General Assembly

Meeting Notes

Hanover Church

Wilmington, Delaware

2013-05-15

Chock-full of links it’s a wonderful notes.

Better notes a millionaire’s money can’t buy!

Meeting start: 1920 hr

REPORTS BACK

Pacem in Terris authorized fiscal agency for the Delaware Hour Exchange, which will be launching soon, and I hope all ODE people will get involved. Time banking is an international movement in which each person’s time is worth the same as any other’s. [delawarehourexchange.org] DHE is a project of Wilmington in Transition, and has members now from all around the northern Delaware area. It’s about helping each other meet needs, valuing community, not devaluing non-scarce talents and skills, such as nurturing, helping, in community. Unlike the cash economy. DHE will have a roll-out very soon. We’ll post the announcement on the ODE events page, and send out emails. The night before last 7 of the 8 worker bees of the DHE went to Phoenixville, PA for their time bank’s [http://www.pa-timebank.com/] annual meeting and the launch of a new Mid-Atlantic Time Bank Alliance. Act locally, share globally, like InterOccupy cf. Occupy. The IRS says it’s not taxable. The founder, Edgar Cahn [http://www.law.udc.edu/?ECahn], was one of the panelists. The local community-building aspect is a primary reason it’s sponsored by Wilmington In Transition [https://sites.google.com/site/wilmingtondeintransition/]. The book, No More Throw-Away People. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_banking and http://nomorethrowawaypeople.org/] Social services have been shown, the recipients, when asked to reciprocate, their usage of the service decreases and their self-esteem goes up. I’ve got some feelers out with HARP, Homeless Are People Too [https://www.facebook.com/harp2011], all hours are valued equally. WiT has reached the milestone of establishing Working Committees! DHE is the Economy working group.

Kris Lynn got a message from Havre de Grace, who are interested in starting an Occupation! Asked if we’d come down to hold a GA. So people who are interested contact Kris. Mark will contact Kris. We’ll have to take Steve and Jen, our institutional knowledge base.

Jen has moved forward on her media project. Delaware Matters (stolen from Bernie, who’s thrilled). So next step is to start a non-profit online newspaper for Delaware. So we’ll have a meeting of people who are interested. Contact Jen. [Delawarematters.org]

Jen registered OccupyDelaware.org domain name. So now we have Occupyde.org and that one.

Save The Valley [http://savethevalley.org/] rally was last night. Beaver Valley is Woodlawn Trustee-owned land just across the Delaware line, they were looking to get a zoning change to develop it. At the zoning hearing last night there were 1000 people to protest the zoning change. The developers withdrew their zoning applications. But are planning to re-submit separately in the future. Vigilance!

We did Delaware Ave. bridge sign hold-up. “Reinstate Glass-Steagall Now!” and a policeman stopped to ask if that’s the financial thing…! So the message is getting out there!

[insert photo here!]

There are a group of state senators in Delaware co-sponsoring a resolution to encourage the federal government to re-instate Glass-Steagall: Venables, ???. Please contact Cathy Cloutier [http://www.cathycloutier.com/] and encourage her to sign on to this. Ted Kaufman on his Website consistently promotes re-instatement. [http://tedkaufman.com/ted_kaufman_on/whos-for-too-big-to-fail-now] The News Journal has endorsed Glass-Steagall, as has the president of M&T Bank, and many other honest banks. [http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/02/dodd-frank-a-total-failure-bipartisan-panel-agrees/] Part 2 of Dodd-Frank enables banks to convert depositors’ money into stocks and then to declare those stocks worthless, just like what happened in Cyprus and Greece! We’re moving forward with outreach and education. To get people to pressure elected officials, relate it to the personal level. The collapse can happen again! The collapse is happening again, right now. The EU is imposing conditions on nations to pay debt, banks are telling nations what to do. This is fascism, really. Synarchism [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synarchism], which is how Nazi Germany was funded. It put Franco, Mussolini, Hitler into power. Paul Hoffman’s [Ben Protess?? http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/compromise-seen-on-derivatives-rule/] editorial, yesterday, was very clear.

OWS has a subgroup, Occupy The Economy. Their group calls are next to useless, now. OWS is losing track of what it started out to do. Where are they now? Occupy Sandy? But there are fundamental issues that need attention. [http://alternativebanking.nycga.net/ and https://docs.google.com/document/d/12xYu0yUaHE2RCKgCHfWV7CLK-_Ekljhp_A8kDVM86Y4/edit]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The March Against Monsanto on May 25th – Philly, West Chester, D.C. – it’s an international day of action. [http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/] Many other things going on the same day, not deemed to have a critical mass among known likely local participants, to organize something locally – probably some will attend D.C. or Philly rallies.

Same day is a protest at noon, at Horsham (PA) Air Guard base. [http://dronefreehorsham.com/] It is the newest installation of military UAV (‘done’ aircraft) operations. Pacem in Terris (and others) will be there protesting the use of military drone aircraft assassinating people abroad. Pacem will take it’s scale model ‘predator drone’.

Also… put the word out to promote the continuation and expansion of the Delaware Ave. vigil/protest. Street theater – how do we make these actions [even] more fun?

Jen is continuing editing on the film shot back last Autumn about predatory lending – it’s slow work, but moving along.

Meeting adjourned: 2045 hr

###

General Assembly

Meeting Notes

Hanover Church

Wilmington, Delaware

2013-04-17

Meeting start: 1930 hr

10-MINUTE DISCUSSION

[none]

REPORTS-BACK

Delaware Avenue, Norris with Steve and Ed, today. Beautiful day for holding signs — Greed Is Evil. A lot of passionate support from the people driving by! The Aries thing was really happening tonight!

Advocacy Trip to DC for the nutrition part of the corn bill. Faith-based, 750 people, ecumenical. Lobby day in Washington. Monday we met with our representatives. What we used to call food stamps (SNAP) has always been a big part of the farm bill, but that’s been falling apart. The Farm Bill expired last year! But some, including food stamps, has been continuing, but many great programs went away. And the food stamp program is falling behind. 1 in 5 children is food-insecure, 1 in 6 adults. How many vets are on food stamps? A lot of veterans are having severe economic and other problems with re-integration. 22 vets a day commit suicide. There are groups that are doing good things, with some success. The Senate passed a farm bill last year but the House didn’t let it out. It’s not likely that there’ll be much commodity support, because biofuels is using a lot of surplus corn so can’t justify paying farmers not to grow it. Natural gas is so cheap that the idea of subsidizing growing corn for ethanol makes so much un-sense. The villain at the conference was Monsanto. This was the 11th annual trip. Ecumenical Advocacy Days. The Farm Bill bill is a beautiful way to encompass many moral issues. Food will be used as a weapon as the climate changes. Most of the food reserves are 90% GMO.

https://www.facebook.com/advocacydays
http://advocacydays.org/2013-at-gods-table/lobby-day-ask/

The media doesn’t cover these issues, on poverty. The media is suffering with technology changes and they don’t want to bite the hands that feed them.

http://www.contentdelaware.org/

http://heartsandminds.org/

http://delawareway.blogspot.com/

http://www.newarkpostonline.com/

Bloggers’ tribe about peace and justice.

Content, good reporting, on local government is sorely needed here. It is hard work, to go to all the committee meetings, getting to know people, to get into the back, smoke-filled, rooms. It takes years to develop this. All the little towns in Delaware, all the local dramas. It’s a full-time job. “The school board beat.” Or a portal for people to upload their notes, videos of the meetings they go to. Curated, edited. That’s what we’re losing, the role of the press, to filter, interpret the raw data. The equivalent of a front page, so we know what’s important.

Would Gary Soulsman be available to consult? The Occupy Times, Pittsburgh Occupy has a paper, too. We could talk this over with Tizzy Lockman, contentdelaware.org. We could specialize in Occupy topics. Tom and Mark will follow up with this.

The last GA or action meeting we talked about the foreclosure video and getting a booth at Newark Night and screening the movie (we may not be able to make Newark Night) but we’re putting the video together.

Tax day thing, ADA, went well [All Riled Up for Tax Reform].

Keystone XL rally [Keystone Pipeline: Shut It Down!]

The more active we are the less coverage we’ll get. The News Journal is competing with Grumpy Cat. MSM has an agenda, they’re corporate, and they need to make money.

We are Spores of Truth. The civil rights movement started in church basements and grew over 50 years. Stonewall. Each day looks bleak, but from a historical perspective there is change. Occupy has had an impact already.

Rise of the Drones, streaming on PBS now. The things they can do with a drone…they can keep tabs on us, all the time.

Kill Decision. Madison, WI has sought to outlaw drones in their air space.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pacem in Terris, Delaware Campaign for Gun Sanity, the film, Trigger, with a speaker. 7 pm, Westminster Presb.

Tomorrow, 350.org and SC are doing a day of action in DC to deliver the anti-XL letters to the State Department. Stephanie.Herron@sierraclub.org.

Sat, 20, pre-Earth Day celebration at Russ Peterson park, Wilmington in Transition will be tabling.

Delaware Hour Exchange will be launching relatively soon. Charles Eisenstein, Sacred Economics for background. Vigorous discussion of time banking ensued.

WiT is having a potluck picnic, May 5, 1 to 4 or 2 to 5pm. Brainstorming meeting to formulate ideas to bring to a strategic planning session.

May 10, MoveToAmend National day of Action. Sheets and signs on overpasses.

Super Sale, May 4, Hanover Presbyterian Church, 1801 N. Jefferson St., 19802, to benefit Hanover’s Mission and Service ministries.

Meeting adjourned: 2100 hr

###

General Assembly

Meeting Notes

2013-03-20

Hanover Church

Wilmington, Delaware

Meeting start: 1930 hr

10-MINUTE DISCUSSION

None tonight.

PROPOSAL

None tonight

REPORTS-BACK

Just got back from DC, visited the Peace House and a sustainable living
communal living farm they’re putting together. They’re requesting seeds

Go to the dollar store for heirloom and non-patented seeds.

If anybody has anything to donate…I’m going back soon.

They’re an extension of the Peace House, which is being threatened with
foreclosure. 10 or so people are getting it ready, Occupiers are working
to get the gardens going. Doing sustainable community living.

How much land? What are they trying to grow? Raised beds.

I’ll put it on the actions page. They’re clearing the lot, turning the
soil by hand, and it’s coming along.

———–

Just got back from Dover, with Sierra Club for the Renewable [Energy] Portfolio Standards.

Very rewarding and pleasant experience. The contentious part was with
in Harris McDowell’s office, Finn McCabe is drafting legislation, and
Collin O’Mara was in the office, Bruce Gillette, SRO. Amy Roe had just
informed Harris of University of Delaware’s exemption from Solar Renewable Energy Credit participation, which dilutes the SREC market. Harris starting talking about natural gas and it’s supposedly being cleaner than oil and being the “bridge to the future.” I brought up that that’s a specious argument, it’s not a bridge because we won’t develop enough sustainable renewable energy to replace the amount of energy we’re using now, so a bridge to that nonexistent future…A very 20th century way of thinking. We’re living likes pigs at the trough, a fossil fuel glut, society built on this and we need to radically change the way we live. It’s not a bridge to the same thing.

You don’t get what you don’t invest in.

He suggested it’s the gateway drug. Is fracking gas better than extracting tar sands oil? Depends on where you live. Will we somehow avoid collapse?

Society as a whole will not make the transition until the pain is excruciating. The pain will come years after irreversible changes happen.

There are places in that pain right now. The causes are already happening.

The Wilmington in Transition people are also aware, we’re not alone. Occupy folks need to look back at what they’ve achieved and what they can do in the future. Do we want to continue to get prosecution for the bankers? We’ve had success with regard to the housing issue. Keep pressing for prosecution of the banksters, get focus back Glass-Steagall.

You’re not stuck in traffic, you are traffic.

30 percent of mortgages are under water. They made these ridiculous loans because they could sell them. We need a devotion to rigor. We have
a core group of people who are involved in many different things in many different groups.

Dealing with the banksters is what Occupy is about, or at least what its
impetus was. The thing that’s powerful is reclaiming the public space,
Occupying, about dominion and ownership, and consumerism. The social
justice aspect of the screwed up economics apparatus has to be part of it.
Being able to occupy where you are. Not just about money.

Amnesty International, for example, have a very focused mandate, and
they’ve been very effective.

Has Occupy had a single mandate?

Another Venn Diagram group, 350.org, local chapter, founded by Gary
Robbins, we met last week about how to carry the ForwardOnClimate rally forward. One action, timed to coincide with Move Your Money, at TD Bank, the number one funder of TransCanada, a big tar sands pipeline company.

This is related to a core issue of Occupy, this industry is funded by the biggest of the big of the the 1%, the source of a lot of injustice. This is attacking the 1% where it hurts. Make people aware of TD Banks injustice, and the need to invest locally in our banks.

Banner hanging and vigil last Saturday at UD where the tar sands cars are backed up. Ten protestors, 5 police cars who watched the entire time. (DC did a TD Bank action this week.)

The Delaware SB 19 to repeal the death penalty made it out of committee.
HB 35, for closing the loophole for gun control, made it out of committee.

Delaware Hour Exchange will be starting up in 2-3 months.

I went to Godspell Friday and they had a protest part, at Mt. Pleasant HS, they yelled “Occupy Mt. Pleasant!”

Kris Lynn is running for Delaware City city council. We went out Sunday door knocking, handed out flyers. She got a very positive reaction. She has a candidate’s forum this Saturday, March 23, 2 pm, at the DC Library. KristinaBLynn FB page. Kris would not be doing this if it weren’t for her involvement with Occupy.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dover, GPDE and DE-SC, we had two
electric-powered trucks and handed out stickers to the kids. People were shoulder-to-shoulder, tons of kids, I gave every kid a sticker until I was the last one in the parade, it was over and I was still handing out stickers! It was a good event.

I went last night to hear Kurt Buzzworth, the first person exonerated from death row by use of DNA. His mission is to abolish the death penalty. Abe Bonowitz of Witness to Innocence was with him. They do advocacy, as opposed to street actions. At Siegel JCC. 18-minute clip Buzzworth, really good. There’s a place for advocacy in Dover. Maybe an Occupy place?

A reason Occupy is so important is because sometimes advocacy works and sometimes it doesn’t, for when we need to get into people’s faces. The beautiful thing about Occupy is that we’re like water. We go where we need to go.

When it starts happening and there’s a massive pushback in other countries then people here may start to see the possibilities. Cyprus, what do we think about it? Will it happen here? No, not until we can’t get our money out of our ATMs.

When you start seeing countries go down, what’s next, the Euro? It’s huge, trying to tax deposits…The international and US economies are very connected, it’s the same banks. But Americans won’t care until it does happen here.

Everybody’s got ideas that they think somebody else should organize and  they’ll support.

TD Bank action, posted on occupyde.org. It’s an Occupy thing.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

April 1, United Day of Action, Tent City. Pop a tent in any open space.

How about Dover, on the governor’s mansion lawn? Have some sandwiches.

MoveToAmend, May 10, the 127th anniversary of the first court ruling that started citizen-type rights for corporations. Planning a national day of actions. Focusing on signage over bridges and interstates, like the light brigade. Hang real big banners. This sounds like a straight-ahead Occupy thing.

Meeting adjourned, for Action Committee meeting, 2045 hr.

###

Friday March 22nd – TD for Tar Sands – Move Your Money! : Join Delaware Sierra Club, Occupy Delaware and GPDE from 3-6pm for a “Move Your Money” action at TD Bank in Newark for their continued major financial support for TransCanada and tar sands profiteering! (edit)

2013-02-20

Hanover Church, Wilmington

Meeting start: 1920

Bernie’s therapy session. On Monday 2 of my neighbors were murdered in the courthouse and I’ve been sick and in shock for a week. My community makes me what I am, our community makes us what we are. At the Occupy site we had to deal with a lot of violent people…what do you say to yourself? Survivor’s guilt.

There’s a thankful side, too. Could I (we) have stopped it? The murder was completely planned. But the police understood the situation…They don’t check you for guns going into the building..Just thank our lucky stars, for the friendships and dignity we treat each other. I’ll never be able to figure out the reason.

The march on Sunday…the Occupation…community is where it’s at. Not the suburbs. Now my suburban community is severely wounded, and we’ve lost people to cancer. But murder is something that happens in somebody else’s neighborhood.

This is over the top, the violence, our behavior as a species, is getting pretty bad. Our group here, try to remember. Bullets, bombs, war don’t solve anything, we have to communicate. And even then that doesn’t always work.

What’s it all about? We’re fighting a bunch of serious crap here, and the hostility can be right next to you..

This was a tragic week for all of us, and for 7 children who lost mothers. It’s all ugly, there’s nothing good about it. Take care of yourselves. Because it goes very fast. Count your blessings and keep the faith up.

Peace.

We are in denial of the war that’s here at home. Not somewhere else.

——————-

Proposals. We’ll come back to these later. There are 2 letters I’d like a sign-on from ODE. State budget issue, to make income take more progressive. Letter to Obama.

——————-

At the ForwardOnClimate rally, they didn’t get chanting very well. We tried several times “Shit’s fracked up…” but they wouldn’t do it. Next protest, we need bullhorns, Occupy the Protest.

——————-

REPORTS-BACK

I went to the ForwardOnClimate protest on Sunday, to try to put pressure on the administration to actually do something about climate change, and stop the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline. It’s the end-game for climate change. It was good, there were 35,000 to 50,000 people. Sierra Club was one of the cosponsors, our local contingent was organized by Delaware chapter of the Sierra Club. 200 people from St. Andrews school were there. The crowd was pretty mainstream.

Wilmington In Transition is launching a time bank, Delaware Hour Exchange. It’s an egalitarian alternative economy, not fiat based, but it values not scarcity but things that promote healthy community. The unit of exchange in one hour of time and everybody’s hour is worth the same.

Delaware Environmental Summit (Delaware Sierra Club): Nukes, Bag Ban, Fracking, Energy/Climate. I was looking for more action — what can we do. Overall, networking, there are more people concerned about these issues than appears.

Unitarian Church in Newark, about homeless, Bill Perkins, Friendship House. The state of homelessness in NCC. How all the organizations fit into the mix. There are some holes. There’s no women’s emergency shelter. That’s a real need. It could be anywhere in the county. Social services need to be better across the state. Things people can do to help. Press our elected officials. More jobs. More affordable housing. In Newark, a shelter would server 2 corridors, different populations, with different needs. Elkton-Kennett Square, more rural, living in tents. Baltimore-Philly, more urban. There are officially 5,500 homeless in NCC, but it’s probably closer to 8,000 when including home-insecure.

Connections? People don’t get it. Connections has its problems, but they take anybody. They’ll serve you if you have disability benefits.

It’s an all-day job to be homeless. A facility to clean, eat, sleep anytime is needed. There’s corruption. You can’t work and be homeless, being homeless is full-time work. Can Connections be made more accountable? Everybody was wasted there, they’re supposed to be a drug-help facility. It’s the only organization in the entire state that takes just about anybody. They don’t give you (women) services for overnight services. The new Connections is better.

One of the things we can do is to be advocates out in the community. When I talked to people about being in Occupy there was a lot of negativity in response, so we can say, no, you are misinformed, you haven’t seen what it’s like. I’ve been there, yes they’re messed up but they’re still human beings, you still need to have compassion. We can make this more important issue. We don’t force our government to care. Most people don’t want to care.

If you wind up helping people and there are problems…

Homelessness is a symptom of a much bigger problem, as is addiction. And there’s stigma. We can’t know what it’s like for them. When you see a kid who has been sexually abused by family and sold to anybody and is using drugs and has AIDS…and we’re scared of them, we hate on them. When you’re homeless, what the fuck. It’s the thing to do when you’re homeless. And it’s scary to work with.

You have to be savvy. Can help with basic supplies and needs. You can get to know some pretty awesome people, and some who are so damaged they can’t accept help.

You don’t see people sleeping on the streets in Wilmington, as you do in other cities. They have their hideaways.

That’s true of a lot of different problems in Delaware. There are a lot of carpets in Delaware that dirt gets swept under.

So, get under the carpet!!

Duck and Cover!!

Don’t vomit on a bus. Don’t use the bus bathroom after someone has vomited on the bus.

The Sunday rally, I was with 40 young kids. A contingent with a sickle and hammer. Obama’s no socialist, we are we are!! Upper middle class kids, very worried about the environment. Not war, not poverty, because the environment affects everybody. The EcoSocialists.

My sign attracted every Jew at the rally. It was tikkun olam in Hebrew. Probably close to 70.

Blessings upon our work and our witness.

We all want to see change, take back our rights, our country, things like that. The actions we did, what did they do? Unless somebody is outraged they won’t step up and do something. So, how can we outrage people? In the meantime we’re being active in other groups…but not Occupy activism. Whatever that may mean, I want to get back to it. Sow discord among the masses.

On the farm we’re living very close to the earth, marginal power, water. So we’re using our Occupy skills, living more sustainably. This summer we’ll have a garden on the farm. Ideas for what to do with it, what to grow.

You need to start your kale and snow peas now. Start them inside.

I amazed by how many people were at the rally. Introduced to myself to Jill Stein. She was the craziest one there — and she’s good at chanting. The President was playing golf with 2 oil executives. Some of the younger anarchists made snide comments about the Green Party, and I confronted her about what was her solution…

Thinking about doing another Occupy House, a foreclosure situation. I want it to be activist, not squatting.

Did Delaware Ave. today. It was cold. Every Wednesday, 4:30 pm. Bridge over I-95. Holding signs.

There are so many things to get involved with (so much fucked up shit) and I’m sorting out what I feel most strongly about. Whatever your personal thing is, is great. We need to do another action. Try to get NY/Philly etc. to come here. In Wilmington. We all have connections.

A “Shit’s Fucked Up and Bullshit” rally. This will be continued in the Action Meeting after the GA.
In Tunisia, 7.5 million people, after millions, more that 15 percent, has left, leaving cities empty. So enough people stepped up, the police attacked, the prime minister stepped down!

People for the American Way. Summits, systems of oppression. Blueprints of change. A great program. There have not been any Delaware college kids — Young People Forward. The one thing I have seen people get angry about, union people, angry over what happens with state employee pay…

Delaware City refinery is accepting tar sands via rail, with no public informing. One of us was out taking pictures of trains and someone pulled up behind her, a refinery security truck showed up at her house, and a state police car just showed up at her house.

They asked us what we’re doing, ask for our ID. In the guise of 911. An action? We need a critical mass.

PROPOSALS

Proposal 1: List ODE as a supporter of the Federal and State letters from Citizens for Tax Justice.

Factual Information:

Clarifying Questions:

Progressive taxes are the more you make the higher your tax rate…how do taxes paid in other states come into this? There are reciprocity agreements between states.

We have a progressive tax rate up to $60,000, then the rate is fixed after that. We should raise that level.

I think we are assuming too much about our legislators that they would understand this. They understand it, and the governor is very opposed. Legislators tend to be supportive.

Concerns:

Fix copy errors.

We don’t really know enough about multinational corporations and how they move money around to be able to say yes or no that we agree with it.

We have a concern, and this is a way to express that and start a discussion.

Amendments:

Friendly amendment to make copy edits.

Straw Poll on ODE endorsing the federal level: in favor 10 out of 12. None opposed.
Binding Vote: 10, opposed none

Consensus. Passed.

State letter: Passed by consensus, straw poll and binding vote.

Meeting adjourned: 2055 hr.

January 31, 2013

Delawareans Joining Feb. 17 Climate Rally

Foresee Massive Turnout Organizing Locally

WILMINGTON, DE—Crippling drought. Devastating wildfires. Superstorm Sandy. Climate change has come home—and the American people get it. On Sunday, February 17, Delawareans will join tens of thousands of Americans heading to Washington, D.C. to make Forward on Climate the largest climate rally in history. The goal is to get President Obama to take strong action on climate change starting by rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and already over 20,000 have signed up online.  Tar sands have local implications for Delawareans concerned with the especially dirty fossil fuel now being transported by rail to be processed here in Delaware at the PBF Refinery in Delaware City. In addition to the larger implications for climate change worldwide, tar sands refining is much more carcinogenic than traditional crude for local air quality.

Local groups, including the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Green Party of Delaware, Occupy Delaware, Wilmington in Transition, Delaware Interfaith Power and Light and many more will be attending the February 17 Forward on Climate Rally. The rally will be held from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. near the National Mall in Washington, D.C and will include a march to the White House. Organizers are urging folks planning to attend “to reduce both the hassle and your carbon footprint” by signing up for a chartered bus leaving Christiana Mall at 8:30 a.m. on February 17th. The cost is $25 per person and seats are limited, so anyone wanting to secure a seat is urged to sign-up at the link below, by visiting gpde.us, delaware.sierraclub.org or occupyde.org or by contacting Stephanie Herron at (302) 468-4550.  Those desiring to meet up with the Delaware contingent in DC or get information on carpools from Kent and Sussex counties should also contact Stephanie Herron.

In addition to the march on the White House, the Forward on Climate Rally will feature inspiring speakers like Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director; Bill McKibben, Co-founder 350.org and Van Jones, environmental/civil rights activist, author and founder of Rebuilding the Dream. The rally is being organized by the Sierra Club, 350.org and Hip Hop Caucus and has around 100 other endorsing groups signed on from all around the country.

For more information:
Forward on Climate Rally DE bus sign-up – http://forwardonclimatedelaware.eventbrite.com/#
Forward on Climate Rally – http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nat_signup_feb17&chapter=DE
Sierra Club, Delaware Chapter- http://delaware.sierraclub.org
Green Party of DE – http://gpde.us
Occupy Delaware – http://occupyde.org
Wilmington in Transition – http://wilmingtondeintransition.org
Delaware Interfaith Power and Light – http://www.deipl.org/
Sierra Club – http://www.sierraclub.org
350.org – http://www.350.org

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 9th 2013 from  8:30 am to 1:30 pm

WHERE: Wilmington University. 3282 North DuPont Hwy.  Dover. 19901

WHAT: Meet like-minded environmental allies, discuss emerging issues and develop strategies. Participation is open to environmental advocates only, not the press, industry representatives or anti-environmental advocates. Elected officials will be by invitation only by the chairs of breakout sessions.

Breakout sessions will be held on the following topics:

• plastic bag ban
• nuclear energy
• fracking and pipelines
• climate and energy plan
• Delaware City Refinery.

Registration is free, but space is limited, so pre-registration is required. For more information and to pre-register, visit delaware.sierraclub.org/summit2013

Crippling drought. Devastating wildfires. Superstorm Sandy. Climate has come home – and the American people get it.

At 12 Noon on Sunday, February 17, thousands of Americans will head to Washington, D.C. to make Forward on Climate, (click on the link and the DE Sierra Club could win $3000) the largest climate rally in history. Join this historic event to make your voice heard..

The first step to putting our country on the path to addressing the climate crisis is for President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. His legacy as president will rest squarely on his response, resolve, and leadership in solving the climate crisis.

Details about the rally:

When: February 17th, at 12 Noon

Where: The National Mall, Washington D.C.

Who: Sponsored by 350.org, The Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus.

Why: To tell Barack Obama it’s time to lead in the fight against climate change, beginning with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

How: There is a bus leaving Christiana Mall at 8:30 on the morning of February 17. Sign-up to GET ON THE BUS! The bus is organized by the Sierra Club of Delaware and the Green Party of Delaware, among others.

Just over a year ago, 15,000 people surrounded the White House — and President Obama listened, delaying the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. This is our best chance to show the President how strong this movement has become since then — sign up today.

Let’s move…

We marched, we chanted, we prayed, we ate, we danced together!

The ultimate weakness of violence
is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate….
Returning violence for violence multiples violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

ODE at MLK march, 2013, Wilmington

Meeting start: 1924 hr

Introductions

10-minute discussion

1) What have we been doing since that last meeting
2) But that’s really REPORTS-BACK…

REPORTS-BACK

Occu Philly has a hub for Occupy Sandy on 2nd near Vine, where they’ve been collecting supplies and shuttling them to NJ. We’ve made 3 trips, lot of donations, a couple hubs also in NJ. Now they have more stuff then they can get rid of. Focus now is on repair, it’s like a war zone still there, a quarter mile from the coast. Moldy drywall makes places unlivable. Occupy Sandy volunteers are doing the demolition, cleanup. Need protective gear. Facebook, Occupy Sandy New Jersey, to donate money for this. Many people still without power, because the salt water destroyed the wiring in the houses, so they have to get inspected, then repaired. People are living in motels, and their money’s rolling out. Their stipend has been re-instated today.

In NY, they’re having Occupy Town Square, as outreach, really active Occupy groups, very strong organizations. 3 actions this weekend. Protesting austerity at the Greek Consulate. On the anniversary of Citizens United, they’ll be marrying people to corporations on Wall St., Reverend Billy will be presiding.

Monday is an MLK event, on 4th St., at St. Paul’s, 4th and Jackson, at 1 pm, finishing with rally after marching up 4th.

Following Saturday, #IDLENOMORE action at Christiana Mall, on Jan. 26.

Deadopoly, Occupy Philly, at the Wooden Shoe, 5th and South. Closing 37 schools in Philly, opening a couple prisons.

Working on gun control, here at the church, signatures to send to legislators.

Sierra Club, and the Green Party.

Young Peacemakers, have had about 4 meetings. Next will be films, this And there’s always pizza!

Sierra Club, this morning in Dover at Citizens United, presented a statement. We had 3 people, several from LWV.

Last night, with Michael Oats, 302 Stories, An Evolving Legacy, about the Coastal Zone Act.

Working on plastic bag ban legislation.

Volunteering for Hanover’s food pantry, the need is increasing. 42 families. Produce, we’ll be here tomorrow. Over the holidays we gave out detergent and soap, which we usually can’t afford to give out. Tomorrow is hand sanitizer.

Lynchings in Dover. There was an event in Dover yesterday. [fb] There’ll be followup. [ Doug Beatty blog ] We’ll contact SPLC. DSU is corporatizing, gentrifying. Emulating UD. See

http://thepeopleschampion.me/strange-fruit-in-dover-delaware-police-and-public-officials-may-have-suppressed-lynching-allegations-to-aid-obama-reelection/

and
http://troubleindover.blogspot.com/

Pacem In Terris has launched a new project, Delaware Campaign Against Gun Violence. Jan. 3 meeting with 130 people turnout. A lot of coalition building. The Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence, already met with the governor and the Dept. of Homeland Security in the state. There’s progress to ban assault weapons, and the longer project in Pacem is taking shape, with larger focus against violence generally in society.

Wilmington In Transition and Sustainable Newark is launching a time bank in the region. An alternative economy of egalitarian exchange of hours of service. Every hour is valued equally. Multigenerational, multicultural. Next meeting, Sat. 26, with Marie Goodwin, who helped start up Media’s Time Bank. Goal is to have it up and running in 3 months. To get involved, come to the next meeting. There were 25 people at the last meeting. Jan 26, Ronald McDonald House, Rockland Rd, Wilmington, 7pm-9pm. Contact Laura at lphilon@verizon.net.

And on gpde.us. Rally to take decisive action on climate change, starting with denial of Keystone Pipeline.

http://gpde.us/350-orgs-climate-change-rally/

Green Tour, Sustainability Tour in the New Castle County area, is being planned. Showcasing what people are doing here and now.

The Delaware Campaign Against Gun Violence, and DCEDP, writing to local people on death row, supportive letter writing to prisoners, prison-industrial complex. Visiting people on death row. IVAW, political art shows, learning about political art, music, writing.

From the Occupation to running for office, continuing on to build the Green Party [next meeting]. The Occupation is still on my mind, every day, we should start to talk about Occupy actions. I got arrested at UD on Oct. 16, hearing is April 4, I can’t get a Delaware lawyer to sue them. I want to find out why I was assaulted in the ODE protest at Mitchell Hall. Disorderly conduct charge for speaking out, for exercising free speech rights. [Bernie's fb page]. The Committee Against Plutonium Economics. Setting up Web site for it, DE Matters, an alternative press, for environmental reporting.

We’re here together as Occupy, we need to do something together as Occupy. Everybody show up next Saturday at the Christiana Mall.

What we’re doing, coalition building, is a phase of Occupy, empowering people to change the world for the better, supporting each other to do that.

We did have one foreclosed house occupation, which was a great success.

PROPOSALS

Delaware Repeal, ACLU project looking for co-sponsors supporting repeal of the death penalty in Delaware. Proposal is we become a co-sponsor.

Factual Information

The death penalty is not a deterrent and there’s a higher crime rate in death penalty states.

Delaware is number 3 in executions per-capita, and number 10 in number of people on death row.

Clarifying Questions

What’s ACLU’s role? They have 2 full-time staff reaching out throughout Delaware, targeted lobbying. There may be abolition legislation introduced in March. ACLU thinks it’s a realistic possibility that it could pass this year in Delaware. Maryland and Delaware are high in the national list to repeal the death penalty.

Will we be required to have representatives at events? No.

Concerns

We’ve talked about a lot of worthwhile things that are allied, but not Occupy focus. People are not paying attention to economic justice right now. It’s time will come. We can continue to raise EJ issues at these events.

We endorse and sign on as endorser of ACLU’s effort to repeal the death penalty.

Straw Poll: unanimous in favor

Binding Vote: unanimous in favor

Proposal passed.

Proposal: ODE co-sponsor DE Environmental Summit, Feb. 9.

Factual Information

This is the 5th one, it’ll start a 9am, Dover, Wilmington University campus.

There’s a contribution of $25 to co-sponsor, to pay for attendees’ lunch.

The purpose of the summit is inspire and generate actions.

Clarifying Questions

Does ODE have the $25? Yes.

What does the $25 go to? Lunch, for about 125 attendees. So far there are 5 co-sponsors.

Anybody can register to go, delaware.sierraclub.org.

What’s to stop non-environmentalists from registering? A question on the registration page.

Concerns

ODE should be very much involved with occupying Delaware’s environment, which are social justice and economic justice issues. The environment is the people’s wealth.

ODE ponies up $25 to co-sponsor the Environmental Summit.

Straw Poll: unanimous

Binding Vote: unanimous in favor

Proposal passed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rolling Jamboree, a telethon livestreamed, to raise money to buy written-off debt, OWS is buying medical debt and forgive it. They raised $500,000, enough to forgive $10,000,000 of debt. Strike-the-Debt. The purpose is to raise awareness, to out the issue.

https://www.facebook.com/StrikeDebt

Debt is not something to be ashamed of. We all have it. Student loan debt is a trillion dollars. Ballooning debt.

To go to the Feb. 17 rally contact Stephanie, leaving 9:30am returning 7:30pm, cost about $25. 302-468-4550 or email stephanie.herron@sierraclub.org.

EO36 event: Tuesday, New Castle, Jan. 22, Carvell Bldg, 6 pm, 2nd floor (see delaware.sierraclub.org). E.g., there are no criteria for chronic environmental violator status. PBF is operating under no water permit.

Study of heavy metals in soil around Indian River coal burning power plants, coal ash piles. There was a presentation on regulations re this today.

Hanover thanks us for the $20 donation we made.

Peace Seekers meeting Tuesday Jan. 22, 1306 N. Rodney St., public education against drone warfare, strategy session. 7 pm. 3rd fl. lounge.

GPDE meeting at Arguilla Microbrew, Meadowood Shopping Center, Jan. 24.

http://gpde.us

Solar Homes, Newark, Jan. 28, Newark Free Library, Newark.

Next GA (3rd Wednesday of each month): Feb. 20.

Action meeting follows GA.

Meeting adjourned: 2125 hr

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