Reply #188: Federal Way Matters--August 2008

[eridani]

Federal Way events

No impeachments to report, but lots of summer events to keep the debate and desire for accountability alive...

1. The number of US deaths in Iraq is approaching 3700 and the Southend Neighbors For Peace and Justice is holding a commemoration of this sad passage on Thursday, August 16th, from 4:30 PM until 6 PM on the northwest corner (under the "Welcome To Burien" arch) of the South 148th Street and First Avenue South intersection in Burien. For more information, please contact Rebecca at rdare2 {at} yahoo.com

It is important to note that over 500 Iraqi's were killed on Wednesday. It is estimated that the civilian casualties in Iraq have exceeded one million (sources available upon request). The numbers are staggering, but even one death in this immoral war is shameful and indefensible.

2. We will be holding a free public screening of The End of Suburbia at 6:30 PM on Thursday, August 16th, at the Federal Way Regional Library. This will be followed by The History of Oil at 7:55 PM. More information will be provided at the end of this letter as well as on the FederalWayMatters.org website.

3. September's free movie screening, War Made Easy, will be held on September 9th at 5 PM and followed by a lively discussion. Moderator tba.

4. We continue to meet on Sundays from noon until 1 PM on the corners of the Pacific Hwy South and South 320th Street intersection to say that we've had "ENOUGH" of this administration and its crimes against humanity and the Constitution. Our numbers range from 10 to 15 and the majority of passing motorists seem to support our presence there. The "Honk to Impeach" signs encourage a lot of interactive play which proves to be a cathartic experience for some of the drivers. Those who don't support our message are becoming more vociferous in their dissent. We've been treated to many not-so-friendly hand gestures, a couple of full moons, and one bottle of water thrown out of a car. Please join us on the corner sometime. It's a pretty cathartic experience for us as well to be holding up a sign in the middle of a busy intersection declaring our outrage at Bush and Co.

5. Speaking of Mr. Bush, he will be attending a fundraiser at the Bellevue Hyatt on August 27th! I wonder how many hand gestures and moons he will rate. The fundraiser takes place in downtown Bellevue at the corner of NE 8th Street and Bellevue Way NE. The protesters are being told (very unofficially) to park at Bellevue Square or at Bellevue Downtown Park. It is advised that you carpool (contact me asap if you wish to do so) and plan to arrive early as the roads will be blocked off for security reasons. The attendees of the fundraiser will begin registration at 2 PM. The non-attendees are invited to assemble at The Bradford Center located at 752 108th Avenue NE beginning at noon. Slowly people will fan out from there and spontaneously appear as close as they can get to the Hyatt Hotel without a $10,000 admission ticket. People are coming from all over the Puget Sound region and some are even planning to make rather grand appearances at this event (the event on the sidewalk, those on the inside should be skulking about in shame). A group of women will appear in evening gowns with sashes across their chests declaring, "I MISS AMERICA" and video cameras galore will be capturing the excitement of this occasion for future postings on youtube.com (in the event that the mainstream media fails to do its own capturing) . Watch for new information to appear on the Washington For Impeachment site. If Bush should cancel his appearance to answer a subpoena or something of that nature, the protest will occur in his absence.


6. The yardsale to benefit Auburn SOS (Survivors of Suicide) will continue this Friday and Saturday from 9 AM until 5 PM.

28824 21st Avenue South in Federal Way

For more information please email
or call Char at 253-941-0826



7. Don't forget the Town Hall Meeting on August 22nd with Adam Smith! And don't forget to RSVP! It is recommended that people bring their video cameras because being recorded for posterity (or at least for youtube) sometimes makes politicians more responsive to their public.

Town Hall Meeting With Adam Smith
Everyone Welcome!!! RSVP HERE.
Wednesday, August 22nd
7 PM
The Village at Angle Lake
4040 South 188th Street
Seatac 98188



9. It is more than likely that the FederalWayMatters.org site will not be updated much between August 22nd and September 1st. Sorry about this. Consider it a time for maintenance. Hopefully it will return with a better a format, more accessible, and not too terribly sunburned.

Thank you once again for your time and attention! Best wishes to you and yours! If you should venture up to the Bellevue protest, please give my warmest regards and/or the hand gesture of your choosing to George Bush!

April




Upcoming Films:


Double Feature
The End Of Suburbia:
Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream
Thursday, August 16th
6:30 PM
Federal Way Regional Library
34200 1st Way South in Federal Way

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years, so too has the suburban way of life become embedded in the American consciousness. Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream.

But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia ? -from the End of Suburbia website

Running Time: 78 minutes
and
Robert Newman's
The History of Oil

Everything you need to know about war, peace, propaganda, the origins of WWI, WWII, Peak Oil, The War on Iraq, The War on Iran, and the Western Crusade for Middle Eastern Democracy, all delivered at locomotive speed by British stand-up comic/sage Robert Newman. Filmed live on the bicycle-powered stage in London, Mr. Newman delivers a rapid-fire political-historical enema that lets you laugh as you learn the truth about everything. The New York Times has described Robert Newman as Tom Wolfe inside the head of Noam Chomsky. “Newman's is a kind of Revolutionary Renaissance stand-up and it is absolutely wonderful. His comedy probably has more constituent parts than any other comic's, and the whole is still greater than the sum of those parts. Firstly he is very, very funny. He can be witty, satirical and surreal in turn, and every so often will pull out a brilliant impression, just to remind us that he has more strings to his comedic bow than are attached to a World Bank loan.” - The Scotsman Running time: 46 minutes