PAA Meeting Minutes February 2005
Leisure Learning Center, Rm 6
Meeting was called to order by Bill Crossier at 7 p.m.
1. Report from Treasurer - Rochelle
- A co-treasurer was elected - JoAnn Wolf, Marie Henry has changed jobs and won't be able to come to most of the meetings
- Need to raise approx. $300 this month primarily for printing purposes
2. Web Committee - Charles Lindahl
- We hope to go live with the dynamic website for the PAA on Monday, Feb. 14 (optimistic)
- Need to form a web content committee for generating website content. We will poll the group at the next PAA meeting. Please be thinking about how you'd like to contribute. To keep this from becoming an overwhelming task for any few people in the PAA, we can distribute the load by...
Example - we can setup people to manage just the events calendars or...
we can setup groups for people who want to keep up with legislative activities - whatever the PAA deems important for us to do
HTML skills are NOT required to participate - they are a plus, but not required. Please join us in our efforts - everyone is welcome. Send email to escramble('slindahl','rounder-graphics.com');">Sarah Gonzales if you're interested in joining the web committee.
3. Fun PAC (Political Animal Committee)
The first event of the Fun PAC will be:
We need help coordinating this movie night. Please contact escramble('paa','crosierbiomed.com');">Bill Crosier if you can help coordinate this event!
Fun PAC volunteers will:
- Locate venues for holding events
- Refreshments
- Flyers
- Ideas for “fun”
Call someone on this list to volunteer for Fun PAC.
M19 Planning
Subcommittees - Speakers | Songs | Electronics | Handouts | Publicity
Download contact information for volunteers (posted as of Thursday, Feb 2005) - please note this list will probably be changed / updated as time permits!
Moved and passed to hold an event, 6-8 p.m., Saturday, March 19, at Reflection Pond City Hall. Agenda as follows:
- 75% songs
- 25% speakers, presentation
- event will take place on March 19th, rain or shine
- people who have been to Iraq
- family members of military personnel
- Iraqis (Willie has possible contacts)
- Professor from St. Thomas
- Sheila Jackson Lee (moved and passed to invite SJL to speak)
- Clergy
- Goldstar mothers (mothers of fallen soldiers – Linda George Smith has possible contacts)
- Dahr Jamail
Notes:
- David Courtney has a sound system we can use, but we need power (either a generator or an inverter)
- Also need sound permit
Ideas include
- Bob Henschen (HPJC) was mentioned as a musician who might want to participate
- coordinate the playing of taps => Lee Loe indicated she may know of someone who could do this
- reading from Koran, AZA or the Prophet
- reading the names of soldiers and Iraqis who have been killed
Need to contact / coordinate
- song leaders
- choirs
- song selections / lyrics
3. Electronics
will do this if time / energy / weather permit.
- Discussed use of a PA system & power source (inverter or generator) and a battery-powered megaphone (to use if it rains)
- Does anyone have access to a megaphone? Please contact
escramble('paa','crosierbiomed.com');">Bill Crosier if you have a line on a megaphone.
- Lee Loe is heading up printing of the newspaper-like publication (similar to the Peace News) - she will need volunteers to help her.
Other ideas include:
- various photos of Iraq / war - these could come from Eyes Wide Open exhibit
- Jan Wheeler has some photos her son took in Iraq
- One idea was to have pictures of each US soldier who has died and designate a person to hold the picture during the event.; Read names of all those killed; Question about how to represent Iraqi deaths (approx. 100 Iraqis killed for every US soldier)
- PAA handout? Try to get people interested in PAA? Integrate information about PAA in special edition publication for event (published through Houston Peace News)
sponsored by AFSC - for more info, other exhibit locations, etc..
5. Publicity subcommittee
will need to
- advertise the event
- contact as many local groups as possible
- generate / distribute flyers
ACTIONS
- Jim Williams indicated that he could possibly get the entire list of US soldiers who have died in Iraq from his wife. Jim will also attend HPJC quarterly meeting and promote M19 event
- David Courtney has a sound system we can use, but we need power - please check with
- Candles: Will need a supply of candles for M19; David C recommends IKEA candles (used for Mecom Fountain vigils)
- Herb mentioned a bill that just recently passed through Congress - Randy Scott indicated he would research this and get back with info regarding Sheila Jackson Lee's participation in this bill
escramble('keefski','earthlink.net');">Theresa Keefe to see if she has any ideas or knows anyone who can provide a generator.
Old business / Ideas / To Do List
- Define PAA Statement of Purpose
- At the January meeting, it was decided that all co-officers would be eligible to sign checks on the checking account - this includes co-treasurers, co-secretaries, and co-chairs.
Ideas from previous meetings
- provide a directory of Progressives (perhaps we could use this as a fundraising tool?)
- provide political endorsements for Progressive candidates
- possibly pattern outreach efforts after
- it was suggested that we make up a banner for use at events
- PAA will have multiple mailing lists so that email can be targeted directly to committees or to the entire group as appropriate.
- Suggestion was made that we attempt to digitize all the paper this group and the Kucinich group has generated in the past to have it as a reference.
- One specific action that the HPJC is working on that coincides with ours goals is the establishment of the Coalition for New Federal Budget Priorities. PAA should try to work with the HPJC on this effort if possible or at least share in the information and possibly help to promote / expand it.
- PAA needs to establish clear methods to collaborate with HPJC and connect with other Progressive groups.
Boston Social Forum