Meeting with Rep. Lujan staff tomorrow in Abq; video and discussion Friday 6:30 pm in Abq; more

Sep 1, 2016

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Dear friends --

If you are interested please consider joining us tomorrow, Friday 9/2/16, at 2 pm, at the Study Group office (2901 Summit Place NE, Albuquerque) (map) to meet with Rep. Ben Ray Lujan's New Mexico field staff director. We will discuss the future of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as well as economic issues in New Mexico's Third Congressional District.

Also tomorrow, Friday 9/2/16, at 6:30 pm at Astrid Webster's house, 901 Solano Dr. NE (map) we will join with some of our friends and colleagues for a short discussion. Then we'll kick back and watch Michael Moore's recent film together, "Where to Invade Next."

We are approaching the end of Valentina's summer fellowship period, so please do come to wish her godspeed in her career, and safe travels home!

Please feel free to stick around for a debriefing and planning discussion after the 2 pm congressional meeting, which will end some time after 3 pm. If you live in Santa Fe, Taos, or other points north and want to attend these events, come on down. I'm sure we can arrange overnight accommodations for a few people. Just ask.

This Sunday 9/4/16, at 11:00 am at the Unitarian Fellowship, which meets at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice (202 Harvard Dr SE, map), I (Greg) will speak on "In a Dark Time, the Eye Begins to See."

On Thursday 9/15/16, at 10:00 am at 400 Gold Ave. SW (map), a Study Group delegation will be meeting with members of Rep. Michelle Lujan-Grisham's staff. Please call Trish (505-265-1200 at the office or 505-577-3366, cell) if you want to be part of that delegation.

On Wednesday 9/28/16, at 6:30 pm, in Santa Fe at the Center Stage Performance Space, 505 Camino de los Marquez (map), we are hosting Dr. Frank von Hippel, long-time Study Group advisor and friend, who will speak on "New Directions in Disarmament."

Frank will also speak the next evening (Thursday 9/29/16, also at 6:30 pm) on the same topic, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building (SUB) (map). The UNM Peace and Justice Studies Program and Students Organizing Actions for Peace are co-sponsoring this event.

These and other events are listed on our calendar.

For now, we aim to have some sort of action or discussion weekly in Albuquerque at least. Soon (after Fiesta, 9/11/16) we hope to do this in Santa Fe as well, in both cities with a larger meeting or action once a month or so. We are very hard-pressed for time here, with decisionmakers in Washington and others waiting on us, so we do not undertake this intensity of program lightly. The fact is, staff and core volunteers at the Study Group can make only so much progress under the current political paradigm, which is breaking down rapidly in any case.  We need more change than that for our children and the living planet to survive. I am not exaggerating. So, we need you. "Ours," said Rumi, "is not a caravan of despair."

As I have already written to Albuquerque members, I (Greg) have just returned from an interesting week-long trip to Washington, meeting with the usual mix of administration officials, congressional staff, NGO colleagues, and independent agencies. I can report that there is exciting news from deep within the heart of the beast, which I will not attempt to summarize here.

There is also a persistent and quickening drumbeat for greater confrontation with Russia and China. It was interesting to hear one or two congressional staff translate the so-called "need" to "negotiate from a position of strength" into the "need" for local nuclear weapons projects. With neocons riding high, rationality is not required. It's "pedal to the metal" -- right over the edge. Fortunately, there are some grownups around. But are there enough?

Finally, and again repeating something already sent to friends in Albuquerque, I would like to draw your attention to an excellent 24-minute interview ("'This Ship is Sinking' Says Former Bush Official") by Abby Martin at teleSUR with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who was Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff. It is a very clear appreciation of what is required to stop the wars (the current wars, and the bigger ones under development) and save our planet.

Greg