March 2003 Meeting First United Methodist Church of Normal March 2, 2003 Hello, BNCPJ! Please note that you can read the following notes here or in the attachment. Sunday's BNCPJ meeting, held at the First United Methodist Church of Normal, was attended by 67 members of the Greater Bloomington/Normal community. Following are highlights organized into three sections: Upcoming Events and Opportunities, Report of Recent BNCPJ Activities, and Discussion Notes. A hearty thanks to all who attended and contributed to the strength and energy of the group. A warm invitation to those unable to make the meeting to join us next month: Sunday, April 6, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Wesley Foundation/First United Methodist Church. Upcoming Events and Opportunities 1. We've added buttons and stickers to our NO IRAQ WAR yard signs and magnetic bumper stickers. You can get whatever you need by contacting Mary and David Williams at 452-6742 or mrpwilliams@yahoo.com or stopping by the Hile Broad's porch on 306 West Virginia Avenue. Donations of $2-5 are encouraged and welcome but not required. Please consider taking a small supply of this stuff to distribute to people you know are likely to be interested in having and displaying it. We've found that supplies carried around in our car trunks go very quicklyand saving people the trouble of making the pick-up visit is resulting in more participation. 2. The Student Peace Action Network (SPAN), Illinois Wesleyan's People Opposed to War in Iraq, and BNCPJ are poised for emergency response to the commencement of US attacks on Iraq. On the day after attacks commence, SPAN will begin the community response with a rally at the NORTH end of ISU's quad (Schroeder Plaza) at 3:00 p.m.; they will then march to IWU's quad where they will join People Opposed to War in Iraq, to rally at 4:00 p.m. The gathered crows will continue to march from IWU to join BNCPJ at the McLean County Law and Justice Center at 104 West Front Street in Bloomington at 5:00 p.m. Please join in whatever of these events you can manage. We need to come together and raise our voices! 3. Donate cash or supplies to Peace is Cool Club for Iraq War Relief packages to be sent by March 31 to the American Friends Service Committee/ Mennonite Central Committee for shipment to Iraq. Contact Rachel or Dylan Hile-Broad at 454-5463 or hilebroad@earthlink.net 4. BNCPJ will purchase airtime on the local cable television channel to show the compelling educational video, Hidden Wars of Desert Storm. We are urging BNCPJ members to host a potluck dinner at their homes simultaneous with the airing in order to encourage discussion afterwards. Please consider opening your homes to people in your acquaintance for this event. The video is an excellent way to educate people in your network to the deep background of US foreign policy in the Middle East. Contact Susan Heiser at 828-2507 or sheiser810@aol.com 5. BNCPJ Calendar Sunday, March 16: Peace is Cool Club packing and sending Iraq War Relief packages to American Friends Service Committee/Mennonite Central Committee at the Hile-Broad's. Please encourage children whom you think would like to participate to do so! Snacks will be served. Sunday, April 6, 4-5:30 p.m.: Monthly Meeting featuring discussion with the Pantagraph's news editor Terry Greenberg and perhaps other local media representatives. NOTE THAT ALL BNCPJ MEETINGS FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY 2003 WILL BE HELD AT THE Wesley Foundation/First United Methodist Church, 211 School Street, Normal. Recent BNCPJ Activities 1. Feb 4 BNCPJ's Bob Broad, with a NO IRAQ WAR sign in full view in background, was interviewed on ISU TV 10. Video is available for viewing at BNCPJ monthly meetings. 2. Feb 14 support of SPAN demonstration and march on Normal Town Hall. 3. Feb 15 Rally in Chicago. Please see picture of the march on website, thanks to David McHone-Chase. 4. Feb 22 Rick and Sue Heiser hosted the salon/viewing of The Hidden Iraq Wars which triggered BNCPJ's decision to air the video on the local cable channel. See #4 above. 5. Feb 26 virtual demonstration coordinated by David McHone Chase and David Feurzeig. Thanks to the twenty (20) BNCPJers who contacted our political representatives in the local phone-in effort that corresponded with the moveon.org virtual demonstration that make news worldwide. Hats off, too, to those who participated in the national demonstration. BNCPJ member Analese McVoy contacted the local media to inform them of this event just prior to February 26and she made the headline television news that day. 6. March 3 BNCPJ members phoned our political representatives urging non-confirmation of Judge Miguel Estrada to the D.C. appeals courtand the Democratic filibuster against Estrada's confirmation HELD. 7. Tuesday, March 4: BNCPJ's Bob Broad did an interview with the local CNN affiliate Ken Bahrens. The interview will run periodically beginning Sunday, March 9. 8. There has been a continued steady stream of anti-Iraq war letters to the Pantagraph. Marvelous work! If you have an idea for a letter, but it won't write, get help from BNCPJ with a note to David Feurzeig at feurzeig@ilstu.edu. 9. Peace is Cool Club contributed $80 dollarsthat's $30 more than they expected!to the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan and has raised $162.00 through its bake sales and book mark sales. Dylan Hile-Broad reported that the group will pack its family health bags to be sent to Iraq at the Hile-Broads on Sunday, March 16th from 1-3 p.m. The bags are part of an initiative sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee /Mennonite Central Committee. During Sunday's meeting, the children sold more baked goods and bookmarks, listened to Professor Nassar's talk, and played the cooperative board game, Save the Whales. Discussion Notes - ISU's Professor Jamal Nassar spoke at length and to the intense interest of BNCPJ members in attendance about US foreign policy in the Middle East and the current situation in Iraq. His talk was followed by 40 minutes of Q&A that clearly could have gone on for much longer. Our thanks to Professor Nassar and to Elizabeth Kosuth, who arranged for his visit. Please, if there are people out there who made notes on Dr. Nassar's talk and are willing to share them, send them to bncpj@yahoogroups.com. We would appreciate it! That's it for now. Thanks again to all of you for your work in the areas of peace and justice. KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO AVERT THIS WAR! Hope to see you April 6th. Julie ____________________________ Julie Hile Hile Group 27 White Place, Suite 1 Bloomington, IL 61701 Phone: 309.829.7800 Fax: 309.829.7818