GET TOGETHERS Study corporate power, make friends BY SARA DONNELLY

Nate "Iggy" Brimmer hates injustice about as much as he distrusts corporations. But he likes studying. And reading. And then discussing the reading and the studying with other people who enjoy reading and studying too. Last month, Brimmer, who ran unsuccessfully as a Green Party candidate for state legislature in 2004, decided to combine his interest in homework with his distaste for The Man to form one kick-ass study group. The Corporate Power Study Group meets weekly at the Peace and Justice Center on Pleasant Street in Portland. At first, Brimmer planned only one study group, but then three times more people than expected showed so he splintered the group into three weekly installments — Monday at 7 p.m., and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Each group runs concurrently and covers the same reading material each week. Unlike corporate board meetings, you won’t have to kowtow to any board chair drunk on PowerPoint. Here, the bitch sessions are non-hierarchical. And participants have homework, which means pretty much everyone involved should have some semblance of a clue.

"I’m interested in identifying the root causes of injustice in our society," says Brimmer of the group. "And I’m interested in having these discussions with others."

The group’s curriculum and assignments are provided gratis by the United States branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), which, according to the WILPF’s Web site, works to "create an environment of political, economic, social, and psychological freedom for all members of the human community." There are a total of 10 sessions with readings covering the legal, philosophical, and historical ramifications of the rise of corporate power in America. All reading is voluntary and there are no grades or quizzes. Newcomers can join at any time.

Brimmer hopes that the 10 sessions will culminate in a grassroots movement against corporate power.

"Hopefully people will have an interest in more action-oriented stuff rather than just studying," he says.

Reading is great, but everyone knows you learn best by doing.

For more information on the study group, email Iggy at info@brimmer2004.org or drop by a session.