world federalists of northern california inagurated

By John O. Sutter
President, Democratic World Federalists

Sunday, March 7, was a red letter day for the World Federalists of Northern California. Having been incorporated as a California corporation on January 28, with a new set of bylaws on February 2, they held their inaugural meeting at the City Forest Lodge in San Francisco.

Elections

A new 15-member Board of Directors was elected to serve ultimately for 3-year terms, initially (after drawing lots) with one echelon each for one-year, two-year, and three-year periods.
Directors through 2005: James Adams (San Francisco), Phil Allen (Berkeley), Felicia Bock (Oakland), Mary Harris (Pacifica), and Phil Jaynes (Sacramento).
Directors through 2006: Urs Cipolat (Berkeley), Fred Duperrault (Mountain View), Esther Franklin (Sacramento), John Sutter (San Rafael), and Charles Turk (Salinas).
Directors through 2007: Byron Belitsos (San Rafael), Lucile Green (El Cerrito), Bruce Kennedy (San Francisco), Roger Kotila (Novato), and Jason Smith (Walnut Creek).
The Board then elected the following officers: John O. Sutter, President; Fred Duperrault and Charles Turk, Vice Presidents; Mary Harris, Secretary; and Roger Kotila, Board Chairman. Subsequently, new Board member Jason Smith, who during his lunch hour has helped out at the office as a volunteer, was appointed Assistant Treasurer.*

Programs

Executive Director Eric Schultz and President Sutter reviewed WF/NCA's 6-point program:

  1. Publication of Toward Democratic World Federation, which goes to readers throughout the United States and in two dozen other countries.
  2. Promotion of the World Federalist message about the need for a democratic federal system for governing the Earth, as well as to illuminate the need to reform the United Nations and international policies of the United States, via the Internet, including our www.wfnca@wfnca.org [link no longer active] website, and letters to the media, politicians, other civil society organizations, and the general public.
  3. Work with other World Federalists from throughout the world, especially in the World Federalist Movement, and with European Federalists in spreading awareness of the benefit to the people of democratic federations.
  4. Cooperate with like-minded organizations in programs of mutual interest.
  5. Co-sponsor the preparatory conference in San Francisco in June, to culminate in a conference in 2005 on "Toward a Democratic United Nations for the 21st Century."
  6. Launch our "Finding Solutions to the War System" project in September in cooperation with the University of California - Berkeley and other civil society organizations.

Jim Garrison and America as Empire

Our featured speaker at the 2004 Annual Luncheon preceding the Inaugural Meeting was Jim Garrison, President of the State of the World Forum. In his book, America as Empire: Global Leader or Rogue Power?, Garrison traced the growth of the characteristics of empire from the earliest days of our Republic. In a historical review, he notes that the first relatively permanent empire, that of Rome, was successful largely because it enabled the population of overrun nations to become and be accepted as loyal and patriotic Roman Citizens. Rome was also blessed by a number of exceptional emperors in its earlier years. In contrast, as the de facto American Empire in recent years has expanded and applied U.S. military power abroad, it has -- in a period of instant communication -- not only created new enemies but also caused formerly friendly countries to question our motives.

Garrison noted that President Woodrow Wilson started a beneficient trend by championing self-determination at a time when many peoples were not free or self-governing. He praised Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman for getting other countries to cooperate in launching the United Nations and Marshall Plan for the recovery of war-torn Europe. Garrison calls for a third era of positive American leadership that can play a beneficient role in moving the world forward in a non-militaristic way for the 21st Century.

*With Jason's departing for law school, Bruce Kennedy became Assistant Treasurer in August.

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