CCPJ Committees

By Robert McAdams and Susan Oberman

TWO CCPJ SALONS WERE HELD IN FALL 2007. In October the topic was “War Profiteering: The Impact on You.” We showed Robert Greenwald’s film Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers, which is available through the CCPJ film library. As we all subsequently saw in the news, Blackwater (one of the companies including Titan, CACI, Halliburton, and KBR, that have amassed huge sums of money from no-bid and cost plus government contracts), is suspected of violating
the Geneva Conventions regarding treatment of civilians during a war, resulting in the deaths
of innocent Iraqi citizens. It appears at present, that they may never be held accountable.

By Bob McAdams and Susan Oberman

The Salon Committee mission is:

To create a series of informal events to discuss, disseminate and analyze information about critical political issues that impact us. Through dialogue and social interaction we seek to promote peace and justice, strengthen community, and inspire individual and collective action.

At our next CCPJ Salon on October 20th at 7:30 PM (see below for contact information), we will watch and discuss the Robert Greenwald film Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers. The mainstream media is finally picking up the story of unaccountable private contractors wreaking havoc among Iraqi civilians and gouging the public treasury. Congress is finally investigating some of the contractors’ abuses and the president of Blackwater has testified before by Congress.

Robert Greenwald’s documentary reveals the depth and the scale to which the war in Iraq has
been waged by private contractors. The film begins with the killing of four Blackwater guards in Fallujah, then explores the effects of profit motives on the people employed by the contractors, on our military personnel working beside the contractors, on taxpayers who are paying and will pay the bills and on the Iraqi people. Besides Blackwater, other companies including Titan, CACI, Halliburton and KBR have grown wealthy from no-bid and cost-plus contracts. Their power has expanded around the world. Robert Greenwald has taken on powerful, international corporations in his earlier documentaries including Wal-mart in Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices and Fox News in Outfoxed. In Uncovered, released in November of 2003, Greenwald was among the earliest to document the false statements of the Bush Administration leading up to the war in Iraq. In all of these films Greenwald has given the public what we most need – accurate information upon which we can base real decisions for our future. The challenge for each of us is to learn the facts about the war profiteers, spread the word to other people and direct our legislators toward steps to correct and prevent these abuses. See you at the Salon.

The next salon is December 1, 2007. The film and topic will be about immigration and racial
justice. Film TBA.

Call Susan at 244-0374 or e-mail susan.oberman@gmail.com for location and directions.

THE CCPJ TABLING COMMITTEE functions primarily through e-mail, managing to set up some tabling at the City Market during the season, and at other events such as the rally in July when Cindy Sheehan, Reverend Yearwood, and the other speakers drew about 500 people to the Downtown Mall. Its one of the main ways CCPJ is visible in the community. Putting up a table and displaying our materials gives us a chance to engage in conversation about political issues and hear what other folks have to say. Most of our success with petition campaigns has been carried out by collecting signatures at the CCPJ table. Tabling also gives us a chance to be part of community events such as Westhaven Day and the Martin Luther King Community Celebration.

The sale of buttons and bumper stickers seems to draw people to the table to look and comment on
the various messages being expressed. That gives us a chance to invite people to sign our e-mail list or talk about the petitions, or find out what issues they are interested in. Most the people who stop want to voice their fears and concerns about the policies of the current government. Many appreciate the chance to do it.

Tabling offers us as individuals a chance to create a space where we encourage others to speak out
and where we are doing it ourselves. We often get encouragement and support from people in the
community who appreciate what we are doing. Tabling is fun, interesting, and validating—so let us
know if you’d like to join us.

IN OUR EFFORT TO KEEP DEMOCRACY ALIVE, the CCPJ Speakers Committee organizes forums, rallies, lectures and film showings on important, current issues about peace and justice featuring voices ignored and shut out by the corporate media.

Some of the speakers we have presented over the past two years are:
•Cindy Sheehan (co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace)
• Tia Steele (both Sheehan and Steele lost sons in Iraq)
• Col. Ann Wright
• Gael Murphy (co-founder of Code Pink)
• Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski
• David Waldman (Impeachment Teach-In)
• Dr. Helen Caldicott
• David Swanson
and others.
New members to the committee are always welcome. Contact: Sue Chase (540) 456-8176