An Evening of Community Dialogue, by Tony Ferrara

     Call it an experiment in town hall democracy or an exercise in civil
discourse; in either case, on a cold, windy night more than sixty people
assembled in the small town of Deer Isle to discuss America's foreign policy
and the war in Iraq. Publicity for the event invited local residents to come
speak their minds on these matters, while emphasizing the value of listening
to their neighbors' thoughts and concerns. The announcement for the
discussion presented a list of questions which included: Has the war in Iraq
diminished the threat of terrorist attacks, Does the President's expanded
plan to democratize the Middle East make sense in light of our experiences
in Iraq and Afghanistan, What should be the consequences of our government's
exaggeration (in view of the absence of weapons of mass destruction) of the
imminent threat posed by Iraq.
    The moderator, Ron Stegall, began the evening with a comment about hope,
and the appropriateness of the fecund spruce bows laden with cones that
decorated the discussion space. The purpose of the evening was defined as
seeking the truth through the sharing of thoughts and information.  Ron
structured the dialogue by encouraging an openness to ideas and a
willingness to suspend one's certainty on these issues in order to more
accurately hear the speaker's ideas, a form of active listening.  His
self-stated goal was to create an atmosphere of safety for the speaker in
order to facilitate authentic rather than persuasive, communication. While
one's ideas could be challenged in this venue, one's dignity could not.
      The discussion began with the question, "Does America have the moral
right, as distinct from the power, to impose its model of government upon
sovereign nations?"  The first respondent answered in the negative, stating
that a people has the inalienable right to choose its government.  This
sparked another person to ask how the colonists would have reacted if France
had tried (which it did) to impose a form of government on the nascent
America?  Another speaker believed the United States to be more concerned
with spreading a self-serving capitalism rather than democracy, and doubted
America's willingness to give the new Iraqi government the autonomy to
disenfranchise America's business interests.  While not negating America's
awesome military power of destruction, the premise that America has the
capability to accomplish its nation-building goal was also challenged.
     Later, a speaker described the group as having its differences, but
basically "singing from the same hymnal." A recommendation was made that
future dialogues be co-sponsored by groups having opposing viewpoints in
order to get a wider variety of perspectives. The idea of inviting our
elective representatives to future discussion, especially Senator Collins,
was well received. The group was praised by another speaker for its good
ideas, but panned for its lack of anger or passion when confronting deceit
and in our foreign policy. In reaction, it was stated that there is anger,
but people have struggled hard to transmute it into constructive action.
      In the closing minutes of the conversation, one participant offered a
novel view of events.
The attack and tragedy of 9/11 was described as a 'crack' or opening that
presented an opportunity to make some basic, positive changes in the world;
instead, America declared a global war on terrorism. The discussion ended
with the moderator's identification of what we had discovered as a group,
which would help us develop a truer understanding of the international
situation. Emphasized as facilitating the search for truth were the value of
becoming informed of the historical context, acquiring proper tools and
informational aids, and being aware of the importance of semantics. Ron
demonstrated how the choice of words can recast the interpretation of
reality, e.g., while America is waging a global war on terrorism, others are
fighting terrorists.
     Island and Peninsula Peace and Justice Communities are encouraging the
replication of this questions-based 'Community Dialogue' in other locales.
Any group wanting help with this project can contact: toeknee@hypernet.com.
A follow-up Community Dialogue is planned in which presentations by
unlike-minded panelists will be used as a springboard for discussion.