[Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2008-12-28

[Randall Cotton]

Minutes of 12/28/08 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 30 (TODAY, 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 30 (TODAY, Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)

**NEW** Jan 1 (Thursday) -19 (Monday, day before inauguration) Chicago
"Camp Hope, Countdown to Change"
A nearly 3-week series of events coordinated by 40 Illinois activist
organizations, including a daily presence in Hyde Park. The focus is to
"build popular momentum behind the progressive goals of President Obama's
campaign". See http://camphope2009.org .

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.

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

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".

**NEW** Apr 18-19 (Saturday-Sunday), University of Illinois at Chicago
Tentative date and venue for the annual statewide conference of Illinois
Coalition for Justice, Peace and the Environment. See www.icjpe.org .
AWARE has attended in the past (when the conference was held in
Champaign).

*****
Minutes of 12/28/08 AWARE meeting:

About 15 in attendance

News of the week was reviewed jointly

Finance report: AWARE balance is $2183.36
Finance report passed around for inspection.
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).

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 ** Suggestions for handout: A flyer regarding the attack on Gaza.
Also suggested was the importance of the impending US military escalation
in Afghanistan. Support also voiced for Stuart's flyer from last month
outlining AWARE demands of Obama. Two double-sided flyers suggested
without objection - Stuart's flyer (which is being improved further) and
an additional flyer covering Gaza on one side and Afghanistan on the
other.

** new ** Mention made that the two flyers must be collated together, not
in separate stacks, for effective flyering. All parties creating material
to work together so that the flyers are reproduced and collated together
at Notes 'n Quotes.

** new ** Stuart volunteers to post a reminder announcement to the "peace"
list about the Main Event.

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 ** AWARE Presents working group meeting anticipated in January.

** new ** Phil Wilayto suggested again as invited speaker (author of "IN
DEFENSE OF IRAN: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation's Journey through the
Islamic Republic" - see http://www.defendersfje.org/dpi ). Follow up on
this welcomed at the next AWARE Presents meeting.

** new ** suggestion by Neil to invite progressive/radical speakers from
the world of sports to connect with a completely different audience than
what we usually attract (more on this in New Ideas below).

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)

No CUCPJ meeting held yesterday.

** new ** Substantial discussion about the developing probability of a
"criminal nuisance property" ordinance in Urbana. Mention made that the
draft proposed ordinance (initiated and promoted by Mayor Laurel Prussing)
allows the Police Chief to go as far as shutting down entire buildings,
kicking out all tenants. Mention made that no conviction or even any
judicial review is necessary for the Police Chief to declare a property a
"nuisance" - only two or more police complaints on record. Mention made
that even if one were to legally challenge punitive action by the Police
Chief, only a "preponderance of the evidence" need be established (i.e.
"more likely than not") that a criminal activity took
place to justify the Police Chief's punishment (as opposed to the "beyond
a reasonable doubt" threshold required for a conviction).

Opinion expressed that this is a way for the police to punish the people
for crimes outside of the court system without any judicial review - and
not only the supposed criminal, but that tenant's landlord (pressuring him
to also punish the supposed criminal by evicting them). The ordinance
draft is available as file "Ordinance_2008-11-135.pdf" in the file (zip
archive format) at:
http://www.ci.urbana.il.us/Urbana/City_Council/Agendas/12-08-2008/Agenda_12-08-2008.zip

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).

("Market on the Square" and "Holiday Market" are over for the year. Start
up next year expected in May.)

** new ** Review of interesting discussion at the final Holiday Market
with neighboring vendor. They saw the slogan "War is not the answer" and
asked "Well then, what is?". Point made that we should have a response
to that. Much discussion ensued on how to reach people who have been
long swayed by government and corporate media propaganda.

** new ** Renewed suggestion for more concentration on distributing
literature and other information as part of our weekly presence during
"Market on the Square" and "Holiday Market".

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

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

** new ** Details from Conrad and/or Stuart expected on the United for
Peace and Justice National Assembly conference that they attended recently
in Chicago.

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 ** Mention made that Dan Kenney handed AWARE folks a DVD during the
UFPJ conference in Chicago, to be relayed to Barbara. The title on the
cover says "Blackwater invades Illinois - A Raising Kane Production". It
may be a DVD that we already have, or it could be a Part II.

** new ** Rumors circulating that Blackwater may have bought or leased
additional land near their presence in the far northwestern Illinois Jo
Daviess county.

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).

Students are on winter break.

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)

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
(including deadline) are for NG Guest Commentaries (in the Sunday
Commentary section)

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

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

** new ** Linda volunteers to work on task a., contacting the
News-Gazette.

** new ** Stuart and Mort express interest in task b.

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/

** new ** "The Take" would require $300 for rights to show the film.
Perhaps this could be split with Jobs with Justice, Social Forum and
others. One venue possibility is an upcoming IMC independent film festival
(February 6-8th?).

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

(nothing new this week)

New Ideas
*********
I. Obama's "Presidential Inauguration Committee" is encouraging folks to
honor MLK (his holiday is January 19th, the day before the inauguration).
See: http://www.pic2009.org/page/s/whatisservice . Suggestion made that
AWARE have an event along these lines. Perhaps a showing of MLK's
Riverside Church speech - about an hour long. Champaign Public Library
suggested as venue. Care suggested in scheduling so as not to conflict
with other events. Details on this suggestion are in the peace and
peace-discuss lists at:

http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace/2008-December/021881.html

and

http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/2008-December/020193.html

Working group sign-up sheet passed around - Stuart is coordinating.

II. Branch out to communicate with a new audience - sports fans. Neil is
aware of politically aware progressive/radical sports figures and
celebrities that could be invited to events. For example, Dave Zirin (see
http://www.edgeofsports.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Zirin )
and Jeff Monson (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Monson ). Follow up
to this idea welcomed at the next AWARE Presents meeting.

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)

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