Help create a national Department of Peace!

Follow this link to learn more about an important national initiative for peace.

Imagine all the people...

October Meeting Minutes of the Waupaca People for Peace

meeting of people for peace
November 3, 2005
at sandy testin's house
6pm

present: sandy testin, marci reynolds, Kate Saunders, pat reckrey, Jane haasch, Velma, Larry and Lynn Craig, Kathy and Kevin kohl, ted mallusch, Todd mallusch, Louise Pease, Priscilla and ??? _________, Steve g, fran rademacher. ( i think that's it, sandy has attendance sheet, please verify with her...)

after a lovely potluck dinner, items discussed at the meeting were as follows:

1. p4p meetings will continue to be on the 3rd thursday of the month at the chez marche cafe, unless there is a speaker in which case we will seek another venue.

2. Dan Naylor will speak on Nov 17 at a place yet to be determined (editor's note: meeting will be held at the Holly Center, see notice posted here ). Sandy will arrange a place, and get back to Marci who will let Dan know.
Kate Saunders will put a small blurb under community events in the county post. Marci will see if Bonni will write an article.
the following people volunteered to bring refreshments and plates, cups and napkins that evening: Pat Reckrey, Kate Saunders, Larry Craig, and Jane Haasch.

3. We discussed structure and direction for the future of people for peace. after discussion it was agreed that there should be a meeting leader. this position could be rotated.
the purpose of a meeting leader is to:

* keep meetings on task
* initiate agenda
* make sure there is one speaker at a time!

4. and there should be minutes of meetings. this task should also rotate, and minutes should be forwarded to bonni so that she can post them on the website.

5. Also, there will be a new method of notifying for meetings: Bonni will do this monthly via e-mail, Kate Saunders will put the monthly meetings in the paper, and people are encouraged to refer to the new blog/web site created by Bonni. all were supportive of this website idea and thankful to bonni for doing it!
in addition it was acknowledged that it can be stressful to put on events without more recognized organization, and that when people want to do certain projects, they will be responsible and the group will be willing to commit energy.

people felt that what they liked about the meetings and the group was:

* connecting
* free structure
* activities we do are important
* positive effect
* solidarity especially in times of war
* open to other community members

6. we reviewed our mission statement and clarified our basic purpose. differentiation was made between p4p and political groups. many p4p members are in other groups as well, through which political work can be done more directly. the goals of p4p supercede politics.

7. we discussed membership at length and it was felt that we should remain open, that whoever is at the meeting is a member. it was decided not to post the membership names on the website. this topic probably warrants further discussion.

8. adopt a highwauy: kevin presented info on our adopted highway. it is too late this year to go out and clean up, but the sign is up on E. Kevin has all the necessary equipment for the spring cleanup. we can do this activity from april to november. we will watch the instructional video (10 minutes) at the march meeting and then set dates to go out and clean up. most present were interested in this activity.

9. treasurer's report: we have $1590.13 in our account.

10. t-shirts: Louise has a friend that can silk screen shirts for $7 each, and can do short runs. Steve asked about logo. it was suggested that louise and Steve get together and plan this.

11. Pat Reckrey reminded us that in January, the 19th, we agreed to host a speaker on gay/lesbian issues. 1/2 hour presentation. this is our regular meeting night. Sandy agreed to book a room for this. we will communicate on e-mail about the details of this event.

12. also pat followed up on the winchester academy, and all the topics are not real good for us to sponsor. Septmeber 2006 UN day would be a good topic, and there was discussion about getting a good speaker on this and tying it in to the upcoming library exhibit on nobel prize winners that will be borrowed from the Bradford England Peace museum. Pat will look into this more.

13. upcoming history of art in the peace movement display from Bradford will be displayed and cosponsored by the arts board in January. Marci discussed cost and it will be about $320 US to cover postage both ways. Pat will write out a check after marci confirms details f how to send the money with Bradford. the arts bnoard will let us know when they can plan a reception for this event. all seemed interested.

14. peace cafe coming up friday november 11, 7pm, at the chez: marci discussed details, and asked p4p members to attend and someone to take money. cover charge of $5 will be split between p4p and wcab. lineup includes pat reckrey: poetry, barbara hoffman from appleton, folk music; kathryn jeffers, reading from her book about her dad in ww2, and marci beaucoup, peace songs with littl baba. also perhaps barb achtn doing a closing song.

15. lastly louise gave a report on her trip to washington dc, and it was very interesting. she shared alot of literature that she brought back, and reported that she sold over $100 worth of buttons and t-shirts.

minutes submitted by marci reynolds

Dan Naylor to speak at next PFP meeting

People for Peace will be hosting Dan Naylor on Thursday, November 17, at 7 PM, at the Holly Historical Society at 321 S Main St, Waupaca

Dan is the father of two children who have served in the armed forces in Iraq.

Dan and his wife Mary recently convinced their township to pass a resolution calling for a timeline on the removal of troops from Iraq.

Dan is also a candidate for the 40th district state assembly seat, currently held by Jean Hundertmark, who is vacating the seat in order to run for Lt. Governor.

All are welcome and there is no charge for the event.

Action Alert!

Sent by Jane Haasch

Please post for PFP from Jon Petersen regarding the Sahrawi people. They may be too late to call about this but it updates us on what is going on with this situation. I called this morning and got through.

---
From: Jon Petersen [mailto:jon@usharbor.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 8:40 AM
Subject: FW: Letter

Hi All:

I just received this e-mail. The hour is late, but it you have time to call your congressman this morning that would be great. Congressman Green's phone number is 202 225 5665. I just called and got through with no problem.

Peace and Joy!



jon


Please join Congressman Pitts and Congressman Payne in sending the following letter to Secretary Rice regarding the issue of Western Sahara. Should you have any questions or if your Member would like to join the letter, please contact Karin Finkler (Rep. Pitts, 5-2411) or Noelle Lusane (Rep. Payne, 5-3436).

Deadline is noon on Wednesday, November 9, 2005.


November 3, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice

Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the conflict over Western Sahara and the recent human rights violations committed by Moroccan government officials in the disputed territory. We respectfully request your immediate intervention with the government of Morocco.

As you many know from a previous letter of July 29, 2005, since May 2005 an escalation in the repression by Morocco against the Sahrawi population has been taken place, scores of Sahrawis are in jail, some of them suffering from a prolonged hunger strike. Furthermore, on October 30, 2005, a young Sahrawi, Lembarki Hamdi, died as a result of torture by the Moroccan security forces in El Aaiun, the capital of the Western Sahara. This tragic event is well documented by the international media, Moroccan media, and international and Moroccan human rights organizations.

For the last 30 years, the Sahrawi people have conducted themselves according to international law and legal mechanisms in order to implement their internationally-recognized right to self-determination. They represent an example of resistance that is a model for peaceful protest. Unfortunately, the international community, including the United States, has failed to fulfill its obligations to this population. We are deeply concerned that the passivity and failure of the international community and the United Nations could cause the Sahrawis to become more radical.



The current situation confirms the importance of strongly demanding that Morocco accept the peace plan that was presented by former Secretary of State James Baker and was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council. We call on the Administration to send a clear message to the Kingdom of Morocco that its behavior is unacceptable and that those responsible for the torture be brought to justice. In addition, we request that the Administration direct the UN mission in the Western Sahara to protect the human rights of the Sahrawi people.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,