[Peace] AWARE Minutes: 1/29/06

[David Green]

AWARE Minutes: 1/29/06	

Facilitator: Karen Medina
Minutes: David Green

1. News of the Week (Posted separately)

2. Introductions

3. New Ideas

Statewide Coalition for Peace and Justice—will be
meeting at McKinley Foundation in Champaign on April
1st-see www.ilcpj.org. This is a confederation of
Northern Illinois peace groups, and if we decide to
participate we will be entitled to two voting members.
We will vote this Sunday on whether to join.

POW/MIA: David Green raised the issue for
informational purposes, emphasizing the mythmaking and
denial behind POW/MIA flags flying at the post office,
which is in fact required by law on several days of
the year due to hysteria created following the first
Gulf War (1991). The origin of this mythology is in
the Nixon Administration, which used it to delay the
end of the Vietnam War. One of its functions is to
perpetuate of a racist stereotype of evil Asians
holding American in captivity. No American has been
held in Indochina since 1973, when all POWs were
released in accordance with the settlement of the
Vietnam War.

PRC/IDF is hosting an Iraq veteran against the war,
Dave Adams, Saturday, Feb. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. We may
be handing out fliers publicizing this event at the
Main Event this Saturday. We will decide this Sunday
whether to send someone to the event with a check for
$50 for Iraq Veterans against the war. Dave Adams is a
student at SIU.

Ricky Baldwin commented on the horrible treatment of
locked-out workers in Meredosia, Illinois. Their
benefits are running out, and he suggested that
individuals make contributions to their union.

New Time for meeting? see separate message

4. Working Groups:

Finances: $2500

AWARE Presents: Anthony Shadid will be speaking at 1st
Presbyterian Church, Urbana, March 7th, 7 p.m. He will
be in our community on the 7th and 8th. We will be
considering a $200 honorarium, which will be taken
from the $300 that we will be receiving from the Peace
Bazaar. This event should be used to solicit more
contributions, and to sign up members for the AWARE
list.

Anna Piller, a 26-year-old Jewish-American, will be
visiting on May 11-12th to discuss life in the
Israeli-occupied territories of Palestine and her work
with various organizations there. She has been
contacted by David Green. $100 is being requested for
an honorarium to cover her expenses.

Church Presence: A group of local pastors will be
proposing to meet with Tim Johnson regarding their
opposition to the war and his support for the war.
Mike from 1st Methodist is instrumental in this
effort. Tomorrow (Friday) at 6 p.m., Carl Estabrook,
Jan Kruse, and Durl Kruse will be appearing on Acting
on Faith, WRFU, 104.5 FM.

Urbana City Council Resolution: Lynn Barnes listened
to the proposal. $125 is being requested to cover
expenses. There were 45 signatures collected at the
IMC last Saturday night during the Romp-stomp event.

The next meeting for AWARE Presents, Resolution, etc.
will be at 2007 George Huff Drive, 5 p.m., Wednesday
Feb. 15th.

Counter-recruitment: Mort Brussel said that all three
high school principals have agreed that AWARE should
be allowed to disseminate information. We need to know
exactly when it is that recruiters will be at a
particular school. Central HS does not permit
recruiting, according to the principal. A letter may
be written to Uni High regarding recruiting for the
Naval Academy. Parkland needs to be addressed once
again. We need to encourage articles written by
students in student newspapers. We need to get hold of
a $20 video to show to students. Kathy Kelly’s current
visit to the U of I (Allen Hall) needs to be used to
elicit student action at that level.

Linda Weber commented that the movie Annapolis,
currently showing at the Savoy, is a kind of
recruiting tool.

5. Events of Past Week:

Molly Secours – Whispering Black – an interesting but
somewhat controversial perspective on racism from a
self-reflective and self-critical white woman.

Mark Morial, former mayor of New Orleans.

6. Upcoming Events:

Saturday, Main Event, 2-4: signs in response to State
of Union—Cindy Sheehan ejection.

Finally, Randall Cotton's banishment was considered by
the WEFT board on Monday evening.


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