[Peace-discuss] AWARE

Wed Sep 2 09:00:24 CDT 2009

This ("... the functional definition of 'unpleasantness' here seems to be 
'the expression of an opinion that departs from the liberal consensus' (e.g., 
'Obama is not anti-war') is of course complete and convenient nonsense.

I agree with Joy's suggestion.  There is an anti-war vigil Monday nite Sept. 21 at the Alma Mater on campus at 8-9pm.  I believe all are welcome.

And next week, the local Central Illinois Jobs with Justice coalition - of which AWARE is a member organization - is marching in the annual Labor Day parade with signs calling for the peace, justice, and restoration of democracy in Honduras.  Feel free to bring your own and join in.  Gather in Lincoln Square parking lot off Vine St. in Urbana between 9:30am and 10am.  Kickoff is promptly at 10am.  The route from Lincoln Square runs south to Washington St and proceeds east to the Brookens Center, 1776 E Washington, where there follows a "Celebration of Labor" with free hotdogs and softdrinks, beer, music, bouncy castles and games for the kids, and a softball tournament.

Jobs with Justice is also planning a rally at the County Courthouse in Urbana for Sept. 24 at 5:30pm as part of a National Week of Action protesting the 'bailout bandits' and calling for social justice, national and local prioritization of the crises of homelessness and joblessness.  Details to follow.

This year's Unity March is also scheduled for Oct. 3 and is inneed of organizing help.  The theme also relates to the criminalization of homelessness.  Neil Parthun on this list is the contact for that effort.

This type activity will be a much more productive use of our time than reading most of what's been on this list lately.

Ricky

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn

--- On Wed, 9/2/09, jgeo61 at comcast.net <jgeo61 at comcast.net> wrote:

From: jgeo61 at comcast.net <jgeo61 at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] AWARE
To: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at illinois.edu>
Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 8:10 AM

#yiv872180891 p {margin:0;}

This is quite an accusation.  You make it sound as if we are pouting, taking our toys home, since we didn't get our way on the playground.  My concern is that this discussion group does not reflect the goals or needs of the entire group and in fact the current behavior has driven away existing/potential members.  

If we want to "make a difference" in the peace effort, we must stick together to be a unified force, otherwise we appear only to be squabbling chickens.  I strongly believe that if those who want to have the ongoing debate discussions find their own regular venue and talk until the cows come home.  There is work to be done and there is no time like the present to get back to it.

Joy

----- Original Message -----
From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at illinois.edu>
To: "Matt Reichel" <mattreichel at hotmail.com>
Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2009 9:50:28 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] AWARE

As I suggested, the functional definition of "unpleasantness" here seems to be 
"the expression of an opinion that departs from the liberal consensus" (e.g., 
"Obama is not anti-war").

It would seem that the purpose of the peace-discuss list would be by discussion 
to discover (a) the source and nature of America's war and (b) effective 
strategies to work against it.  And I think (b) depends upon (a).  In the 
absence of an accurate analysis, the best will in the world can do the right 
thing only by accident.

The largest anti-war demonstrations in human history occurred just before the US 
invasion of Iraq, in the US and around the world, but the American antiwar 
movement in the intervening years largely ceased to exist.  (It obviously still 
exists from Palestine to Pakistan as resistance to US invasion and occupation.)

John Walsh wrote last week <http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh08262009.html>,

"A funny thing has happened on Cindy Sheehan’s long road from Crawford, Texas, 
to Martha’s Vineyard.   Many of those who claim to lead the peace movement and 
who so volubly praised her actions in Crawford, TX, are not to be seen.    Nor 
heard ... Where are the email appeals to join Cindy from The Nation or from AFSC 
or Peace Action or 'Progressive' Democrats of America (PDA) or even Code Pink? 
  Or United for Peace and Justice. (No wonder UFPJ is essentially closing shop, 
bereft of most of their contributions and shriveling up following the thinly 
veiled protest behind the 'retirement of Leslie Cagan.)   And what about MoveOn 
although it was long ago thoroughly discredited as principled opponents of war 
or principled in any way shape or form except slavish loyalty to the 'other' War 
Party.  And of course sundry 'socialist' organizations are also missing in 
action since their particular dogma will not be front and center.  These 
worthies and many others have vanished into the fog of Obama’s wars."

It seems to me that there will be more unpleasantness before an effective 
anti-war movement is reconstituted in the country.  --CGE

Matt Reichel wrote:
> Jenifer -
> 
> It appears that this list has descended into absolute silliness ie 
> juvenile intellectual masturbation from the 3-4 primary posters.
> 
> AWARE was initially founded as an answer to the PRC, which used to 
> dominate progressive politics in Champaign-Urbana with its 
> authoritarian, overly-bureaucratic organizing style. On the student end 
> of things, I founded Student Peace Action for those students who had too 
> much self-respect to sit through a PRC meeting. For a few years there, 
> this model of having three organizations, one for students, one for 
> community members and one for people who were able to withstand PRC's 
> inane bureaucracy, was incredibly effective: on the day the war in Iraq 
> began, we had over 1,000 people marching through the streets of Chambana.
> 
> It looks as if most of the original organizers of AWARE are long gone, 
> and the group has become the wrong it originally sought to correct, i.e. 
> a top-down group dominated by a few unpleasant personalities.
> 
> Best,
> Matt
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:29:50 -0700
> From: jencart13 at yahoo.com
> To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] AWARE
> 
> Yet more issues today that take time and energy away from peace and 
> justice work...
>  
> I think about all the good people who have left AWARE because of the 
> unpleasantness, and so I'm hanging on and trying not to become another 
> casualty. But right now I feel so downhearted about all the ugliness 
> that I really don't want to be part of this anymore.
>  
> I will say that it is the good people remaining who give me hope that 
> there are better days ahead for AWARE, as well as for our nation and the 
> world.
>  --Jenifer
> 
> 
> 
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