at her trial, meaning that she admitted to the action of

crossing the line but argued that she was acting in accor-

dance with the law in so doing. In defense of her posi-

tion, Kathy recounted her experiences with ordinary peo-

ple in Latin America and Iraq over the past twenty years.

She pointed out that neither the SOA nor the more recent

Operation Iraqi Freedom have improved the well-being or

security of these peoples.

Kelly described holding two small

Iraqi children in her arms during the

opening phase of the US invasion, as

bombs fell with “ear splitting blasts and

gut wrenching thuds.” She noted her

consternation upon realizing as she tried

to sooth these two children that they

never stopped gnashing their teeth –

“morning, noon, and night”. She ex-

pressed her willingness to return to

prison in witness of the suffering caused

by US policy in Iraq and US training of

“counter-insurgents” at the SOA (or

Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,

as it is now known).

Concluding her statement before Federal Judge Mal-

lon Faircloth, she declared “I feel a deep urge to be silent

and listen to the cries of those most afflicted. Their cries

are often hard to hear, but when we hear them, we’re

called, all of us, to be like voices in the wilderness, rais-

ing their laments and finding ourselves motivated to

build a better world.”

Kathy Kelly, founding member of Voices in the Wil-

derness who has been nominated three times for the Nobel

Peace Prize, has been sentenced to a three-month term in

Federal Prison for her “stepping over the line” at the

School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning Georgia on

Nov 22, 2003.

Kelly reports that when she was arrested last Fall, her

hands and feet were tied together behind her back after she

lost her balance and fell to the floor dur-

ing an aggressive “body search”. She

relates that she was threatened with pep-

per spray for her failure to cooperate,

then taken away in shackles and chains.

Comparing her most recent arrest with

her past experiences she observed,

“They were practicing intimidation tac-

tics far beyond what would be needed to

control an avowedly nonviolent group of

protesters who had never, in thirteen

years of previous actions, caused any

disruption during the process of arrest.”

Later, at her arraignment, she was threatened with the

additional charge of resisting arrest, and her bond was

doubled due to her being a “flight risk”. Describing the

ordeal she declared, “We now live in a country where

Homeland Security funds pay for exercises which train

military and police units to control and intimidate crowds,

detainees, and arrestees using threat and force.” She suf-

fered a black eye and muscle strain from the ordeal.

Kelly pleaded “not guilty but stipulated to the facts”

N E W S L E T T E R ASHEVILLE MONTHLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS

First Month 2004

Three-Time Nobel Nominee Sentenced to Prison by Steve Livingston

Four Des Moines peace activists were subpoenaed

to appear before a federal grand jury on Tuesday, Feb-

ruary 10th as a part of an investigation that appears to

be conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Additionally, records of a November peace conference

are sought in a subpoena served on Drake University.

The subpoena orders the university to divulge all rec-

ords relating to the local chapter of the National Law-

yers Guild, a New York-based legal activist organiza-

tion that sponsored the forum. The four peace activists

include: Brian Terrell, Coodinator of the Catholic Peace

Ministry; Patti McKee, former Director of Iowa Peace

Network; Elton Davis, member of the Catholic Worker

Community; and Wendy Vasquez, an anti-war activist

and member of Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting.

All four participated in the November peace conference

and a nonviolent peace witness/protest held at Camp

Dodge opposing the participation of the Iowa Army Na-

tional Guard in the war in Iraq. It appears that all four

have been singled out for their actions associated with

nonviolent peaceful protest.

This Just In . . . from the Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting (thanks to Phil Neal for forwarding to your editor)

page 2

MINUTES

OF THE MONTHLY MEETING FOR BUSI-

NESS

FIRST MONTH, ELEVENTH DAY 2004

CLERK: EVAN RICHARDSON

Opening of Meeting

1. Attending: Lynnora Bierce, Christy Bischoff,

Alice Brown, David Clements, Barbara Esther, Kristi

Gjelfriend, George Gjelfriend, Joy Gossett, Doyle Horne,

Nancy Kuykendall, Steve Livingston, Laura Maynard,

Rusty Maynard, Susan Mitchell, Philip Neal, Evan

Richardson, Bob Smith, Eda Smith, Gerald Smith, Jenni-

fer Walker and John Wykle.

2. Meeting for Business began at 11:33 a.m. with a

period of unprogrammed worship. The clerk offered the

following from Radical Presence by Mary Rose O’Reilly

about “Nourishing the Prophetic Vision,”

“What I’m hoping for is something deeper

than that. How can we find our prophetic vision?

How can we do what only we are called to do?

Bharati Mukherjee, in her book Jasmine (1989),

talks about how in the Hindu tradition, we might

come to earth merely to perform a single minor

action essential to the great tapestry of creation: to

raise a window or draw back a blind, “to move a

flowerpot from one table to another.”

“The incentive,” Jasmine says, “is to treat

every second of your existence as a possible as-

signment from God.” But what if we miss the

moment?” What if we are grading papers when we

are needed by all the forces of humankind to move

a flowerpot? How, given the noise of our lives,

can we listen to our deepest call?”

Introductions

Doyle Horne and Laura Maynard were welcomed as

first time attenders of meeting for business.

Review of Agenda

One Friend asked that the second reading of the

Same Gender Marriage be moved to the beginning of the

agenda. Friends approved.

News of Ourselves

1. Susan Mitchell’s family will be staying in

Asheville. Greg will be starting in a teaching program at

UNCA this summer. Lauren Mitchell has arrived safely

in India on her way to FWCC Triennial Meeting in New

Zealand. She plans to first visit with Friends in India and

travel to Thailand. Friends are asked to hold her in the

light.

2. Phil Neal is looking forward to a visit from a

long-time F/friend, Sherri Hutchison. She will be visit-

ing meeting on Sandwich Sunday. Friends are encour-

aged to ask her about her recent experience of civil dis-

obedience born out of her concern about the war in Iraq.

Friendly Adult Presence

A request was received from Religious Education

and Meeting approved Joy Gossett as a Friendly

Adult Presence (FAP) in the Southern Appalachian

Young Friends (SAYF) program. The clerk will for-

ward a letter to SAYF commending Joy to their service.

Same Gender Marriage

1. The clerk opened consideration of the minute on

same gender marriage with an acknowledgment of her

own attachment to the issue and a hope that she would be

able to step back from this place while clerking. She en-

couraged other Friends who may feel a specific attach-

ment to this issue to do the same, recognizing that this

process of “letting go” is an important part of making

way for the truth to be revealed. She then read out the

proposed minute:

2. “Asheville Friends Meeting opens itself to any

couples in the Meeting community who are led to make

or to renew a lifelong commitment to each other in the

presence of and under the care of the Meeting. We will

receive and respond to all requests equally, whether the

couples are of the same or different gender. We invite

each couple to name its relationship, whether to use the

term ‘marriage’ or any other appropriate term.”

3. A period of silent worship followed. Out of this

silence Friends spoke to the minute. Following are the

comments that were shared.

4. One Friend shared a concern regarding extend-

ing the minute to include the act of renewing or reaffirm-

ing a commitment under the care of the Meeting and

asked to hear from other Friends about the importance of

including this.

5. One Friend asked to hear from the ad-hoc com-

mittee on same gender marriage about what same sex

couples have expressed to them regarding possible terms

used to describe a same gender union.

6. A member of the ad-hoc committee spoke to the

need for more seasoning regarding the question of offer-

ing a renewal of vows and vagueness in the first sentence

regarding membership requirements of folks applying for

grant us a deeper sense

of fellowship with all

living things, our little

brothers and sisters to

whom in common with

us you have given this

earth as home. We recall

with regret that in the

past we have acted high-

handedly and cruelly in

exercising our domain

over them. Thus, the

voice of the earth which should have risen to you in song

has turned into a groan of travail. May we realize that all

these creatures also live for themselves and for you – not for

us alone. They too love the goodness of

life, as we do, and serve you better

in their way than we do in ours.

page 3

Meeting House Phone

(828) 258-0974

Clerk of the Meeting

Evan Richardson

Recording Clerk

Margaret Farmer

Treasurer

Newsletter Staff

Steve Livingston (ed.), Margaret Farmer,

George Gjelfriend, Lynnora Bierce

The Asheville Friends Meeting Newslet-

ter is published monthly. Friends are wel-

come to contribute letters, book reviews, an-

nouncements, articles, and quotations. Please

submit copy via email to

newsletter@ashevillefriends.org

Hard copy is acceptable. Deadline is

third First Day.

The Asheville Friends Meeting is lo-

cated at 227 Edgewood Road, between Mer-

rimon Avenue and the University of North

Carolina campus. Friends meet for singing

at 9:40 and for worship at 10:00 a.m. every

First Day. First Day School begins at

10:00. Friends meet to conduct business

on the second First Day at 11:30 a.m. On

other First Days, the hour following meet-

ing for worship is used for adult educa-

tion or for fellowship.

BUSINESS MEETING

[Same Gender Marriage]

10. The clerk offered a sense of the meeting: If we are

going to take a couple under our care for marriage, we will

not discriminate in what the couple may call their union.

Friends continued their sharing.

11. One Friend rose to speak strongly about the role

same gender couples have served in the Friend’s life in pro-

viding models for the love relationship that this Friend hopes

to have long term. This Friend called the meeting back to

the process of discernment that is the core of the marriage

process – the clearness committee. This Friend encouraged

the meeting to trust in this process in which the divine is the

guide. The divine speaks to everything.

12. One Friend expressed an appreciation for the word-

ing regarding “meeting community” that is both inclusive

and without boundary. We are challenged as a community to

define who we are. We are asked to continue to struggle

with the question, “what does it mean to be a member of the

community?” One of the ways that we answer this question

is by considering a request from a couple for marriage under

the care of the meeting. In addition, our struggle with the

word “marriage” may be parallel to a struggle with the term

“holy matrimony” – both challenge us to set aside our tradi-

tions. Do we believe that same gender couples are equal in

the eyes of the divine to heterosexual couples? We should

not move forward until we are clear about this question. We

marriage.

7. One Friend spoke from the perspective of the

gay and lesbian community that some individuals prefer

not to use the term “marriage” while other individuals

feel it is important for same sex couples to use the term

“marriage” and to be afforded all of the rights implicit

in this legal term.

8. One Friend asked that the meeting seek legal

guidance regarding the implications of the meeting tak-

ing under its care a “marriage” of a same gender couple.

Based on such guidance, it is up to the Meeting, not the

couple, to determine if it can offer a “marriage” to a

same gender couple.

9. One Friend shared a discomfort with the word

“marriage”, asserting that words are important. This

Friend offered a sense of struggling, whether it be be-

cause of a particular religious upbringing or an “old

fashioned” sense of the meaning of the word, to open to

this new use of the word “marriage.”. This Friend of-

fered being comfortable with giving to same sex couples

the legal rights accorded with “marriage”.

Amen.

O God,

Saint Basil the Great (330?-375 C.E.)

page 4

Contributions

Contributions to the Asheville Friends Meeting

are welcomed. Gifts may be placed in the small

wooden box marked “contributions” which is lo-

cated in the entry way, or mailed to

Asheville Friends Meeting

227 Edgewood Road

Asheville, NC 28804

have opened the door; we have to move through it.

13. One Friend expressed a concern that we are get-

ting hung up on words. The sense of the minute is a

sense of spiritual belief. The minute expresses what

Quakers feel – that we are all of one brotherhood. We

cannot turn away Friends who love each other.

14. One Friend spoke to a strongly felt sense that

two people who desire a union together and are recorded

members of our Meeting shall then be entitled to be

joined in commitment under the care of the Meeting.

This Friend expressed a concern about a sense of permis-

siveness around the requirement of membership that

chips away at the strength of the Meeting and the Society

of Friends.

15. One Friend spoke to the tradition among Friends

that at least one member of the couple be a member of

the Meeting or the Society of Friends. If not a member

of Asheville Friends Meeting, a letter from the home

meeting can authorize the Meeting to take a marriage un-

der its care.

16. The clerk offered a minute: Asheville Friends

Meeting unites in the belief that we are all equal in the

eyes of the divine. In the spirit of this belief, we hold

sacred the commitments made by couples who share a

deep love with each other, regardless of whether the part-

ners in such couples are of the same or opposite gender.

We are challenged as a community to unite on using the

term “marriage” in describing same gender commitments.

We are challenged as a community to unite on defining

who constitutes our “meeting community.” We uphold a

trust in the marriage process in which the clearness proc-

ess offers us an opportunity to continue to seek the guid-

ance of the divine as individuals and as a community.

We are prepared to receive requests from couples who

are led to make a lifelong commitment under the care of

the meeting and offer that we will continue to struggle

with the questions that challenge us as we move forward

with such requests. Friends continued to share.

17. One Friend spoke to the experience of having an

intended life-long commitment break up and the prefer-

ence that we drop the term “life-long” and use instead the

term “union,” which implies the intention of life-long

and has a spiritual connotation.

18. One Friend questioned what our goal was and

challenged us to let go of the goal of approving a minute

and search for the truth at the will of God.

19. One Friend spoke to the need for Friends with

reservations to put their concerns into words so that they

may be used as part of the seasoning process. We need

to understand more clearly the reservations in order for

us to come to a minute that can guide us as a community.

20. The clerk offered that we can approve a minute

that describes where we are as a community on this is-

sue – the sense of the meeting – without having to feel

the pressure to approve the minute on same gender mar-

riage. The clerk offered, and Meeting approved, the fol-

lowing sense of the Meeting:

21. We are not in unity regarding either the use

of the term “marriage” or the role of “membership”

in defining who can apply for marriage under the

care of the Meeting. We do unite in the belief that

we are all equal in the eyes of the divine. We hold

sacred the commitments made by couples who share

a deep love with each other, regardless of whether

the partners in such couples are of the same or op-

posite gender. We ask that Ministry and Counsel

lead the Meeting in working out and seasoning the

details of a procedure for marriage using these ex-

pressed beliefs and values as their guide.

22. The clerk asked for clarification about how to

proceed with any requests for marriage under the care of

the Meeting, reminding Friends that in May of 2002, the

Meeting decided not to receive additional requests for

marriage until the details of a procedure for marriage

were clarified and approved by the Meeting.

23. Friends reaffirmed their intention to hold

all requests for marriage under the care of the

Meeting until a procedure for marriage is clarified

and approved by the Meeting. Friends asked that,

in the light of this restriction, Ministry and Counsel

give full priority to this issue on behalf of the Meet-

ing.

Follow Up to 12th Month 2003 Meeting

The clerk read to the Meeting four letters as follow-

up to work done during last month’s meeting. The letters

were to Valerie and Hal Hogstrom regarding their request

to be released from membership and to the clerk of Dur-

ham Friends Meeting, with a copy going to the Edith and

Talmadge Neece, regarding the Neece’s request to trans-

fer their membership to Durham Friends Meeting.

Follow Up on Pat Lyon’s Memorial

Friends expressed a desire to hold a memorial meet-

ing for Pat Lyon. Phil Neal agreed to convene the group

of Friends who agreed to help organize the memorial

BUSINESS MEETING

[Same Gender Marriage, reading of letters]

page 5

New Meeting Place for SVMM

Swannanoa Valley Meeting has moved to a new

location for their regular First Day worship. They are

no longer meeting at the Black Mountain Arts Center.

The new meeting location is called Common Light

Meeting Place and is located on Center Street. To find

it, just turn right on Scotland Street from the center of

Black Mountain.

For more information contact Kay Parke at 669-

5914 or email at kathrynparke@hotmail.com.

meeting, including Phil Neal, Peter Buck, Robin Wells

and Rusty Maynard. These friends hope to report back at

next months meeting regarding the details.

Nominating

1. Joy Gossett reported that the committee would

like all committee clerks to offer an updated list of mem-

bers and needs of the committees. Any Friends who are

aware of the status and needs of individual positions in

the meeting, please speak to one of the members of the

Nominating Committee – Joy Gossett, Karen Cernek, or

Barbara Esther. The Nominating Committee is also ask-

ing for support from the Meeting as it attempts to adopt,

at the Meeting’s suggestion, a discernment process devel-

oped at Strawberry Creek Meeting which focuses on the

gifts and qualities required for specific areas of service to

the meeting and lets names of individuals rise up out of

the silence. Ideally this is done without having specific

individuals already in mind for the position(s). We may

decide at some point in the future not to continue to use

this process, but want to be able to first give it a try.

Break

During the lunch break Friends were encouraged to

consider together the following query: How, given the

noise of our lives, can we listen to our deepest call?

Review of Minutes

1. Friends considered the minutes from Tenth,

Eleventh and Twelfth month Meetings for Business as

well as minutes from a Called Meeting for Business held

in Eleventh Month for the purpose of considering pro-

posed revisions to SAYMA Faith and Practice.

2. Tenth month minutes were approved.

3. Eleventh month minutes were approved

with one correction. In the Nominating Committee

report, the discernment process referred to as the

Strawberry Hill Process was changed to the Straw-

berry Creek Meeting Process, from Berkeley, Cali-

fornia.

4. Twelfth month minutes were approved with

the deletion of paragraph 9 from the Ministry and

Counsel report.

5. The minutes of the Called Meeting for Busi-

ness in Eleventh month were approved.

Peace and Earth

1. The clerk pointed out that the report from Peace

and Earth was not accepted at last month’s Meeting for

Business. In addition, one item was carried over to this

month.

2. Christy Bischoff read the full report to the meet-

ing. The Meeting accepted the report.

3. The item that was carried over was consideration

by the Meeting of changing the process for making contri-

butions from the community outreach budget. Instead of

asking for Peace and Earth to come back to the Meeting for

final approval of all contributions, Peace and Earth asked to

be empowered to dispense the amount budgeted through the

annual budget process according to the discernment of the

committee, and ask that they report back to the Meeting

periodically about how the money is being disbursed.

Friends who feel led to be involved in the process of ap-

proving of contributions can attend Peace and Earth Com-

mittee meetings and/or speak to committee members about

their interests and concerns.

4. Friends approved empowering Peace and

Earth to dispense the annual budget for community

outreach according to the discernment of the commit-

tee. Friends ask the committee to ensure that this

process is open to the wider Meeting community and

that the committee reports back to the Meeting peri-

odically. Friends also ask that the committee bring to

the attention of the Meeting by November any

amounts still uncommitted so that the Meeting can

decide how to disburse these amounts, if necessary.

Finance

1. David Clements presented the committee report

and proposed budget for 2004.

2. Friends considered separately the budget line for

the residential retreat and a commitment of a non-

refundable $300 deposit to Bon Clarken for a reservation in

October 2004.

3. Friends approved paying the deposit with the

explicit understanding that we are willing to lose the

deposit of we are not led as a community to organize

and hold a residential retreat in October 2004.

4. In regard to another item, the clerk asked a clarify-

ing question about our General Fund “reserves”. David

clarified that the reserves are used as a buffer so that we

have money to fall back on should contributions and in-

BUSINESS MEETING

[Pat Lyon, Nominating, Review, Peace & Earth, Finance]

Do the Write Thing

Join us in writing to your elected representatives about

the issues that concern you. We will supply paper, pens,

envelopes, stamps, postcards, a place, and some informa-

tion about issues we care about, good company, tea and

cookies.

We will meet at Westwood CoHousing Community,

43 Vermont Court in West Asheville, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

on the first Saturday of each month, beginning with 2/7

and continuing with 3/6, 4/3, 5/1 and 6/5. Then we will

decide whether we want to continue meeting.

Please contact one of us to tell us if you are interested

in Doing the Write Thing.

Cathy Scott 258-8743 pjamison@main.nc.us

Deb Scott 274-8315 descott@hotmail.com

Ursula Scott 253-7490 uscott@buncombe.main.nc.us

BUSINESS MEETING

[Ministry and Counsel, SAYMA Name Change]

page 6

come be less than we anticipate.

5. Friends looked at several disbursements from the

2003 budget that were held for approval until the end of

the year.

6. Friends approved the recommendations of

the Finance Committee to pay to SAYMA $2200,

completing our yearly assessment obligation, trans-

fer $600 to the Scholarship Fund, and $500 to the

Building Fund.

7. Friends also approved the recommendation

to transfer no funds to the Meeting House Improve-

ments Fund.

8. Friends then focused on considering our priorities

as a community for 2004 given the possibility of needing

to cut our budget by $5000, which the Finance Committee

feels fits a more realistic picture of projected income for

2004. Out of the silence Friends shared:

9. Do we use a pledge system to help us better pre-

pare for anticipating our income in the budgeting process?

10. One Friend spoke about the benefits of both the

Youth Internship Program and the Quaker Leaders Schol-

arship Program (QLSP).

11. A member of the Finance Committee suggested

that it is going to be hard to cut any of the budget line

items and that it would be the most useful to the commit-

tee for Friends to share about what they are willing to cut.

12. Friends discussed fundraising, particularly the

proposed yard sale Karen Cernek and Kristi Gjelfriend are

going to help organize. It was pointed out that we could

add the income from the yard sale to our General Fund

income line.

13. One Friend expressed a concern that we consider

more closely as a Meeting what we want to contribute to

SAYMA. We are paying an assessment at the level of

$110 per regular member/attender, rather than the level

suggested by SAYMA, $55 per regular member/attender.

14. One Friend spoke in support of the shifts recom-

mended by the Finance Committee.

15. Friends spoke about the need to bring to the

awareness of Friends the financial needs of the Meeting

and encourage Friends to contribute to the Meeting finan-

cially as well as in other ways. Lynnora Bierce offered to

help with drafting a letter that could bring this awareness

to the attention of Friends. There were reservations ex-

pressed concerning instituting a specific pledge or com-

mitment system. Friends did suggest that a letter that

seeks to inform Friends about the costs associated with the

“life” of the Meeting and the need for contributions and

individual financial stewardship could help Friends to be

better givers, including planning ahead for giving. Other

Friends expressed their desire that the Finance Committee

look into a pledging system that does not “press” folks

into giving but helps the community to be able to an-

ticipate income as part of the budgeting process, such

as “an estimation of what you may be able to give this

year.”

16. One member of the Finance Committee asked

for guidance from the Meeting regarding adding a

separate income line for fundraising – Is there a com-

mitment on the part of the community to fundraise? It

was pointed out that it is important to separate ac-

counting from fundraising. A “pledge” letter may be in

the role of the Finance Committee, but not an appeal

letter nor fundraising.

17. One Friend brought to our attention that a

budget is a guide or plan that can be changed as the

year goes on and needs arise.

18. Friends ask that the Finance Committee con-

sider these comments/feedback, consult with the appro-

priate people and bring back specific recommendations

for reducing the expenses and/or increasing the income

for the 2004 budget to the meeting next month.

19. Friends approved a minute of apprecia-

tion to the Finance Committee for their hard

work on and clear presentation of the 2004

budget.

Correspondence

The clerk presented two items of correspondence.

The first is a thank you card from the Asheville Bun-

combe Community Relations Council signed by Bob

Smith for a contribution of $200. The second is a let-

ter from Maxilla Evans explaining that she will be tak-

ing her husband to a Methodist service on Sunday

morning, so she will not be able to attend meeting.

The clerk encourages Friends to make contact with her

and to hold her and her husband in the light.

BUSINESS MEETING

[SAYMA Name Change, Peace and Earth]

page 7

Individual Concerns

1. One Friend asked to be held in the light as an

individual concern.

2. Susan Mitchell reported as Archivist that there

is a box marked “Archivist” in the foyer for any records

from the prior year or years that need to be kept as rec-

ords of the meeting. Committee clerks and other Friends

holding individual positions of the Meeting are encour-

aged to put their records in this box.

Priscilla Adams

1. Peace and Earth brought up the question of how

the Meeting would like to proceed on the request from

SAYMA to consider at the meeting level the minute of

support for Priscilla Adams from Philadelphia Yearly

Meeting in her war tax resistance.

2. The Meeting approved empowering Peace

and Earth to send a letter on behalf of their com-

mittee and asked the committee to point out to

SAYMA that the meeting did not have a chance to

consider the minute as a community within the

time frame that was requested.

Close of Meeting

The meeting ended with a period of unprogrammed

worship at 3:35 p.m.

Those Who Learn Nothing From History . . . “In 1995,” writes Doug Saunders in the Toronto Globe and Mail, “former U.S. secretary of defense Robert

McNamara published In Retrospect, the first of his three books dissecting the errors, myths and miscalculations

that led to the Vietnam War, which he now believes was a serious mistake. Nine years later, most of these les-

sons seem uncannily relevant to the Iraq war in its current nation-building, guerrilla-warfare phase.”

W e misjudged then – and we have since -

the geopolitical intentions of our adver-

saries . . . and we exaggerated the dangers to

the United States of their actions.

W e viewed the people and leaders of South

Vietnam in terms of our own experi-

ence. . . . We totally misjudged the political

forces within the country.

W e underestimated the power of national-

ism to motivate a people to fight and die

for their beliefs and values.

O ur judgments of friend and foe alike re-

flected our profound ignorance of the his-

tory, culture, and politics of the people in the

area, and the personalities and habits of their

leaders.

W e failed then – and have since - to recog-nize the limitations of modern, high-

technology military equipment, forces and doc-

trine. . . . We failed as well to adapt our mili-

tary tactics to the task of winning the hearts and

minds of people from a totally different culture.

W e failed to draw Congress and the Ameri-

can people into a full and frank discus-

sion and debate of the pros and cons of a large-

scale military involvement . . . before we initi-

ated the action.

A fter the action got under way and unantici-

pated events forced us off our planned

course . . . we did not fully explain what was

happening and why we were doing what we did.

W e did not recognize that neither our peo-ple nor our leaders are omniscient. Our

judgment of what is in another people’s or coun-

try’s best interest should be put to the test of

open discussion in international forums. We do

not have the God-given right to shape every na-

tion in our image or as we choose.

W e did not hold to the principle that U.S. military action . . . should be carried out

only in conjunction with multinational forces sup-

ported fully (and not merely cosmetically) by the

international community.

W e failed to recognize that in international affairs, as in other aspects of life, there

may be problems for which there are no immedi-

ate solutions. . . . At times, we may have to live

with an imperfect, untidy world.

U nderlying many of these errors lay our fail-

ure to organize the top echelons of the ex-

ecutive branch to deal effectively with the ex-

traordinarily complex range of political and mili-

tary issues.

page 8

Peter Buck is a par-ticipant in the Man-kind Project, which is a men’s group that seeks to help men find their missions

and uncover those forces which, within themselves, miti-gate against it. Part of the process is getting clear on their shadow sides and other thing that work against their lives.

Susan Mitchell How did you come to the Quakers? She came through her work as a pediatric aide at Friend’s Hospital in Phila-delphia. God opened the path for her, but it’s hard to describe to others what happens between herself and God. How does the meeting nourish you? By providing the op-portunity to worship with other seekers in the gentle way of silence. She doesn’t feel disciplined enough to do this on her own and needs Friends to provide the structure. How do you nourish the meeting? By holding the silence. She the meeting’s archivist and makes a financial contri-bution. What skills do you have that the meeting could draw on? That’s up to other people to tell her; although she ad-mits to having common sense, clarity, and conciseness.

Lee Kube How did you come to the Quakers? Her husband at-tended meeting in Durham, and when it came her time to search for a spiritual connection, she checked us out. While it is difficult to articulate the specifics of what at-tracted her, the feeling of acceptance of people’s differ-ing pathways to the light was of prime importance. It was also important that there was no strict dogma which had to be followed. How does the meeting nourish you? Foremost it’s the si-lence, a rare commodity in a household with two young children. It helps get her centered and dampens the per-sistent chitchat in here head. It gives her a chance to feel through her gratitude and allows her to let go of the mundane. Definitely, for time to time, people have said things that caused her to smile in empathy. How do you nourish the meeting? That’s hard to say. She wishes she could do more; but, frankly, she is all but overwhelmed by her family responsibilities and sees nourishing them as a definite contribution to the whole. She has signed up for Friendly Eights. She did propose heading up a playgroup for very young Friends, but nothing came of it. What skills do you have that the meeting could draw on? She has a degree in accounting (at the concept level) and is quick to point out that this does not include book-keeping.

Kitty Reynolds How did you come to the Quakers? She went to Earlham Col-lege where she was attracted to Friends while active in the anti-war movement. She felt that our testimony rep-resented her own. She also felt that Friends practice what Jesus preached. How does the meeting nourish you? She gets to share with other Friends their viewpoints. Also, meeting is the time when she feels most likely to connect to God. She can find God in other ways and at other times, but sharing the search with others is important. After all, Jesus did say, “whenever two or more of you are gathered…” How do you nourish the meeting? Sometimes she has a testimony to share and she serves on the Peace and Earth Committee. Occasionally she helps with the kids, such as a three-week Bible study se-ries she did with the teens. Also, she makes a finan-cial contribution. What skills do you have that the meeting could draw on? She is a scientifically trained ecologist.

Karen Jordan She used to be a regular attender up until about eighteen months ago. She is the Director of exhibits at Health Adventure, a health and science museum. She invites Friends, old or young, to experience crawling through an artery! She styles herself as a beginning beekeeper and a sculler, who doesn’t to-tally enjoy the rowing machine she uses to keep in shape during the off-season.

Val Collins How did you come to the Quakers? She made a new-years resolution to find a faith community where she would feel at home. She asked around for the most liberal one her friends knew about and ended up here. How does the meeting nourish you? It requires her to carve out time in her life to concentrate on God. Sit-ting in silence keeps her from being preoccupied by other things, which she’s found she can’t do by her-self. How do you nourish the meeting? She doesn’t really know. She has a good understanding of what’s go-ing on locally and keeps up on what services are worthy of support. She has been serving on the Fi-nance Committee and is under consideration to be-come our next treasurer. She makes a financial con-tribution.

TidbitsTidbitsTidbitsTidbits::::

Introducing Asheville

page 9

A Poem of Gratitude This summer, with the help of the Meeting, I was able to attend a summer program for youth at Pendle Hill in Pennsylvania. I am forever grateful to everyone who made this possible, for the experience was irreplaceable. I learned things about myself and about life that I never hoped to understand. In short, Thank You! I feel that the magnitude of the experience is best expressed in this poem that I wrote with a friend I made at Pendle Hill.

The Link

Caught up in the misconception Of being free shows How people tell You things and Then you grow... Evolve into Someone new Overnight

All by one thing – Meeting people Who are white! See it all begins

Back where prejudice Takes place You don’t see People for

Who they are But just their race

I knew where I was going What I was headed for My thoughts boxed in,

When I walked in I found that I was wrong

That when I let go Let out my breath I had changed

For better or for worse I could never be the same

Over this week I’ve Grown, blossomed to Someone brand new

And even got Some new friends too!

I see the light, Shine bright Endless nights

Gazing wanting to Be free

In a country So much in captivity

Yo – I can’t Escape how I feel I know it’s real Now that I’m Happy to be at Pendle Hill but See, the reality In it all still Remains that We’re at war! So look I’ve

Grown, realized How to improvise Show love and

Gain it

Alright now go ahead Steph and tell

These people how we’re Related

Figuring out where I was going And who could lead me there

I found you all Helping hands to answer my call

Black, White, and Brown From all around

You led me forth and brought me out You taught me what it was all about

You helped me find my wings And fly out from my fear

Into the world that we built here

Now we stand together Related in the unity of What we have presented Together a part of

What we have become Brothers and sisters unified A band that can't be untied!

(non-italicized written by Lesleyan Lewis, italicized by Stephanie Gos-

sett, bold written by both)

Death Penalty Moratorium Ursula Scott

Several years ago Asheville Meeting passed a Minute supporting a

moratorium on the death penalty. Now is a good time for each of us to

show our continued support. The NC Senate has passed bill 972 calling

for a two year suspension on executions while concerns about the death

penalty are examined. The House will consider this bill when it recon-

venes in February. If it does not pass in this session, the Senate bill dies

and the process starts all over again. I’m told it is unlikely to pass the Sen-

ate again. For most of us our NC Representatives are: Bruce Goforth, l37

Stonecrest Drive, Asheville 28803 and Wilma Sherrill, PO Box 19561,

Asheville 28814.

The great central aim in life is the coming into a conscious realization of our oneness with God

Swami Sivananda

Asheville Friends Meeting

Weekly Meeting for Worship: First Day singing at 9:40, regular worship at 10 a.m. 227 Edgewood Road,

Asheville (258-0974).

Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business takes place on 3/7, beginning as promptly as possible. We

will break with a full meal around 1 p.m.

Sandwich Sunday: Loaves, fishes, and fellowship after Meeting for Worship on fourth First Day (2/22). Your

presence is encouraged, there’s always plenty of

food!

Midweek Worship and Sharing each Wednesday at

6:00 p.m. 30 minutes of silent meeting reflecting

on peace, followed by 30 minutes of worship shar-

ing, then a stone soup meal. WestWood Co-

Housing Community, 43 Vermont Court. For di-

rections contact Ursula Scott (253-7490,

uscott@buncombe.main.nc.us).

Other Nearby Meetings

Swannanoa Valley Monthly Meeting: each First Day

at 9:30 a.m., Common Light Meeting Place.

Boone Monthly Meeting: each First Day at 10 a.m.,

at the home of John and Judy Geary, 175 Edge-

wood Drive.

City View Friends Church: each First Day at 10:30

a.m., 59 Tremont Street in West Asheville.

Brevard Monthly Meeting: each First Day at 11 a.m.

at the Sharing House, corner of Oakdale and Duck-

worth.

Celo Monthly Meeting: each First Day at 10:45 a.m.,

445 Hannah Branch Road.

Clemson Worship Group: each First Day at 9 a.m.,

Asheville Friends Meeting

227 Edgewood Road

Asheville, NC 28804

address service requested

Be on your guard

so that no one deceives you

by saying “Look over here!”

or “Look over there!”

The true child of humanity

dwells within. Follow it!

Those that search for it

will find it.

The Gospel of Mary 4:3-7