Having problems with message search?
Our meeting on Tuesday was great! We had about 20 good folks in attendance -- witty, intelligent, and limber people who participated with pointed comments and discussion.
Lydia Polley deserves credit for her planning and organizing skills. Lots of folks helped to spread the word about the meeting. Thanks, too, to the good folks of Mayflower Church for letting us use their building.
If you didn't get a chance to attend the December 12th meeting, here's a short report.
We opened with an ice-breaker exercise that also served to introduce our topic: The Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace. We found a lot of interest in the campaign, and by the end of the meeting, we agreed that we need to continue working on raising awareness with the public and our politicians.
Earlier on the day that we met, Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced that he is running for president in 2008. Kucinich is the congressional champion of the bill to create the U.S. Department of Peace. There was quite a bit of discussion about his tenacity and idealism. Lydia showed a short video clip featuring an interview of Kucinich, with questions asked by the venerable journalist Walter Cronkite (who is also a supporter of the Department of Peace).
The Slide Show. Next, Lydia and I presented the world premier of a new powerpoint presentation of the Oklahoma Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace. We covered 123 illustrated slides in about 30 minutes. It was fun to produce the powerpoint (a new medium for me), and it seemed to be received quite well by our audience.
The slide show introduces the Department of Peace by making reference to several themes that have been featured in many of these "OK-Global" messages. For example, there are numerous references to Oklahoma's culture of peace. We use lots of quotes from Will Rogers, whose witty sayings continue to provoke laughter.
A big part of the powerpoint is an assertion that, "Peace is Possible." In a subtle way, we try to overcome the widespread pessimism that prevails in our state. We do this by raising awareness about the positive developments that are being made in our world -- including the valuable contributions of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. Yes, there are several slides about the Seville Statement, too, which helps to loosen up all of our old brain muscles that have been calcified by the myth of social darwinism.
The main part of the show is a description of the Department of Peace -- what it will look like, the benefits it will produce, how much it will cost, etc.
Two Big Announcements. After showing the powerpoint, Lydia moderated an enthusiastic discussion of steps that we can take to support the DOP Campaign. Out of this discussion, two big announcements need to be made:
(1) We're going to meet again on the second Thursday in January -- same time, same place:
Thursday, January 11th -- 7pm
Mayflower Congregational Church
3901 Northwest 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73116
3901 Northwest 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73116
Please mark your calendar, and plan to attend.
(2) Also, we're planning to send a delegation of people to attend the national conference of the U.S. Campaign for a Department of Peace. The conference will take place February 3-5 in Washington, DC. If you'd like to join the group, please contact me or Lydia. There's more information about the conference at this website:
We don't know if we're flying or driving, but plans are being made to go. So, now's the time to put your name on the list.
Oh, One More Thing. Finally, if you have a group (organization, club, Sunday School, etc.) that would be interested in seeing our new powerpoint presentation about the Department of Peace, please be sure to let me know. I'm willing to bring it to you at no cost. And, it really is designed for a general audience. It is suitable for high schoolers and older.
Bill Bryant
"Chief Instigator"
Oklahomans for Global Solutions
Reach me by email at ... wildbill73107@...
<> <> <> <> <>
And don't forget the UN Association's High School Essay Contest:
See details at www.una-okc.org
Entries must be postmarked by December 15th . . . !!!
************************************************************************
Oklahomans for Global Solutions
"Building Peace, Justice and Freedom in a Democratically Governed World"
Offline 
Send Email