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A group of EDP&JC members that has been its primary organizers for
the past year and a half have met three times since late August and made,
what we feel, is significant headway.
• We continue to work on establishing the EDP&JC as a non-profit
corporation, with tax-exempt status (501c3). We have the assistance of
two local attorneys to help guide us through the process. Articles of
Incorporation have been prepared and filed.
• A Steering Committee was established, to provide overall direction
and leadership, until the 501c3 is finalized. The Steering Committee consists
of Laurie Blazich, Ani Durst, Dominique Hoppe, Jim Martin, Maria Martin,
Gale Martinez, Shirley Schildeman, Diana Stauffer, Rich Waters, Rob Lang,
with Gale Martinez and Jim Martin selected as co-coordinators. Laurie
Blazich will be the Secretary and Dominique Hoppe will be Treasurer. Steering
Committee meetings are open to all and we encourage attendance or input
by non-committee members. However, only Steering Committee members can
participate in the actual decision-making.
• The next major task facing the Steering Committee is setting priorities
and establishing goals for our organization. In this way, we can create
a vision and focus that will guide our future decisions and activities,
and help us build a dynamic, exciting, and sustainable organization. We
are currently working on establishing an effective process for accomplishing
this task. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations that might
be helpful, please contact Gale at 621-3089 or Jim at 622-9549.
• The next Steering Committee meeting will be Sunday, October 19th
from 9 – 11 AM at the El Dorado County Office of Education, (contact
Jim for exact meeting room) located at the intersection of Missouri Flat
Road and Green Valley Road, next to Indian Creek School.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER- Jim Martin
It is obvious that if we are to build and sustain an organization that
can survive, grow and make a difference, we need, among other things,
a solid financial base. There are many ways to achieve this, such as membership
support, fundraisers, and grants. So far we have had a few fundraisers
and have had a significant amount of support through donations. For the
most part, the donations have been given by individuals on a one time
basis, although there have been a few who have pledged to contribute on
a regular basis and have been following through on that commitment. At
this point, the most efficient way for us to build the financial support
we need seems to be through pledges. In that way, we can count on a known
amount of money on a regular basis and organize ourselves around that.
Pledge support also entails a minimum amount of work on our part and frees
us up to do the real work that is our purpose - working for peace and
justice.
In this regard, there is an idea that some of us have been discussing
for a while that seems to resonate in a very positive way that we would
like to suggest to our supporters. The idea is this – for individuals
to give up something material – e.g., food, coffee, alcohol, driving
their vehicle – one day a week, and take the money that they save
by that sacrifice and pledge it to the El Dorado Peace & Justice Community.
This would have both a symbolic and a real side to it. The symbolic side
would be that it would be a weekly reminder to you of those in this unjust
world who have so much less than we have – those who feel the pains
of hunger every day, or who don’t have the luxury of daily lattes,
or who must walk or ride a bike to work every day, if they are fortunate
enough to have employment.
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These are realities that we should not forget, and this would be a regular
reminder that would allow us to experience in a small way the pain that
the poor feel. It would also be a way to transfer that reminder into something
real and tangible. A regular monthly donation of $10 or $20 or $50/month
(whatever you feel your sacrifice is worth in real dollars) from 20 or
50 or 100 people would be very significant for our organization.
It really seems like a win/win arrangement - you do something that benefits
you personally, your consciousness/heart/soul; and at the same time it
translates into a significant contribution to El Dorado Peace and Justice
Community and, hopefully in the process, if we all do our part, it contributes
toward building a more just and peaceful world.
So please consider it. If you decide to participate, just complete the
donation form that is included on page 6 of this newsletter. (Part of
our ongoing priorities is a system for pledge thank you and reminders-so
if you haven’t heard from us in a while, don’t despair-you will!
Editor)
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Protest to Biotech Conference in Sacramento
Monday, June 23rd began the three-day Ministerial Conference and Expo
on Agricultural Science and Technology in Sacramento. Sponsored by the
US Agency for International
Development (USAID), the US Department of State, and the Department of
Agriculture, this was one of eight
ministerials planned by the Bush administration to promote the American
biotechnology industry in the name of addressing world hunger. If this
effort is successful, companies like Monsanto and other multi-nationals
stand to gain millions. Of the 180 countries invited to the ministerial,
100 participated. Absent were most of the members of the European Union.
Many object to this approach to feeding the world: the
hungry countries slated to receive this American corporate "largesse",
small American farmers who know the economic effects of huge, cheap mono-crops
on the sale of their diverse products, and the EU which has banned genetically
modified food. To override these objections, the Bush Administration has
let out all the stops in a bullish campaign, including the president’s
personal touch addressing a Biotechnology Industry Organization conference
in Washington in the end of June, his tour of Africa in July and administration
in Washington in the end of June, his tour of Africa in July, and administration
participation in the WTO conference in Cancun in Sept.
Given the stakes for corporate agricultural interests, it is
no coincidence that a huge police presence engulfed the
Sacramento ministerial. El Dorado Peace and Justice
Community members, Ani Durst, Diana Stauffer and Rich Waters joined the
group of 60 parade monitors wearing yellow sashes, lending their knowledge
and training to help at the event. They were there to be sure that marchers
didn’t block traffic, to be sure protesters followed parade guidelines
and to stand between the marchers and the police. Their particular assignment
was to note any interaction between the police and the 1,500 protesters
gathered to represent the objections of millions to this proposed corporate
take-over of the world’s food supply.
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