[Peace] minutes of weekly AWARE meeting 2009-02-08
Randall Cotton
recotton at earthlink.net
Tue Feb 10 10:47:39 CST 2009
Minutes of 02/08/09 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)
Wanted: Treasurer for AWARE. Do you enjoy the world of high
finance and handling large sums of money? (AWARE bank account usually
ranges between $1,000 - $2,000 MAX.) Being the AWARE Treasurer may be just
the volunteer opportunity for you. No experience needed. Training done at
your convenience. It will take about 10 minutes to learn the job! Contact:
Jan Kruse, jandurl at comcast.net, 328-2789.
AWARE is considering moving our monthly demonstration venue from
Main & Neil in Champaign to a higher-traffic site. It would be helpful
for us to discover which intersections in Champaign/Urbana have the most
traffic to help us in that decision. A volunteer is needed to contact the
appropriate city department/official in both Champaign and Urbana to
obtain a list of and available statistics on, say, the 10 busiest
intersections in each city. It's probably a fair assumption that this is
tracked by both cities and that it's public information. For assistance,
contact Randall Cotton, recotton at earthlink.net, 351-8644/722-8470.
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
----------------------------
**NEW TIME** Feb 10 (Tuesday) 5:30PM, 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)
Feb 10 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)
**NEW** Feb 17 (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** Feb 17 (Tuesday) 10PM, UPTV (cable channel 6)
Broadcast of "AWARE on the Air", taped earlier in the day (see above)
**PANELISTS ANNOUNCED** Feb 18 (Wednesday) 7:15pm, Channing-Murray
Foundation, 1209 W. Oregon, Urbana (corner of Oregon & Matthews)
"Beyond Killing Us Softly: The Strength to Resist", a 33 minute
documentary about the image of women in advertising and how these images
affect women & girls in our society. The film will be followed by a panel
discussion featuring local activists and academics speaking about these
issues, and what we can do to counteract these negative images. Panelists
include:
- Esther Patt, former President of Champaign County NOW and local women's
movement activist.
- Aimee Rickman, Graduate student in Human & Community Development,
activist, & former coordinator of GirlZone.
- Cindy Ingold, Women & Gender Resources Librarian, UIUC
Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. This event is
co-sponsored by AWARE.
**NEW** Feb 22 (Sunday) 2-4PM, Champaign Public Library, 200 W Green St,
Champaign
AWARE Films Working Groups showing of "Blood and Oil". The notion that oil
motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East has long been
dismissed as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. Blood and Oil, a new
documentary based on the critically-acclaimed work of Nation magazine
defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, challenges this conventional
wisdom to correct the historical record. See:
http://www.bloodandoilmovie.com .
**NEW DATE** Mar 1 (Sunday) 1PM, WILL AM-580
Juan Cole as guest on Media Matters with Bob McChesney. There has been a
change of date. The originally announced date of Mar 8 was changed due to
a scheduling conflict. This radio appearance will be pre-recorded.
**DATE CONFIRMED** Mar 1, (Sunday) (time TBA) Urbana-Champaign Independent
Media Center (UCIMC), 202 S. Broadway, Urbana
Follow-up event to the "People's Thanksgiving" potluck. This is also a
potluck and may be the first in a series of potlucks on the first Sunday
of each month.
**NEW** Mar 4 (Wednesday) 7PM, Greg Hall (room TBA), 810 S Wright St,
Urbana
Group discussion hosted by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and Campus
Anti-War Network (CAN) about the book they are collectively reading and
reviewing: "War without end: The Iraq War in Context", by Michael
Schwartz.
Mar 6 (Friday) 11AM, WILL AM-580
Juan Cole as guest on Focus 580 with David Inge
This event is **NOT** on Mar 9 as originally announced in prior minutes.
Mar 7 (Saturday) 2-4PM University Ave & State 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.
Mar 8 (Sunday) 2PM, Urbana Civic Center, 108 E Water St.
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) 5PM, WILL AM-580
Juan Cole as guest on "Keepin' the Faith" with Steve Shoemaker.
Mar 9 (Monday) 4PM, Levis Faculty Center, 2nd Floor.
University-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: "Iraq's provincial elections and what they mean for
relations with the United States"
Mar 21 (Saturday) - March on the Pentagon, sponsored by the ANSWER
coalition. See pentagonmarch.org
Apr 15 (Wednesday) 7:15pm, Channing-Murray Foundation, 1209 W. Oregon,
Urbana (corner of Oregon & Matthews)
"Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America", award-winning documentary.
A timely, solutions-oriented look at one of America's most pressing
environmental challenges: energy. Viewers will discover how they can
save hundreds of dollars annually on energy bills, and use a portion of
the savings to purchase renewable energy. The film also explores mountain
top removal and other harmful by-products of coal & nuclear power. The
film will be followed by discussion. Free and open to the public.
Refreshments will be served. This event is co-sponsored by AWARE.
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).
Apr 24-27 (Friday-Monday), Stockton Unitarian Universalist Church,
Stockton, IL
Midwest Catholic Workers Resistance Retreat and Conference. Focus: is
Blackwater. Civil Disobedience at Blackwater's Jo Daviess County, IL site
being organized by Catholic Workers and Clearwater. Keynote speaker on
Saturday: Jeremy Scahill
*****
Minutes of 02/08/09 AWARE meeting:
About 20 in attendance
News of the week was reviewed jointly
Finance report: AWARE balance is: $1987.38
Finance report passed around for inspection
Contribution jar passed around
The IMC will need AWARE to sign a year lease on rental of our
meeting space. An individual person will need to sign on behalf of AWARE
(making them technically liable financially for the full amount - $780).
No one has stepped up yet, but this is a requirement that must be met.
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 March 7. See details above in the Upcoming Events
Calendar.
**NEW** News-Gazette reports that one lane of Neil St. will open by Feb
13, so AWARE could return to its usual demonstration location at Main &
Neil next month.
**NEW** Yesterday's flyer focused on Palestine/Israel and Gaza in
particular. Traffic was on the light side. Not all 300 flyers could be
passed out.
**NEW** suggested topic for next month's flyer: Afghanistan
No new information yet on Champaign/Urbana's busiest intersections.
Volunteer opportunity posted for this.
Library Resources:
=============
(Compilation of valuable reference materials w/strategies to make them
available in the community through various channels including local
libraries).
**NEW** LRWG is taking a new approach: when a resource is pointed out as
worthwhile, the Library Resources working group will check with libraries
to see if it's available and advocate for obtaining it if not. In the past
LRWG had intended to create a comprehensive database of materials on their
own, but this didn't work out long-term.
**NEW** Mention made of the book that IVAW/CAN are reading/reviewing (and
discussing March 4 - see upcoming events calendar):
"War without end: The Iraq War in Context", by Michael Schwartz.
**NEW** Mention made of two books by Chalmers Johnson for LRWG to follow
up on:
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic
AWARE Presents:
=============
(Organization of AWARE-sponsored events in the community)
AWARE Presents Working Group meeting anticipated in coming weeks.
**NEW** Karen volunteers to write/record a Public Square spot (on WILL-AM
580) for Juan Cole events.
Current AWARE Presents event lineup:
1. Juan Cole events. March 8th and 9th - Sunday and Monday. See details
above in the upcoming events calendar. More info as it becomes available.
Urbana Civic Center has been reserved for 1-5PM for Sunday, March 8th.
2. Phil Wilayto (author of new book "IN DEFENSE OF IRAN: Notes
from a U.S. Peace Delegation's Journey through the Islamic Republic" - see
http://www.defendersfje.org/dpi ). Phil is on a book tour and AWARE
members discovered him in December at the UFPJ National Assembly
Conference in Chicago, where he had a table. Phil requests only
reimbursement for gas money and a place to sleep. At the event, his book
will be available to AWARE folks at a much-reduced price, around $15 for
others. Date being worked out - anticipate sometime in 2nd or 3rd week of
March.
3. Jeff Monson, anarchist, Wobbly, UofI alumnus and a member of
the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Politically active, public with his
radical/progressive views, attends political demonstrations. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Monson . Inviting him as a speaker would
connect and carry weight with a completely different audience than AWARE's
usual events. Development of this event is in progress.
This event in doubt due to Jeff Monson's recent multiple arrests.
4. A panel on the occasion of the first 100 days of Obama
Administration (April 30) at Urbana City Hall (already reserved). UPTV
recording/broadcast planned.
Additional ideas under consideration:
- Invitation to Paul Street (suggestion: invite him for the 100 days panel
since he has researched and written on Obama extensively).
- Invitation to Stephen Kinzer to appear again.
- Invitation to William Blum
- 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** Discussion of traffic stop statistics which were highlighted in
the current Public I. Black drivers are 3.5 times more likely to be pulled
over than white drivers in Urbana - this figure is significantly higher
than Champaign and is worse than it was two years ago when the issue was
brought before the Urbana City Council during public comment. Plans are to
bring it up at the Feb 9, 7PM Urbana City Council Committee of the
Whole meeting.
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** Record time is 5:30PM this week, instead of 1PM (still on Tuesday,
though) due to conflicting reservation of Urbana City Council Chambers.
**NEW** Suggestion of inviting IVAW to be on the show, perhaps in the
context of the book they're reviewing.
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 )
(nothing new this week)
Student Groups
===========
(AWARE's efforts to keep apprised of and provide support for local
chapters of student-affiliated progressive and anti-war groups such as
Campus Anti-Network, International Socialist Organization, and Iraq
Veterans Against the War).
**NEW** CAN (Campus Anti-War Network) may charter a bus for the March 21st
march on the Pentagon organized by ANSWER. A couple folks express interest
in making the trip. Also mentioned is that in the past, AWARE has provided
funds for others to make such trips. Tips offered on cheap accommodations
in the DC area: the "Peace house" and the Quakers.
Monthly Message
============
(Efforts to propagate the content of the Main Event monthly flyer through
various media channels)
**NEW** Letter to the Editor appeared in the Daily Illini from Mort
representing AWARE, see:
http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2009/02/03/Letters/Obama.Keep.Your.Promises-3609317.shtml
News-Gazette to be contacted for details on submitting a Guest Commentary
AWARE Films:
===========
(Organization of film and video showings in the community)
**NEW** There may be a future IMC monthly film series that AWARE Films
could take part in.
**NEW** Michael T. Klare/Media Education Foundation production of "Blood
and Oil" to be shown Feb 22 (see details above in Upcoming Events
Calendar).
Possible future showings being considered include:
1. Another showing of Naomi Wolf's "The End of America".
2. "The Take". See: http://www.thetake.org/
3. "Soldiers of Conscience", documentary about soldiers already
serving that want to become COs (Conscientious Objectors). About 1:20
long. See http://www.soldiers-themovie.com/AboutFilm.html .
Channing-Murray has agreed to provide venue and the Quakers want to
sponsor. However, rights to show it cost money - $80 ($250 if it wasn't
being shown by a religious organization). Some thought has been given to
splitting up the cost between groups. No formal request for AWARE funds
for the time being.
**NEW** Proposal agreed to by consensus without objection that AWARE spend
$40 for rights to show "Soldiers of Conscience". Also, separate proposal
agreed to by consensus without objection that AWARE spend $75 for rights
to show "The Take". Both proposals to be ratified at a future AWARE
meeting according to standing rule.
Old Business
**********
(new developments regarding ongoing issues)
Pursuit of meeting with Senator Durbin regarding his letter in support of
Israel during Gaza attack:
**NEW** No response yet from Durbin on web request for an in-person
meeting with him, Mort volunteers to follow up with an additional e-mail
or phone call.
New Ideas
*********
(never before discussed ideas brought up during this meeting)
(nothing this week)
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** Feb 8-12 (Sunday-Thursday) Celebrated printmaker and digital
artist Favianna Rodriguez will be a Unit One/Allen Hall
Guest-in-Residence. Since 1998, Rodriguez's pieces have been posted on
street corners, store windows, telephone poles, raised at mass rallies and
community festivals, or may have found their way into your mailbox. She
will be speaking and leading workshops each evening of her residency. All
events take place in the South Rec Room of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory,
Urbana unless noted. Full schedule of events at:
http://www.housing.uiuc.edu/living/unit1/guest_2008-09/favianna.asp
Feb 10 (Tuesday) 4PM, Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S
Gregory St, Urbana
CAS Special Presentation--Hope and History: Past and Present Burdens of
Race. David Roediger, Kendrick C. Babcock Professor of History. Drawing on
his new book, "How Race Survived U.S. History," Roediger captures past
moments when emancipation seemed imminent and assesses the weight of
history on the future we can make.
**NEW** Feb 17 (Tuesday) noon, Lucy Ellis Lounge (room 1080), Foreign
Languages Building, 707 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana
Nuclear Reactor Acquisition in the Middle East and West Africa
Cliff Singer, Prof. of Nuclear Plasma & Radiological Engineering
Sponsor: Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
**NEW** Feb 24 (Tuesday) noon, Lucy Ellis Lounge (room 1080), Foreign
Languages Building, 707 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana
The Ethnic Composition of Iranian Society: State and Minorities
Relationships
Shahyar Daneshgar, Senior Lecturer, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana
University
Sponsor: Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
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