Dear CODEPINKer, A
floating think tank? We can't think of a better way to describe
The Nation Magazine's annual seminar cruise. And this year,
I'm tickled pink and honored to welcome Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans
and other members of CODEPINK
on this, our 14th fundraising cruise. Destination:
The Caribbean.
The plan? Well, to get inspired as we exchange ideas about how to
shake up the progressive world. To give supporters of both CODEPINK
and The Nation a chance to meet and talk and to share ideas
and tactics, face-to-face, one-on-one. To enjoy a much needed vacation
that will bring us back to our workday worlds refreshed and reinvigorated.
And most importantly, to raise much needed funds to support the
work of CODEPINK and
The Nation Magazine. By joining us on this year's cruise,
you will be supporting the work of CODEPINK,
the worldwide network of women and men committed to working for
peace and social justice, and making possible CODEPINK's
ability to confront warmongers and to wage peace around the world. The special guests
who will be with us this year: Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP Van Jones, Founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights,
Former Green Jobs Adviser in the Obama White House Jeremy Scahill, Nation Investigative Reporter &
Author of Blackwater Ramona Ripston, Former Executive Director of the ACLU of
Southern California Jessica Valenti, Founder and Executive Editor of Feministing.com John Nichols, Nation Washington Correspondent Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize winning author
Special Musical Guests Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
Your shipmates will include provocative panelists and political
portsiders (watch
a slideshow from our 2009 cruise) plus a daily array
of stimulating seminars and enlivening discussions. Mingle with
Nation and CODEPINK
supporters alike. Enjoy spirited dinner-table debates and dancing
after. And join Medea and Jodie at workshops on organizing and protests,
including how to organize a flash mob!
Here's Henry Alford's 2008 description of his experience on a Nation
Cruise in The
New York Times:
"The diversity and intellectual accomplishments of the 460 cruisers
were fairly staggering - included were many academics, several judges,
a founder of The Chronicle of Higher Education, a scientist who
worked on the Manhattan Project, a retired Army major, a steel company
vice president, a former drug trafficker, four granddaughters aged
15 to 22, State Representative Mike Boland of Illinois, the public
health expert Dr. Quentin Young and the feminist author Marilyn
French."
And there's always time to relax…shore leave at ports of call including
San Juan, St. Maarten and Grand Turk...work the body as well as
the mind with all-weather pools, fully-equipped gym, aerobics classes,
personal trainers, court sports, jogging tracks, full-service salon,
hydrotherapy pool, yoga classes. Plus wine tastings, cooking classes,
art auctions, first-run movies, a piano bar, gambling casino with
table games and slots, late night action in the Crow's Nest lounge,
and Club Hal for kids and teens (bring the kids!)
The reason The Nation sponsors these cruises is to help us
pay our bills. The income we generate from our cruises (a good portion
of the proceeds will go back to support CODEPINK
and The Nation) has become an important part of our budget.
Remaining independent is our primary goal and finding other sources
of revenue is the only way to do this without compromising our editorial
integrity. We asked CODEPINK
to invite their members to join us this year to help raise much
needed funds to support their own critical work. We look forward
to the energy and synergy that CODEPINK
members will bring to the ship, and to the opportunity to introduce
CODEPINK's programs
and values (and tactics!) to a new and appreciative audience. Please
make your plans now to join us! Certain cabin categories
will sell out fast. We look forward to seeing you on board in December!
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The
Nation
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