Declaring our independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Famous words, seen in actuality today on a rare 1776 broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence…a moving moment for those of us at the Opening Ceremony at the Arizona Historical Society (AHS), 949 E. 2nd St. These words are quoted often in civil rights cases and in discussion of issues as to how we Americans choose to pursue our goals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Read the entire text here.

But it is also a reminder of what tremendous effort (and war) it took to sever ourselves as 13 Colonies from Great Britain, in such a strong declaration of freedom and independence. As our founding fathers said– “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” And that is what they eloquently did in this Declaration at the 2nd Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

These lofty and enduring words have been the foundation of our United States of America since July 4, 1776, over 233 years ago. And these words will stand as the fiber of our Nation into the 21st Century and beyond.

You can still view this copy which I first wrote about on Feb. 18 (click here) at the AHS– museum hours are till 8 p.m. tonight, and tomorrow Feb. 22, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will be your only chance to see this 2 day traveling exhibit in Tucson. Admission is free.

Notables at today’s opening ceremony: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, former Governor Raul Castro, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, Oro Valley Mayor Paul Loomis, Pima County Supervisors Richard Elias and Ray Carroll, State House representatives Steve Farley and Daniel Patterson, former State House rep. Pete Herschberger.

Congresswoman Giffords was instrumental in bringing this historic document to Tucson, and provided the welcoming & closing remarks, as well as “An Historical Perspective”. She also related what occurred later to the 56 brave men who signed the document in July, 1776.

Particularly moving was the video by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (of Arizona) who reminded us that we are a government by the “consent of the governed”, and that this document is a “legacy of our democracy”, and a “priceless treasure of freedom.” This video will be shown throughout the 2 day exhibit.

Note: I’ve seen the signed “original copy” of this Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and have lived in Charlottesville,Virginia, home of 3rd President Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of this Declaration. If you’re ever in that part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I encourage you to visit Monticello, President Jefferson’s lovely estate to learn more about that particular founding father.

Tucson’s International Day of Climate Action (350.org)

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24, and be at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Road for the first Tucson International Day of Climate Action starting at 10 a.m. The TCCC is located east of La Canada, on the north side of River Road. People from all over the world are participating in this global event.

kids snorkeling at Great Barrier Reef, for 350.org

Check it all out at 350.org and here’s info copied from their Tucson flyer.

“Connect with others in our community and thousands of communities across the planet who are building a movement to lift public awareness about Global Warming. Let’s show the world what Tucson is doing to make policymakers aware of the scientific evidence that says the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide must be lowered to 350 ppm if we
are going to avoid a catastrophic ecological tipping point.” 350 ppm (parts per million) signifies the safe upper limit of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere.

At this event, you will have an opportunity to:
-be part of a “human sculpture” in the form of a giant “350”— photo will be sent to 350.org and become part of a collection of similar images from around the world that will be delivered to the media and world leaders;
-participate in a “Green TEA Party”, gathering 350 or more petitions to influence local officials to endorse a viable foundation for sustainable development (TEA = Tucson Ecological Action);
– hear short comments by local dignitaries;
– talk to representatives of various local non-profit organizations about products and services that reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The schedule of events on the morning of October 24:
-10:00 Attendees arrive; begin to sign Green TEA Party petitions; attendees are assigned to be part of the three, five or zero of the human sculpture, talk to non-profits.
-10:45 to 11:15: Human sculpture formed; pictures taken.
-11:15 to 11:45: Presentations.
-11:45 to 12:59: Mingle, disburse and depart.

RSVP to Russell McGee in Tucson, via the http://www.350.org website. Participants for the photo are asked to wear light-colored (yellow or white) head gear, so leave your black Cowboy hats at home.

Another 350 action that same day is “350 for 350 Tucson Bike Race”, an 8 mile ride from 9 to 10 a.m. starting at Hi Corbett Field parking lot at Randolph Park. Visit the 350.org website to sign up.

Butterfly Festival at desert museum

Nothing to do on September 26 and 27???

Check out the 9th Annual Butterfly Festival and Plant Sale at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. “There are a lot of fun activities for the entire family. Spend the day at the Museum learning about these ‘jewels of the air’. There will be live butterflies and caterpillars, a plant sale, children’s activities and gardening classes happening throughout the day.”

The Plant Sale starts at 7:30 a.m. both days, followed by the activities till 3 p.m.–such as Butterfly Crafts, Face Painting, Butterfly Antennae, Live caterpillars and chrysalids, Microscopes, Running Wild (live animal presentations), Live and (sort of) on the Loose (venomous reptiles), Butterfly Gardening Class.

I can’t believe this is the 9th annual festival, as I must have missed the first eight. I’ve been to see the butterflies at the Tucson Botanical Garden, but this festival sounds like a lot of fun for the kids.

Admission prices: September – May
$13 Adults
$4.25 Kids 6-12

Children 5 and under are ALWAYS free!

The Best “Knights” Out in Town

Reminder: 8 hilarious performances on September 22 to 27 of Monty Python’s SPAMalot, a new musical written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, at the Tucson Music Hall downtown.

These might be the best “knights” out in Tucson in a long time. For tickets contact Broadway in Tucson at 1-800-745-3000.
This loyal Python fan will be there on Opening “Knight”.

King Arthur’s Knights sing:

King Arthur's knights

“We’re Knights of the Round Table
We dance when e’er we’re able
We do routines and gory scenes
That are too hot for cable
We eat ham and jam
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot.”

Got spam? I grew up eating lots of spam (ubiquitous in Hawaii) so believe me, I know A LOT about SPAM. Just ask.

Note: if you still want to see the “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” movie on the big screen, it will be at the Fox Theater, 17 W. Congress on October 10.

First Tucson Flamenco Festival

What: 1st Tucson Spanish and Flamenco Festival
Where: Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson
When: Friday, September 18th, Saturday, September 19th, and Sunday, September 20th

Adair Landborn and Peña Flamenca (Tucson)

Time: 8:00 pm – 1:00 am Friday and Saturday, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sunday

Cost: $20 Friday and Saturday, $10 Sunday or purchase all three for $40 (price includes wine
tasting, one glass of sangria).

Other events during the festival: outdoor mercado, cooking demos and classes, wine tasting, tapas and sangria, flamenco workshops. Special guest artists, Fanny Ara, Gabriel Osuna, and Ricardo Anglada will offer these 3-day flamenco workshops in dance, song, and guitar.

Contact: Casa Vicente, 520-884-5253

I’ve seen flamenco dancers in Spain and southern France (at a street festival) but now they are coming to Tucson for this first festival featuring flamenco dancing at Casa Vicente.

Casa Vicente offers Spanish cuisine for lunch and dinner in an authentic, lively atmosphere. There is a separate tapas menu (variety of small Spanish dishes such as fritattas), or a full dinner menu of four different paellas.

This family-owned restaurant cooks authentic dishes in the tradition of Spanish culture and hospitality. So head downtown for a real Spanish/European experience, and the first flamenco festival in Tucson.

A Living Memorial of 9/11

For eight years I have been attending the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s commemoration services of 9/11/01. One of the positive outcomes of that day has been this annual service held at various churches/temples/synagogues on every 9/11 since.

Today’s service was held at high noon at the Temple Emanu-El at 225 N.Country Club Road. This service today brought speakers/performers from the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i, and Sikh communities of Tucson. In the past there have been other representatives of Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Sufi, and Hindu religious communities as well.

Particularly moving today were the heartfelt stories of two Jewish former New Yorkers, Craig and Lori Sumberg, who lived in upper Manhattan on 9/11/01 and were there working/studying that day. They assisted with feeding rescue workers after that tragic event. Lori stated at the end of her remarks that we need to “fill the darkness with love, light, and hope” for the future.

Two “Sisters” one a lay minister from the Family Federation for World Peace and the other an Interfaith minister sang the Peace Walk Song one of them had written, expressing the image of “a flower blossoming daily in the hearts” of those who give and forgive. I thought that was particularly fitting for Tucson, especially as the song by Jayne Turconi starts with “I walk across the desert with a flower in my hand.”

Bringing all these representatives of different religions together in one service has been a positive outcome of 9/11, creating a new sense of community and working together in Tucson.

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s mission statement is “building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation and ability.”
For more information contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa at 690-5715 or Loretta Tracy at 881-0183.

Their next multi-faith service is the annual Thanksgiving one, which my husband and I have attended for several years.

From the Peace Walk Song: “Peace, Shalom, Salaam Alaikum, Namaste…”

KGUN 9 has a link to this memorial service at http://www.kgun9.com, News, “Tucsonans of Faith Remember 9/11”.

Neighbors networking

I attended last night’s meeting at the Ward 6 office of the Neighborhood Support Network (NSN), whose purpose is to “build relationships of trust and support among diverse citizens engaged in neighborhood enrichment in the greater Tucson region. The Network offers a unique capacity to build connections among stakeholders and elected neighborhood leaders, past and present, as they work to improve Tucson’s quality of life.”

Donald Ijams, a retired Senior Management Analyst at TPD is the coordinator of this group and had dreamed of setting up such a network after he retired 4 years ago.

Residents of eight neighborhoods were represented at the meeting: Colonia del Valle, Doolen Fruitvale, El Montevideo, Palo Verde, Peter Howell, Sam Hughes, San Clemente, and South Park. This meeting was a roundtable discussion to share problems and projects going on in the neighborhoods. And these were diverse – from stray dogs & traffic circles, to crimes such as burglaries and murder. The benefits of Neighborhood Watches were discussed, and how neighborhood associations were handling new development, clean up projects, block parties, National Night Out, better street lighting, and tree trimming.

Don announced that he is a participant in a newly formed group called the Tucson Regional Visioning Process, which is seeking to define the “common values” of Tucson and the future of growth here. For updates on this project, an outgrowth of the last year’s Regional Town Hall, contact Donald at 520-795-0770 or dsijams at gmail.com.

Pro Neighborhoods was represented by Community Organizer Joanie Sawyer, who informed the neighbors of their new workshops on resources, with a $50 incentive/certificate for neighborhood associations that attend all 8 workshops, starting September 9 and ending on December 5:

1. GETTING STARTED: Basics for Beginning Neighborhood Groups
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6 – 8:30 PM

2. FROM CAFECITOS TO DESIGN CHARETTES
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 6:00 – 9 PM

3. PRESERVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Resources and Guides to Help You Work the System
Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 AM – 3 PM

4. GETTING THE WORD OUT Newsletters, Web sites, blogs and more
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6 – 9 PM

5. EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN RELATIONSHIP I: Partnering with Your Community
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6 – 9 PM

6. EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN RELATIONSHIP II: Partnering with Youth
Saturday, November 7, 9 AM – NOON

7. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THAT PROPERTY?
Saturday, November 14, 9 AM – NOON

8. WHAT’S WORKING?
Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 AM – NOON

See the Pro Neighborhoods website or call 520-882-5885 for more information and workshops. I have previously blogged on their Community Organizing course which started in August.

Neighbors sharing community information and networking with other neighbors is what NSN is all about. I think Donald’s dream has come true.

Organizing the community

Pro Neighborhoods is offering a community organizing course starting August 19 for activists and neighborhood leaders who care about the community where they live. “This popular course is geared for anyone interested in working for change in their neighborhood or community. Local and national experts guide participants in developing organizational skills including asset mapping, engaging neighbors, and creating a community vision.”

I’ve take several similar mini-workshops there at Pro Neighborhoods over the years and I couldn’t have described the content of this course any better.

Being on non-profit boards (i. e. Friends of Agua Caliente Park), for my own neighborhood association, and political groups, I know that these courses are well worth the $75 fee (sliding scale available). You will learn to analyze your group structure, realize the passions & resources of each individual and business involved, learn how to reach out for more assistance, to create a common goal.

This course does give a certificate upon completion and 3 credits at Pima Community College, an added plus. It runs for 17 weeks till December 9 at 320 North Commerce Loop. Contact Joanie Sawyer at 520-903-3993 for more information or visit the Pro Neighborhoods website at:

http://www.proneighborhoods.org/workshops.php

PRO Neighborhoods was created in 1994 by a collaboration of City of Tucson, Pima County, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. I am also one of their grant reviewers to decide how to allot small grants (less than $5000) for neighborhood projects such as mini parks, classes, and clean up projects. A long list of the previous grant recipients is on their website if your neighborhood is thinking of applying.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Never Again event 8/8/09

Being as my ancestors came from Hiroshima and we had relatives living there when the A- Bomb dropped, this is my community though I have never lived in Japan. It’s that time again to remember the dropping of the atomic bombs on a civilian human population, and the hope that this never happens again.

Here is a copy of an email alert sent from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF):

Hiroshima-Nagasaki
NEVER AGAIN !

Commemoration and Call to Action
For Nuclear Disarmament and Conversion

Saturday, August 8 at 7 pm (music starts earlier)

At Reid Park’s Cancer Survivors’ Plaza
22nd Street east of Country Club before Randolph

Sponsored by the Tucson Raging Grannies

“The program features Ellen Thomas, Co-chair of WILPF’s National DisArm Committee, and leader of Washington, DC’s Proposition One Campaign, who is touring the U.S. promoting HR 1653 calling for Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion, for U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and for ratification of the UN’s Nonproliferation Treaty. Barbara Warren, Tucson Physicians for Social Responsibility, will also participate. Program will include a description of Hiroshima’s annual huge rally against A & H Bombs by Granny Lea Goodwine who was there recently, and songs by the Tucson Raging Grannies.”

Please join us to mourn victims of all wars, re-dedicate our lives to Peace and convey our sentiments to Congress.

This is a family-friendly event. Parking lot is adjacent. Bring folding chairs or blanket to spread. Some benches available.

For more information, contact Margaret Pecoraro at 885-3908 or margaretspiano@aol.com.

Carolyn’s note:
I confess I have never been to Hiroshima (“The City of Peace and Creativity”) to see where my paternal grandparents came from, but I intend someday to see the peace memorial. Practice nonviolence. Pray for peace.

Living Liberally in Arizona

Six chapters of Drinking Liberally exist in Arizona– in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tempe and Tucson. Drop by the Tucson one, every Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Shanty, 401 E. 9th Street (at 4th Avenue), to join in with this group which advertises itself as “promoting democracy one pint at a time.”

Drinking Liberally is (paraphrased from their websites):”An informal, inclusive progressive social group” of “like-minded, left-leaning individuals” who need a place to discuss political issues. They encourage all to “just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it’s not taboo to talk politics.” They also believe that “the idea of an American Republic was born in the taverns of the American colonies. The dreams that shape tomorrow’s America will also be born in our taverns, among everyday folks.” Hence, the locales, in taverns across America.

This week’s topic is focusing on your opinions on local, state and national issues. Sometimes they have guest speakers, mostly politicians or community leaders. Although the group does meet in a bar/restaurant, they do not encourage drunk driving by any means.

Drinking Liberally is a project of Living Liberally, “an organization which builds progressive communities through social networks and events. Living Liberally also runs Laughing Liberally, the political comedy project; Screening Liberally, a series of socially-conscious films; Eating Liberally, events with good gab and great grub; and Reading Liberally, book tours for progressive authors. (Living Liberally is a New York-based LLC, led by a team in NYC and fueled by the energy of hundreds of volunteers and partners around the country.)”

Whew, that’s a lot of liberals and progressives isn’t it? Check out the website for this community of liberal thinkers: http://www.livingliberally.org.

Whatever your political bias may be, consider a visit with these folks who do welcome all viewpoints. I’ve dropped by on occasion to drink my cranberry juice and talk politics, being as I used to be a legislative aide to a powerful U.S. Senator on Capitol Hill in my younger days. Remind me to tell you about the time in D.C.when I spoke with actor John Denver on the phone….
but not sure how liberal he was.