[Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2008-11-23

[Randall Cotton]

Minutes of 11/23/08 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.

AWARE is looking for an attorney or law student who would be interested in
volunteering to help craft Illinois legislation to regulate military
contractors such as Blackwater within the state as part of the AWARE
Blackwater Working Group. This would be in conjunction with a statewide
effort involving Clearwater (see www.noprivatearmies.org) and would be a
continuation of last year's effort (HB 5700) to pass legislation. See:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5700&GAID=9&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=37316&SessionID=51&GA=95 .
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 and arrange for copies, as
needed, of AWARE publicity materials (our business card, intro sheet for
new meeting attendees, 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
----------------------------
Nov 25 (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)

Nov 25 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)

Nov 30 (Sunday) 6-10PM Urbana Civic Center, 108 E Water St.
The People's Potluck Thanksgiving - a food-sharing communal gathering to
be thankful for all of the good, caring, and active people and
organizations in our community, and an occasion to discuss the launching
of a Central Illinois Social Forum next Spring (in the vein of the World
Social Forum and U.S. Social Forum). All are welcome, but are asked to
RSVP (to hworthen at illinois.edu or a-fields at uiuc.edu) and to bring a dish
to share.

Dec 1 (Monday) 7PM, Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St.
Screening of Naomi Wolf's "The End of America" by AWARE Library Resources
Working Group. See: http://www.endofamericamovie.com . (This event will
NOT be at Allen Hall, as was INCORRECTLY reported in 11/09/08 AWARE
minutes)..

Dec 2 (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 2 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)

Dec 6 (Saturday) 2-4PM Main St. & Neil St., Champaign
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.

Dec 12-14 (Friday-Sunday) United for Peace and Justice 4th National
Assembly
Wyndham O'Hare Hotel - near Chicago O'Hare Airport
6810 North Mannheim Road, Rosemont

*****
Minutes of 11/23/08 AWARE meeting:

About 15 in attendance

News of the week was reviewed jointly

Finance Report: Balance is $2175.07
Finance report 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 December 6 (see details above in Upcoming Events
Calendar).

Flyer suggestions: Stuart plans to post a list of what we should expect
from the new administration, which elaborates on something he passed
around at last week's meeting.

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).

Current planned event: A showing of Naomi Wolf's "The End of America",
based on her 2007 book. Monday, December 1st at Champaign Public Library
(details above in the Upcoming Events Calendar).

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

Ideas thrown around for a panel of local speakers on the current state of
progressive issues or what should be pressed for from an Obama
administration. Mention made of a possible AWARE Presents meeting in
December.

Current AWARE Presents event lineup:

1. Jeremy Scahill event still being pursued (he is on a book tour this
Fall). Contact made, currently in a "wait and see" pattern.

2. Proposal under development: Invite Juan Cole to speak (University
of Michigan Professor of History, middle-east expert, author of Informed
Comment blog, see: www.juancole.com ). Initial contacts to promote
interest in this at UIUC: Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern
Studies and Center for Global Studies.

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)

Mention made of the nuisance ordinance idea being considered by City of
Urbana, which was a topic at yesterday's CUCPJ meeting. Under the proposed
ordinance, property owners could be fined for complaints against the
conduct of their property's residents or tenants.

Some AWARE folks are interested in this issue and will be kept informed by
Durl/Randall, who are in CUCPJ as well.

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).

Sign-up sheet passed around for staffing the table.

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

It's unclear whether Carl will be back in town to host AWARE on the Air.
Ron is
ready to stand in if necessary. Proposed topic - hopes and fears for the
Obama administration. Ricky Baldwin and/or Bob Naiman may be invited to be
part of the program.

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 )

Mention made of recent federal charges against Blackwater employees over
the Nissour Square massacre.

Mention made of Blackwater plans to provide security services against
pirates off the Somali coast.

Mention made of impending loss of immunity for contractors in Iraq

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).

Some local students attended a Socialism conference in Chicago recently.
Students are currently in Thanksgiving break week.

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

UFPJ National Assembly is Dec 12-14 - AWARE is a member group and can have
2 voting delegates if we attend. Mort is likely attending and could drive.
Proposal for $500 to send two people amended to also allow $650 for
sending up to three people (Stuart and Conrad have expressed interest).
Amendment agreed to by consensus without objection. Proposal to be
ratified at the next AWARE meeting.

Randall volunteers to support attendees by assembling information packets
and making contact with other downstate Illinois groups that may be
attending.

New Ideas
*********
Idea discussed briefly on literature/education regarding how US foreign
policy and actions are destabilizing governments around the world.

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

(none discussed - it was a quiet week)

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

Nov 21 (Friday) 7PM, 112 Gregory Hall , 810 S. Wright St. Urbana
Eddie Tabash: "The Threat of the Religious Right to Our Most Basic
Freedoms"