MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING
December 15, 2007

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing met at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at Associated Ministries. Present for check-in: Sallie S., Mark, Rob, Colleen, Vivi, and Sol.

AGENDA

1. DATE FOR PELTIER EVENT(Sallie S.)
Feb. 9 is being considered for an event on the Leonard Peltier case, probably a showing of the 1991 film "Incident at Oglala" and possibly a speaker.

2. POTLUCK FUNDRAISER (Group)
There was consensus that a potluck dinner-and-film fundraiser featuring "My Dinner with Andre," possibly the evening of Sat., Mar. 1, 2008, is an idea worth pursuing. To be continued.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. BILL OF RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION (Colleen)
Dec. 15 is Bill of Rights Day and will be celebrated for the sixty year running at the Washington State History Museum at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 15, 2007. The public is invited and admission is free. Guest speaker is Nancy Bristow of the University of Washington, Tacoma, recently named Washington State Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; she will speak on "The Bill of Rights: What Happens to Civil Liberties in Time of War." Music provided by Mike Honey. Refreshments provided.

2. "GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB" SHOWING (Mark)
At 6:30 p.m. on Thurs., Jan. 3, United for Peace of Pierce County will host a free showing and discussion of the 2007 documentary "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" downstairs at the First Congregational Church annex on Division and J Streets, just downhill from Group Health Hospital (address: 209 South "J" St., Tacoma). -- "The familiar and disturbing pictures of torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison raise many troubling questions: How did torture become an accepted practice at Abu Ghraib? Did U.S. government policies make it possible? How much damage has the aftermath of Abu Ghraib had on America's credibility as a defender of freedom and human rights around the world? For the first time, GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB features both the voices of Iraqi victims (interviewed in Turkey after arduous attempts to meet with them) and guards directly involved in torture at the prison. Conducted by Kennedy, these remarkably candid, in-depth interviews shed light on the abuses in an unprecedented manner."

3. DIGGING DEEPER XL: ARE WE ROME? (Mark)
UFPPC's book study circle known as Digging Deeper meets Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Café (3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA). On Mon., Jan. 7, 14, 21, & 28, David Gilmour (Ph.D., Classics, Univ. of Washington) will lead Digging Deeper XL in a four-week examination of some recent books that draw parallels between the Roman Empire and the United States. The book chosen for discussion are the following: 1) Cullen Murphy's Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America (Houghton Mifflin, 2007); -- 2) Charles S. Maier, Among Empires: American Ascendancy and Its Predecessors (Harvard UP, 2007); -- 3) Terry Jones's Barbarians: An Alternative Roman History (BBC Books, 2007); -- 4) John Pilger's Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire (Nation Books, 2007). -- There is no charge for participation and sessions are open to the public. -- Digging Deeper meets Mondays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mandolin Café in Tacoma.

4. PLANNING MEETING FOR 5th ANNIVERSARY (Sallie)
At 7:00 p.m. on Tues., Jan. 8, an organizing meeting for those interested in helping plan activities around the 5th anniversary of the Mar. 19, 2003, U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq will be held in the Rotunda at the Student Center on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. All interested in participating are invited.

5. SECOND SUNDAY UFPPC SALON (Mark)
UFPPC's 2007-08 Second Sunday Salon Society Series, a fundraising series for UFPPC, will continue on Sunday, January 13, 2008, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the home of Mario, and Frances Lorenz, 816 S. "L" St. in Tacoma. $15 donation is suggested for these events. For tickets call (253) 573-1504. The afternoon will feature the poetry of Lucas Smiraldo plus a discussion led by Dr. Frances Lorenz on a topic yet to be chosen. Hors d'oeuvres and wine will be available.

6. LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP ON PRIORITIES FOR A HEALTHY WASHINGTON (Sol)
On Sat., Jan. 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Gwinn Room of Seattle Pacific University, the annual Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop will be held as the state's leading conservation groups prepare for the upcoming legislative session. Legislators, environmental leaders, and member of the media will examine four priorities: -- 1) legislation for combating climate pollution; -- 2) local solutions to global warming available to local governments; -- 3) protection and promotion of urban trees in Washington; -- 4) bringing more locally grown produce into our schools and food banks. -- Space is limited. -- For more info and to register, visit https://www.wecprotects.org/join/legworkshop_reg.cfm or contact Kerri Cechovic, Washington Environmental Council's Organizer, at 206-631-6307 or kerri@wecprotects.org with any questions.

7. JOE LA SAC SPEAKS ON PMR AND FREE SPEECH (Mark)
At 7:00 p.m. on Fri., Jan. 18, Joe La Sac, Univ. of Puget Sound & Students for a Democratic Society will speak on "Port Militarization Resistance: What Do These Events Have to Do with Free Speech?" -- This event, part of the 2007-2008 United for Peace of Pierce County speaker seriex, will be held at King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402 (253-272-8801). -- You may have seen Joe La Sac's videos on YouTube. He became well known locally when he was stopped by a Tacoma police officer while videotaping on the Puyallup River mudflats. He thus became an instant cause célèbre for the issue of free speech, the questions that arose due to his videotaping, and the internet posting of the incident during the Tacoma Port Militarization Resistance. -- More information available here.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL LOBBY DAY (Sol)
From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 23, 2008, at United Churches in Olympia (110 E. 11th Ave.): Hear from legislators championing the Priorities for a Healthy Washington legislation, receive a training on how to lobby from top environmental lobbyists, and have a chance to meet face-to-face with your elected officials. -- Hosted by People for Puget Sound. -- Registration fee: $15. Includes continental breakfast and evening reception with door prizes, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres hosted by Audobon Washington. To register, go to pugetsound.org/index.lobbyday or contact Rein Attemann at rattemann@pugetsound.org or (206) 382-7007 for information about transportation, volunteering, etc.

9. GERRI HAYNES SPEAKS ON IRAQ'S REFUGEES (Mark)
Gerri Haynes, board member and past president of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility and board member of UNA-Seattle, will speak at 7:00 p.m. on Thurs., Jan. 24, 2008, at King's Books in Tacoma (218 St. Helens Ave.) on Iraq's refugees. She writes: "Since 1993 I helped organize the first Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility trip to Israel/Palestine, I have traveled at least once (some times multiple times) each year to this region -- leading groups to learn, teach, observe, and promote citizen diplomacy. During the economic sanctions on Iraq I visited Iraq four times. Following the fall of Baghdad I traveled to central and southern Iraq with the *Seattle Post-Intelligencer*. Each year I visit a family in Bethlehem. My husband and I have become godparents to two of the sons of people of peace in Bethlehem. Most recently I helped to organize a delegation of eight under the auspices of UNA-Seattle -- we visited Syrian citizen and Iraqi refugees in Damascus, Saydnaya, and Aleppo, Syria." More information available here.

10. TACOMA'S FOCUS THE NATION (Sol)
JP Kemmick, a recent graduate of PLU and a very energetic Climate Change activist, has begun to organize a "FOCUS THE NATION" event in Tacoma that will take place on Thurs., Jan. 31. It will feature a panel of elected officials responding to questions from citizens about what they can do to lead us towards Climate Change solutions. Details to follow. If interested in helping, contact Sol Riou (sparkingwaves@hotmail.com) or JP Kemmick (jpkemmick@gmail.com). Sustainable Tacoma Pierce (formerly Puget Sound Climate Issues) will be sponsoring this event. -- A preliminary forum, "ENGAGE," held from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Mon., Jan. 21, at the Tacoma Friends Meetinghouse, 2508 S. 39th St. (behind Borders Books), will feature a training by Climate Solutions and a brainstorming session to prepare for the "FOCUS THE NATION" event.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark