We sadly note the passing of Al Kammerzell, for many years active in United for Peace of Pierce County.[1]  --  Al's obituary appeared this week in the News Tribune (Tacoma, WA).[2]  --  A memorial will be held for Al at the Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1115 S. 56th, Tacoma WA 98408, on Saturday, May 30, 2009, at 10:30 a.m.[1] ...

Each month the books to be discussed at Digging Deeper, the study circle of United for Peace of Pierce County that meets from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each Monday evening at the Mandolin Café in Tacoma (3923 S. 12th St.), are voted on by participants.  --  And the books selected for the month of June are...

A celebration of Persian poetry will take place on Sunday afternoon, June 21, 2009, in Tacoma.  --  The event will express appreciation for the extraordinary contributions of Persian or Iranian culture to the history of humanity.  --  Since in Iran light is a symbol of the presence of the spiritual in the material world, as in 2006 we will pay tribute to this contribution on the solstice in a beautiful North Tacoma rose garden with a gazebo with a view of Commencement Bay outside UFPPC member Burk Ketcham's place.  --  The celebration will feature both classical and modern poetry read both in English translation and in the original Farsi, with ample time for conversation, conviviality, and refreshment.  --  More information below....

On Fri., May 15, as the latest event in its 2008-2009 Speaker Series, UFPPC will present Richard Becker, a regional coordinator of A.N.S.W.E.R., speaking on "The Deepening Economic Crisis: Causes, Effects, Solutions" at King's Books in Tacoma (218 St. Helens Avenue).  --  All are welcome and admission is free.  --  More information below.[1] ...

United for Peace of Pierce County is one of 83 groups from around the nation that on Tuesday called on members of the Progressive Caucus in Congress to "help reverse the downward spiral of the security situation in Afghanistan" by acting to "oppose the expansion of the war in Afghanistan; require the Obama administration to present and implement an exit strategy; and to press for a greater investment in Afghan-led development efforts and regional diplomacy to stabilize the country."[1] 

Following up on the recent series of documentary films on Afghanistan cosponsored by United for Peace of Pierce County and the Micah Project of First United Methodist Church of Tacoma, a potluck dinner and discussion of the U.S. role in Afghanistan will be held Saturday evening, April 18, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.[1] ...

On two successive Mondays, April 13 and 20, at 7:00 p.m., UFPPC's study circle, Digging Deeper, will examine recent books on the politics of assassination in the 1960s.  --  JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters (Orbis, 2008) by Ground Zero co-founder James W. Douglass makes a strong case in studying the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that JFK was killed because he was "locked in a struggle with his national security state" (p. 96).  --  An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King by English barrister William F. Pepper looks closely at the 1997 trial of Loyd Jowers and other co-conspirators and concludes that "the U.S. government shut down a movement for social change in its tracks" (book cover)....

On Fri., Apr. 24, at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books (218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA), three Pierce County residents who have recently spent time in Gaza and the West Bank will offer eyewitness accounts of the hope and despair they observed there.[1]  --  This event is free and sponsored by People for Peace, Justice, and Healing; United for Peace of Pierce County; and the Tahoma Unitarian-Universalist Congregation Social Justice Committee....

On Mon., Apr. 6, at 7:00 p.m., UFPPC's study circle, Digging Deeper, will examine Noam Chomsky's What We Say Goes: Converations on U.S. Power in a Changing World -- Interviews with David Barsamian (Metropolitan Books, 2007).[1]  --  "In this new collection of conversations, conducted in 2006 and 2007, Noam Chomsky explores the most urgent issues:  U.S. confrontations with Iran and North Korea, the deterioration of the Israel-Palestine conflict and Israel's recent invasion of Lebanon, the ongoing occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, the rise of China, the growing power of the left in Latin America, and the Democratic victory in the 2006 U.S. midterm elections.  As always, Chomsky presents his ideas vividly and accessibly, with uncompromising principle and clarifying insight.  --  The latest volume from a long-established, trusted partnership, What We Say Goes shows once again that no interlocutor engages with Chomsky more effectively than David Barsamian.  These interviews will inspire a new generation of readers, as well as longtime Chomsky fans eater for his latest thinking on the many crises we now confront, both at home and abroad.  They confirm that Comsky is an unparalleled resources for anyone seeking to understand our world today."  —Book description....