[Peace] AWARE meeting minutes for 9/2/2007

[Stuart Levy]

A lightly attended Labor Day Weekend AWARE meeting.
Maybe a dozen of us were there.
Note [**]'s marking proposals (3 at this meeting).

Karen Medina facilitated, Stuart Levy took minutes.

News of the week (a few oneliners mostfly from Carl's detailed notes)

   Taliban have become a looser organization of
    tribes disenchanted with the Afghan central government

   GAO report that the Iraqi Energy Ministry
    is unlikely to meet (electricity?) demand before 2015 (!)

   Sir Mike Jackson's comment re incompetence of
    US operations in Iraq

   Paul Krugman: In 2 years since Katrina, "self-congratulation
    in the face of abject failure has become Standard Operating
    Procedure"

   FBI new "Digital Collection System" for monitoring via
    private communication networks

   Al-Maliki govt talking about releasing 5000 Sunnis

   Sarkozy ["Bush's new poodle", says a British paper],
     taking a hard line on Iran

   Anti-death-penalty activists delighted that Kenneth Wilson's
    death sentence was commuted (to life) -- first commutation
    in Texas Gov Rick Perry (R)'s time in office


Treasurer's report (via Grandpa Bob W. in Jan K's absence)
    earned $145 at 9/1 Farmer's Market, $2436 in treasury.

Main Event
   Iran theme
   well-attended, maybe 40 people in all,
   including a family (grandmother/mother/daughter?) with
    a son now serving in Iraq

Farmer's Market
   last of Impeach signs have sold
     (Mort's was vandalized -- yanked off its stand at least)

AWARE Presents
   Kathy Kelly coming 10/3-4
     speaking to 1000 Global Studies freshmen on 10/3
	(organized by Niloofar's husband, in Sociology)
     and looking at several events on 10/4, yet to be settled,
     likely including supper

   Suggestion re getting mothers in community
     to speak about their sons serving in the military?
     "Mothers' Response to War"

Antiracism
   David Horowitz is sponsoring "islamo-fascism awareness week"
      http://www.terrorismawareness.org/islamo-fascism/49/
   events at campuses around the country Oct 22-26,
   including (sigh) UIUC.

   The UIUC ISO, along with Arab Students Association and others,
   are proposing Counter to Islamophobia events for that time.


   A meeting "In Defense of Academic Freedom" to be held
   in support of Norman Finkelstein, whose tenure at
   DePaul Univ. was denied under heavy outside pressure.
   (Since last weekend he resigned.)

   Meeting Fri 10/12, 2-7PM, Rockefeller Chapel, U. of Chicago
        Tariq Ali, host; speakers Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia Univ.),
        Noam Chomsky (MIT); Tony Judt (NYU); John Mearsheimer (U of Chicago);
        Neve Gordon (Ben-Gurion University)


Counter-Recruitment
   Eric (new person) is interested - he would staff a table, etc. --
   and as he's just out of high school he'd be better placed
   than many AWARE members to be convincing to young people.

CAN (Campus Antiwar Network) + Iraq Vets Against the War + ...
   Week of Action 9/17-9/20 (in concert with 9/15 ANSWER protest in DC)

   CAN meets in Illinois Disciples Foundation PRC room,
	7PM Tuesdays -- every week, at least until Week of Action.

Main Event
   Suggest "Opposing Mercenary Armies" as a theme -- sounded good to us

Anti-torture
   google "Prisoner 345" -- story of an Al Jazeera journalist
   who has been imprisoned in Guantanamo for 5 years

   Interfaith Alliance will be showing the film
    "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" in late October (maybe 10/25?)

Blackwater WG -
   Anyone else interested?
   Andrew Zimmerer will mention it in CAN meeting.

   Roger Epperson is working on Blackwater <-> UIUC connection --
    continuing research is turning up more surprising links
    (e.g. how did Blackwater find their NW Illinois (Mt Carroll) site?)
    Also, the UIUC Police Training Inst. is larger than he thought --
    they have a Homer site, etc.
    Or, Midwest Tactical Training Inst were the ones to lease the
    site before Blackwater did.

   Good to let J. Scahill know of local Blackwater developments.
   ... and to abstract Roger's public i article, when it's ready,
     to a Main Event flyer

   Purpose of BW WG?
    Started as AWARE Presents group looking at how/where
    to present the issues to the public. 
    Now needs a series of letters to the editor,
    in News-Gazette and Daily Illini -- many branches
    to the issues, and we need to keep them in public view.

Old Business --
   none

New Business
   Newly established CAN-at-UIUC group, with IVAW and ANSWER,
   having 9/17-9/20 Week of Action (as above)
	Mon 9/17 - demonstration
	Tue 9/18 - showing of Sir! No Sir! film
	Thu 9/20 - Die-In --
		tentatively 12-12:30 speakers on Quad,
		12:30-1 die-in on Green St.
		Who can come?

   UIUC got contract from Dept. of Homeland Security
	to do data mining re "anti-American activities"
	Only 3 institutions got these grants:
	Rutgers, UPenn, UIUC.

   Labor Day Parade
     Hope to arrange an antiwar contingent.
     Meet at 9:30am Lincoln Square Parking Lot,
     walk to Prairie Park (is that Meadowbrook Park?)
     Not sure of route.  Washington St. closed for the event.


   9/15 Washington DC protest (by ANSWER)
     A bus is coming from Iowa -- seats available, $100 each.
     This protest may be smaller than some (e.g. Jan and Mar '07)
     but still well worth attending

   *another* DC march/"encampment" by
	http://www.troopsoutnow.org/
   soon to be followed by the
     UFPJ nationally coordinated events.

[**] Proposal: should AWARE support the
	"US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation"?
	    http://www.endtheoccupation.org/
	They lobby in DC.
	They ask money for us to join.
	Have DVDs on issues (but are these listed on their web site?)
	Mort's been getting their stuff 

     Proposed offering $50 for AWARE membership to this.
     Accepted without objection for consideration next week.


[**] Human Rights Film Festival at IDF --
    3 (or 4?) films, all re Immigration:

      * Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
      * Farmingville
      * Letters from the Other Side
    IDF asks cosponsorship.

    Mort B. asked whether these films consider
    immigration specifically in the context of
    human rights, as opposed to other aspects,
    e.g. economic policies, environmental change? 

    Carl suggests AWARE say Yes for co-sponsorship,
    but express our concern that other issues
    be raised as well.

    Accepted without objection.


[**] Dahr Jamail will (we think) be here Sun 10/28 7pm,
    speaking on campus somewhere.
    Suggested, as at last AWARE Presents, that
    AWARE offer Jamail $75 (paid directly to him)
    to cover transportation costs.

    Accepted without objection for consideration next week.

Upcoming events:

   9/4 Mon 9:30am meet for Labor Day march
   9/8 Sat 2-5PM Open house at CIMIC, "Reflection and Beauty"

Another New Idea:

   Eric suggests joining campaign re opposing use of
    Caterpillar equipment against Palestinians.