10/07
Draft Minutes of WNCPSR Meeting on 10/16/07 at West Asheville Library
1. Present: Stan Dienst, Leah Karpen, Lew Patrie, Tim Pluta, Don Richardson Tim Takaro
2. Minutes from 9/18: - Accepted
3. Treasurer's report - $1550.21 ($565 held for CSNC - see 5/07 Minutes) leaves $985.21, check to NSP/WNC is outstanding.
4. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
• WNCPSR meeting location - Our future meetings won’t be at West End Bakery. Alternatives to be explored for time and place for Tues., Oct. 16. - discussion deferred till end of mtg.
• Long term future events See ADDENDUM I
• Other information
Southern Energy & Environmental Expo August 24 - 26: Successful event reported
• PSR public events:
“War Made Easy, How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death”, Movie, 9/14, at UU Church: Don’s DVD, 45 present, good discussion, peace flags put up.
Common Sense @ Nuke Xroads, met 9/17; plans to add signatures to dissuade nuke transportation (NT), to spread info re John S’s NT report to other organizations, to work with new city council Jan., 2008 & Mayor Bellamy to prohibit NT; next mtg. 10/8; 6:30 PM, @ UUCA
WNCPC meets tonight (every 3rd Tues.) 7 PM, Warren Wilson Coll. - Jensen Room 305
• Meeting Mayor Bellamy at 3:30 today to promote: “Mayors for Peace - Cities aren’t Targets”; also World Day of Peace proclamation for 9/21. Lew & Leah will take part.
• Cliffside coal plant public hearing - Tonight in Columbus, NC
• Iraq War’s 4 1/2 yr. Anniv. Sept. 19th events See ADDENDUM II
• Other information
WNCPC meets tonight (3rd Tues.) 7 PM, Warren Wilson College. Students invited.
PROJECTOR - Stan has this, should it be needed.
• Loose Nukes - Last month WNCPSR agreed to cosponsor a presentation , by Joe Cirincione, Dir. for Nuclear Policy at Ctr. for American Progress on the threat of unsecured fissile material and proposals to address that threat. Joe is author of the new book, Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. We agreed to allocate $25 should the event materialize.
5. ACTION ITEMS
A. OLD BUSINESS
• Fundraising - 3 mtgs. led to 220 announcements re Dr. Thomasson’s events and funding requests mailed last week - Donations coming in via mail & from members at today’s meeting.
• Catherine Thomasson, PSR President presenting in AVL thru Don’s arrangements & he will do introductions. Stan arranged space at Mountain Area Health Education Center, wonders if we’ll exceed available space. We will keep up with RSVPs. Mary will create postcards & flyers with info & Dr. T’s photo supplied her for publicity. Lew to send formatted flyer to Stan for posting on wncpsr.org, so all may download, print & post.
October 11- Thursday -- 6:30 PM: “Iran: Exploring Myths, Revealing Realities."
For medical - health professional - activist audience.
October 12- Friday -- 7:30-9 AM , "Health Effects of Climate Change,"
For - physicians, health professionals; others welcome.
-- 2:00 PM: Radio interview with MC David Hurand at station WCQS, on Dr. Thomasson’s various issues, taped for later broadcast
-- After above, interview with WNCW-FM's Ned Ryan Doyle, same topics
• Recruitment & promotion - Action by Leah & Don resulted in Buncombe Co. Med. Soc. newsletter article. Leah will followup about further BCMS email messages.
B. NEW BUSINESS
• Climate Change Report on health effects released by Nat’l PSR & NRDC - no action
6. OTHER ITEMS:
• NPSR advice to chapters: Organize (Employer ID # 56-1339559); No action re form 990 (or 5768) to estimate resources spent on lobbying, bylaws; incorporation; liability insurance. (no action).
7. NEXT MEETINGS: Oct. 16 & Nov. 20 (3rd Tues.), time & place to be arranged.
ADDENDUM I: PROPOSED 2007 ACTION CALENDAR:
• Oct. 18: Cliffside coal plant public hearing - Asheville Hearing, Thurs., Oct. 18, 6-10 pm
Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, Asheville Campus - See ADDENDUM II
• October 24 - noon-1pm - 1st meeting - New book club formed to discuss Arjun Makhijani's book Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free, A Roadmap for US Energy Policy at Grove Arcade Market in the upstairs room. Read the forward and the first two chapters. GO TO <www.ieer.org>
• Oct. 24 - 30: World Disarmament Week - (No Current plans)
• OCT. 26 - NO MORE VICTIMS - See ADDENDUM III
• Nov. 16 -18: Workshop - dumps, sludge & new nuclear reactors, GSO by BREDL
• Dec. 10: Human Rights Day March 8, 2008: Int’l Women's Day - (No Current plans)
• March 19: event marking 5th anniv. of invasion of Iraq
• April, 2008 (?): WNCPSR will cosponsor, along with UNA, WAC & Common Cause, Joe Cirincione, Nuke Policy Dir. @ Ctr. for Amer. Prog. on addressing threat of loose nukes.
ADDENDUM II- Asheville Hearing - Thurs., Oct. 18, 6-10 PM, Simpson Hall, Asheville Campus, Asheville-Buncombe Technical College - It will take strong public involvement to stop construction of Cliffside & subsequent power plants in NC, so plan to testify.
Responding to NC Division of Air Quality's refusal to hold more than one public hearing on Duke Energy's proposed 800 megawatt Cliffside coal-burning power plant air permit application, community orgs. will hold 3 citizen-intiated hearings: AVL, CLT & RAL.
Speakers will have 3 min. to speak, but should also submit written comments (unlimited) to be sent to the DAQ by 10/31 deadline. You may sign up to speak at the hearing, but pre-registrants will speak first. (Pre-register by emailing: Canary Coalition, info@canarycoalition.org , or call toll free, 866-422- 6279.
ADDENDUM III - NO MORE VICTIMS - On 9/19 Salee, an Iraqi girl (age 10) injured by US bombing, getting medical treatment in Greenville, along with her father & others, joined us at a potluck at 1st Cong. Church, promoted by NO MORE VICTIMS. A large group showed Salee & her father that not all Americans agree with US invasion & occupancy of Iraq. Anne Craig agrees to coordinate further action re 2 suggested options.
An initial meeting for those who want to get going on a No More Victims project is scheduled for Fri., Oct. 26th, 7:30 AM, Port City Java, 870 Merrimon Ave. across from Grace Episcopal Church, which may now be called Mountain Java or something similar. I had a very exciting conversation with Tim this morning. He told me that his chapter of VFP and the new chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War led by Jason have already been in touch with Cole Miller about a project. So synchronicity is happening! Tim said that Cole will be on ‘Democracy Now’ this coming Thursday so tune in! If you need more information, please call me at 252-4536 or e-mail me at: tcraig@main.nc.us. Bring anyone else you know who is interested. Thanks, Anne Craig
