ministries. Present for check-in were Sallie, Mark, Nancy, Rob, Carl, Colleen, and Sheila.

AGENDA

1. TACOMA ART MUSEUM PROJECT (Carl)
The Tacoma Art Museum is beginning a project to better integrate into the city center the under-utilized plaza in front of the museum with the even more under-utilized Tollefson Plaza across the street.

2. BREAKING THE GAZA BLOCKADE (All)
Discussion of the May 31 Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla and the aftermath. Discussion of the local debate, in particular Linda Frank's Op-Ed on pa. A11 of the June 3 News Tribune, "America needs to pressure Israel to end its human siege of Gaza," which has occasioned much intemperate comment online. In general, it is clear that there is a propaganda war underway in the media. Peter Beinart's piece in the June 10 New York Review of Books, entitled "The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment," is interesting. Sallie attended the return to Seatac last night of Freedom Flotilla participant David Schermerhorn.

3. JUNE 21 FUNDRAISER (Mark and Nancy)
So far we have in hand cash or checks for $1050 for 35 tickets sold as of today, June 5, for the June 21 Summer Solstice Persian Poetry Celebration UFPPC/PPJH Fundraiser, out of a total of 110 that have been distributed so far to various volunteers. (Total sales will be limited to 150.) We have secured the participation of musicians. A meeting for all who are able to help with various responsibilities on the evening of the event will be held onsite at Burk's (420 N. 4th St., Tacoma, in back) at 7:00 p.m. on Thurs., June 17, 2010, four days before the event.

4. PIERCE COUNTY COUNCIL E-VERIFY RESOLUTION (Sallie)
Regrettable resolution passed 5-2 at the June 1 meeting. Kudos to Tom McCarthy for his effective address to the council (see also his letter, "Council resolution does nothing," in the June 3 News Tribune).

***

INFORMED OPINION

1. Mark finally reached p. 998 of vol. 3 of Robert Caro's multivolume biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson, when the Civil Rights Act of 1957 is finally passed and signed into law. What an extraordinary work of history!

2. Rob's son had him watch "Let the Right One In."

3. Sallie recommends "Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010).

4. Carl finished the Millennium Trilogy of Stieg Larsson and recommends its three constituent novels, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

5. Sheila finished and recommends Tales of the Otori, a series of historical fantasy novels by Lian Hearn set in feudal Japan.

***

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. DIGGING DEEPER (Mark)
On June 7 & 14, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Cafe, UFPPC's book group will be discussing David Remnick's book on Barack Obama and the matter of racial identity.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark