Aggrieved Dems are dealing with four more years of Bush The Antichrist in various ways. By now you've certainly heard about the Post-Election Stress Trauma, or PEST therapy sesssions being run in Boca Raton, Fl., replete with all manner of unseemly venting. (The last link is David Reinhard's satirical PEST column in The Oregonian, free reg. req., and well worth it). Though the Washington Times (FWIW) claims PEST-like confabs are afoot in Washington State as well, I've not been able to Google up any such evidence, using a range of keywords.

Nonetheless, perhaps some Seattle PEST workshops would be better - and more cleansing - than what Seattle liberals ARE doing this week, in the wake of November.

More Nader meetings. Whites fighting "institutional racism." Calling people "grinches." Holding "peace vigils." "Women in Black" silenty protesting U.S. policy in Afghanistan. A "Poets Against The War" circle jerk at a liberal bookstore. "Radical women" meeting to watch a Rupert Murdoch takedown flick and eat vegetarian food. A pilgrimmage to hold immigrants above the law. And a pro-choice organizing workshop for teens.

More courtesy of the venerable Seattle Community Network online bulletin board of "Peace and Justice Events". (For additional information, click through to the SCN link above and scroll down). From a purely anthropological perspective, some of these select events may be well worth attending.

Parenthetical, italicized comments after entries are by yours truly.

MON DEC 13, and subsequent Mondays, 7 - 9 pm, at Cascade People's Center, 309 Pontius Ave N, Seattle near downtown REI; Stand Up! - Seattle, formerly NADER/CAMEJO 2004 Seattle meeting. Entire community is welcome.

(Hope they've got a big room!)

TUES DEC 14...7:30 - 8:30 a.m...Woodland Park Aurora pedestrian overpasses, meet on the northernmost overpass in Woodland Park, Seattle; PHINNEY NEIGHBORS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE. Cover the three pedestrian overpasses in Woodland Park with Peace Signs and Banners.

(Bush operatives are already cringing in anticipation!)

TUES DEC 14, 9 - 11:30 a.m., at King County Bar Association, 1200 Fifth Ave, Suite 600, Seattle; Justice Works! Prisoner/Ex-prisoner Support Team participates in Re-entry and Transition Reform Coalition, an organization whose mission is undoing racism in the criminal justice system as experienced by African Americans.

(And as articulated by guilty white liberals).

TUES DEC 14, 6 p.m., at Local 6, SEIU - 150 Denny Way, Seattle, entrance in back; Join JOBS WITH JUSTICE as we celebrate the holidays with our 10th annual `Grinch Of The Year Party'; Bring Potluck Desserts. $5. Children free. No one turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds to benefit WA State Jobs with Justice.

(What, no Santa of the year? You guys are so DOWNBEAT!)

WEDS DEC 15, and subsequent Wednesdays, 7 - 8:30 a.m., at 60th Street pedestrian overpass on I-405, Kirkland; join Evergreen Peace and Justice Community, in a WEEKLY PEACE VIGIL, Theme: No War, Good Morning Vietnam, US Out of Iraq, Quagmire, The War was based on Lies, End the Occupation.

(You left out: "Respect Saddam's Civil Rights").

WEDS DEC 15, and subsequent Wednesdays, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., at NW Market St and 22nd NW, Seattle; WEEKLY PEACE VIGIL IN BALLARD, started by two women who felt compelled to express their dissent about the Iraq war. The focus is on ending the war, the occupation, prison abuse, and the theft of our country's wealth for military purposes. Ballard Peace Activists (BPA) has been vigiling now at this location for more than a year and a half. Please join us for this interactive vigil/ discussion....open to all points of view.

(You mean you'll let me stand next to you, on public property, even if I voice pro-Iraq War and pro-Bush views? Big of you!)

WEDS DEC 15, and generally 3rd Wednesdays, please confirm, 6 p.m. potluck, 6:30 p.m. meeting, at University Friends Meeting Social Hall, 4001 9th Avenue NE, Seattle; meeting of The Coalition of anti-racist whites, a community-based organization, working to undo institutionalized racism. We work toward that goal through both education and action. We strive to be accountable to and actively support groups led by People of Color.

(But do they return your phone calls?)

THURS DEC 16, and subsequent Thursdays; 5 - 6 p.m., at Westlake Park near 4th and Pine, Seattle; PEACE VIGIL to protest U.S. policy in Afghanistan, Palestine/Israel and Iraq with silent/visible presence, leaflets, and info table, by Women in Black, Women wear black; men welcome to stand at the sidelines or to leaflet; a peace group in the tradition of the women who vigil weekly in Israel /Palestine; Seattle Women in Black have been standing every Thursday for nearly three years, and have passed out more than 40,000 leaflets opposing war, violence, hatred and prejudice.

(Keep on leafleting, sisters! I'll keep on recycling!)

THURS DEC 16, and subsequent 3rd Thursdays, 7 p.m., at Third Place Books, 20th NE and NE 65th, Seattle; POETS AGAINST THE WAR meeting with a short business and discussion period and a poetry reading, with a data base of over 14,000 poets who contributed antiwar poems to the web site in the last 4 months from poets all over the world, has a Seattle group meeting. All poets are welcome! And friends of poets too. They are planning to stay organized and continue to write poetry, with the thought of expanding their name to Poets For Humanity, info Beth Coyote....

(And I am starting Electric Guitarists For Killing Terrorists).

THURS DEC 16, 7:30 p.m., at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave S, 4 blocks south of S. Alaska St. on the #7 bus line; RADICAL WOMEN Meeting with free screening of "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism." Dinner with Vegetarian Option at 6:30 p.m. for $6.50 donation.

(What's the meat option? Chicken?).

THURS DEC 16, 5 - 7 pm, begins at the old I.N.S detention building, 6th Ave S. and Airport Way in downtown Seattle; The Comité Pro-Amnistía General y Justicia Social is planning and organizing an action. The event will be a short march with stops at four sites in the form of the Latino Christmas celebration of Posada commemorating the journey of the parents of Jesus to their home town during a Roman census. Their inability to find lodging resulted in their sheltering themselves in a simple animal stable for the birth of their child. Even though this is the main idea, we hold this event to be ecumenical and open to all religious and non-religious beliefs in favor of immigrant worker rights. This Posada demonstration is one of many others across the country on the same date, organized by the National Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty. The motive for this holiday action is to draw attention to the journeys and plight of millions of immigrant workers that contribute socially and economically to the United States and who still continue seek refuge, security and human rights in this country. Here in Seattle and in many parts of the country, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office (I. C. E.) of the Homeland Security Department is conducting 'sweeps' of local areas of immigrant concentration, for the stated purpose of locating persons with either criminal convictions or deportation citations.

(We certainly wouldn't want law enforcement to take into custody any immigrants with arrest warrants, criminal convictions or deportation citations, would we?)

FRI DEC 17, and subsequent Fridays, 6:30 pm until ? pm, call to verify, at The Major Visibility Project office, 915 West Blaine, on Queen Anne Hill, Best parking is on 9th or 10th Ave W, Seattle; the famous "Friday night buzz", NADER POTLUCK AND WORKPARTY. This is where we get our materials together and have some fun doing it!

(Get your Nader materials together for.....what, exactly?)

FRI DEC 17, 7 pm, at UW Campus, Kane Hall Rm 210., Seattle; Opposing U.S. Empire, Forging International Solidarity....Noted Latin Americanist and critic of neoliberalism and imperialism, James Petras. Sponsored by African Youth United, American Friends Service Committee, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Draft Nader 08, EveryWorkers Movement, People For Fair Trade, Peoples Coalition For Justice, Peoples Institute NW/Coalition to Undo Racism Everywhere and Seattle Young People's Project.

(Ah, now I see. Draft Nader '08! THERE'S a plan!)

SAT DEC 18, 10 am - 4 p.m., at University of Washington Campus, Seattle; NARAL PRO-CHOICE WASHINGTON'S YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT for High School and College Students is your chance to learn valuable advocacy skills and find out what you can do to help protect the pro-choice future we all need and deserve.

(Because, as you know, looming Bush appointees to the Supreme Court will "turn back the clock" on federally-protected abortion rights).

So many choices. So much to fear and loathe. So many hamster wheels in the gilded cage. See ya at the Nader potluck.

UPDATE: Howard, at Oraculations, has done some digging and can find no evidence of the existence of the organization sponsoring the FL PEST sessions. He wonders if the PEST therapy meetings (which ARE documented) are less institutionally sanctified than thought; and ponders some related suppositions.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at December 13, 2004 10:16 AM

---

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.rosenblog.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/617

---