Tear Down the Walls Welcome and Plenary
I ran across some people today that I met a few years ago through connections made during my very active times in the Women’s Peace Movement; also talked to people who are having other conferences here in Tucson in April, 2014. I adore the conference subtitle… “Change the world, not your body.”
Body Love Conference
Tucson Green Party member and occasional candidate, CODEPINK organizer, Occupy Tucson participant, and friend Mary and I caught up with each other and she was able to give me a book, Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control that another friend, Ginny, got for me at a local event I could not attend, and had Medea sign ages ago. It was so nice to receive this!
I ran into a Unitarian Universalist friend, Margo, who I met when I was teaching a Sunday School class at one of the local UU church, helps out with the local Move to Amend group.
I also chatted in person with a Facebook friend, DeDe, whose sister Cindy Sheehan, is helping with one of the PPA (Peoples Assemblies) tracks. Cindy is running for Gov. of California. I first met them both in D.C. in 2006.
The School of the Americas info session by SOA Watch was a great session for information about what is happening in our Hemisphere. Later in the day I managed a quick hug for Raquel, a local teacher and musician, who provided music during the evening session, that I first met and came to appreciate during the anti-AFTA actions here in Tucson a few years back. Her partner, James, is staff with AFGJ the group organizing the Tear Down the Walls conference.
Some of the more memorable talks thus far included s Mother Superior Agnes Mariam de la Croix who was heckled tonight and has become rather notorious per some of her allegations of Chemical Attack footage being staged.
I was also reminded of many events in my youth by a DVD/video COINTELPRO 101. I may write a post about the reminders this film brought up for me.
So far the conference has been good. The walls stand for so many things, including the walls the peace and justice groups erect between themselves and other groups, as well as the walls that keep much of the information from reaching mainstream Americans who are the ones whose hearts and minds need to open to what is happening with their tax money in their name… such as border militarization.
Time to sleep. More tomorrow.