GPUS Steering Committee Conference Call Minutes – June 23, 2013
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND
a. Facilitator – David Doonan
b. Roll Call – Budd Dickinson, Steve Welzer, Jeff Turner, Charles Ostdiek, Karen Young,
Darryl! Moch
Absent – Susan Chunco, Farheen Hakeem, AJ Segneri
Guest – Jill Stein
Observers – Jody Grage, Starlene Rankin
c. Agenda revisions – Jill Stein on call, feedback on DC lease negotiations
II. TREASURER’S REPORT & FINANCE ITEMS – Jeff
a. Cash report to date – report sent, $1k in general, reserve short about $3k; money starting to come in from mailing and next week should be better. $13k bills owed plus Red Sun Press bill for current mailing. The $13k includes what is owed to the reserve fund; current bills; and the old Red Sun bill.
b. FEC reports update – Brian has posted amendments January 2011 through April-May 2013, Jeff talked with FEC. FEC still needs to determine if they are satisfied and if there will be a penalty (could be months until decision).
c. Merchcom update and additional request – order for 6 dozen current shirts and 108 of the new design, 10% discount rather than 2% discount from Ethix. Total close to $2000 which is the loan amount. We are out of bumper stickers and have some buttons; both have good markup – $1k requested for future consideration; other needs when funds available; perhaps just buttons or just bumper stickers?
d. Fiscal Policy amendments – about 15 housekeeping amendments will be forthcoming, Will be brought forward after the ANM.
e. DC office rental negotiations – now $1300 per month + $152 for electricity. Landlord is proposing 2 more years with $150 per month increase each year and add electrical to the bill itself – $1600 to extend lease past April 2014. Jeff proposes offering to continue $50 per month per year increase for next two years.
III. JILL STEIN AND JOHN ANDREWS (on call)
a. Sign on to UNAC nonintervention in Syria – GPUS already on record as supporting. See below.
Statement read by Jill, special request came after Left Forum, SC consensus to sign on.
b. Campaign debriefing at ANM
SC point person needed for this section (for future discussion).
Jill, John and Cheri will be there.
The debriefing needs to appreciate what accomplished and how we can do even better in 2014 and 2016.
John has notes about how debriefing could be done and will send it to Budd to send forward to SC.
IV. VOTING QUEUE – Budd
In the queue:
710 – Outreach Committee Bylaws Revised, Voting starts 6/24
711 thru 717 and 719 – Approval of Facilitators for 2013 ANM, Voting starts 7/1
718 – Resolution to Discontinue the ETC – discussion by only a few delegates but that includes volunteers for the committee and former committee member; remain not entirely sure that the ETC is the best way to handle election administration going forward and would like to revisit this issue after the ANM while continuing the Election Tabulation Committee at this time; SC consensus to withdraw this proposal.
Proposals to approve ETC Committee Members Audrey Clement, Holly Hart and Frank Young. – Darryl! floor manager, on queue Monday with 2 week discussion so voting starts on 7/8.
Received for the queue: None
V. ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING PLANNING
a. Agenda for NC meeting at ANM – draft agenda sent to GNC, SC consensus to approve.
b. Agenda for SC meeting at ANM – for future call, Darryl! to resend draft tomorrow.
VI. LIAISON REPORTS
Darryl! – DivCom had 2nd meeting, still small attendance, need for video call, looking at documents, 2 calls before ANM and at ANM
Darryl! – CCC regular monthly webinar plus committee meetings, meeting at ANM plus workshops toward campaign schools in states.
Darryl! – Dispute Resolution and BRPP not active.
Charles – IC request $917 (700 Euros) for Global Green dues from budgeted funds approved by online vote; unknown when due, check to whom, where to send it. SC is waiting for a proposal from the IC.
Karen – FunCom working on swapping candidate lists for fundraising prospects, calls being made and phone bankers requested including Stein campaign, 500 hand addressed letters sent as test.
Karen – Strategic Planning Committee – writing continues, draft by 10 July
Steve – BAC voted on Arkansas request for $5000.
Steve – Media – press release on Snowden, etc.
VII. NEXT CALL – 2nd Sunday, 14 July; weekly financial reports to SC will be sent.
United Statement and Call for Action to Oppose
U.S./NATO and Israeli War on Syria
No more wars – U.S. out of the Middle East!
(please see the links at the bottom of the page to endorse the call and provide information on actions)
National Days of Action, June 28- July 17, 2013
The White House’s June 13th announcement that it would begin directly supplying arms to the opposition in Syria is a dramatic escalation of the U.S./NATO war against that country. Thousands of U.S. troops and intelligence personnel are training opposition forces and coordinating operations in Turkey and Jordan. Israel, the recipient of more than $3 billion annually in U.S. military aid has carried out heavy bombing raids against Syria. The Pentagon has developed plans for a “no-fly” zone over Syria, threatening a new U.S. air war.
The pretext for this escalation is the assertion, presented without any actual evidence, that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in the conflict that has been raging for more than two years. Like their predecessors, President Obama and other top U.S. officials pretend to be concerned about “democracy” and “human rights” in Syria, but their closest allies in the campaign against Syria are police-state, absolute monarchies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Once again the so-called ‘Responsibility to protect’, R2P, is used as a pretext for NATO to dominate this region.
Just as the false claim of “weapons of mass destruction” was used as justification for the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, the allegations that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian military is meant to mask the real motives of Washington and its allies. Their aim is to carry out “regime change,” as part of the drive to create a “new Middle East.”
The invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S.-backed Israeli war in Lebanon in 2006, the 2011 NATO bombing of Libya, the now-escalating war in Syria and the growing threats against Iran are part of a coordinated regional effort by the United States, Britain and France to dominate this oil-rich and strategic region.
The U.S. government cuts basic services and has eliminated hundreds of thousands of public sector workers jobs in the last three years in the name of a discredited austerity which has destroyed the economy, but has unlimited billions available for wars of aggression and NSA surveillance of almost every American.
We join together to call for National Days of Action, June 28- July 15, 2013, to demand:
StoStop the U.S./NATO/Israeli war and all forms of intervention against Syria!
· Self-determination free from outside intervention for the Syrian people!
· Fund people’s needs, not the military!
· U.S. Out of the Middle East!
Endorsers:
– United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
– ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism)
– United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)
– AFI3RM
– All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC)
– Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines
– Arab Americans for Peace
– Arab Americans for Syria – AA4S
– BAYAN USA
– CRI-Panafricain
– Freedom Road Socialist Organization
– Global Network Against Nuclear Power in Space
– Green Party of the United States
– Honduras Resistencia USA
– International Action Center
– International Coalition to Free the Angola 3
– Iran Working Group VFP
– KmB Pro-People Youth
– March Forward!
– May 1 Workers and Immigrant Rights Coalition
– Pakistan USA Freedom Forum
– Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)
– Revival of Panafricanism Forum
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