Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Campus Progressives Meeting
Attending:  Nina, Shawn, Neil, Yehuda, Michelle, Aldo, Zaida, Mike, Julie, Zahra,
Damion, Sean, Sarah, Bo, Duy
 
1) Mike has the flyers for "Campus Coalition for Peace and Justice".  Three issues
that this coalition will address are:  1) The defense of civil liberties on campus
and in the community, against harrassment and racism (especially due to the
Patriot Act [I and II]).  2) The defense of our right to freedom of speech and
assembly without fear of retaliation by law enforcement or individuals.  3) The
need to act against pre-emptive wars and to promote peace and justice both
domestically and internationally.
The Campus Progressives will be highly involved in this coalition along with the
ACLU and many other organizations.  It's important that we network with as many
organizations as we can which includes student groups, faculty groups, and
possibly even workers unions.
The first meeting will be on Monday, April 28th at 5:00pm at the Multi-Cultural
Center (not the Progressives room).  Attending these meetings and providing your
input will be key to strengthening this coalition immediately.

 
2) Sean raised the issue about how environmental awareness can prevent wars.  What
this entails is being conscious of how much gas you use, recycling, reusing, etc.
 Sean, Spider Plant Man himself, plans to sell his car for a hybrid, start using
the bus more often, and growing many more spider plants with reused bottles and
cartons.  Everyone get your spider plants!
 
3) It's no surprise that many people, usually people that were once against the
war and possibly did not see the larger context of the war, are now discouraged
and indifferent.  We discussed our next flyer and/or other piece of literature
that can redirect people's energy, give them hope, and educate them about not only
the current war, but all war, imperialism, state terrorism, etc.  We can possibly
bring up corporate terror in Columbia.
Political murders have skyrocketed since Columbia became the third largest
recipient of U.S. aid.  Our tax dollars support the Columbian military and
right-wing paramilitaries that are responsible for virtually all of Columbia's
political murders and the killing of innocent civilians so that companies like
Occidental Petroleum can protect their oil pipline. 
 
4) Announcement:  La Raza is putting on a cultural art show Wednesday, May, 7 from
5:00-9:00pm at the Soroptomist House.  They are looking for people to submit
cultural art, so if you have the goods, contact Aldo:  agonzal4@csulb.edu
 
KEEP THE STRUGGLE ALIVE!
 
-Shawn