August 2003 Meeting Mennonite Church August 3, 2003 Nine attendees: Jim, Nathalie, Marilyn, John, Ralph, Francis, Amy, Mark, and Gary The meeting convened a little after 4 p.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. BLOOMINGTON CULTURAL FEST, Friday August 15 through Sunday August 16 We need volunteers to do tabling at the Cultural Fest on Saturday (from 11-7) and Sunday (from noon-5). A sign-up sheet was passed around and Nathalie will be sending an email requesting volunteers from the group. We should display a BNCPJ banner, along with items including BNCPJ brochures, flyers, t-shirts, No War and No Iraq War buttons, yard signs and stickers (possibly War Is Not the Answer or No Iraq War). Other items could include SPAN and PABN information. The suggestion was made that we display photos of past actions and gatherings at the booth. We also need to remember to keep a photo archive of this and future events. 2. LABOR DAY PARADE, Monday September 1 Jim discussed meeting at the Law and Justice Center (at Front and Center Streets) at 9 a.m., prior to the 10 a.m. start of the parade. We should bring a BNCPJ banner and wear BNCPJ and other peace and justice shirts. Posters/placards are not allowed in the parade. No candy throwing either! Remember to take photos for the organization archive! 3. FILM/DISCUSSION SERIES John plans a series of politics-related films and discussions at ISU this fall. Screenings will be on Wednesday nights, beginning at 8 p.m., in 101 Stevenson Hall (the campus building behind the Alamo II bookstore and next to Waterson Towers). Planned films include: August 20: LIFE AND DEBT (a documentary about the World Bank's impact on developing nations, detailing the tourism industry and sweatshop labor in Jamaica) August 27: ROGER AND ME (Michael Moore's first film, about labor and the decline of the auto industry in his hometown of Flint, Michigan) Following each film, there will be time for audience discussion. Ideas for other films are welcomed and films with a regional Illinois angle (especially involving a writer/director who could come to give a talk) are encouraged. 4. OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS Francis called our attention to the National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5, in Miller Park, 6-9 p.m. It was suggested that the Peace Is Cool club might want to attend this family-oriented gathering, and raise awareness of BNCPJ in this community context. The first Fall issue of The Indy will be appearing on August 14. Watch The Indy for upcoming events and send any event announcements to be listed there. On September 20, the Normal Mennonite Church is sponsoring a debate between John Roth, author of "Choosing Against War," and a pro-war speaker named James Sennett, who will take a "just war" position. Anyone who wants more information should contact the church directly, either by phone or by emailing homan3@juno.com. ISU Fest, on the ISU Quad, August 21. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. BNCPJ could join other organizations on the Quad, either with a table or by displaying brochures at the SPAN table. Journalist Molly Ivins, author of Bushwhacked, visits B-N on September 24. She will be at Milner Auditorium on ISU campus at 2 p.m., and at Westbrook Auditorium on IWU campus at 7 p.m. Further details to come at our September meeting. Writer and activist Noam Chomsky visits ISU on October 7. Babbitt's Books will have a table displaying Chomsky's many publications. There will be an opportunity for BNCPJ to have a table as well, and we should make plans at the September meeting. DISCUSSION POINTS FROM THE MEETING After going over agenda items, we shared concerns and ideas for future BNCPJ activities. Among the issues raised: 1. CAMPAIGNS FOR CONGRESS Ralph mentioned that we need to learn as much as we can about Congressional incumbents and candidates. Congressional candidate Terry Rennert is having a press conference in early August and a fundraiser at his house on August 8 from 5-7. Check www.pabn.org for more information (we didn't have all the specifics). Jim recommended that we keep in touch with the League of Women Voters and other organizations receiving press releases and candidate info as the campaigns get going. 2. CIVIL LIBERTIES, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, AND THE PATRIOT ACT John mentioned Banned Books Week, upcoming the week of September 20. Does BNCPJ want to create a "Banned Books" event? Several attendees discussed the Patriot Act and federal restrictions on civil liberties. Could BNCPJ explore: -- Librarians' noncooperation in sharing patron information; library organizations' policies on cooperation with Patriot Act restrictions (Nathalie will check the American Library Association and affiliates for debate on this matter) -- Community ordinances against local police intrusions on privacy, stating what constitutes free speech under the First Amendment, free conduct, pro-civil rights actions; could BNCPJ propose and support such ordinances for Bloomington and Normal? -- Possibility of a talk on these subjects by Lee Estabrook from U of I? -- Concern about Police presence in the B-N community, with a troubling focus on nonwhite neighborhoods and on racial profiling; can BNCPJ follow up on the "Minority Advocacy Council" established locally? -- Jim suggests having a BNCPJ forum with local police chiefs, similar to the meeting with news media representatives. Marilyn asserted the need to think about BNCPJ's mission, as a group committed to finding peaceful solutions to local, regional, national, and international issues. She stressed the importance of nonviolent resolution, especially in response to things like "the violence of the Patriot Act." There was some discussion of how groups like the ACLU function, and how we can support these groups while remaining a peace-and-justice-focused organization. Jim recommended "cross-sharing" among groups, possibly through holding a Fall gathering like last Spring's "Retrospect and Prospect on the War." Nathalie suggested a PABN gathering. Others suggested establishing "diversity circles" (to promote community outreach) and holding "salons" or potlucks to get to know BNCPJ members on a friendly basis. John asked, "What other things should this group be doing?" and others said that we need to pay attention to issues other than those in the mainstream media and endorsed by the White House (i.e., the crises in Iraq and Liberia are important, but what are we missing?). Some good possibilities for action, still circulating from past meetings: 1. Letters to the editor of The Pantagraph 2. Group-approved BNCPJ editorials for submission to ThePantagraph (is a regular presence possible, as discussed last spring, or would that paper only accept editorials on a case-by-case basis? How open is The Pantagraph to BNCPJ viewpoints?) 3. Writing articles for The Indy 4. Working with groups to get speakers to ISU campus forums, including Thursday night Global Review. 5. Getting involved in choosing speakers for the Wednesday brown-bag sessions (from 12-1 in 401 Stevenson Hall). Nathalie is checking on this. 6. Radio issues: a. WESN: Looking into the possibilities of progressive programming. b. WJBC: Since we are for freedom of speech, we don't want to push to "censor" Limbaugh and right-wing programming, but we may want to investigate why Keith Gotchalk (check spellingÉ), a more liberal voice on WJBC, was fired from the station.