Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace (BACP) held our monthly meeting on Monday, March 1.  The meeting was held on the Zoom website due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.   The meeting lasted from 7 to 7:40 p.m.  (Zoom allocates 40 minutes for free meetings).   Judi and Richard Schiller, Larry Fisk, Basil Harrington, Doug Olson, Amanda Unger, and Donna Bowen joined the meeting.

Meeting participants discussed the overwhelmingly positive response to the Brainerd Lakers United for the Environment (BLUE) and Brainerd Lakes Area Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Stop Line 3 vigil held on Saturday, February 20 near the Sawmill Inn.   About 12 people joined the vigil.   BLUE and DSA will hold Stop Line 3 vigils on Saturday, March 6 and Saturday, March 20 at the same location from 3 to 4:30 p.m.  BLUE and DSA plan to hold Stop Line 3 vigils the first and third Saturday of every month.

Meeting participants discussed the tactics Enbridge uses to divide Ojibwe bands.   Enbridge bought off the Fond Du Lac and Leech Lake tribal governments with financial inducements and various promises (i.e. supporting tribal businesses, hiring band members to work on Line 3, removing parts of the old Line 3 pipeline from reservation land).  Enbridge tried to buy off the Red Lake tribal council but failed.   The Red Lake, White Earth, and Mille Lacs Lake Ojibwe bands oppose Line 3.  The Monday, March 1 Star Tribune had a good article about Enbridge's divide and conquer tactics.   The article can be found at https://www.startribune.com/enbridge-deal-making-over-line-3-divides-ojibwe-bands-in-minnesota/600028769/

Larry mentioned Minnesota's DSA chapters making Stop Line 3 a top priority.   Many DSA members have visited the Water Protector camps and provided active support to the Water Protectors.

Water protectors and environmentalists have varied opinions about whether the Biden Administration will intervene to stop Line 3 construction.  Some believe the Biden Administration, particularly Deb Haaland, if she is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior, will intervene to halt Line 3 construction while others are more skeptical.   Everyone agrees it is important to keep the movement going, even if the pipeline is built and operational.   Dakota Access Pipeline opponents haven't given up their struggle.   They are fighting to get the pipeline shut down and removed.

Meeting participants expressed opposition to President Biden's foreign policy.   President Biden has not committed to ending the U.S. wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan.   The U.S. bombed Syria on Thursday, February 25.   (U.S. military intervention in Syria is completely illegal as the Syrian government has never authorized the U.S. military to be in Syria).   The Biden Administration will not withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the May 1, 2021 deadline stipulated by the Doha peace accords the U.S. and Taliban signed on February 29, 2020.  The Taliban vow to attack any remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan after May 1.   President Biden spurred the reproachment offer made by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.  Instead, the U.S. continues to recognize Juan Guaido as the self-declared "President" of Venezuela, even though Guaido has lost European Union support, and impose brutal sanctions on Venezuela.   Peace activism will be very necessary during the Biden Administration to demand an end to the wars, drone assassinations, regime change operations, and sanctions.

Meeting participants agreed BACP will hold our Monday, April 5 meeting via Zoom.   The Monday, May 3 meeting will be held in-person, either at Gregory Park or in the Brainerd United Church of Christ (UCC) upstairs library, depending on the weather.

BACP may hold our Spring peace vigil before the Monday, May 3 BACP meeting.   The BACP Spring peace vigil will be held near the Sawmill Inn.
Larry suggested putting more emphasize on the Yemen War because it is in the public spotlight, opposition to the war is growing, and the U.S. has not ended all support for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen.  Details for the Spring BACP peace vigil will be worked out at the Monday, April 5 BACP meeting.

BACP could hold our peace vigil before Monday, May 3 if the U.S. escalates an existing war or starts a new war or if the national DSA calls for a day of peace action which works for BACP and Brainerd Lakes Area DSA.

BACP invited Brainerd Lakes Area DSA to co-host the BACP Spring peace vigil.


The next BACP meeting will be held online via the Zoom website on Monday, April 5 at 7 p.m.   A link to the online BACP meeting will be provided once the Zoom meeting is set up.


BACP Meeting Notes Submitted by Doug Olson