The meeting was called to order by B. Fleishman and the invocation was given by Rev. Senley Jack. Motion to approve minutes of the February meeting passed.
Treasurer's Report. Gene Rowland reported that there was a $3645 increase in the balance mostly because of dinner reservations and donations. There are now 34 paid memberships. $300 of the increase was dues. The balance as of the 13th was $5530. Report was approved.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Electoral/Campaign Reform - Joe Seeman reported that there was no progress on developing a conversation with religious right. Electoral reform: many feel that there should be a paper trail because electronic systems can be altered and there is no way to recount. A paper ballot which is scanned electronically is being considered. Money is available to make the changes.
ARISE/Economic and Criminal Justice. Joyce Hartwell said that on April 5 at Westminster there will be a program on the revitalization of cities. Johnson, the retired mayor of Rochester will speak about how cities are bleeding - how do we balance sprawl with revitalization. Spitzer and officials from other NY cities will be there.
The Justice task force has been working with Pat Durham whose son was given a very long sentence. They are hoping to get a shortened sentence.
The ARISE Annual dinner will be April 7.
Towns are trying to stop Walmart from building more super centers. Lou Ismay pointed out that Nature Conservancy was originally organized to preserve farm land. It is important to be able to provide for ourselves.
Violence/Anger Management - John Amidon said the next Anger Management program will start in May. The program is going well and is always filled.
John thanked us for our support of the Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia.
Colombia is in a strategic position. It has coasts on both oceans. There is oil, especially in Venezuela. There is a fair amount of street crime in Bogota, the capital. In Putomayo, on the south west border where most of the drug crops are grown, political crime is very high. A high number of assassins are graduates of the School of the Americas.
Witness for Peace scheduled a very busy trip. They met with embassy staff, petroleum company people, squatters, political prisoners, and many others. It is hard to identify the 'good' group. It is more like bad and worse.
Human rights workers, NGOs, etc., live lives at great risk. The rich are gathering more wealth.
Fumigation, spraying from planes, destroys food crops as well as cocaine. The land can't be used for 3 years. Farmers are displaced to large slum areas which are developing around cities. There is little employment except to join a military group. Cocaine growers move to a new, more secluded locations and grow smaller patches, difficult to see from the air.
Farmers, often under threat and not by choice, raise cocaine and get about $3000 per year for it.
Faith groups present: They met some Mennonites in Bogota. 90-95% of religion is Catholic.
They took few pictures because it was often illegal to photograph. They feared kidnapping so they always traveled as a group. They will be doing a lot of speaking, and continue to work at closing SOA. Urge ending Plan Colombia. $741 million in US dollars go to Colombia, mostly for the 'drug war.'
The US Bureau of Prisons is running prisons there and is building more prisons.
Fumigation displaces farmers and increases the military. The cocaine traffic has not decreased at all.
Executive Committee
The Non Proliferation Treaty in UN expires soon. Mass demonstrations are planned in NYC on May 1. There will be a meeting April 21st at Siena to organize local demonstrations. Motion was made and passed to endorse local efforts.
The Drug Provision, added to HEA in 1998, requires that college financial aid applicants be denied aid - loans, grants, and work-study - if they have been convicted of a drug offense, no matter how minor. It is expected that a bill similar to H.R. 685 which was introduced last year will be introduced in March this year. However, the bill still lacks a companion in the Senate. Motion was made and passed to support repeal efforts by writing to Senators Clinton and Schumer. Motion passed.
Albany County Law B - against discrimination against people who are victims of violence. CDALF initiative on domestic Violence of all kinds. Employers are reluctant to hire anyone who has been a victim of violence. Motion was made and passed, to endorse Alb. County legislature law B.
Ed Bloch and Shirley Byers attended the National Leadership conference. About 80 people attended.
Meeting was adjourned at 10:40.
Respectfully submitted,
Florence Skiff
Next Executive Committee Meeting, 9:00 a.m, Monday, April 11th at Friendly's, Rte. 7.
Because of Dinner April 14th, no April Membership Meeting.
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