Meeting Minutes DU Team Sunday Dec. 11, 2004

Members present:  Patricia Hoppa, Jim James, Laurel Vredenburg, Paula, Ken Schwilk, Molly

Please review the following Mission and Objectives proposed by Jim, and make any editorial comments.  Return them to Molly or Patricia before the January meeting so we can finalize our statement of Purpose at the next meeting.  We may wait to hear from Karen Ahern and reports back from other National groups to make sure that what we are targeting is the best use of our time and resources for the near term.

Action team (core) members include;
      1.  Molly Gibbs........CO-leader
      2.  Patricia hoppa.... CO-leader
      3.  Dennis Mills
      4.  Ken Schwilk
      5.  G. Jim James
      6.  Laurel Vredenburg.....No email.....phone #...360.754.5822 (limited comit). 

    David Jenkins......email --  distaem@hotmail.com, (Travel limitations) David offered to do something task specific to support us.  He has limited time to participate.  Larry Kerschner would like to be kept in the loop, but is unable to participate as a core member.

 
Jim’s thoughts about MY OBJECTIVES  (see what others are thinking in Tasks below)

 1.  Develop a DU action team.
 2.  Identify personal DU areas of interest, increase knowledge base general reading.
 3.  Get information from VA about referrals, Diagnostic work up and criteria to make a DU diagnosis for service connected Compensation.  Treatment regimen.  Long term study findings.  Birth defect studies?
 4.  Liaison work to discover what other groups have learned and done regarding DU issues.
 5.  Share my personal concern about the use of DU, apparent official contradictions in information, guidelines and use regarding the safety of this munition, Official differences in recognition of potential of DU to result in disabling health conditions with members of the public and organizations.  Compare the process in recognizing agent orange and DU munitions as similar in determining potential for untoward consequences.
 6.  Political Action to initiate and or support legislation to study DU on the health consequences to humans and the environment.

 PURPOSE

Short-term
The DU Team purpose is to use our knowledge to educate the general public regarding (beginning with local Military vets and current enlistees at Fort Lewis) the consequences of DU use.  

Long-term

Our long term objective is to terminate the use of DU as a tactical weapon.

Three Short Term goals were set, as follows, to get us started on this year’s work:

• Jim James is making contact with the VA to find out what type of DU testing is done for returning vets.  Do they have a DU program?  What kind of assessment do they do, and how?  Specifically, what type of tests are done?  When is exposure to DU dangerous?  At what point is there a consequence to human health?  What are soldiers being told about it?  Jim is also trying to reach an Admiral who should have info about the 70 soldiers being followed.  This information will inform the project we develop locally to educate soldiers locally.
• We are inviting Jim McDermott to speak at one of our monthly meetings here in Olympia to fully understand the intent of the legislation he is taking forward which demands studies be done.  We will each review this legislation. 
• Our DU Team is developing a relationship and program at Fort Lewis, where we plan to distribute a peer-reviewed tri-fold brochure on DU.  We’re looking for a UW scientist or physicist to train us so that our Talking Points are impeccably accurate.  The brochure will outline: What DU is, How exposure occurs, How you can get tests, This is what the Gov’t says, and this is what Others Say….

SPECIFIC TASKS between now and January 19

• Jim will contact the Admiral with the Army Reserve Support Command, through Greta, to find out what he knows and what is being \done to follow the 70 people currently studied for health effects.
• Jim will call Marion Ward regarding how to contact McDermott and then will call Patricia to give her the information so that we can arrange for McDermott to speak at upcoming VfP meeting.
• Laurel will call National VfP groups to find out what they are doing on this topic
• Paula is following up with Brian Baird on the videos and searching for Pamphlets that already exist.
• Molly will follow up her email to Karen Ahern with a phone call to see if she can join us for either the January or February meeting (DU Team only) to share with us how she did what she did.  Her skills with media contacts and organizations could be extremely helpful to us.
• ALL will read the Legislative bill, see http://www.fcnl.org/issues/int/sup/iraq_legislation331-03.htm and afterward, provide a list of our concerns to Patricia.
• Patricia will put together the list of questions we compile, and forward it to McDermott so he can respond to our questions when he comes to a meeting.
• Molly is copying several articles and abstracts to give to everyone at the Dec. 19 meeting.  She will drop off the sets of articles to Ken Schwilk and
• Ken will deliver the DU articles to members on the 19^th.
• Let Molly know if you DO NOT plan to attend the VfP meeting on the 19^th and she will mail a set to you.
• Ken is going to let Molly know and the rest of us, when the Traprock Peace DU film will be available for showing.  It is now scheduled to be shown the second or third Sunday in January at Unitarian Church.

NEXT MEETING

We may need to find another meeting place, which Molly will look into.  The band is practicing here noon on Sundays…We can meet most likely at Traditions, and I’ll look for quieter places on the North end of town.  The date of our meeting is January 19^th, and time is noon to 1:30.