[Peace] AWARE minutes 2-5-06

[Ricky Baldwin]

AWARE minutes 2-5-06

Attendance: 16 (apparently some sporting event was a
problem)
Facilitating: The Honorable Durl Kruse
Minutes: Your Servant Ricky Baldwin

News of the Week: (open season)
Mentioned were the sad State of the Union, Cindy
Sheehan’s and others’ arrests, cartoons of Mohammed
and the protests, Medicare prescription benefit
problems, the deadly Egyptian ferry sinking, Bush’s
budget requests, and the outrageous Democratic
response to Bush’s address.

New Ideas:

- On Wednesday at 7pm at 2109 Zuppke (off George Huff
in Urbana) Karen will host a sneak preview of the
documentary “The Agronomist” about a murdered Haitian
journalist and the political scene there in recent
decades.  The working group on Haiti will have a
showing on campus soon.

- AWARE meeting starting time discussion postponed
until next week.

- ICPJ - statewide anti-war coalition founding
convention right here in Chambana on April 1 at
McKinley Foundation.  There’ll be a concert the night
before.  Conference Saturday to include ideas for
action, how the coalition should be organized,
structure and “break-out” sessions.  Proposals for any
of these categories must be emailed by 3/1/06.  Two
people from AWARE can vote if we decide on them.  Any
& all welcome to attend.  But register by 3/21 at the
latest.  Register by 3/15 and pay $15, plus $10 if you
want lunch.  Between 3/15 and 3/21 the price is $25. 
After that, save your money cause you can’t get in.
See www.ilcpj.org (proposals to info at ilcpj.org)

-Suggestion to take the UN Declaration of Human Rights
to local churches and discuss.  Questions about what
said document actually says.  Ricky will post text.

Working Groups:

- Finances - “about the same as last time” plus some
inflow for AWARE Presents (see below).

- Main Event - usual attendance (25-30), generally
good response with a few conversations with returning
vets and their friends, none of the requested PRC
leaflets advertising their event showed, we gave out
250 of our own lit in Martin Luther King and war,
quick visit by the police came to nothing.  Those of
us who have them are requested to bring copies of the
agreement we have with CPD, yes, again; Lt. Gallo was
the contact at that time.  Ricky will call.

- Office space cleaned and ready to use.

- AWARE Presents - YMCA and others contributing money
for Anthony Shadid.  
$200 honorarium and $40-50 printing and other
expenses, as discussed last time, approved.
Anna Pillar in May, details TBA.
$100 honorarium and $40-50 printing and other
expenses, as discussed last time, approved.

- Church Presence - Last Friday the Kruses burst into
the spotlight with Eric Anglada’s radio show. 
Presences soon to continue.  For now, another meeting
with our friends at the Vineyard is in the works. 
Suggestion: check out Methodist Church, post events at
sympathetic churches.

- Urbana City Council Resolution -  On 2/21, a Town
Hall Meeting at 7pm in the Urbana City Council
Chambers, 400 S. Vine St. (Urbana).  The resolution to
be submitted the first Monday in March and hopefully
voted on the actual third anniversary of the invasion
-- then sent to our senators and the dependable Rep.
Tim Johnson.
$125 for rental and printing, prev. requested, now
stands approved.
Also needed: one speaker representing the University
community.

- Iraq Pack - The flyer nears readiness.

- Counter-Recruitment - See next week’s minutes.

- Population control - Ten minutes of lively
discussion, one extension, and then we overran time
anyway.  Ask someone who was there.  The proposal is
to focus on local discussion of the topic, but it may
now move to Planned Parenthood and come back.

Last week’s events:

- Kathy Kelly was well received, audience included
very well informed students.

- Bill Schulz of Amnesty Int’l gave a good speech,
which led to the UN Declaration of Human Rights idea.

- Wal-Mart picket on Tuesday drew 35 people.

- Folks made phone calls on Alito, to no avail.

Upcoming Events:

- Tuesday Feb. 7, 6 pm, at Channing-Murray, “Hotel
Rwanda”

- Friday Feb. 10 at noon, Jobs With Justice Organizing
Committee joins Building Trades union picket line at
Tatman hotel site, Kirby between Neil and State St.

- Saturday Feb. 11 at 2pm, a speaker from Iraq
Veterans Against the War at the IDF.  AWARE members
had previously discussed attending and making a
contribution.

- Saturday Feb. 11 at 4pm, strategy session on Patrick
Thompson’s re-trial on the first floor of the IMC, 202
S. Broadway.

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