MEETING NOTES FOR PEOPLE FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND HEALING December 22, 2007

People for Peace, Justice, and Healing met at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at Associated Ministries. Present for check-in: Ray, Sallie S., Sheila, Nancy, Vivi, Mark, and Colleen.

AGENDA

1. VIGLS (Nancy)
Nancy expressed concern that signs held at vigils are not always visible or legible to passers-by. Sallie said that she wants PJH to undertake to bring signs to Wednesday vigils. Who can take responsibility for bringing signs was discussed.

2. AWARD PLAQUE (Ray)
Agreed on this text: "To King's Books, for service to our community, from People for Peace, Justice, and Healing -- 2007." The 7:00 p.m. Fri., Jan. 24 Gerri Haynes event at King's Books would be a good time to present the award.

3. DINNER WITH 'MY DINNER WITH ANDRÉ' (Group)
Tenative planning continues for a March 1, 2008 dinner-fundraiser for PPJH that will include a showing of "My Dinner with André" (1981).

4. LEONARD PELTIER (Nancy)
Nancy has not yet received a response to her e-mails to Arthur. Feb. 8 is available at King's Books. Nancy will book the date. Program planning continues.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. "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."

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. SECOND SUNDAY UFPPC SALON (Mark)
UFPPC's 2007-2008 Second Sunday Salon series will continue on Sun., Jan. 13, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. -- Held in private homes as UFPPC fundraisers, admission to the salons requires payment of $15; wine and hors-d'oeuvres are served, with ample time for informal conversation. -- The Jan. 13 salon will feature the poetry of Lucas Smiraldo and a DVD-assisted presentation by Dr. Roger Kuhrt related to the "Awaken the Dreamer: Change the Dream" presentation developed under the auspices of the Pachamama Alliance.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Respectfully submitted,
Mark