News: Past and Upcoming Meetings

. . (1) Our next Potluck Supper Meeting - Mon. March 10th
"Is Your Church A Peace Church?"
. . (2) Advance Notice: May Potluck Supper Meeting at
Basilica of St. Mary
On Monday, May 12 - A report on their own peace
program
. . (3) More on our January program: "Jesus At Guantanamo"
Read a message from attorney James Dorsey who led
the discussion.
. . (4) Steering Committee TONIGHT - Visitors, new
members WELCOME !
Read more below

(1) . . Our next regular bimonthly Potluck Supper Meeting
will be held on Monday, March 10th at 6:30 p.m. at
University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis. The
program will address the question: "Is Your Church A Peace
Church?" It will consist of a panel presentation
featuring five local churches at which there have recently
been efforts directed at joining the National Registry of
Peace Churches <http://www.ecapc.org/Registry.asp>.
Following the short presentations there will be ample
opportunity for an open discussion of progress and
problems encountered. The five churches to be represented
are: Macalester Plymouth United, St. Joan of Arc, Pilgrim
Lutheran, Edina Community Lutheran and Basilica of St.
Mary. We would like to extend a special invitation to
members of any other churches that are also currently
engaged in this process.

The University Lutheran Church of Hope is located at 601
13th Ave. SE. Free on-site parking is available. Please
download the attached MS-Word document file. It is flyer
suitable for posting or distribution. PLEASE! Print some
copies and display them conspicuously at your church. Hand
them to people who might be interested. Pass this
information on to your church office and ask to have it
included in your weekly bulletins and/or monthly
newsletter.

(2) . . The program at the Basilica will be presented by
Martha Nemesi and/or others. It will include a report on
their efforts to be recognized as an International Peace
Site and a discussion of how to raise nonviolent children.

(3) . . The program for our meeting last Month, Jan.
7th, was a performance of the play "Jesus At Guantanamo."
If you were there you will recall that the very lively
discussion following the play was facilitated by Mr. James
Dorsey. Following the discussion I asked Mr. Dorsey to
send me more information about his interest in talking to
other groups about his experiences related to Guantanamo.
What he sent me is copied below. It may be of interest
to other religious institutions and community peace and
human rights groups.

(4) . . Hello Committee - Next meeting is on Monday, Feb.
11th at 7:00 p.m. It will, as usual, be held at Holy
Trinity Lutheran Church, 2730 31st St. in Minneapolis.
Look for us in the Latch Key Room, which is on the right
just inside the church entrance.
We will be discussing details relating to March, May and
beyond Potluck Supper programs.
Should we be considering a special event? Do we have any
involvement in the local CPW event in March?
Other business? . . How can we increase volunteer effort?
This "Steering Committee" is NOT an exclusive group. (I
know - they let me in!)
Forward this message to someone you think should
join us.

Rod Olsen rolsen6376@... 651-228-7224

*************************

Subject:Guantanamo talks
Date:Wed, 9 Jan 2008
From:"Dorsey, James" <jdorsey@...>
To:ECAPCtc@...
CC:"Moen, Nicole M." <nmoen@...>
Rod,

It was good to meet you Monday evening after the play. If
people would like to learn more about Guantanamo, they can
email or call me. The title of the presentation would be:
The Guantanamo Bay Challenge: Finding the Balance between
Our Nation's Security and Our Nation's Ideals.

During the presentation, Nicole Moen and/or I will
explain: (1) who are the detainees (how many detainees are
still there, where are they from, where were they picked
up), (2) how are they being treated (the nature of the
prison facilities, the interrogation techniques that have
been used, and the effectiveness of and rationale for
those techniques), and (3) what legal recourse is
available to test the appropriateness of their continued
detention. The presentation will include photos of the
prison and sketches of the interrogation procedures.

Short bios:

A graduate of Yale University and the University of
Virginia School of Law, James Dorsey is a trial lawyer
with the Minneapolis law firm of Fredrikson & Byron. Over
his 25 year career as a lawyer, Jim has represented the
MCLU, the ACLU, the NAACP, and death row inmates, as well
as many indigent clients in the Minneapolis area. A
founder and past president of Minnesota Advocates for
Human Rights, he has investigated human rights abuses in
South Africa and Central America. Jim is also a former
infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Nicole Moen is a commercial litigator with Fredrikson &
Byron. A native of Minneapolis, Nicole is a graduate of
Minneapolis South High School, the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, and she received her law degree from
the Harvard Law School in 2003. She recently completed a
clerkship with the Honorable John R. Tunheim, United
States District Court Judge for the District of Minnesota.

Jim and Nicole, with several colleagues at Fredrikson &
Byron, currently represent an Algerian detainee held in
Guantanamo Bay in Zemiri v. Bush. They have visited their
client in Guantanamo Bay five times, most recently in
January 2008. Nicole also serves as translator during
their visits.

Please call me with any questions. Thanks for your
interest in this topic. We find it fascinating.

Jim
612.492.7079