In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ty (moderator)
Start time: 7:04 PM

1. Event Review – We had our reading group on “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” on Saturday. We spent about half an hour with our group reading of the 8 page essay. Jackson thinks we can continue to do this format with readings up to 10 pages long. Our turnout was a bit low, but we still had a pretty good discussion thanks to the material in the reading. Jackson would like to try another event with this format over the summer.

2. Upcoming Event – “The Coming Repression” is next Tuesday! James has emailed us to tell us he’s preparing to leave Houston, and Ty has responded with what we believe to be what he’ll need to find us and keep in touch.

3. Next Week – Ty will be out of state next Monday, so we’ll cancel next week’s meeting. We’ll announce it on Facebook.

4. Web Events – We spent a bit of working on getting more events advertised online from our spring calendar.

Meeting adjourned: 8:17 PM

In attendance: Jackson (moderator), Ty (secretary)
Start time: 7:00 PM

1. Event Review – What is Fascism was on Saturday. We had a good turnout, but given the crowd that came, it didn’t have the approach to the topic that we intended. We figured that this was unavoidable.

2. Upcoming Event – “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” reading discussion is coming up. We’ll make 10 copies of the article for Saturday.

3. Reimbursement – Ty asks to be reimbursed for $12.87 for fliers. This was approved.

4. The Coming Repression -The presentation that the Houston speaker is going to give has been scheduled for March 28th at 7 PM. Fliers have been printed and will be posted around town. We will also send the image to Ju Ping so he can send out a good notification on the listserv. We will also put $100 into our speaker’s fund for this event.

5. Books – We ended up buying $211.93 on books from Monthly Review Press. We also approve transferring $200 from the general treasury to the library treasury to cover these costs. Jackson used his funds to pay up front, and he has been approved for reimbursal.

6. Lincoln Earth Day – The booth has been paid for! Jackson has been approved to be reimbursed $35 to cover the costs.

7. Web Events – The April discussion event is live, and the Little Red Singalong event page needs to be put up soon to start gathering interested musicians. We will postpone the sale and clothing swap events being put up until next week

Meeting adjourned: 8:16 PM

Tabled items: Articles for Discussion, Graphic Designer, Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ty (moderator)
Start time: 7:00 PM

1. Event Review – We showed the documentary Women in Red Stockings on Saturday night. It was ok.

2. Upcoming Event – Our “What is Fascism?” discussion is this Saturday! We spent some time to brainstorm our structure and talking points:

Take definitions in intros
Use Holocaust History Museum poster as primary group definition
Do people agree/disagree with what’s on the poster?
Can the U.S. be considered fascist?
Is Trump a fascist?
Introduce Antifa and see how people feel about those tactics
Explore other tactics of resistance?

3. Reimbursement – Jackson has bought us the larger whiteboard we have wanted for months. It cost him $25.49. He also bought us more dry-erase markers to use on our whiteboards for $6.39. We agree to reimburse him for these collective purchases.

4. Street Harassment Event – We’ve heard back and PREVENT’s flier and our calendar will both be called “Standing Up Against Street Harassment.” Rae has also provided us with a short draft description for our Facebook event, but Jackson has asked if we can possibly get a little more information about her about the structure of the event to also include in event descriptions. Ty will email her to check into this. Ty will be getting PREVENT’s flier printed and distributed around town.

5. Earth Day – Ty has received word back from the Lincoln Earth Day organizers and it is ok that we register as a non-profit again this year. Jackson will get us registered ASAP.

6. Anti-Repression Event – An activist in Houston is organizing a workshop tour through our neck of the woods, and he wants to do one in our space! He has suggested March 28th (Tuesday) or 29th (Wednesday), but indicated he has some flexibility that week. Ty is emailing him back to see if he can do it on Thursday the 30th as it would be better for us and also likely better for our likely turnout, but Jackson is prepared to make it work on Tuesday or Wednesday even if he has to do it alone (as Ty will be out of state on those days).

7. Taiwan Marriage Equality – In a discussion started last week, we decide that we can spare $20 toward the crowdfunded media campaign. Jackson will make the donation on our behalf, and he will be reimbursed.

8. Monthly Review Press – Our friend Wyatt sent us word on an online sale at Monthly Review Press! We don’t really have time or energy to look at their catalog tonight, so we agreed to look at it on our own time in the next few days (since the web coupon will be expiring before our next meeting).

9. Web Events – We spent the last part of our meeting putting up some web promotion for upcoming events.

Meeting adjourned: 8:30 PM

Tabled items: Articles for Discussion, Graphic Designer, Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

In attendance: Jackson (moderator), Milla, Nancy, Ty (secretary)
Start time: 7:01 PM

1. Event Review: We showed the “Far Beyond The Stars” episode, and it didn’t really get a good turnout.

2. Upcoming Event: We’re going to showing Women in Red Stockings! It’s an easy setup, we’ll be ready to go.

3. Reimbursement: After fliering, Jackson will be reimbursed $20 and Ty will be reimbursed $6.

4. Fliering: Ty will be putting up fliers before First Friday.

5. Lincoln Earth Day: Lincoln Earth Day sent out an email, asking for booth registrations. Ty will send an email to make sure our continued use of the non-profit price is ok.

6. Community Center Questions: Someone emailed us some questions about how to run a community center similar to ours. Ty forwarded the email to Jackson, who was better prepared to answer those.

7. Bystander Intervention Workshop: Rae contacted us regarding the name; she agreed that the name should be something different, but proposed the more general “Standing Up Against Harassment” as the title. She also created a poster, and though we already have the calendar printed with street harassment in the name, we’ll go ahead with billing it as “Standing Up Against Harassment” from now on.

8. Discussion Article: Ju Ping sent us an article that could maybe prompt discussion. Nancy also suggested an article to read regarding America and its relation to terrorist groups. Jackson’s interested in doing further article reading groups, but wants to see if this first discussion group goes well.

9. Taiwan Marriage Equality: Tabled

10. Stuff to Buy: Tabled

11. Graphic Design: Tabled

12. Web Events: The Fascism event needs going up tonight. Other March events need going up soon, as well as our fundraiser and clothing swap.

Meeting adjourned: 8:33 PM

Tabled items: Articles for Discussion, Graphic Designer, Taiwan Marriage Equality Fundraiser, Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, whiteboard, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ju Ping, Ty (moderator)
Start time: 7:05 PM

1. Event Review – We watched Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution on Saturday night. The turnout was great, with a bunch of new people. The movie attracted a lot of attention, as there’s still a lot of interest in the Panthers. Jackson says we should run it again.

2. Upcoming Event – We’re showing “Far Beyond the Stars” (Star Trek: DS9) on Friday night. We’re ready for it.

3. MBLGTACC – Ty just came back from a conference for queer college students. He reported back on some of the cool panels there, including “Marxism and Queer Liberation.” He was inspired by how the very radical workshops there were jam-packed!

4. Book – Ty picked up a book called Queering Anarchism at the conference. He wants to donate it to the library, and he wants to be reimbursed $20 for buying it. We’re ok with this!

5. Spring Calendar:

March
Saturday, March 4th, 7-10 PM: Movie Night: Women in Red Stockings (A documentary about the 1975 Women’s General Strike in Iceland)
Saturday, March 11th, 1-3 PM: What is Fascism? (a community discussion)
Saturday, March 18th, 1-3 PM: “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” reading group/discussion (the use of symbols in identity politics and the alt-right)

April
Saturday, April 1st, 1-3 PM: Standing Up Against Street Harassment (A Bystander Intervention Workshop with UNL PREVENT)
Saturday, April 8th, 1-3 PM: How the Democrats Are Fracking the Left (a community discussion)
Friday, April 21st, 7-10 PM: Trekkies For Justice: “Force of Nature” (Star Trek: The Next Generation) [allegory about environmentalism]
Saturday, April 22nd: (Tabling at Lincoln Earth Day)

May
Friday, May 12th, 8 AM – 6 PM, and Saturday, May 13th, 8 AM – 2 PM: The Black Cat House Yard Sale Fundraiser
Sunday, May 14th, 12 PM – 5 PM: Trans Clothing Swap
Friday, May 19th, 7-10 PM: Movie Night: Harlan County, USA (documentary about 1973 coal miners’ strike)
Saturday, May 20th, 1 – 3 PM: Little Red Singalong (learning to sing leftist songs!)
Friday, May 26th, 7-10 PM: Dr. Who For Justice: “The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion” (allegory about conflict and refugees)

Meeting adjourned: 8:40 PM

In attendance: Jackson (moderator), Ju Ping, Ty (secretary)
Start time: 7:02 PM

1. Event Review – We had a very good discussion on imperialism on Saturday. We still need to work on our moderation skills! Ju Ping also thinks that we can avoid putting people on the spot for discussion points if we ask for ideas ahead of times via the event pages or mailing list.

2. Upcoming Event – We have a movie coming up on Saturday! The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution will be playing and the room just needs to be set up for that.

3. Crimethinc Tour – We likely have space to put them up for two nights, and we could definitely do our traditional radical pasta feed for them. We’re also planning to donate $100 to them to help cover touring expenses.

4. Spring Calendar:

March
Saturday, March 4th, 7-10 PM: Movie Night: Women in Red Stockings (A documentary about the 1975 Women’s General Strike in Iceland)
Second week of March: Preparing For The Trump Era Crimethinc tour
Saturday, 1-3 PM: What is Fascism? (a community discussion)
Saturday, 1-3 PM: “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” reading discussion

April
Saturday, April 1, 1-3 PM: Bystander intervention workshop with UNL PREVENT
Friday, April 21, 7-10 PM: Trekkies For Justice: “Force of Nature” (TNG)
Saturday, April 22: Lincoln Earth Day

May
Monday, May 1: May Day/International Worker’s Day march?
Friday, May 12, 8 AM – 6 PM, and Saturday, May 13, 8 AM – 1 PM: The Black Cat House Yard Sale Fundraiser
Sunday, May 14, 12 PM – 5 PM: Trans Clothing Swap
7-10 PM: Whovians For Justice: “The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion”

Little Red Singalong: Either April or May

Not scheduled: Movie Night: Harlan County, USA, discussion on what an anti-capitalist culture looks like, discussion on stopping liberals/Democrats from co-opting direct action, Movie Night: Attack the Block, Movie Night: Battleship Potemkin, Movie Night: Strike, Movie Night: Persepolis

Future documentary to consider: Radio Kobani

Blocked out days: April 15, April 29 from 12 PM – 3 PM
Days Ty will not be there: March 11, March 25-29

Meeting adjourned:  8:16 PM

Tabled items: Spring Calendar, Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, whiteboard, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

Group definitions of imperialism:
– highest stage of capitalism (as in Lenin’s book on the subject of imperialism)
– control exerted by a state against other states (outside or within its borders)
– two key words: dominance and extraction
– Revisionist, delusional “Manifest Destiny”

Dictionary definition: a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. (Addition to this: through economics as well)

Lenin’s summary of imperialism: A capitalist nation will always inevitably seek more power outside its borders after a certain level of power. Capitalism must grow or die. But in the hands of apologists, this definition can be used to excuse actions against nations by the Soviet Union and others which were considered not capitalist.

Lenin’s response to imperialism: for the class-conscious worker (and their allies) to oppose the capitalist rulers of their own countries. Agreement on this point, but to also create alternative forms of self-governance that can resist reinstatement of capitalism.
– A leftist reclamation of “state’s rights:” smaller communities have the right to govern themselves in the way that makes sense for them. Conservative U.S. has used this to exert homophobic and misogynist policies, but the same concept can be used to resist imperialist and fascist efforts by federal governments.
– Communalism and other forms of bottom-up organization: Kurds, Zapatistas

It is debatable whether the United States is a sovereign nation, due to corporate influence. But it always was an imperialist one in its method of dominance and extraction of resources over other nations.

How do you argue against the revisionist history of United States exceptionalism?
– Talk about politics! Don’t be “polite” at the dinner table and discuss the history of U.S. imperialism. Talk frankly about Grenada, Vietnam, and the history of our own U.S. states (Texas, Hawaii, etc.), for example.
– The United States claim to fight the wars they do for “democracy” and “human rights,” when looking into the goals and actions of the U.S. suggests anything but.
– Also religion and nationalism as motivations of empire.
– Not exclusive to Western empire. Japan organized Shinto in its imperialist formation to be more akin to Christianity, and include worship to the emperor in their worship of gods.
– “Nationalism is isolationist xenophobia described as a virtue.”
– The U.S. population in general supports universal health care, not going to war, and many other progressive ideals regardless of what hate-mongering propaganda has told them to believe – so there is hope.
– Start thinking outside established capitalist parties (who are working in the interests of a small elite) and for your own interests and in the interests of your communities and other working class people.

Further reading on related subjects:
– Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Vladimir Lenin
– The Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution by Robert Parkinson
– An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
– Wobblies & Zapatistas: Conversations on Anarchism, Marxism and Radical History by Andrej Grubačić and Staughton Lynd
– Capitalism’s World Disorder: Working-Class Politics at the Millennium by Jack Barnes
– Washington’s Assault on Iraq: Opening Guns of World War III by Jack Barnes
– 1945: When U.S. Troops Said ‘No!’ by Mary-Alice Waters

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ju Ping, Ty (moderator)
Start time: 7:00 PM

1. Upcoming Event – Our discussion on imperialism is this Saturday. We’ll be ready for it. Ju Ping may make food.

2. Announcements – There are two campus events this Thursday that are of interest to us and possibly some of our friends: 1) a protest against Trump’s Executive Order on the Travel Ban from 12-1 and 2) A roundtable: “We the People: Black Lives and American Politics” will be held in the Heritage Room of the UNL Union from 7-9 PM. We’ll share their Facebook events on our page.

3. Spring Calendar:

March
Saturday, March 4th, 7-10 PM: Movie Night: Women in Red Stockings (A documentary about the 1975 Women’s General Strike in Iceland)

April
Saturday, April 1, (Time TBD): Bystander intervention workshop with UNL PREVENT
Saturday, April 22: Lincoln Earth Day tabling

May
Monday, May 1: May Day/International Worker’s Day march

Priorities: “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” article reading discussion, Little Red Singalong, Environmentalist movie on probably April 21st, Doctor Who two-part episode: “The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion” (a sci-fi allegory about refugees),

Not scheduled: Movie Night: Harlan County, USA, discussion on what an anti-capitalist culture looks like, discussion on stopping liberals/Democrats from co-opting direct action, Movie Night: Attack the Block, Movie Night: Battleship Potemkin, Movie Night: Strike, Star Trek?

Blocked out days: April 15
Days Ty will not be there: March 11, March 25-29

Meeting adjourned:  8:32 PM

Tabled items: Spring Calendar, Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, whiteboard, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

In Attendance: Jackson (moderator), James, Ju Ping, Ty (secretary)
Start time:  7:05 PM

1. Antifa Donation – We made a donation to the medical fund of the worker in Seattle who got shot in the stomach by a neo-nazi. It was a $120 donation, but Jackson is only asking reimbursement for $50 of it, as the rest of the funds came from direct donations. We approved this.

2. Web Reimbursement – We needed to make another payment of $27.87 to Bluehost, for a year of our domain name and domain privacy. We approved reimbursement.

3. Mailing List – Ju Ping set up our email mailing list, thank you, Ju Ping! The rest of us present signed up for it, and we have a link that we can share to encourage others to follow our news there.

4. Library Books – Jackson reports that there is money in the library treasury. He also reports four books he found that he’d like to donate to the library, one of which is a young adult/older children’s book. He’d like $19 to reimburse the cost of all of them, which we approve. Ju Ping also points out a few ebooks that are free on AK Press’s website right now for our digital collection.

5. Spring Calendar Planning –
Possible spring events:
March

April
Saturday, April 22: Lincoln Earth Day tabling

May
Monday, May 1: May Day/International Worker’s Day march

Not scheduled: “The Safety Pin and the Swastika” article reading discussion, bystander intervention workshop with UNL PREVENT, Movie Night: Harlan County, USA, discussion on what an anti-capitalist culture looks like, discussion on stopping liberals/Democrats from co-opting direct action, Movie Night: Attack the Block, Doctor Who two-part episode: “The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion,” Movie Night: Battleship Potemkin, Movie Night: Strike, Little Red Singalong

Blocked out days: April 15
Days Ty will not be there: March 11, March 25-29

Meeting adjourned:  8:44 PM

Tabled items: Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, whiteboard, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)

In Attendance: Jackson (secretary), James, Ju Ping, Ty (moderator)
Start time: 7:05 PM

1. Event Review – We had our #NoDAPL discussion. We had a huge turnout, and a great discussion. Ju Ping volunteers to run a listserv to better follow up on the results of these discussion.

2. Upcoming Events – Our counter-protest for the Walk For Life is on Saturday! We’ll have a sign-making party on Friday night (7-9 PM), and we’ll open up the house at 8 AM for the very-last minute sign-making opportunity before the protest. Jackson will stay in touch with childcare volunteers to make sure that’s good and organized.

3. Facebook Messages – We received a number of Facebook messages in the last week. Hank in Omaha wrote to us to ask if we’d be interested in hosting a traveling anti-Trump tour being organized through Crimethinc. Jackson has been in contact to see if this something we can do. We also received a semi-anonymous warning from an Omaha Antifa affiliate that regional Neo-Nazis may be looking to doxx known or suspected Antifa or their supporters; we’ll pass this information along to our contacts.

4. Laptop Update/Reimbursement – Jackson used his connections at his second job to restore our found, broken laptop. It’s fully functional, and it cost him $25. He asked for reimbursement since this is collective property, and the reimbursement was okayed.

5. Event Idea – Jackson wants to add a small reading/discussion event build around an essay he read last week, especially since one of our friends (Hendrik) also suggested making a discussion. He’s thinking about adding it on Jan 21st or 28th, if Hendrik is open on either afternoon. We’re all cool with squeezing this in.

Meeting adjourned: 8:40 PM

Tabled items: Stuff to Buy (canopy, stuff to secure bike rack, paper cutter, whiteboard, labels, 7×7 no-slip outdoor mat for porch, new SSD hard drive for public laptop)