[Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2008-12-21

Mon Dec 22 22:40:28 CST 2008

Minutes of 12/21/08 AWARE meeting are below, but first, AWARE Volunteer
Opportunities and the Upcoming Events Calendar:

AWARE Volunteer Opportunities
-----------------------------------
(various ways to volunteer in AWARE's work)

AWARE is helping search for locations to set up a portable electronic LED
display that reports (in a loop) various statistics on the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan (casualties, financial cost, etc.). Here's a video of the
sign going through a typical loop:
http://dart.ncsa.uiuc.edu/stuffed/slevy/costofwar-sign.mp4
Dimensions of the sign are: 50.3" L x 6.3" H x 1.7" W and it weighs 12
pounds. Full specifications are at:
http://www.bigbrite.com/product.aspx?id=78
The display could be set up anywhere indoors - home, business, event -
where it will be seen by many, for as long or as little as you like. If
you can volunteer to display the sign somewhere or have any ideas where it
could be set up, contact Barbara Kessel, barkes at gmail.com, 365-9473 or
Randall Cotton, recotton at earthlink.net, 351-8644/722-8470.

Help is needed with content creation and maintenance for AWARE's website,
anti-war.net. Technical experience (UNIX/HTML/CSS) required for
maintenance work (but not content creation) Contact: Stuart Levy,
slevy at ncsa.uiuc.edu, 351-9264/244-1543 or Randall Cotton,
recotton at earthlink.net, 351-8644/722-8470.

Meeting minutes: Someone is needed to share or take over meeting minutes
duty (preparing these notes each week). Help will be provided (as much as
necessary). Contact: Randall Cotton, recotton at earthlink.net,
351-8644/722-8470

AWARE publicity: Someone is needed to maintain AWARE publicity documents
(and arrange for copies, as needed). This includes our business card,
intro sheet for new meeting attendees and our general information sheet
for tabling events). All reproduction costs reimbursed, Help provided as
needed. Contact: recotton at earthlink.net, 351-8644/722-8470

Upcoming Events Calendar
----------------------------
Dec 23 (Tuesday) 1PM, Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine St.
Taping of "AWARE on the Air" for UPTV to be broadcast later the same day
(see below)

Dec 23 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)

**NEW** Dec 30 (Tuesday) 1PM, Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine
St.
Taping of "AWARE on the Air" for UPTV to be broadcast later the same day
(see below)

**NEW** Dec 30 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)

Jan 3 (Saturday) 2-4PM Main St. & Neil St., Champaign
*NOTE* This event is NOT on Jan 5 as incorrectly announced in prior
meeting minutes. It is indeed Jan 3, not Jan 5.
The Main Event - AWARE's monthly (first Saturday of each month) street
demonstration event. Largely focuses on opposing U.S. occupations of Iraq
and Afghanistan, but is open for anyone to join us either using one of our
signs or one of their own. We try to have a topical flyer to distribute to
motorists and passers-by each month.

Mar 8 (Sunday) (time, place to be announced) Proposed date for
community-oriented presentation from Juan Cole: University of Michigan
Professor of History, author of Informed Comment blog at www.juancole.com,
and remarkably astute expert observer on Middle East affairs. Proposed
lecture topic: "Withdrawal from Iraq and the future of American security".

Mar 8 (Sunday) 1PM, WILL AM-580
Juan Cole appearance on Media Matters with Bob McChesney

Mar 9 (Monday) 10AM or 11AM (TBA), WILL AM-580
Juan Cole appearance on Focus 580 with David Inge

Mar 9 (Monday) (time, place to be announced) Proposed date for
university-oriented presentation from Juan Cole. Proposed lecture topic:
"Iraq's provincial elections and what they mean for relations with the
United States".

*****
Minutes of 12/21/08 AWARE meeting:

About 10 in attendance

News of the week was reviewed jointly.

No finance report (as previously announced)
Contribution jar passed around

Working group reports:
*****************
Main Event:
========
(AWARE's monthly street protest held at the intersection of Main & Neil
2-4PM on the first Saturday of each month).

** new ** The next Main Event is January 3 (see details above in Upcoming
Events Calendar). It is NOT January 5 as incorrectly stated in prior
meeting minutes.

** new ** Handout ideas thrown around - perhaps something with a theme of
the shoe incident. Or perhaps use the content of Code Pink's handout
"President Obama's Promises to Keep" handout. Content for this is at:
http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=4568 .
Stuart's handout from last month would also still be topical.

Details still forthcoming (from David H) on Champaign/Urbana's busiest
intersections.

Library Resources:
=============
(Compilation of valuable reference materials w/strategies to make them
available in the community through various channels including local
libraries).

(nothing new this week)

AWARE Presents:
=============
(Organization of AWARE-sponsored events in the community)

** new ** Another AWARE Presents working group meeting may be in the
offing soon.

Current AWARE Presents event lineup:

1. Proposal is now coming together for Juan Cole event. AWARE Presents now
has dates - March 8th and 9th - Sunday and Monday - see details above in
the upcoming events calendar. More info as it becomes available. Initial
University contacts at UIUC were: Center for South Asian and Middle
Eastern Studies and Center for Global Studies.

Juan Cole now also scheduled to appear on Media Matters w/Bob McChesney
(1PM Sunday, March 8th, WILL-AM 580) and also Focus 580 w/David Inge (10
or 11AM Monday, March 9th, WILL AM-580). An appearance on "Keepin' the
Faith" w/Steve Shoemaker is also a possibility (5PM Sunday, March 8th,
WILL AM-580). Urbana Civic Center has been reserved for 1-5PM for Sunday,
March 8th. Up to $300 AWARE expenditures proposed toward honorarium and
other expenses (to be ratified at a future AWARE meeting as per standing
rule).

2. Jeremy Scahill event still being pursued. Contact made, currently in a
"wait and see" pattern.

Anti-Racism:
=========
(AWARE's efforts to keep apprised of and provide support for
anti-racism/anti-discrimination efforts, including efforts of CUCPJ -
Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice)

** new ** No CUCPJ meeting held yesterday (members attended the Socialist
Forum meeting where follow-up to the People's Thanksgiving event was
discussed). Plans for an upcoming local Social Forum around May Day were
also discussed. Discussion included acknowledgement that the economic hard
times will disproportionately affect people of color.

Postcards passed around again (same as last week) for
petitioning Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to grant "evidentiary
hearings" for the 25 known police torture victims in Chicago (tortured
under John Burge's command). Postcards are from Midwest Coalition for
Human Rights, of which CUCPJ is a member. See:

http://www.midwesthumanrights.org/urge-illinois-attorney-general-grant-new-hearings-burge-torture-victims-still-behind-bars

Also see Neil's article in the October Public I (page 8) online at:
http://publici.ucimc.org/oct08.pdf

** new ** Mention made of individual discussion with an Urbana police
officer who emphasized that one significant factor in the level of crime
in poor Urbana neighborhoods is the lack of opportunity for young people
to be involved in the kinds of activities that more affluent families can
provide (sports, park district programs, etc.).  Mention made of positive
aspects of the Garden Hills community program funded by City of Champaign
that partially addressed this issue for that community with some success
(noting also that the program was also the subject of some complaint,
particularly regarding the significantly heavier police presence).

Holiday Market
============
(AWARE's presence at the indoor version of Urbana's "Market on the Square"
each Saturday from 8AM to noon where we offer progressive and anti-war
materials, generally at or below cost).

** new ** Traffic was good. Some good discussions. Yesterday was the last
day of the holiday market. Now we wait for next year's "Market at the
Square" to start up again outside, probably in May.

AWARE on the Air
==============
(AWARE's weekly television show on public access cable channel 6 - UPTV,
Urbana Public Television)

** new ** Show was unfortunately cancelled last week due to weather.

Discussion on who can make it this week. Some volunteered, more always
welcome.

** new ** Conrad or Stuart may provide details on the United for Peace and
Justice National Assembly conference that they attended recently in
Chicago.

** new ** Many "Aware on the Air" recordings are now available on-line.
See the AWARE home page at anti-war.net .

Taping typically occurs each Tuesday at 1PM and is broadcast later the
same day at 10PM. AWARE members (and friends) invited to participate - the
more the merrier (see details above in upcoming events calendar). Program
quality is always better with more participants.

There is always room for more participation in AWARE on the Air - prepared
statements OK. Arriving late/leaving early is OK.

Blackwater
========
(Activism regarding notorious domestic policing and international
mercenary contractor Blackwater, including coordination with
Illinois-based activist group Clearwater: see:
http://www.noprivatearmies.org )

** new ** Blackwater donated to Bill Clinton. See:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLINTON_FOUNDATION_BLACKWATER?SITE=NJVIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

** new ** There is a claim of evidence indicating Blackwater was fired
upon in Nisour Square.  See:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BLACKWATER_RADIO_LOGS_GLANCE?SITE=NJVIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Student Groups
===========
(AWARE's efforts to keep apprised of and provide support for local
chapters of student-affiliated anti-war groups such as Campus Anti-Network
and Iraq Veterans Against the War).

** new ** Students are on winter break.

** new ** There is a CAN (Campus Area Network) rally in Chicago being
planned for January 17 to address Obama and make demands of him.

Monthly Message
============
(Efforts to propagate the content of the monthly flyer we put together for
each month's Main Event street demonstration)

** all new below **

Tasks have been prioritized and divided up. Help requested for specific
tasks:

 a. find out what the word limit, submission procedure and any other rules
are for NG Letters to the Editor.

Wayne mentions that this info is on the News Gazette website. See:
http://www.news-gazette.com/editorial/

 b. find out what the word limit, submission procedure and any other rules
(including deadline) are for NG Guest Commentaries (in the Sunday
Commentary section)

 c. modify/distill the monthly message into a piece that fits the rules

 d. submit the piece, following up with the NG if necessary

No volunteers yet for b, c and d.

Still persisting toward making headway, despite the holiday season.

AWARE Films:
===========
(Organization of film and video showings in the community)

Possible future showings being considered include:

1. Another showing of Naomi Wolf's "The End of America".

2. "Blood and Oil". See: http://www.bloodandoilmovie.com/

3. "The Take". See: http://www.thetake.org/

Old Business
**********
(new developments regarding ongoing issues)

(nothing new this week)

New Ideas
*********

Idea thrown out for a possible weekly progressive dinner & discussion
event at the Red Herring in Channing-Murray.

Events of the past week
******************
(comments/reviews of recent events since the last AWARE meeting)

(nothing mentioned this week)

Other Upcoming Events
******************
(events of note which aren't listed in the upcoming events calendar above)

** new ** Jan 17 (Saturday) CAN (Campus Anti-War Network) event addressing
Obama in Chicago.