Peggy Randall's Groups
-
New Jersey Discussion Gr…
5 members
-
Michigan Discussion Group
6 members
Peggy Randall's Discussions
The Latest from The Nation
Started Oct 21
Take a Quiz! Help The Nation!
Started Oct 20
Spam Cop!
Started Aug 15
Peggy Randall's Page
Gifts Received
Peggy Randall has not received any gifts yet
Latest Activity
The Nation 2nd Annual Online Auction at http://thenation.cmarket.com
November 16, 2009 at 6am to December 4, 2009 at 12am
America's oldest weekly magazine is in the final stages of planning our second annual, entirely one-of-a-kind online auction! Last year's was such a success, we're doing it all again! The launch is set for November 16th and we're auctioning off some…
Nation Auction Now Open! at http://thenation.cmarket.com
November 17, 2009 at 6am to December 4, 2009 at 11pm
“Go shopping.”
That was the Bush era’s misguided solution to a recession, and this holiday season we’re being bombarded with that crass commercialism again.
But you don’t have to boycott the holidays.
Instead of buying your loved ones holiday gif…
Nation Auction Now Open! at http://thenation.cmarket.com
November 17, 2009 at 6am to December 4, 2009 at 11pm
“Go shopping.”
That was the Bush era’s misguided solution to a recession, and this holiday season we’re being bombarded with that crass commercialism again.
But you don’t have to boycott the holidays.
Instead of buying your loved ones holiday gif…
Here's a link to Katrina's latest blog post about what's up at The Nation. Some great stuff about social networking in general and how the magazine is putting it to good use. Enjoy!
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/486074/around_i_the_nation_i…
We think you’re pretty smart (hey, you read The Nation, right?).
Now your smarts can be put to good use AND help The Nation raise some money, quickly and easily.
Our friends at CREDO, the progressive mobile phone company, have figured out a way to…
Peggy Randall's Photos
Peggy Randall's Videos
-
-
-
The Nation Cruise 2009
Added by Peggy Randall
About
© 2009 Created by Peggy Randall on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
Comment Wall (10 comments)
You need to be a member of Nation Magazine Discussion Groups to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
We try to identify 3 or 4 major topics to "focus" on for the next Monday, but are very flexible, and allow the conversation to drift if the group feels it's drifting in an excellent direction, eg, uncharted territory that surfaces a new perspective or even new issue none of us had thought of. This seems to work well for us, our membership has tripled from 9 to 27 in six months. The key organizing tool is the weekly Meeting Notice e-mail which goes out on Wednesday listing various topics, but most importantly asking each member their intention on attendance the next Monday: YES or NO ? This is essential to boost participation. You've got to create a "buzz" for each and every meeting to keep up a proper momentum. We get individual members to provide the topics & the leadership on issues. Of course, we then send out follow-up Meeting Notices on Friday and Sunday to build up the buzz, so by Monday, many members are keyed up. Works well for us.
Oh, the most important thing -- we treat each member as "family", and band together in times of crisis. We try to show interest in everyone's well being (within reason, of course), and to let them know they're never alone ... never alone. When the brother-in-law policeman of one of our Friends was wounded in the Jersey City shootout several weeks ago, the BNDG was with him day by day, day by night, offering prayers, thoughts, support -- tragically, the officer died from gunshot to the face. But we all bonded together even closer. We can't stress enough how PERSONAL CONTACT is vital to Nation Discussion Groups. Blogging on the Internet is not enough -- you must get eyeball to eyeball with people to really connect.
Weekly meetings work well because there is more opportunity to show up -- in one month we may get three different sets of people, but that's fine because more people get energized. One of our favorite recruiting tactics is to show up EVERY WEEK on Sunday at one of seven Unitarian Churches in the region, and set up our Central Jersey BNDG info table (coordinated in advance with the Church's Social Action Committee, of course). Our table is flooded with Nation Magazines, Z Magazines, CounterPunch, Dvd's, books, NY Times articles, CRG Editor articles -- and we always create a buzz, get a lot of people to sign up for our e-mails, and to become either "Members" or "Friends". We fill a huge void in our Society. We have 27 Members now (and 19 Friends), and plan to double these numbers by Christmas. Easy. People crave the camaraderie of a well run, focused, no-nonsense, friendly, caring Nation Discussion Group.
Also, we benefit from our proud history. Our Founder, Roz Hendrickson, 85, was a legend in Progressive Circles, and was well-known and much loved throughout New Jersey. She recently died (Christmas) from a terrible accident, and we coordinated with the Nation Magazine Associates, who wrote a splendid, lengthy obituary on Roz (see our Nation DG website). Roz was, and still is our undying inspiration: kind, committed, principled, militant, unwavering -- with a Founder like this, how could any Nation Group possibly fail to do its Duty ?? You know, Roz was a dedicated Communist and Atheist, but was the most spiritual person any of us have ever known -- so what do "labels" really mean ?? (FYI, Friends of BNDG are currently preparing a sizzling Documentary on Roz, as an inspiration to present & future generations, on the power & progress ONE PERSON can accomplish, if motivated & energized !!)
Of course we are trying to get all our members to join the NING Nation Discussion Group web site, but it's been a slow go, only 8 of 27 have done so. Then somebody very cool like Loren Singh form San Jose, CA just joins out of the blue and writes superb commentary !! Only could happen on a Progressive Nation web site.
Our topics are probably typical for a Nation Group: the curse of Endless War, the problem of the American Empire which the country can no longer afford, absurdly high "Defense" spending, campaign finance reform, having the best Congress money can buy, the need to shift to a Parliamentary system so we can have some truly progressive parties, the possibility of the US just breaking apart, the Wall Street bailout into a bottomless pit, the structural defects of our economy, Single Payer Health Care, Rethinking Afghanistan, Crimes Against Humanity Trials for Bush & Cheney, US meddling in Latin America, how dysfunctional, tyrannical workplaces are the #1 corrupting factor in Society & how to easily solve that problem, addiction & recovery, and on and on and on. However, we first place strong emphasis on local issues like support for the IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network) which provides food & shelter for homeless women with children. Also for Low Income Housing -- in expensive New Jersey, the poor simply can't afford to put a roof over their heads. Also of interest are local Addiction & Recovery programs. We believe all Nation Groups should FIRST be plugged in to local poverty / health / housing issues.
The sources of our research are crucial. The Internet now provides us (free) the superb "CRG Editor" aka "Global Research", the in depth Progressive analysis from Canada & the World on a whole range of key issues, about a dozen a week !! Superb stuff, often 10 to 20 pages. We feel no serious Nation Group could really be plugged in without "CRG Editor". Of course there's the Nation magazine, and the New York Times -- all excellent. As well are member-recommended internet videos and websites. We also have close links to the principled, reliable Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party, who provide excellent research material.
On the subject of "moderates" vs 'Progressives" that Bob Griss brought up in DC., we'll have to be blunt -- this is a PROGRESSIVE group, not a fence-sitting covey of the DAR. Of course we approach each & every issue with an open mind, and do thorough research. But we do reach CONCLUSIONS and recommendations for ACTION. If a member feels our position is too radical or unacceptable, the member does not have to remain a member if he doesn't like our politics -- there will be 6 more decent progressives to take his place. Oh, did we mention ? The 5 counties we cover are heavily Republican / conservative, yet this Bridgewater Nation Group is thriving -- with our model, strong Nation Discussion Groups could easily be established in 1,000 Conservative Bastions nationwide. People crave action and principle, and they detest moral cowardice & fence sitting. Are we rigidly ideological ? No, we support strong police campaigns against crime & criminals, strongly oppose corruption & nepotism in Labor Unions, believe in strong discipline for children in schools & homes, etc. We don't have horns. We tell our right wing critics, "If we all lived in a Communist Country, we'd (BNDG) all be locked up, and you'd be the local Party hack !!"
If you wimp out and compromise you political & social positions just to placate a few members of your group, you're DEAD. You won't be any use to anybody, might as well shut down the shop.
Our emphasis is on research, education, learning about the key local, state, national, international issues. But we are now moving to a more activist stage. Naturally we do huge numbers of phone calls, etc to legislators & letters to media, but now we plan to demonstrate in front of parasitic HMO's who are killing off Health Reform & Single Payer (once again) -- some Friends of BNDG have been protesting in the streets against the Iraq War for over 7 years now.
We are appreciative of Peggy Randall's efforts in setting up this NING web site, and we invite her to send us her e-mail address so we can send her our weekly e-mail -- we think she will be able to better understand our Nation Discussion Group model, and why it works so well, even in the middle of reactionary Red America. If this will assist to create & grow Nation groups nationwide, so much the better.
Sorry for the length of this missive, but we feel Nation Discussion Groups can thrive in ANY environment, if managed in a holistic, focused way, and can make a huge, positive difference in any community. There's no time like the present to kick it off & get growing !! Call us any time to coordinate.
in Solidarity,
Ned Fergusson, Coordinator
Bridgewater Nation Discussion Group (BNDG)
aka "Central Jersey NDG"
rail128@aol.com
(908) 295-8377
One question: do invitations to join this network go out to Nation subscribers worldwide?
this is really cool - i am looking forward to constructive discussions with like-minded humans. trouble is, now i'll never get anything done at work! ;-)
I have been coordinating the Nation Magazine Discussion Group in Washington, DC for the past six years. We meet on the third Saturday of every month at the Cleveland Park Public Library in Washington, DC from 3-5 PM. The group has an email list of about 100 people from which 15-20 typically show up for our monthly meetings. The topics draw on articles in the Nation Magazine as well as programs on “Democracy Now” and other media usually accessed through the internet. What typically happens is that I choose a topic in consultation with some other regular group members about three weeks before the next meeting, identify focused questions and suggested readings, and then this agenda is circulated to our email list. People are encouraged to invite others who are interested in the topic, and the description of our meetings often gets circulated on other list-servs throughout the community.
The meeting begins with a brief introduction of the problem we are addressing. Then people are asked to identify themselves as we go around the circle each raising a question or making a pertinent comment in launching our discussion. Like in a college seminar, the moderator encourages people to address the topic that is on the floor before new tangents are introduced. This format encourages participants to clarify differences or reach some consensus on various topics. When we choose topics that are clearly beyond our collective expertise, such as occurred a month ago when we tackled the financial crisis, we invited appropriate specialists to serve as resource people to answer questions
Our most recent meeting on January 24, 2009 focused on the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza which many of us viewed as the most recent example of war crimes occurring with American tax dollars and weapons in plain sight. Below is a description of the questions and readings that participants were encouraged to familiarize themselves with before the meeting. The meeting brought together 22 persons to share various pieces of information that we had each accumulated which we tried to knit it together into a larger mosaic to better understand and discuss what we would have liked the various actors to do, and to seriously consider what changes have to happen in order for peace to be achieved in the Middle East.
While many members of our Discussion Group are actively involved with other groups, the Nation Magazine Discussion Group has not taken political actions as a unified group in order to avoid undermining the diversity of viewpoints that is one of the main strengths of our group. In processing our discussion after two and one-half hours, several participants said that they had not felt comfortable in other contexts asking the questions that we discussed or knitting together the diversity of viewpoints that we collectively brought to the table. Unlike other meetings where we sometimes invite a resource person to respond to our questions, this meeting really encouraged us to hear each others questions and concerns where the topic shifted from who started the conflict to what are the competing interests of the Israelis and Palestinians to why has the US allowed Israel to get away with violating the rights of the Palestinians? One member of our group who had participated in a Nation Magazine cruise in the past month said that this topic had completely polarized the group on the Nation cruise. Others felt that if C-Span had taped our meeting, it would have encouraged a dialogue that we have long needed in our country which for various reasons has not taken place. Others would like to see The Nation organize a national Teach-In on the question of “Why the US has allowed Israel to dominate the Palestinians” which may have more to do with American imperialism and less to do with the cultural differences between Jews and Muslims.
Now that we have our own social network or NING on THENATION magazine website at the URL http://nationdiscussion.ning.com, I would like to encourage us to share our experiences with each other both positive and negative, clarify what added value we can create in our communities beyond individuals reading articles in The Nation, figure out how The Nation magazine can better help us reach out to Nation Magazine readers and those who would benefit from reading The Nation, and identify how Nation Magazine Discussion Groups can further the good work that The Nation does.
Sincerely,
Bob Griss, Coordinator
Nation Magazine Discussion Group in DC
3301 Horseman Lane
Falls Church, VA 22042
H: (571) 282-3283
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
January 16, 2009
Dear Nation Magazine Discussion Group:
Although the third Saturday of the month is approaching this weekend, our next Nation Magazine Discussion Group meeting has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 24, 2009 to accommodate the Inauguration activities in DC. We will meet then at our regular time and place, 3-5 PM at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW on the second floor.
Our topic is the escalating violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza where Israel has killed over 1100 Palestinians with modern military weapons including (350 children, 700 civilians, and wounded over 5300 persons to punish them for Hamas’ actions firing home-made rockets into Jewish communities in southern Israel. This tragic loss of life shows that war crimes can still occur while the whole world is watching. But it also reveals the limitations of using overwhelming military prowess to impose political domination, and it provides a critical test for mobilizing people to oppose war in both Israel and the US.
Israel’s response to Hamas raises crucial questions that I think we should consider since Israel is pursuing a strategy of military domination similar to the so-called Bush doctrine, and Israel is perceived as an ally, if not a puppet, of the US. In fact, Israel is using American weapons , F-16 fighter jets, helicopters, arterial tanks, followed by an Israeli ground invasion in a strip of land about 6 miles wide and 27 miles long that has been described as a refugee concentration camp, to teach Hamas a lesson, funded by American taxpayers with the approval of the American government. Not only did Israel get this war in on Bush’s watch, but Israel received support by a unanimous vote in the Senate and an overwhelming vote in the House with only 5 votes against and 22 abstentions.
In my email from January 1, 2009, I posed ten questions and recommended some readings to guide our discussion. Three weeks since the Israeli attack began, I would like to refine some of those questions, and suggest some additional background materials.
1. Why did the democratically elected government of Hamas which is so weak choose to threaten Israel by lobbing rockets at Israeli communities in southern Israel which actually killed 3 Israeli civilians? How did Hamas’s leadership expect Israel to respond to the rocket attacks on Israeli communities even though Hamas’ rockets caused little damage in Israel? If Hamas anticipated Israel’s violent reaction to its home-made rockets aimed at Israeli communities, is Hamas equally responsible, more responsible or less responsible for the deaths of civilians in Gaza than Israel?
2. Why did Hamas decide not to renew its truce with Israel when it expired in December, and is Hamas committed to the destruction of Israel? From a Palestinian point of view, what did Israel do to provoke Hamas before the rocket attacks?
3. What responsibilities do the Palestinian people have for the actions of its Hamas leadership, and are civilians always responsible for the actions of their government (e.g. the German people as a whole for the actions of Hitler, and American citizens for the actions of President Bush)? If civilians felt more responsible for the actions of their government would we be more likely to protest the actions of our leaders that threaten people?
4. Why did Israel’s leadership decide to unleash its military power against Gaza killing hundreds of civilians while supposedly targeting Hamas’ leaders and the institutions which supported this democratically elected government in Gaza? Did this have anything to do with the upcoming election in Israel and restoring the so-called “deterrence effect” that had been undermined by Israel’s inability to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006? What responsibility does Israel have for respecting international law while retaliating for the rockets that Hamas fired on Israel? Why did Israel restrict access by foreign journalists in Gaza? Israelis resent the comparison of Nazi genocide in the Warsaw ghetto to Israeli killing in Gaza. Unlike the Nazi genocide which deported over 300,000 Jews from the Warsaw ghetto in 1943 before there was any armed resistance by 1-2% of 50,000-60,000 Jewish population in the Warsaw ghetto when the Nazis destroyed it, Israel claims that its precision bombings of Gaza produced accidental collateral damage, while also blaming Hamas for locating its military activities in civilian areas to hide behind “human shields”. Should Israelis have been surprised that their attacks on Palestinians strengthened support for Hamas when Jews throughout the world have memorialized the courageous Jewish resistance fighters who attacked Nazi troops when they entered the Warsaw ghetto?
5. What responsibilities does the US have for Israel’s attack on Gaza since Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid and the US supplied Israel with many of the weapons that Israel has used against civilians in Gaza (including white phosphorus)?
6. What should Americans demand that Obama do to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians? What strategies like boycotts or divestiture campaigns could force Israel to end the occupation of Gaza and create a viable two-state solution? What would it take to ensure the security of both Israelis and Palestinians, and what role has the US played in serving as an honest broker? What has prevented the UN from serving as a peace-keeper and humanitarian assistance provider in the Occupied Territories? What pressures can be brought to bear on Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a cease-fire? What strategies are being used by the left in Israel, in the US, and around the world to influence Israeli policy toward the Palestinians?
7. What has been the reaction of Palestinians to Hamas when Israel unleashed its overwhelming military power on the densely populated area of Gaza? Should Israel have anticipated this reaction based on their experience with Hezbollah in Lebanon two years ago? What has been the reaction of other Arab countries to Israel’s attack on Gaza, and how have they responded to Hamas?
8. What has been the reaction of Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Israelis to Israel’s attack on Palestinians, and has Israel’s security been enhanced in the short run or the long run by this brutal show of force?
9. How are Israel and Hamas both responsible for the escalating violence between them, and if Israel acknowledged at least partial responsibility would it enable Hamas to save face and admit that its own violent tactics may also have been inappropriate, leading to a clarification of the conditions under which a permanent cease-fire could be agreed upon and a viable two-state solution created?
10. What effect did the Israeli economic blockade, air war, and invasion of Gaza have on the viability of Palestine as an independent state in a two-state solution that Israel, the US, the UN, the Arab League, and the Palestinians supposedly all support?
Additional recommended background materials:
Listen to Amy Goodman’s interview with former US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk and author Norman Finkelstein on January 8, 2009 on Israel’s Assault on Gaza and the US Role in the Conflict at the URL http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/8/former_amb_martin_indyk_vs_author
Read “Human Rights in Gaza and Israel during the Hostilities: Reports from Israeli Human Rights Groups” at the URL http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/
See American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) 2009 Gaza Crisis Talking Points at the URL http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=3401
Read “Eyeless in Gaza, Hell-Bent for Iran”, by Steve Weissman, January 13, 2009 at the URL
http://www.truthout.org/011309R?print
Read “Israel: Boycott, Divest, Sanction”, by Naomi Klein, The Nation, Janurary 7, 2009
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090126/klein?rel=hp_currently
Originally recommended background materials:
“Gaza Clouds Obama's Prospects” by Robert Scheer, The Nation, December 31, 2008, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/scheer2/print
“Israel's War Crimes” by Richard Falk, The Nation, December 29, 2008, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/falk?rel=rightsideaccordian
“A Memo to Obama on Israel” by Uri Avnery, The Nation, December 29, 2008, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/avnery?rel=rightsideaccordian
“Gaza: Israel, Hamas and the Logic of Colonial Power by Nir Rosen, The Guardian, December 29, 2008 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/29/gaza-hamas-israel?commentpage=6&commentposted=1
“Talking Points on the Gaza Crisis” by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, December 30, 2008, http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=17993
“The neighborhood bully strikes again” by Gideon Levy, Haaretz, December 29, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050459.html
"Has Israel Revived Hamas?" by Daoud Kattab, The Washington Post, December 30, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/29/AR2008122901901.html
“Israel Revives Hamas”, by Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation, December 30, 2008, http://www.thenation.com/blogs/dreyfuss/392461/israel_revives_hamas?rel=hp_picks
“Why Israel Feels Threatened” by Benny Morris, New York Times, December 30, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/opinion/30morris.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
As we prepare to honor the birthday of Martin Luther King on January 19th, in recognition of the power of nonviolence that he used to promote his dream of social justice, and then celebrate on January 20th the Inauguration of Barack Obama, as the first African-American president of our country, let us dedicate ourselves to transcending the social divisions of race, class, and religion to achieve social justice in our society and in our world through peaceful means.
Please invite new people to join our Nation Magazine Discussion Group meeting on January 24th to discuss strategies for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sincerely,
Bob Griss, Coordinator
Nation Magazine Discussion Group in DC
H: (571) 282-3283