NEXT SPECTER'S OFFICE MEETING

Friends of Monday, March 27th meeting - Via a phone call from Chris Bradish,"foreign policy advisor" in Specter's DC office, it was agreed that he and Bill Reynolds, Chief of Staff, would meet with us on Monday, April 10th at noon in Specter's Philadelphia office in the Federal Building, 6th & Market, Room 9400.

he needs to know numbers and names of people who will attend (names = numbers?) We suggest the active groups against the war send reps to the meeting.

In preparation for the meeting we will gather at the Bourse at 10:45 a.m., inside near the 5th St. entrance.

please read suggestions for manner of organizing the meeting.

We will need some press work done, so please volunteer if you like to do that.

Large numbers of people are encouraged to come down on the 10th and stand outside the building on Market St. holding signs and reading the names of Iraqi and Americans who have been killed in the war.

Thanks for doing this collective organizing via e-mail. Marlene and I agree to co- coordinate.
Marlene Santoyo 215-247-4385
Marge VC 484-384-2487

From Marlene - I would like to recommend that each of us outline the topic that we/you want to discuss- Make it succinct, share it via email & practice (Role play)
what you want to/need to say and then the next person goes - Share your emphasis so the next person can take up where the previous left off.

Kaki & All, Excellent! this is exactly what each of us can do. Decide on the subject that we want to address. Limit it to 3- 5 min max. You're on a roll.

Now, I need to say that since Marge asked, am glad to respond & assist. I can not be there on Mon at Specter's

I have an appt with two doctor's appointments that took me three months to schedule BUT I do feel we all are equal participants & will do what I can beforehand or after this date, including when we have a date set up to speak with Sen Specter, be it in Phila or DC.

In solidarity,
marlene

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From: Kaki Sjogren [mailto:njlkaki@verizon.net]
Subject: Re: Responding to All: : NEXT SPECTER'S OFFICE MEETING

What about candid discussion about the oil industry? permanent military bases? e.g. see
Crude Designs - The Rip-off of Iraq's Oil Wealth
This is the hidden dragon.

kaki

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marlene Santoyo"
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:59 PM
Subject: Responding to All: : NEXT SPECTER'S OFFICE MEETING

Hello Dear Activists, Feminists, Peacemakers,

A while back a group of about 12 got to speak to Rep Chakkah Fattah. There were 10 of us.

It went very well. After talking with Marge, I'm going to share with you how we organized it.

We each one introduced ourselfves & our community & took 3 min to BRIEFLY outline one aspect of why the war policy is wrong.

The reasons "Why I/we oppose the war" they might include: for Ex-

1. As a grandmother, the legacy & debt I am leaving my children. WWII, Vietnam, Iraq- Post traumatic syndrome
2. The dead, the wounded- US & Iraq.- never to see their children grow.
3. As a veteran--
4. An unsafe world- Of course they hate us, I hate us ..
5. Vets return and there is more spousal abuse, drugs ..
6. LIES started the war and..
7. Poverty, funds cut from reasonable costing housing, healthcare, decent paying jobs

WE believe our gov must:

• stop US arms sales to the Middle East.
• The way of peace is through the US withdrawing its military presence from the Middle East, whereas the Bush administration is now actively transferring troops and weapons and expanding bases, obviously has no intention of leaving.
• The way of peace is through human development, and Iraq is a graphic example of how the US erodes and even destroys the possibility of human development by a foreign policy that intends to rule by economic and military domination. The deliberate targeting of Iraq's water systems for sanctioning is a disgrace that the US has not owned up to or repaired. Because of war devastation and sanctions, a society that was once marked by its high rate of literacy, the accomplishment of women, and widespread access to free and excellent health care is now in a state of de-development characterized by high levels of malnutrition and a sense of hopelessness.
• President Bush was given an okay from the Congress for war in Afghanistan, and now we look at an Afghanistan where many people have died with no end to war in sight. War is not the answer, and the war the US has waged against the people of Iraq since 1990 must finally be ended. US continued and new aggression on Iraq creates the very circumstances that make future attacks on the US not only more likely but inevitable. The only solutions for the crises in Iraq (and Palestine) are political, and they require the US to respect Iraqi sovereignty.
• Disarmament is a goal that can be pursued internationally only if the US intends to obey international laws. If the US flagrantly goes its own way, then there will no longer be any basis for international cooperation. Whatever laws are established, they must first and foremost apply the United States.
• In the war on terror the US wants its citizens to be safe, yet it pursues policies that make the US an enemy of the people of the world. As long as the US supports Israel and maintains the siege on Iraq, many people of the world will regard the US as their enemy, thus making attacks on the US more, not less, likely in the future.

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I would like to recommend that each of us outline the topic that we/you want to discuss- Make it succinct, share it via email & practice (Role play) what you want to/need to say and then the next person goes - Share your emphasis so the next person can take up where the previous left off.

________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________

They don't want more than 2 or 4 .The heck with it- don't compromise. last time we were 10 people- Go and sit in the outer office. They can bring a chair & sit with us there or in the corner office. Don't give him the upper hand.

Think about it- Is this the time to do CD??

* Then we LISTEN , without interruption and we emphasize that we are here and will not be going away until we talk with Arlen

When will that be. WE are determined to STOP the "collateral damage"

- DEATHS of Americans & Iraqis and we will speak with the journalists the TV audience. WE hold our Senator - Se Specter directly responsible - UNTIL such time as he stops funding the war & joins Mc Govern or initiates other legislation to Bring home our sons and daughters & keep them here with their husbands & wives and children.

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OK- Friends- your turn,
We must be courteous & if we are to have a relationship it will be though the good relations we have with this person sitting in front of us. Don't get angry with him. We want him on our side.

Then one or two wraps it up & everyone leaves

It would be great if you can have a reporter(s) there, A press release would be excellent.

If lots of folks come , more than fit in the office- that can read the names of the dead out on Market St.

In peace with justice,
marlene

. Keep in mind what we are there for. It's not a time to chit-chat , that trivializes our mission.

WE could each time read again the names of the dead- Somber and shouldn't be the case.

- From: Marge VanCleef [mailto:margevc@verizon.net]
NEXT SPECTER'S OFFICE MEETING

Friends of Monday, March 27th meeting -
I just received a phone call from Chris Bradish in Specter's DC office. He is the "foreign policy advisor" in the office. He said that he and Bill Reynolds, Chief of Staff, would meet with us on Monday, April 10th at noon in Philadelphia office.

• Do you all agree that we should go ahead with this?
• he needs to know numbers and names of people who will attend (names = numbers?)
• We will need to prepare for the meeting, suggested last Monday that we gather again at the Bourse at 10:45 a.m.
• We will need some press work done, so please volunteer if you like to do that.

I will wait to hear back from you before I send this out to other lists. And I'm afraid they will try to limit our numbers, that was the tone. How do you want to handle that issue?

Thanks for doing this collective organizing via e-mail. I can continue to coordinate, and will add Marlene's phone number as the other coordinator.

Marlene Santoyo 215-247-4385
Marge VC 484-384-2487