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"Schifting Schiff" 2006-Jan 26
Minutes of "Schifting Schiff" Committee of Foothills Peace Coalition, Jan. 26, 2006
MINUTES, Committee Meeting for "Schifting Schiff," Foothills Peace Coalition, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006, Kaldi's Coffee House, South Pasadena, 7 p.m.
Last week, the newly formed Foothills Peace Coalition met at AFSC. Four committees were formed.
This one, "Schifting Schiff" will focus on lobbying Congressman Adam Schiff to change his position to oppose the War in Iraq. Eight people were present:
Callie Wight, , (626) 791-1739.
Callie will chair this committee. Trauma therapist at Veteran's
Administration, working with
women vets. Belongs to Coalition for Civil Liberties in Pasadena (CCL), Coalition Against Militarism in Schools (CAMS), and other groups. Pasadena resident.
Art Bradley, , (626) 304-0730. Pasadena resident, Burbank business owner.
Draft counselor during Vietnam War. Calls Schiff's office monthly.
Joe Hall, Special Ed teacher at Eagle Rock High School. Active in CAMS and counter-recruitment.
Eagle Rock resident.
Fred Kraft, , (323) 259-0804. Retired children's social worker. Korean War veteran. Active in South Pasadena Neighbors for Peace and Justice (SPNPJ). LA resident.
Congressman is Xavier Becerra, a member of Out of Iraq caucus.
Marie Lange, no e-mail. (626) 799-1019.
South Pasadena resident. Active in SPNPJ. Active in Schiff's election campaigns, focusing on animal rights and environmentalism. Knows Schiff personally.
Fidel Martinez, , (323) 257-7788.
Pasadena resident. Retired social worker. Long-time activist in anti-war movement.
Jan McFarlane, , (626) 403-0512. South Pas
resident. Interfaith
Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP); CAMS; All Saints, member.
Bee Simpson, , (626) 799-5622. South Pasadena resident. Active in SPNPJ. Active w/ Marie on environmental issues. Knows Schiff.
Brief reports on what each of us can bring to "lobbying Schiff." An active member of Coalition for Civil Rights (CCL), a citizen-advocacy group that lobbied successfully for the passage of a resolution by the Pasadena City Council to oppose the Patriot Act, Callie said CCL then lobbied Schiff successfully to change some of his positions on the Patriot Act.
Said CCL was successful
with Schiff because they were "respectful, consistent and persistent,"
stressing they were
constituents who had gotten Pasadena resolution passed. Schiff's office now sometimes calls CCL because of their research expertise. Callie believes her established relationship with Schiff's office as a CCL activist may help with establishing a similar relationship with them on behalf of Foothills Coalition for Peace.
Bee and Marie have established personal trust and first name relationships with Adam Schiff because of working on his campaigns. They see Schiff in context, of having good positions on many issues and being much more liberal than his predecessor.
Jan talked about two (?) previous delegations meeting with Schiff by some ICUJP constituents and members of other groups. Polite conversations. Little movement.
Expressed her personal
frustration in feeling unable to engage Schiff in genuine, authentic dialogue about a situation he seems uncomfortable in dealing with.
ICUJP has invited office directors of two other local congressmen (Waxman and Berman) to speak at ICUJP meetings, but George Regas, former rector at All Saints and founder of ICUJP, does not want to invite Schiff to speak at ICUJP because he says Schiff still harbors upset about the Pasadena City Council "teach-in" held three years ago right before the invasion.
(Schiff was told he would
be part of a panel of speakers, but other speakers did not show. Fidel and Callie, who were there, said Schiff was "hammered" for almost two hours by questions and got "red in the face."
Callie said Schiff felt he was "set up." George Regas, who was one of that program's organizers, has said it has taken all this time for him to regain Schiff's trust.)
Art brings experience from his Viet Nam draft counseling (not a Viet Nam vet). His view is that little change came with that war only when people were willing to be "militant," referring to marches and political pressure.
Fred's background as a Korean War vet (stateside experience) brings credibility as having served in the military. He is interested in working primarily with South Pasadena Neighbors for Peace and Justice with "street drama": Have big posters on opposite corners
-- "Bush and buddies" in
suits w/statement "No Military Experience, Want War"
and "Iraqi vets" w/statement, "Military Experience, Want Out of Iraq."
Joe's goal is to pressure Schiff to move to most liberal position
possible: Stop voting
appropriations for Iraq War; join "Out of Iraq Caucus"; vote to impeach Bush.
Consensus: This committee will developing a plan to approach Schiff.
Callie, Jan & Joe (and
possibly Ed Fisher, ICUJP South Pas resident) will research Schiff's existing positions as posted on his website (www.house.gov/schiff) and in his Jan. 5 letter (sent to some anti-war constituents), and determine "what he IS willing to talk about." Then we will develop our "rebuttals" to his positions, as well as the "shifts" we would LIKE him to make. We will seek an appointment with him. Delegation will plan ahead as to WHO will say WHAT, WHEN and HOW "respectfully, persistently and consistently."
Next meeting of Foothills Peace Coalition:
Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., American Friends Service Committee, 980 Fair Oaks, Pasadena. (Two blocks north of Orange Grove on Fair Oaks, redbrick building, parking is on north side of building. Jackie Robinson Center is just north of AFSC building.)
Respectfully submitted, Jan McFarlane, unofficial secretary
4:51 PM
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