CODEPINK for Peace

The Voice of the Next Generation

2008-06-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

According to Sunday's Denver Post, the kids today are gearing up for the August Democratic National Convention with a fusion of creativity and social justice resulting in efforts like bike rallies, puppet shows, and guerilla gardening. Still, the article notes:

These different factions speak of just one common goal: stopping the Iraq war immediately.

Code Pink's Zoe Williams—"part of the new face of activism"—notes in the piece, "One of the big things about the colorful, creative protests is to show that we are a very interesting, artistic, positive group of people. We aren't this scary image that protesters often get painted as."

—Read the full story: "New Generation Plans Dissent"

"I HOPE IT'S YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT DIE" - US Representative Dana Rohrabacher

2007-04-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

By US Army Reserves Colonel (Retired) Ann Wright

"I HOPE IT'S YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT DIE" said US Representative Dana Rohrabacher to American citizens who questioned the Bush Administration’s unlawful extraordinary rendition policies.

Congressional hearings provide a deep insight into the inner spirit of our elected representatives-and sometimes, the insight is not pretty.

On April 17, we witnessed Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) unleash his unbridled anger onto members of the European Parliament’s committee on Human rights who were invited guests and witnesses in the House Foreign Affairs European subcommittee hearing. The European Parliamentary human rights committee had issued a report in January, 2007 sharply critical of the Bush administration’s extraordinary rendition program in which persons from all over the world were detained by either CIA or local police and then flown by CIA jet (torture taxi) to other countries where they were imprisoned (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Libya, Djibouti, Morocco, Yemen. The report was equally critical of European governments for allowing the unlawful flights to take place.

From 2001 through 2005, the governments of fourteen countries in Europe allowed at least 1,245 CIA flights with illegally abducted terrorist suspects to be flown through their airspace or to land on their territory. Germany, Britain, Ireland and Portugal allowed the highest numbers of covert flights. As well as at least 1,245 flights operated by the CIA, there were an unspecified number of US military flights for the same purpose.

The European Parliament report differeniated between lawful extradition of criminal suspects for trial in another country and the unlawful abduction, sending to a third country usually noted for torture of prisoners and imprisoning for years without trial persons suspected of criminal terrorist acts.

The report acknowledged that terrorism is a threat to European countries as well as to the United States, but the European Parlimentary committee said that terrorist acts must be handled lawfully by both European countries and by the United States. The report said: "After 11 September 2001, the so-called 'war on terror' - in its excesses - has produced a serious and dangerous erosion of human rights and fundamental freedoms." The extraordinary rendidition program undercuts the exact liberties we are defending, the rule of law, the right for a fair and speedy trial, the right to know the evidence on which one is held and prosecuted.

Some who were kidnapped ended up in Guantanamo. Others were flown to prisons in other countries for interrogation and torture. Many of those who were subjected to extraordinary rendition are still in Guantanano. Many have been there for over 5 years. Over 400 of the 770 persons who have been imprisoned in Guantanamo over the 5 years it has been opened, have been released. Only 380 are left imprisoned in Guantanamo. Only 3 have been charged by the Military Commission and only one tried in Guantanamo. After five years of being held prisoner, Australian citizen David Hicks was convicted in March, 2007 of material support to terrorism and sentenced to only seven months further imprisonment which he is serving in Australia. The Bush administration has said it will try only 50-70 of the 380 remaining in Guantanamo. That means that of 770 who have been in Guantanamo, on 50-70 will be tried. The others eventually will be freed due to lack of evidence of a crime. Many will have spent five years or more in imprisonment.

According to virtually every prisoner that has been released, they were tortured while imprisoned in countries such as Syria, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Some prisoners say they were tortured by police or interrogators. Some say they heard American voices in the background while they were tortured. None were charged with any crimes. None went to trial. They were abducted by CIA or local authorities at the request of the United States. The United States did not present evidence of criminal actions nor request extradition from the country where the person was detained. Nor did a central approving authority look at the rationale for spiriting a person to the control of a third country for interrogation. Persons were “rendered” many times on the say-so of junior CIA officials.

Back to the Congressional hearing. With eyes narrowed and mouth in a contorted grimace, Congressman Rohrabacker attacked the two British and one Italian members of the European Parliament who testified before the committee. Reminding one of Joe McCarty in tone and substance, Rohrabacker demeaned and degraded the report and chastised, belittled and berated the Parliamentarians. Remarkably, Rohrabacker said the most of the CIA private flights that landed in Europe were to transport CIA agents all over the world, not to move prisoners. Yet the logs of the 1245 flights have been tied by date and location to the movement of specific individual prisoners from one location to another.

Rohrabacher railed against anyone who questioned the right of the Bush administration to do whatever it wanted, legal or illegal, to prevent terrorist acts and said that by not supporting the Bush policies was consigning their country to the terrorists. In particular he said that any Americans who questioned the extraordinary rendition were un-American.

Citing historic examples of other countries kidnapping persons, Rohrabacker said Israel had every right to kidnap Nazi official Adolph Eichmann from Argentina, bring him to Israel and execute him. Rohrabacher conveniently forgot to mention that the Israeli government did put Eichmann on trial, a trial which none of those who have been extraordinarily rendered have had. Rohrabacher then attacked and belittled the European Community for outlawing the death penalty saying that “You in the European community won’t stand up to evil people, you won’t execute them. Eichmann deserved to be executed, just like these terrorists must be executed.”

Rohrabacher never once mentioned due process, the rule of law, right to a trial for anyone picked up in the extraordinary rendition program. Merely because persons were “rendered” and imprisoned by the US meant to Rohrbacker they were guilty.

Rohrabacher said if European countries did not cooperate with the United States and go along with whatever the Bush administration wanted, they were condemning their countrymen to death by not using extralegal methods to imprison terrorist suspects. When citizens attending the hearing, including members of Codepink Women for Peace and Veterans for Peace, heard Rohrabacher’s statement, they collectively groaned. Then, much to the shock and disbelief of everyone in the hearing room, Rorhbacker said to those who had expressed displeasure at his statements: "I hope it’s your family members that die when terrorists strike."

At that point, I had had enough of Rohrabacher. I stood up and said "I did not serve 29 years in the US military and 16 years in the US diplomatic corps to see demise of the rule of law and violation of our own laws. Rohrback’s statements are outrageous. No wonder the world hates us!"

Chairman Delahunt gaveled for me to stop speaking and I was escorted by the police out of the committee room. I was not arrested.

Remarkably, I do agree with one thing Rohrabacker said. "They hate us."

Rohrabacker finished his sentence with "They hate us because they hate our way of life." Unfortunately, many people do hate us, but it’s not for our way of life.

Its for exactly the talk and actions that Rohrabacker and the Bush administration represent: illegal and unlawful actions, an arrogant attitude that America is always right and everyone else is wrong, that the world’s resources are for the exclusive use of the United States and we have the right to invade and occupy any country.”

Until we change the manner in which Presidential administrations and the Congress operate and the way we approach our membership in the community of nations, the world will continue to question what America stands for.

About the Author: Ann Wright retired as a Colonel after serving 13 years on active duty and 16 years in the US Army Reserves. After 16 years in the US diplomatic corps, she resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She had been assigned in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. She helped reopen the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan in December, 2001.

A Day in DC With CODEPINK by Caroline Chinlund

2007-04-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Plans having changed due to disruptions in the government’s schedule caused by the horrible Virginia Tech shooting, two hearings were targeted for today’s Code Pink involvement. In the morning, a delegation of five of us in newly penned pink shirts, crown, hats and bibs set off for the Rayburn Congressional Office Building to a hearing the House oversight and Government Reform Committee was holding on the Walter Reed Hospital. With the friendly help of a capitol policeman we found the hearing room whose number had been changed. We were able to get five seats all together and central, behind the panel who were giving testimony.

The testimony was hard to listen to in the context of our knowledge that the war, still ongoing, continued to wreak devastation on bodies and lives of soldiers and families here and in Iraq. Des, in shirt lettered NO WAR NO WOUNDED on the front and BRING OUR TROOPS HOME on the back, stood up. The reporters seemed to be trying to get an angle on the testimony that included her. Someone official came over and asked her to sit, which she did.

In a few minutes Bev had the idea of asking for Des’ shirt. Des took it off passed it down;(She had another one underneath!) Bev put in on and stood. When she sat down, she passed the shirt on to Eva-Lee. The hearings proceeded with Eva-Lee standing. Then I had a turn in the shirt. There was no interference with our silent commentary, but when one of us called out “STOP FUNDING THE WAR’ the chairman asked me to sit and requested we be silent.

It was very hard not to comment as the doctors and retired military people talked about the lifelong care needed by people with traumatic brain injury and PTSD as well as the prosthetic technology that must be afforded to amputees. And it was equally hard to hear the concerns of the committee members who were aware of the suffering of the soldiers and families who were their constituents.

I wanted to yell…STOP ALL OF THIS !!..FUND THE WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS.!!.FUND THE REPARATIONS TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE!!..STOP BUSH’S ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL AGGRESSION.!! IMPEACHMENT HO!!

But by then all the press had left, and I didn’t disrupt the meeting. It would have been fun to sing the new song that Medea and Des have been working on:

To the tune of “I’ve been working on the railroad”

We defend the constitution

We’re the pink police

We defend the constitution

And we defend free speech

Can’t you hear the people shouting

It’s become a roar

You can hear the people shouting

Time to end this war

Time to end the war

Time to end the war

Time to end the war right now right now

Time to end the war

Time to end the war

Time to end the war let’s go!

Someone’s in the White House with George

Someone’s in the White House we know

Someone’s in the White House with George

Cooking up another War

Fee fi fiddle e Yi o

Fee fi fiddle e yi o ho ho ho

Fee fi fiddle e yi o

Time to end the war right now let’s Go!

After the hearing ended Medea and Eva-Lee mingled with the committee members. Later a reporter from Kentucky interviewed Eva-Lee about her conversation with Iowa congressman Bruce Braley.

At this point I felt like Cinderella. It was 12 noon and my Chinatown Bus would take off at one to whisk me back to NYC and my other life.

Medea and I parted from Des, Bev and Eva-Lee and got a taxi to the Code Pink House. I grabbed my stuff and said farewell. Once again I was touched and inspired by the care and attention of Code Pink as Medea helped me, carrying one of my bags out to the car. People at the Code Pink DC House are always active, yet seem never too busy to be friendly and supportive of one another.

Writing this on the bus, I’m thinking of the story we heard Congressman John Lewis tell last night at the Bookshop Café called Busboys and Poets. He described a moment in the struggle of non-violent resistance when he knew there was no turning back. He had to move on with his life being someone who GETS IN THE WAY. With and after Martin Luther King he worked for voting rights for all citizens and the end of racial segregation.

Staying connected through these days among the women of Code Pink, I will have to keep on GETTING IN THE WAY until our government ends the involvement in the Iraq war, and ends the practice of war as any kind of solution. As John Lewis said last night, WAR IS NO LONGER A VIABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF PRESERVING LIFE ON OUR PLANET!!!

Reflections on the Arrest at Pelosi's Office by Lorie Perdue

2007-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

“Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the People to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Cold weather, sharp winds and blowing snow and rain could not keep Code Pinkers in D.C. from delivering coffee and a wake up call to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi in her Cannon Building office this morning. A delegation of activists from several groups (along with an NBC television news crew) gathered at the Code Pink house for breakfast, discussion and strategizing and then marched to the Speaker’s office to say “welcome back” both from congressional recess and from her trip to the Middle East. Many groups were represented at the meeting and action, which turned into an arrest action when Marine Mom Tina Richards protested the Speaker’s inaction on hearing the grievances of those most affected by the war. Capitol Police arrested her after one warning as she shouted “Stop Funding War” in the hallway outside the office.
The coalition had earlier requested a meeting with Pelosi’s Chief of Staff to discuss the upcoming House/Senate Joint Conference Committee sessions about the $124 million Supplemental Defense Appropriations request and to encourage the Speaker to employ the diplomatic tactics she is urging world leaders to use. Approximately 30 activists entered the office, reading narratives about American Military Members who have died since the Democrats took control of the Congress.
As staff and police forced the Press to leave the office, Code Pink members flashed back to a moment of inspiration from Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Choir and sang the First Amendment Song protesting the abridging of the freedom of speech and of the Press.
The contingent, which included representatives of many local D.C. groups and national groups, did meet briefly with the Speaker’s Chief of Staff and conveyed the message that they still desire the Congress to stand up to Bush and stop funding the war.
Following the meeting, the activism from Code Pink continued, with support actions with Tax Resisters, Green Party members and D.C. voting rights activists seeking representation in Congress.
As a personal side note, we were in the midst of the visit in Nancy Pelosi’s office as the news of the shooting spree at Virginia Tech broke. While we watched the story unfold and the death toll climb we were reminded of how quickly tragedy can strike and that many area families would be feeling great loss. The horrific incident has left 32 dead so far. It is a terrible incident; one, which I hope, is never repeated. We are already hearing people lashing out in grief and fear but we need to understand that although it is human to react, reactionary decisions are not always the most productive or wise. It is shocking and scary, but we also need to spend a moment and gain a little perspective. And in a moment of realism we need to reflect on the fact that the V.T. shooting death toll is about the average of any normal morning in Iraq. Just another normal morning outside the Green Zone.

He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
- Thomas Paine

Disruption of Congress by Lori Perdue

2007-03-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am, in general, a law-abiding citizen. I pay my taxes. I use my turn signals. I show respect for law enforcement officers, too much sometimes, according to Medea. I am a realistic person and an idealistic soul. The combination makes for an interesting perspective while working on the Hill.
I have been in many, many congressional hearings in the past several months. And yes, I have acted up, spoken up, been moved to stand up in protest, been removed and threatened with arrest. I have confronted legislators in hallways, following press conferences, in their offices, at events and on the streets of D.C. I have lobbied, monitored, and marched into the teeth of opposition. It is true, I have pushed the envelope and been pushed across the line and onto the floors of the House office buildings. That must be expected when one is working with likes of revolutionaries Medea Benjamin and Gael Murphy. I have not, however, been arrested… before Friday, March 23.
Civil Disobedience has been something I have supported, and advocated. It is a valuable tool for change in our society, a vital part of Democracy. But I have made a point in many conversations to stress that it would take a very clear issue to motivate me to join the ranks of the Activists who so willingly lay their bodies, records and pocketbooks on the line to emphasize a point to their government. Last week, I proudly, but with an overwhelming sadness, added my name to the list of those whose life stories include defying rules and laws to shed light on injustice and express dissent.

I spent early Friday morning on the sidewalk between the House office buildings and the Capitol lobbying Members going to and from the Democratic Caucus meeting, stressing that if they buy this war, by funding it, they will own it and will be held responsible for the outcome. I won’t say the effort was wasted, because the experience hardened my resolve. When Members who greeted me on their way to the Caucus meeting wouldn’t look me in the eye upon their return, I understood that our battle for de-funding was facing defeat at the hands of the Democratic leadership. The reality of the betrayal was stark, but not startling. Move On had ensured that the staunch attitude of “No more money for War” from the Peace Movement contingent was muddled with an invalid poll and millions of dollars applied to pushing Dems to vote for the Supplemental and it’s millions for programs unrelated to ending the war. The tears started to flow freely when a Democrat finally looked at me, standing on the sidewalk with a poster of an American Solider carrying a dead Iraqi child, and said, “There’s nothing we can do about it. They are going to get their votes. Thank you for trying. Don’t stop.”
After working so hard, for so many weeks, with so many people, to pressure Congressional Democrats to vote “NO” on the Iraq War Supplemental, or for Democrats of principal to support the Lee Amendment that would fund only the safe and orderly withdrawal of troops, I felt I had no choice but to ensure that a voice of dissent was heard in the House.
I entered the Capitol building with Marine Mom Tina Richards, Military Families Speak Out co-founder Nancy Lessin, and two other members of MFSO. I was wearing black, clearly marked with Code Pink – Women for Peace, with stage blood on my hands and face. We waited in line, passed through security, waited inside the Capitol and were finally admitted to the House Gallery. Tina and I were seated in the front row, along the rail, directly behind the Democrats. As Speaker Pelosi addressed Congress Tina produced a photo of her Son, Cloy, bravely held it in front of her face and refused to put it away. She wanted to remind Congress, many of whom had met with her in the previous weeks, that her son could be recalled to active duty and deployed to Iraq, for the third time, if they funded the Supplemental. She was escorted out of the gallery by four plain clothes Capitol Police officers and removed from the building. They did not want to arrest her, told her so, and showed regret at her plight and were kind to her as they ejected her. As the Speaker wrapped up her address by twisting the Peace Movement’s talking points to her purpose, making it seem as if the interests of American and International Peace Groups were truly being served by the passing of this bill, I felt physically ill. Pelosi was co-opting our truth and besmirching it with her partisan spin. The feeling of betrayal was overwhelming and my heart started to pound with an outrage that rivaled that of the dismay and anger I felt over “Shock and Awe”.
Congress quickly moved for a voice vote on the bill. When the applause faded and legislators moved to cast their electronic votes for the record I recognized that my time had arrived. I quickly stood, held my bloody hands in the air and shouted, “Don’t buy this war.” I was grabbed by the Capitol Officer who had stationed himself next to me, expecting just this type of disturbance, and pulled into the aisle. I continued, “You’re buying it and you own it!” Four more officers surrounded me and lifted me by my elbows up the stairs as I shouted, “Troops Home Now! Troops Home Now! Troops Home Now!” as they carried me from the Gallery. Another Activist, Tighe Barry, picked up the cry from another area in the Gallery as they dragged me out, sustaining the dissent for a few more moments. We were both arrested, searched, cuffed and taken away by Police quite efficiently and without violence.
Looking back, I realize that our actions did not change the way the votes fell, but the spirit of true change was recognized in the Capitol. Pelosi and the Blue Dogs got what they wanted legislatively. They got their money, but they also got the message that the cost was much greater than 100 billion dollars. The true cost will be paid in blood and tears. They did not, however, get it quietly, floating their political maneuvering under the radar. Tighe and I made sure they and everyone in the Gallery and maybe those watching at home on CSpan realized that there are those in the public that disagree, that there are Americans that don’t believe that more money for war is supporting the troops. I truly hope that all members of Congress understand that we will continue to mourn and dissent even in the House Chambers, and now in the Senate, until they act responsibly to Bring our Troops Home Now.

Lori Perdue is a native of Indiana, mother of two teenagers, a United States Air Force Veteran and is officially affiliated with Code Pink – Women for Peace, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out. She has been a full-time Peace Activist for two years.

CODEPINK Disappointed With Democrat Funding for War; Determined to Stop Future Funding and Bring Our Troops Home (www.dontbuybushswar.org)

2007-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the "Iraq Accountability Act" giving the President an additional $100 billion to continue the US occupation and associated military operations in Iraq. While this binding measure establishes a deadline for the removal of most combat troops by August 31, 2008, the conditions set forth in the bill fall far short of where Congress should be on their path to bringing the troops home. CODEPINK believes that not one more dollar should be appropriated for continued war and occupation, and will continue to push the position that Congress should only fund the safe, orderly and rapid withdrawal of all troops by the end of this year.

CODEPINK will continue to demand that Congress be accountable to the American people’s clarion call last November 7 to end to the war. Despite many expert opinions that say that the US priority in Iraq must be to support political and diplomatic solutions rather than military operations, and yet we are still burdened with an exclusively military strategy and additional funding for war and occupation.
Members of Congress who voted for the supplemental bill see it as the first small step toward the major policy shift we seek. The work of the peace movement, and particularly that of CODEPINK, has been instrumental in moving us closer to our goal to end the war. Speaker Pelosi, talking to the Democratic Caucus on the eve of the vote, mentioned the pressure she herself was getting from CODEPINK camping out on her doorstep! Congress has moved this far only because of public pressure, and reach further, public pressure must and will continue. CODEPINK will now push for the best supplemental bill possible out of the Senate, the best bill possible out of Conference, and the best bill possible from the Defense Authorization that will be coming up in April. CODEPINK continues to fight for better funding legislation that will finally and completely end the US military presence in Iraq.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Why Does the Peace Movement Still Say "NO" To The Supplemental Bill To Fund The War?

By Phyllis Bennis
Institute for Policy Studies
22 February 2007

Dear friends,

The Democratic leadership claims the $125 billion supplemental is the way to end the war. Aside from setting a date for bringing home troops, the bill includes a number of items many in the peace movement would ordinarily support – veterans’ health benefits, Katrina survivors’ assistance, children’s health insurance…
So what’s the problem with the supplemental? Why aren’t peace activists supporting it?
Because it gives President Bush another $100 billion to continue the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And it doesn’t end the occupation or prevent expansion of the war to Iran.
WHAT IT DOES
It calls for pulling out half the troops from Iraq by August 2008
BUT –
It exempts whole categories of troops from the withdrawal
** Troops “training the Iraqi military” can stay – currently 6,000, perhaps as
many as 20,00 (no limit in the supplemental)
** Troops engaged in “special operations” can stay – the Marines say they want
20,000 for Anbar Province alone, perhaps as many as 40,000 for the whole country (no limit in the supplemental)
** Troops “protecting diplomatic enclaves” like the huge Green Zone and the US
Embassy, the largest in the world, and maybe including the numerous US bases established in Iraq, can stay – 20,000 is a conservative number (no limit in the supplemental)
That means Bush could keep unlimited numbers, perhaps 60,000 – 80,000 troops, permanently in Iraq – and still be in compliance with the bill.
And the bill does not require that the troops withdrawn from Iraq be sent home; they can be immediately deployed to Afghanistan, or to bases in surrounding Arab countries, or to ships in the Persian Gulf – or be used to attack Iran.
WHAT IT DOES
It imposes restrictions on Pentagon deployments, prohibiting the deployment of troops not fully trained, not adequately equipped, and not adequately rested between deployments.
BUT –
It includes a waiver for President Bush to simply state his intention to override those restrictions, allowing him to send in as many untrained, badly equipped and exhausted troops as he wishes.
WHAT IT DOES
Prohibit construction of new permanent bases in Iraq
BUT –
It does nothing to close the existing permanent bases the U.S. has built across Iraq
WHAT IT DOES
Cut 10% of the funding for private military contractors
BUT –
It allows 90% of the 100,000 or so mercenaries who fight alongside the U.S. military to remain in Iraq
WHAT IT DOESN’T DO
The supplemental does not prohibit an unprovoked attack on Iran.
The supplemental does not end the occupation of Iraq.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Medea Benjamin Responds to the Supplemental at PDA Conference-Part 1

Medea Benjamin Responds to the Supplemental at PDA Conference-Part 2

Marcy Winograd, President of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, Gives A Shout-out To the Heroic Peace Actions of Brazen CODEPINKer, Tighe Barry

2007-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Progressives,

Let's hear it for Code Pink's Tighe Barry for his protest and subsequent arrest in Washington D.C. today. As the Democratic-controlled House took a vote (218-212, Waters, Woolsey & Lee against) to approve another 100-billion plus supplemental for the US occupation of Iraq, Tighe shouted from the gallery on the floor of the House, "Don't buy Bush's War" and "This blood is on your hands now" and ""650,000 Dead Iraqis, How many more?." Police had to clear a row to get to Tighe, rushing him out of the gallery into the hallway. "Are you arresting me," Tighe asked, just to make sure -- and when the police officer nodded, Tighe figured he'd let it rip in the hallway, too. "Stop funding this war!" After sitting in jail for five hours, Tighe spoke with me, saying that prior to the House vote, he met personally with Congress members Adam Schiff (Pasadena area) and Congressman Waxman (West LA), also with a staffer for Jane Harman -- all of whom told him they were doing the right thing in voting to continue the funding, that MoveOn.org had polled its members and everyone agreed the Democrats should approve the Iraq supplemental. Still a Moveon.org member? Not me, I bowed out of that list this afternoon. For more info on the House vote today, see the two articles below. Phyllis Bennis' talking points spell out exactly what the problem is with this vote, while the explains how members of the Out of Iraq Caucus played a pivotal role. If you're interested in joining anti-war activists at the California Democratic Party convention April 27 - 29 in San Diego, email me at pdlavote@aol.com or visit pdla.org.

Peace, Marcy

Yesterday's March-4 Years of War by Sara Rose-Jensen

2007-03-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Despite how long it took my feet to thaw out when I got home, I'm very happy that I was able to attend yesterday's ANSWER March. We kicked the morning off with some songs and chants, which got us fired up to make our way through the counter-protesters. The Gathering of Eagles, as they called themselves, brought angry people, most of them men, from all over the country together to heap abuse on peaceful demonstrators like CODEPINK. It was rather upsetting, because we got physically very close to the counter-protestors, and the police did not seem to be doing much in the way of keeping us separated. The CODEPINK women handled themselves with the upmost grace though, singing "All we are saying is give peace a chance," while making our way to the main march. The counter-demonstrators continued to be a presence throughout the march, periodically grouping along the route to scream more. As always though, we out numbered them.
Following along in the footsteps of the Vietnam War protesters was both empowering and saddening. It made me feel good to know what we were not alone in history, and that another group of peace-loving folks had come before us and stopped the war machine. At the same time, I was sad that our country is involved in another pointless, racist war that is killing our young people while sucking up huge portions of the budget that should be spent here, improving schools, providing healthcare, and making certain that all Americans can live safe and happy lives. It's a shame it had to happen again. The Vietnam protesters fought the actual draft, while today we fight the system of broken schools and limited opportunities that creates a draft by making the military seem like the only feasible option.
Each time I got too bogged down in the past and the present wars, I looked around me, and I felt better again. Here were tens of thousands of people who knew this war was wrong, and who were willing to help tell the world. I marched with grandmothers, students, Catholic priests, veterans, and all the rest of an amazing cross section of America. I hope that all of them were able to go home feeling as good as I did, but also knowing how much more we have to do. Marching on the weekend is one thing, but there is work to be done during the week too. This week all Americans who oppose the war should take time to call their Representatives and tell them that voting NO on the supplemental funding bill is the fastest and most direct way to end the war right now. Hopefully some will even be able to join CODEPINK in the hall of Congress this week as they remind Congress that the people of America don't want this war, don't want to pay for this war, and don't want them to vote to continue funding this war.

Activists arrested outside Appropriations Committee hearin

2007-03-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Gael Murphy being cuffed in the hallway immediately outside the door of the House Appropriations Committee Meeting. (Photo: Axis of Logic)

The Appropriations Committee is meeting right now in Washington DC and is discussing war appropriations. Members of the public are not being allowed entry to the Appropriations hearing - only members and staff are being admitted. Folks are waiting outside. Many anti-war funding activists are demanding entry. Capitol police have gotten rough - three people have already been arrested.

Call Rep. Obey's (WI -07) office at (202) 225-3365 to arrange for a larger room to accommodate the citizens who want to observe their representatives at work on this critical issue of funding the Iraq occupation. It’s not too late – the hearing will likely continue tomorrow.

Call your Representative and strongly urge support for Barbara Lee's Amendment to bring our troops home safely: If you haven't contacted your Congress members to support the Lee Amendment for fully-funded withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2007, please do that now. Call (and get others to call) Congress at 1-202-224-3121 or toll-free 1-888-851-1879.

More details: http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/2007-03-13-18-17-42-news.php
______________________________________________________________________________

The Arrest of Activist Mel Stevens

This morning The Encampment to Stop the War went into the Rayburn Building to confront the Democrats as the House Appropriations Committee holds their first meeting to fund the continuation of the slaughter in Iraq. 10 Encampment members were arrested. A few of us were the first in line in the hallway outside the chamber where the meeting is now taking place. The balance of Encampment members picketed the outside of the building.

In the hallway outside the chamber they lined us up for entrance into the chamber. After waiting for about an hour, the Capital Police opened up a door on the other end of the hallway to bring a large number of staffers in. The police then told us that there would not be enough room for us to attend the public meeting. The time was 8:56, 4 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. About a dozen Encampment members and several members of Code Pink began to chant:

"LET US IN - IT'S THE PEOPLES' HOUSE!"

As Encampment members became louder demanding their right to attend this public meeting. The police arrested 3 members of the Encampment in the hallway:

GAEL MURPHY
RALPH LOEFFLER
MEL STEVENS

Gael, Ralph and Mel sat down on the floor and refused to leave as everyone loudly demanded their right to attend this important meeting. The police forced them face down on the floor, handcuffed them and took them out. The protest in the hallway became louder and the House Appropriations Committee were forced to delay their meeting by about a half hour because of the growing disturbance directly outside the chamber doors.

Following these arrests, 7 more Encampment Members were arrested for blocking the front door of the Rayburn Building:

SHARON BLACK
SARA FLOUNDERS
DUSTIN LANGLEY
LARRY HOLMES
LORIE BLANDING
BOB NASH
PAUL ZULKOWITZ

They are now being held in jail by the Washington DC police department pending charges.

Congress Must Vote Down the Supplemental

2007-03-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 1) - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) called on Congress to oppose the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill, citing a 1999 federal court case, which states the only way to end a war is to cut the funding.

“A vote for the supplemental is a vote to reauthorize the war all over again,” Kucinich said. “Congress has constitutional authority to deny the President the authority to go to war and to cut off the funds and end this war. Each appropriations approval is a vote to continue the Iraq war.”

An 1999 U.S. District Court case has reemerged into the debate over Congress' power to cut off funds and end the war. In the Campbell v. Clinton case 17 Member of Congress, including Kucinich, sued President Bill Clinton for unconstitutionally attacking Serbia without obtaining a declaration of war or other explicit authority from Congress. A war declaration by Congress is required by Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution.

The Court ruled in favor of the Administration because it could find no constitutional impasse existed between the Legislative and the Executive branch requiring judicial intervention. Congress had appropriated funds for the war and therefore chose not to remove U.S. forces. The significance of this case is that the court ruled the only way for Congress to end a war is to cut off funding.

“Congress can debate and pass legislation for redeployment, phased redeployment, a resolution to end the war or a non-binding resolution disapproving of the troop surge. But none of this will have any legal effect. Each and every time Congress voted for a supplemental bill, they voted to reauthorize the war all over again,” Kucinich said.

The supplemental appropriations bill is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives soon.
“The Administration does not have to pay any attention to Congress' attempt to guide the war. Once Congress gave its consent for military action, it did not have the authority to steer the conduct of the war. Now, the only option Congress has to end the war is to withdraw approval for the war through a cut off of funds,” Kucinich said.
“The Campbell case makes it obvious that as long as Congress continues to fund the war, it cannot simultaneously argue that it's being usurped with respect to the war powers.
“Each appropriations vote gives the President implied consent to continue the war. That is why Congress needs to take a stand and vote down the supplemental. ”

Tina Richards, Military Mom for Peace

2007-03-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Folks,

I’ve received emails thanking me for speaking out on behalf of my son and other troops serving in Iraq. In addition, I’ve received questions about my exchange with Rep. David Obey that was videotaped by a citizens news group, Kathleen Gable and Tyler Westbrook, that is documenting the peace movement in the halls of Congress. They’ve covered my visits with other members of Congress as well as the work of other citizens working to end the war.

I’ve come to Washington, DC because my son Cloy, who has been honorably discharged from the Marines with the presidential unit citation, is now facing a possible third deployment. Cloy is suffering from undiagnosed traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. As Cloy says in one of his poems “every time I look in the mirror I see a casualty of the war.” (You can see on http://grassrootsamerica4us.org/ the impact the war has had on him through his poetry.)

Like other soldiers, my son has suffered neglect. Therefore, I’ve also been lobbying Congress on the inadequate treatment our troops receive in the VA system – my son is not an isolated case. He should not be going back. Indeed it is time to bring all our sons and daughters home from Iraq.

Although my senators have offered to help Cloy individually, he has refused special treatment unless they are also actively working to bring home all his brothers and sisters. He is a Marine and will not leave his fellow soldiers behind.

My unplanned meeting with Rep. David Obey in the hallway was an opportunity to ask the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the committee that will write the budget for the Iraq War and occupation, how he will use the ‘power of the purse’ to bring the war to an end. The frustration he showed in his response to my questions was understandable. Many in Congress who know the war is wrong feel unable to do all they can to end it.

On November 7th, Nancy Pelosi was given a mandate by the American people to bring our troops home. It time for Speaker Pelosi to spend her political capital.

As a citizen, I am confused why the Democrats are working from President Bush’s appropriation when his party lost the 2006 election because of the war. The new majority should write their own supplemental budget bill based on the views of the vast majority of Americans, majority of troops in Iraq, and majority of Iraqis – one that ends the war, brings the troops home safely and takes care of them when they return.

I hope to meet with Rep. Obey and I have been contacted by Speaker Pelosi’s office to schedule an appointment to meet with her. I want to understand how they are going to end the war.

As a mother of a Marine I have a personal interest, but it is an interest shared by other mothers whose sons and daughters are in Iraq – we want this war to end. We want U.S. troops to come home. We want our sons and daughters cared for when they return. We want our country to live up to its highest ideals and help Iraq rebuild its country, provide support to a regional peace keeping force and talk with the other countries in the region about how to reduce the violence and bring stability to the Middle East. We want to see the damage of this war undone.

I have seen the horrors of war through my son’s eyes. Therefore I ask “How will you end this war?”

Sincerely,

Tina Richards
Grass Roots America, CEO
GrassRootsAmerica4us.org

Below are some questions I have received:

Q. Did you set him up?

A. I Didn’t. I heard there was going to be an occupation of his office and I wanted to get there early to try once again to get an appointment. I have been there a dozen times and never ran into him and did not expect to run into him.

Q. But the camera was shooting up?

A. The camera woman is short. There was another gentleman there that took pictures of Rep. Obey, the camera woman with the large camera and myself. It wasn’t hidden.

Q. Why are you here when your son is in trouble?

A. I’ve been home two years taking care of him when the VA hasn’t. I need to stop his deployment. After his second tour of Iraq, I promised myself as a mother to never feel powerless again. DC is where I could stop the deployment.

Q. Why are you asking for money on your website?

A. I have sold my house, given every penny to help my son and to end this war. I have no money left. I planned to go home after January 29th and return to being a banker in which I earn a nice salary. I’m living on a couch in Maryland.

Q. Who’s funding you?

A. I’ve received $10 and $15 checks mostly, and some others like a $50 check from a Lt. Col. in Fargo N. Dakota. I have raised about $3,000 in the last few months which I’ve used to support my son, my daughter and myself. I’ve also increased my credit card balances – the only thing in my finances that has increased.

Q. Why did you give the video to the media?

A. We shot it on Monday and deliberated for three days as to whether we should show it or not. We finally decided to show it as it reflected the frustration we all feel, citizens and lawmakers alike.

Q. Why won’t your elected officials help?

A. After everything that has happened, my son refuses to be their political pawn. Unless they are working to bring his brothers and sisters home, he will not accept their help. He is a Marine and will not leave his fellow soldiers behind.

Q. How can I help?

A. Congress needs to palpably FEEL the presence of we the people, to hear us, and know that we mean it. There cannot be too many voices!

Ask them, “How will you end this war?”

“We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war.” Molly Ivins

Courageous Congresswoman Maxine Waters tells Fox like it is.

2007-03-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

The following is a partial transcript of the March 11, 2007, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace":

"FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: This week, the House Democratic leadership announced a timetable to bring U.S. combat troops home from Iraq by September 2008. But many of the 75 members of the Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus say that's not soon enough.

Joining us now from her home state of California, the chair of that caucus, Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

Congresswoman, the bill being offered by House Democratic leaders continues funding our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it sets some conditions.

If the president doesn't certify that the Iraqi politicians are making progress, they can start to bring the troops home and, in any case, all combat troops would be out by September of 2008. Why isn't that soon enough for you?

REP. MAXINE WATERS: Well, there are a lot of bells and whistles in this bill. And they ask the president to not only certify, but begin in July by telling us whether or not progress has been made.

We have been listening to this president tell us about what he's doing and what's going on. We've been misled.

We were told that there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none. We were told that we would be welcome with open arms. That's not the case.

We were told that we would get revenues from the oil fields that would help to repair the bombings that we had done in Iraq and in Baghdad in particular. That's not true.

So first of all, there's not a lot of trust. Secondly, we just voted a non-binding resolution that said we do not support the surge or the expansion, and now we're going to fund it?

We believe that we should use funding to safely exit our soldiers from Iraq with a well-thought-out exit plan. We believe that that can be done. We are not talking about doing it overnight.

We think a reasonable timetable would perhaps be by the end of the year, and we want to see a clean, straightforward bill.

WALLACE: Congresswoman, is the Democratic leadership — Speaker Pelosi and the other Democratic leaders — are they being too timid?

WATERS: Oh, I don't know if that's the way to describe it. You know, this is the kind of process where you have a lot of people who think differently about the issues.

And for those of us who feel that we should be out of Iraq, we have a responsibility to the people, and particularly since we know that the people want us out of Iraq. Not only do all the polls show it, this last election in November was an election to send people to Washington to help get us out of Iraq.

So those of us who feel strongly about it — we have to be good advocates. We have to speak for the people, and that's what we're doing.

WALLACE: Congresswoman, this week the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey, was confronted by an antiwar protester who wanted him to vote against this spending bill that we're talking about here, which led to this exchange. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS.: It's time these idiot liberals understand that there's a hell of a difference between defunding the troops and ending the war. I'm not going to deny body armor. I'm not going to deny funding for veterans hospitals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Respectfully, Congresswoman, are you one of those — what Congresswoman Obey would call idiot liberals who would vote against this spending bill and thereby deny our troops body armor and medical care?

WATERS: I don't know. I think his language was quite unfortunate. That was a mother whose son has done two tours of duty in Iraq. He's apologized for having used that kind of language, and I would hope that he does not do that again.

I don't know what he thinks about my position and whether he would characterize me that way, but I would hope not.

WALLACE: But by voting against the spending bill, you would be voting against giving the troops body armor, against more funding for veterans and military hospitals.

WATERS: That's not true. That's absolutely not true. What you have in this bill is a requirement that the soldiers would be properly trained, they would have the proper equipment, and it basically backs the president up against the wall, and it dares him to use his waiver authority they give him.

Even though the bill says that's what we need, that's what we should have, then they say but, Mr. President, you can waive all of that if you want to. And of course, if he waives that, he has to go before the American people. It will make him look bad. That's one of the bells or the whistles in the bill.

I think we need a straight bill, vote up or down on the supplemental, and the only thing that I would say is use money in that supplemental to safely exit the soldiers out of Iraq.

WALLACE: Congresswoman — and I want to make it clear that you want to get all troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, but you also make it clear you want to fund it, as you say, to make it safe, to make it thoughtful.

But let's talk about your policy and what would happen if all U.S. troops are out of Iraq by the end of 2007. Don't you worry about a possible — it's been called genocidal blood bath between the Sunnis and the Shia once we're out of there?

WATERS: Well, let me just say this. And I don't think there's any problem with leaving some of our soldiers what we call over the horizon, in Kuwait someplace, to help respond to a major catastrophe of some kind.

But don't forget, the Sunnis and the Shiites were getting along before we went in with our occupation, and I don't think that we can use the argument that if we're not there, it's going to be a bloodbath, or they can't manage to do what they were doing prior to our being there.

Much of what is happening ...

WALLACE: Well, but, Congresswoman, prior to our being there, Saddam Hussein was in charge. So that was what was keeping the Sunnis and Shia away from each other.

I mean, once we're out, we're not going to come back if the Sunni and the Shia start fighting with each other.

WATERS: Well, I don't think we can say the only way that Iraq can be stabilized is if Saddam Hussein was there. I think that they're developing new leadership. We have given support to new leadership.

And they have to find a way to get along. I don't think that we can say that in order for us to leave, we've got to somehow make sure that history — years of history of not getting along all of a sudden is changed and that we're going to have to stay there until it happens.

They are going to have to figure that out. We can support them, but we cannot stay there forever in the middle of this civil war.

WALLACE: Congresswoman, let's talk about another issue if we pull out by the end of this year. What about the danger that Al Qaeda and other insurgent groups will set up terrorist havens in western Iraq?

WATERS: Well, the first place, we should have been more focused on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We took our eye off the ball.

And we went after Saddam Hussein, a convenient target, because this president wanted to make sure that people understood he was fighting a war on terrorism and that was the best way to do it.

They knew that Saddam Hussein had a reputation for being a villain because he had invaded Kuwait before.

WALLACE: But Congresswoman, forgive me...

WATERS: But we should have been concentrating on Afghanistan.

WALLACE: Congresswoman, forgive me, though. I don't think you're — I understand that and that's a legitimate criticism, but it doesn't answer my question, which is we pull all our troops out of Iraq, as you would have under your measure, by December 2007 — what happens to Al Qaeda setting up terrorist safe havens in Anbar province?

WATERS: What happens if Al Qaeda decides to set up safe havens anywhere? Don't forget, there are cells in different places in the world. We have not done the job that we should be doing to find Usama bin Laden and to deal with Al Qaeda.

If we concentrate first on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, up around Tora Bora, where we know that we have a big concentration of activity of Al Qaeda, I think we'd do a much better job than concentrating all of our energy and our resources in Iraq.

WALLACE: Finally, we've got about — actually, less than a minute left.

What message do you think it would send to the terrorists around the world, to Iran, with its expansionist policies, if the U.S. showed that after a certain amount of time, a certain amount of loss of troops, that we were going to cut and run, that we were going to leave?

WATERS: Well, I think cut and run is a kind of language that has been used by this administration and others to intimidate those of us who are responding to the American people's desire to get our soldiers out of Iraq.

Our soldiers are dying every day. Civilians are dying by the thousands in Iraq. I just don't want to wake up one morning and find that they have bombed one of our compounds and hundreds of our soldiers had been killed.

We just saw a few weeks ago where they had a convoy that went past several checkpoints and went in to one of our areas and killed our soldiers. We don't have the cooperation there from the Iraqis.

Sunnis and Shiites alike that are in the military are all against us. They undermine us. They are not sticking with us during times of confrontation.

We don't need to have our soldiers in the middle of this civil war. It can't get any worse than this. And we need to get out before we have something of a major catastrophe happen to our soldiers.

WALLACE: Congresswoman Waters, we're going to have to leave it there. We want to thank you so much for coming in early today out on the west coast to talk with us. We appreciate it.

WATERS: Well, you're certainly welcome. Thank you.

Congress Must Defund the War

2007-03-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

by Senator Russell Feingold

We are approaching the four-year anniversary of one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in our country's history. In March 2003, with the prior authorization of Congress, the President took this country to war in Iraq. Almost four years later, virtually every objective observer--and, more importantly, the American people--agree that the President's policy has failed.

Even the President acknowledges his plan hasn't worked, though his solution is not a new plan but a troop escalation. Of course, sending more troops to implement what is essentially the same flawed strategy makes no sense. The American people agree that it makes no sense. And most of my colleagues agree that it makes no sense.

The question becomes, with a President unable or unwilling to fix a flawed policy that is jeopardizing our national security and military readiness, what should we in Congress do about our country's involvement in this disastrous war? Do we do nothing, and hope that the President will put things right, when he has shown time and again that he is incapable of doing so? Do we tell the President that we aren't happy with the way the war is going and hope that he will change course? Or do we take strong, decisive action to fix the President's mistaken, self-defeating policies?

It's pretty clear which course of action I support. It's the course of action that the American people called for in the November elections. It's the course of action that our national security needs, so we don't continue to neglect global threats and challenges while we focus so much of our resources on Iraq. It's the course of action that will support our brave troops and their families.

We must end our involvement in this tragic and misguided war. The President will not do so. Therefore, Congress must act.

So far, Congress has not lived up to that responsibility. Instead of taking strong action in the Senate, instead of considering binding legislation that fixes the President's flawed Iraq strategy, we tied ourselves into knots last week in a convoluted and misguided effort to achieve a consensus that would have essentially reaffirmed congressional authorization for continuing our military involvement in Iraq. I am referring to the resolution proposed by the senior Senator from Virginia. This resolution was portrayed by members of both parties as an important, symbolic rebuke of the president's Iraq policy. In fact, it was not a rebuke at all. In parts, it read like a reauthorization of the war, rejecting troop redeployment and specifically authorizing "vigorous operations" in part of Iraq.

When debate on the Warner resolution was blocked, we had a chance to get things right. And I am glad that Senator Reid has chosen to bring up the resolution being debated in the House expressing support for the troops and opposition to the so-called surge. This body should go on record in opposition to, or support of, the President's plan.
I will vote to allow debate on the resolution to take place. And I hope I will have the opportunity to actually vote for the resolution. I have yet to hear any convincing argument that sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq will bring about the political solution that is needed to end violence in that country.

The President's decision to send more troops is based on two flawed assumptions. It assumes first, that the presence of even more of our servicemembers will help Iraqi troops improve security in Baghdad, and second, that with improved security, Iraqi politicians can achieve national reconciliation. The recent declassified NIE shot holes in both those assumptions. It said that the Iraqi Security Forces "will be hard pressed in the next 12-18 months to execute significantly increased security responsibilities." And, "even if violence is diminished, given the current winner-take-all attitude and sectarian animosities infecting the political scene, Iraqi leaders will be hard pressed to achieve sustained political reconciliation in the time frame of this Estimate." Those are direct quotes.

In other words, in the best case scenario, U.S. forces provide a little security that Iraqi forces can't sustain on their own and that Iraqi politicians won't use to settle their entrenched differences. That doesn't sound like a plan for success.

Now, some of my colleagues, even those who don't support sending more troops to Baghdad, have spoken in favor of continued and even increased U.S. military operations in al Anbar province. Some of them even suggest that our troops should be combating an insurgency there. This is a recipe for disaster. Al Anbar province is where a majority of U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. The insurgency there, as well as general opposition to the U.S. presence and to the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad, is fueled by the Sunnis' political and economic grievances. Conducting targeted missions to take out terrorists makes sense; using U.S. troops to put down an insurgency doesn't. Maintaining--or, worse yet, increasing -- a substantial U.S. presence in a primarily Sunni area, without a political solution, means a continuation of our unending, and self-defeating, policies in Iraq.

Clearly, Mr. President, the President's decision to send more troops makes no sense. But simply passing a nonbinding resolution criticizing it makes no sense either--if we just stop there. We need to go further and we need to do it soon.

Let me remind my colleagues--when the voters rejected the President's Iraq policy in November, they weren't rejecting an escalation. That option wasn't even on the table then. They were rejecting the President's policy of trying to achieve a political solution in Iraq with a massive and unlimited military presence. After delaying action for a couple months, the President ignored overwhelming public sentiment, the advice of members of both parties, and the views of military and foreign policy experts when he proposed his escalation. The administration turned its back on the American people. We in Congress should not follow suit. We have a responsibility to our constituents, and to our men and women in uniform. If no one will listen to, and act on, the will of the American people, then there is something seriously wrong with our political system.

After almost four years of a disastrous policy, we must bring our troops out of Iraq. To do otherwise is to ignore public outrage over the war and to ignore the many other, pressing national security priorities that we are neglecting in favor of a myopic focus on Iraq. The American people recognize that there is no U.S. military solution to Iraq's civil war. And as long as we focus disproportionate attention and resources on Iraq, we will not be able to counter the full range of threats that we face in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and around the world.

Congress must use its power of the purse to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq. Let's not be intimidated by the misleading rhetoric of the White House and its allies when they try to prevent any discussion of Congress' ending the war. This isn't about "cutting off funds for troops." It's about cutting off funds for the war. Every member of Congress agrees that we must continue to support our troops and give them the resources and support they need. By setting a date after which funding for the war will be terminated -- as I have proposed -- Congress can safely bring our troops out of harm's way.

There is plenty of precedent for Congress exercising its constitutional authority to stop U.S. involvement in armed conflict. Last month, I chaired a Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Exercising Congress's Constitutional Power to End a War."

Without exception, every witness--those called by the majority and the minority--did not challenge the constitutionality of Congress' authority to end a war. Lou Fisher of the Library of Congress is one of the foremost experts on presidential war power--in fact, he literally wrote the book on this topic. He testified that Congress does not simply have the power--it has a responsibility to exercise it when needed. He said, and I quote:

"is the continued use of military force and a military commitment in the Nation's interest? That is the core question. Once you decide that, if you decide it is not in the national interest, you certainly do not want to continue putting U.S. troops in harm's way."

The argument that cutting of funding for a flawed policy would hurt the troops, and that continuing to put U.S. troops in harm's way supports the troops, makes no sense. By ending funding for the war, we can bring our troops safely out of Iraq. Walter Dellinger of Duke Law School made this point when he testified about my proposal:

"There would not be one penny less for salary of the troops. There would not be one penny less for benefits of the troops. There would not be one penny less for weapons or ammunition. There would not be one penny less for supplies or support. Those troops would simply be redeployed to other areas where the armed forces are utilized."

Instead of allowing the president's failed policy to continue, Congress can and should use its power of the purse to end our involvement in the Iraq war, safely redeploying the troops while ensuring, as I do in my bill, that important counterterrorism and training missions are still carried out.

We should be coming up with a strategy for post-redeployment Iraq and the region that is squarely within the context of the global fight against al-Qaida. That means replacing a massive, unsustainable and unlimited military mission with a long-term strategy for mitigating the mess left behind by this war. With such a strategy, we can redirect substantially more resources and attention to the fight against al-Qaida and other international terrorist organizations.

As long as this President goes unchecked by Congress, our troops will remain needlessly at risk, and our national security will be compromised. So let me tell my colleagues--regardless of what happens with this resolution, this is just a first step. And the first step must be followed by stronger steps. I intend to keep pushing until the Senate votes to end our involvement in the Iraq war. And eventually this will happen, because this is what the strong majority of the American people want. Congress may be able to put off its day of reckoning temporarily; the Administration can continue down the same failed path a little longer; but all of us ignore the will of the American people at our peril.

So, let's have this debate. And let's do it openly and honestly. Let's not pretend anyone wants to deny our brave troops the equipment and resources they need. Let's not suggest that opposing the President's strategy is unpatriotic, that it would give aid and comfort to the enemy, that it would weaken the resolve of our troops.

Those claims are outrageous, they are offensive, and they are untrue. Do my colleagues believe that the American people gave aid and comfort to the enemy when they rejected the President's Iraq policy in November? Are the overwhelming majority of our constituents who oppose this war undermining the troops? Of course not, Mr. President. So how could anyone suggest that Congress actually acting on the will of the American people undermines the troops or emboldens the enemy? Our troops are undermined by a policy that places them in harm's way unnecessarily. And our enemy--our true enemy, al Qaeda and its allies--is emboldened by a U.S. strategy that neglects global challenges to focus on a single country. It is unfortunate that those who wish to defend this strategy would resort to such charges.

Let's do the job of the Senate and have full, open debate and votes on fixing our Iraq policy. Let's not pretend such a debate would harm our national security. And let's not tell ourselves that it's up to the President to fix the horrible situation that his failed policies have created. It's our responsibility to act, too. We in Congress made the tragic mistake of authorizing this war over four years ago and we in Congress now have the job of bringing it to a close so that we can refocus on the terrorist and other global threats that have been neglected over the past four years.

These are the remarks of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold delivered on February 16, 2007 from the Senate floor regarding Iraq.

On January 31, Feingold introduced the Iraq Redeployment Act of 2007 to use Congress's power of the purse to end our military involvement in Iraq and force the President to safely redeploy U.S. troops. More information on Senator Feingold's bill is available at http://feingold.senate.gov/

Hillary, Stop Funding the War!

2007-03-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

In November 2005 as the women of CODEPINK New York were planning our Bird-dog Hillary campaign, we watched the video of Hillary’s March 2003 meeting with CODEPINK in Washington, D.C. (http://youtube.com/watch?v
=pYATbsu2cP8 )What struck me most was the moment at the end of the meeting when Jodie Evans handed Hillary a pink slip—a token of CODEPINK’s disapproval of Hillary’s stance on the war—and Hillary barked, “I am the Senator from New York and I will never put my people’s security at risk.” But it was clear to CODEPINK Women that her vote for the Iraq war authorization and her subsequent support for the disastrous invasion and occupation have made her constituents in New York less safe and not more.
Recently Hillary’s rhetoric has shifted—in small part because of our campaign to show up at all her events highlighting her hawkish position and in larger part because the country as a whole is fed up with Bush’s war. A few weeks ago on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Hillary said that if the war weren’t over by 2009, she would end it when she is president. But what is she doing right now to bring our troops home?
I am a relative newcomer to legislative activism and political lobbying and as such I have been on a steep learning curve these days. Through meetings with aides of my elected representatives and conversations with other peace activists involved in lobbying Congress, it slowly dawned on me that the current Democratic leadership—by which I mean the Democratic National Committee, Rahm Emmanuel, the Clintons, et al—is not interested in ending the war in Iraq before 2009. They have calculated that the ongoing war will help their chances at winning the Presidency and at consolidating control of both house of Congress. As one congressional aide put it, “We were out of power for 12 years. Now that we’re in the majority, we’re looking to the 2008 elections. Iraq is only one of the issues we’re dealing with.”
So when in mid-February Hillary Clinton introduced her Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007 (S670)—with no co-sponsors and with no specific timetable for withdrawal—it was difficult to see it as anything more than a public relations ploy to get the grassroots, anti-war base of the Democratic Party off her back. Her so-called “Road Map Out of Iraq” should rightly be called “Road Map to the Nomination.” She wants to cut off funds to the Iraqi government. She wants to redeploy troops “by the end of the current President’s term in office.” She wants to make it appear that she’s against the war without doing anything to actually end it.
Mainstream Democrats in Congress are terrified of Republican mud slinging accusing them of not supporting the troops. So they are afraid to use the one power they have: the power of the purse. Why can’t they stand up and reframe the debate—joining Progressive Democrats such as Russ Feingold, Maxine Waters, Dennis Kucinich, and Lynn Woolsey—to say cutting off funding for the war will not take one penny away from our troops? The money already in the pipeline is more than enough to bring them home. Any more appropriations will simply extend the occupation—and our troops won’t have any more or less body armor or underwear than they already have or any better or worse care at the crumbling VA Hospitals when they are maimed and wounded.
As far as I can see, our job is to keep pressuring Hillary and other mainstream Democrats on Iraq. We can’t let up now or we could end up with another Lyndon Johnson, who promised an end to the Vietnam War but instead escalated it. We can’t accept empty rhetoric in the place of action. We need to make the inability and unwillingness of the Democrats in Congress to use their budgetary power to put an end to the war into a political liability. If Congress continues paying for it Bush’s war it becomes their war.
If the Democrats don’t have the guts to reframe the debate about troop support by showing that bringing them home is the best thing we can do for our troops, then we have to shout it from the rooftops ourselves. If Hillary won’t stand up and use her power as the current presidential front runner and one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party to help end this war, then we need to stand up wherever she is and say, “Hillary Stop Funding the War!”

Please sign CODEPINK's letter to Hillary at http://www.democracyinacti
on.org/dia/organizationsOR
G/codepink/petition.jsp?pe
tition_KEY=485&t=LH.dwt

CODEPINK Surge on Capital Hill

2007-03-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

I had another one of those "Meanwhile in Baghdad" moments when I turned on the TV today, my first day back home again in Indiana from the front lines of the political war in Washington. CSPAN is running video of hearings that are more than a month old while the Mainstream Media is running live coverage of a hearing about, you guessed it, Anna Nicole Smith. And I am baffled. They are airing live, in real time, a hearing about what will happen with the remains of a person who is famous for being famous, sending out national news alerts that the Judge presiding over the hearing wept when he rendered his decision. Here's the baffling part. For a solid month, activists and Women For Peace have been in hearings in our nation's capital. Standing up, quite literally, for our democracy, our rights as citizens and the human rights of others all over the world. True, we did not have a gallon jug of methadone in our refrigerator in the CODEPINK house on Capital Hill--organic cheese and left over vegetarian soup are more our speed. But we, too, have wept in hearings, and we also created quite a ruckus on our last trip to a hotel.

That's where the similarities begin and end, though. No one waited an inordinate amount of time to call 911 for us. We could see the secret service out on Connecticut Avenue counting up the six floors to pinpoint our location and put an end to our partying. Our idea of fun was to drop a 40-foot pink slip from the sixth floor of the 6 star Mayflower Hotel while George Bush was speaking in a ballroom downstairs. Pink slipping George was one of many highlights in a month filled with actions and opportunities to work for Peace.

The past month of living and working in D.C. with CODEPINK has been an invaluable experience with many victories, both large and small. The women of CODEPINK have experienced both excitement and frustration at trying to move Congress to end this war in Iraq and prevent another in Iran. As a small town, mid-western woman with only a couple of years of activism under my belt, the leadership and mentoring provided by all in CODEPINK has been of incalculable worth. Seeing the determination on Medea Benjamin's face each morning as we marched the eight blocks to the Capital through the snow and ice that nearly shut down the city soothed any doubts I may have had about our effectiveness. When Senators and Representatives thanked us for our concern and for our participation in our democracy, all doubts about propriety were dispelled. When Senate and House staffers followed us to the cafeteria to thank us for speaking truth to power, all questions about our effectiveness were quelled. When we were met on the street and in restaurants and in hallways with smiles and "thumbs up" we were encouraged to continue. It has been an exercise in, to reclaim verbiage from the administration, "adapt to win".

With the change over to Democratic Party Leadership in both the House and the Senate, each day on the Hill offered challenges with dealing with Legislators and finding the line with Capital Police. What was once arrestable is sometimes no longer even chided. What was once unwelcome opinion and treated as disrespectful behavior is now tolerated as part of the exercise of free speech. Do not think that things have changed so much that the path to peace will be a cake walk. It will not be. Congress will not step out onto any limb until they know that not only will their grassroots break their fall, but will grow to support the limb they have climbed out upon and prevent it from cracking under the weight of the issues.

Despite resistance from Dems and Republicans alike, women have been fighting valiantly in the war against the war, taking CODEPINK's anti-war message from the curbside to Congress in a sustained non-violent movement that has been picking up momentum and making a distinct difference in our government's handling of war issues. Our pink presence on the Hill has been a comfort to some, a thorn in the side to others and a spur to those hanging politically somewhere in between. There can be no doubt about our effectiveness, though. Whether we are attending hearings, speaking out and being removed from those hearings, being arrested in Congress or in Legislative offices, or executing actions that spark the imagination and awareness of the public, the women of CodePINK are at the forefront of the peace movement. The momentum gained from the kick off of the occupation project must be sustained. The ground we have gained in the halls of congress must be maintained. Fighting for it, standing up is the only way peace and justice will be obtained.

I feel honored to have worked with so many who have given so much of themselves to the movement, and look forward to my return to D.C.

Lori Perdue

Italian Women Lead Grassroots Campaign Against US Military Base

2007-02-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

“E noi che siamo donne, paura no abbiamo
La base no vogliamo, la base no vogliamo.”

And we who are women are not afraid
We don’t want the base, we don’t want the base.

The women singing and chanting at the head of the massive march on February 17 in the picturesque Italian town of Vicenza have been fighting to stop a U.S. military base from being built in their community. Cinzia Bottene, a housewife who has become the public face of the movement, was ecstatic with the turnout for the march, estimated by the police at 80,000 and by the organizers at 200,000. “We’ve never had anything like this before in the history of Vicenza. There were more people marching with us than the total population. The government, both nationally and locally, will no longer be able to ignore us.”

Unlike campaigns organized by activists or political parties, this movement sprang from the community itself. The main organizers are Italian women, many of them housewives who were outraged when they learned that a US military base would be built on the site of an old airfield called Dal Molin. The old airfield, which is now a green space, is right next to their homes and is less than two miles from the city’s historic center.

“The military base will bring more traffic, more noise, more air pollution,” complained Cinzia. “You see how beautiful our city is? A new base will put a strain on our infrastructure, our services, our resources. It will destroy our community.”

The people of Vicenza take great pride in their city, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1994 because of the number of buildings designed by the famous 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio. The military base would be less than a mile from Palladio's ancient church in the Piazza dei Signori.

Many residents also worry that the new base will make Vicenza a target for a terrorist attack. “With the Bush policies causing so much resentment in the world, such a large base could get us caught up in Bush’s wars,” said Vicenza resident Anna Faggi. “

Vicenza already houses the US military base called Ederle, which has about 2,900 active duty military personnel. With the new base at the Dal Molin airport, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, a rapid reaction unit now spread between Italy and Germany, would be united. (Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade were among the first troops involved in the Iraq war.) The combined force would bring the number of US military in Vicenza close to 5,000. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and to be completed by 2011 at a cost of $576 million.

The local community says that plans for the base were made in secret by the previous Berlusconi government and the local government back in 2003, and the people only found out about it in May 2006. Since then, they have been educating and organizing the residents, and fighting the local city council that approved the base in October 2006 by a vote of 21 to 17. They bang their pots and pans at city council meetings for hours on end. They organize signature drives, block traffic, hold candlelight vigils, stage sit-ins at local offices, and on December 2 they held a mass march of 30,000 people. Knowing from polls that they represent the view of the majority of Vicenza residents, they asked the city council for a referendum on the base, but the council refused.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, elected narrowly with a center-left coalition last April that ousted the conservative government of Silvio Berlusconi, had a chance to reverse government’s decision, but didn’t. On January 16, 2007, Prodi announced that he would abide by the previous agreement. Outraged, the Vicenza citizens decided to step up their opposition by setting up a permanent encampment on donated land adjacent to the proposed base. “The encampment is the best thing that has happened to our movement, because it allows us to have a presence 24-hours a day,” said Attilio Pavin. “It’s like a melting pot that brings the diverse parts together—the youth, the parents, the different committees. The young people—our children—really run the camp and take turns sleeping there. At our planning meetings, about 200 people show up. We eat together, we sing, we have fun together. It’s really magical.”

As part of the revving up of their opposition, the community decided to organize a massive demonstration on February 17 and ask people from all over Italy to join them. The pro-base forces, with the help of the conservative press and the US Embassy, tried to keep people away by orchestrating a fear campaign alleging that the march would attract extreme leftists prone to violence. They said there would be a repeat of the clashes between police and demonstrators that occurred at the anti-globalization protests in Genoa in 2001. The U.S. Embassy warned Americans to steer clear of Vicenza. On the day of the march, the airspace over the city was closed, and most stores in its historic center were shut down. Officials even shut schools normally open on Saturday. Some 1,500 police were mobilized for the day and helicopters hovered overhead.

While the fear campaign certainly kept some people away, particularly parents who kept their children from attending, for the most part it had the opposite effect. People poured in from all over the country. The marchers, dancing, chanting, singing, laughing, encircled the picturesque city with rainbow-colored peace flags, flags saying NO to the Dal Molin Base, and the red flags of the various Communist parties. Music blasted from trucks with stereo equipment. Unlike US marches, there was plenty of alcohol: everyone seemed to have a bottle of beer or a glass of wine in hand.

It was a glorious, sunny day, and the atmosphere was festive and 100% peaceful. The crowd was so huge for this small town of just 120,000 residents that the march began an hour early just to alleviate the overcrowding. The lead banner, held by the women, said, “The Future is in Our Hands” and warned the politicians that the protesters would not give up. For hours, the women marched for 4 miles, singing and shouting chants like: “Vogliamo la terra, senza basi di guerra (We want the land, without a base for war) and “Vicenza no se usa, per una base USA” (Vicenza will not be used for a US base). The march snaked outside the walls of the old city, ending with a rally, a presentation by Nobel playwright Dario Fo, and a concert in the city park.

Silvio Berlusconi called this grand show of people power “an anti-American march” that represented a “sad day for Italy.” He obviously didn’t see the crowd’s reaction to a group of Americans who participated in the march holding a banner reading “Not in Our Name—Americans Against War.” “We could hardly move because everyone kept stopping us to applaud and take our pictures,” said Stephanie Westbrook, organizer of the Rome-based Americans for Peace and Justice. “I’ve never seen anything like it. People were hugging and kissing us, giving us flowers and glasses of wine. It was an extraordinary outpouring of love and sympathy.”

As a representative from the United States, I had an opportunity to address the crowd. I was greeted with thunderous applause when I said that the march was pro-American because the American people in the last election rejected Bush’s policy of war and aggression. When I noted that the US already had 737 foreign bases and we certainly didn’t need another one, the crowd roared and joined me chanting, in English, “1,2,3,4, No More Bases, No More War.”

Gina Masi, a 17-year-old from Vicenza dressed in punk-style black with lots of spiked metal, came running up to me afterwards, in tears. “Please tell your people that we are not anti-American,” she insisted. “Look at me. My clothes are American, the music I love is American. Even my boots are American Eagle. But we want to relate to Americans through culture and music, not military bases and war.”

Most of the protesters were, in fact, angrier at their own government than they were at the United States. They feel betrayed by Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Prodi’s position has divided his own government. The communists and Greens, both members of the government coalition, supported the march, as did individual Senators from other coalition parties.

All were furious when Prodi, on the very day of the march, insisted that the mobilization would not affect his decision. “They dye has been cast and the decision will stand,” he said.

But unlike here in the U.S., where mass mobilizations go unreported in the press and ignored by the politicians, the Italian march made front-page news throughout the country and will undoubtedly have an impact on the political scene.

Organizer Patrizia Cammarata was fired up as she talked about future plans. “This is just the beginning. We’ll boycott businesses working with the base, we’ll call strikes, we’ll block construction. Prodi better understand that Vicenza has support from all over the country. We no matter what he says, we will keep saying ‘NO’ to the base.

Cinzia Bottene, addressing the crowd at the end of the march, said, “I am very proud of my city today. We have shown the true spirit of Vicenza. I hope that Prodi will be smart enough to listen to the people and change his mind. That would not be a sign of weakness, but the sign of a good leader, for we, the people, will not give up.”

Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace and Global Exchange, was in Italy for the anti-base protest. If you would like to help this effort, including bringing the Italian women to Washington DC to plead their case, contact medea@globalexchange.org.

We Did It, We Get to Testify to Congress

2007-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

"The most decisive actions of our life -- I mean those that are most likely to decide the whole course of our future -- are, more often than not, unconsidered."
--Andre Gide
As I was to go sight-seeing on Tuesday Jan. 30, then return home to find a job in banking, this quote has found a home for me as I'm still in DC trying to change "hearts and minds."

From the curbside to the courthouse.

The occupation project I took up shortly after hearing from my son that the Marine Mobilization Unit had called him about his deployment readiness for his third tour in Iraq has reached its halfway mark.
I have met with 36 staffers, aides and chief-of-staff's, 7 congress people, and one senator.
As I tell my story, read Cloy's poem and tell of other military families I have met, I see in some a change, a tear in their eyes, and hopefully a side that will change their mind.
Here's a review of a few moments throughout the last two week.
I delivered 379 pictures of peace from the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition to Senator's McCaskill office, and I was rewarded with a meeting with Senator McCaskill.

I gave Congresswoman Heather Wilson,(R-NM) the lady on the floor of the house who painted a dire picture of what would happen if we defund the war, a copy of Cloy's poem. When I explained his situation, she quickly dismissed me.

I met Congressman Walter Jones, (R-NC) in the cafeteria and told him my story. He was so moved, he stated something privately which I can't repeat, but let me say it should give Congressman Conyers hope of reintroducing his impeachment bill. He asked if I would write a letter to him explaining my story so when congress returned he would read it on the house floor on Monday.

Congressman Sanford Bishop, (D-GA) spent almost an hour with me. At the beginning, he discussed about how far to the left Mr. Murtha had become. At the time, I hadn't thought I had made any progress. But a few days later, I ran into Mr. Bishop in the elevator and he was animated as he explain that "Murtha got what he wanted," in the appropriations bill. He was so excited, it reminded me of when Cloy blocked the game saving goal in soccer at the age of five, bloodied lip and the biggest grin on his face that he had accomplished something great. Somewhere, something had changed in Congressman Bishop. What and who, I don't know. But it gave me hope.

Then I was off to meet with Congressman Jim Moran, (D-VA). He said, "I will never defund the troops, but don't change your message one bit." After he described Mr. Murtha as being on the "fringes", he asked if we could move the Blue Dog democrats and the moderate Republicans towards our side and we might have a chance.

I received a call from St. Louis, the Instead of War Coalition (IOW) was occupying Congressman's Russ Carnahan's office and wanted a phone call meeting with him. I promptly went to his DC office and waited until his chief-of-staff met with me. As I was on the phone with Jonathan March (IOW) and meeting with Todd Patterson (Carnahan's Chief of staff), we were able to negotiate a time for a conference.

On the house side of the capitol I walked through the hallways, talking with staffers and aides,progressives and republicans, for Iraq and out of Iraq, and the biggest complaint from all was the lack of response from constituents about which direction to go on Iraq. They seemed uncertain, confused and truly interested in what their constituents want. At first I thought it was being used as an excuse, but as this is coming from all angles and levels, I realized we need a far larger effort on letter writing, faxes, emails and phone calls.
The letters I have been receiving have helped, but so much more is needed.

My daughter joined me in DC, the separation was too much. We have put our lives on hold for the last four years, lived through deployments, uncertain of her brothers return, and to find when he did return, it was not the same person who had left. Below is a poem Cloy shared with me last year.

When I'm Gone

Have you ever loved someone so much you give an arm for?
F**k that expression I mean jump in front of a car for
'Cause if they died it break your heart and you couldn't go on no more
You'd even clutch their corpse and try to make it warmer
So what happens when your best laid pains fold right in front of ya
and you don't know who you are anymore when they flinch at the touch of ya
This war changed us both but now I'm a monster gone insane
"brother why are you so mad? Mom I don't think he's sane
"Mommy where's cloy? why isn't he home? does he miss me?
"He pinky-promised he's be back soon when he good-bye kissed me
If he don't come back I'll never forgive him he can go to hell
"I didn't mean that, please don't leave me here all by myself"
Halfway across the world writing letters telling her you love her
and getting forced to drop shells on little girls who remind you of her
this shit sound crazy? don't even blame, sorry baby
this war made us both a little crazy

and when I'm gone I hope you know If have the choice
I'm coming home to hear the sound of your voice
and know I'm looking down on you smiling and I'll be hugging back
every time you clutch that folded flag, so smile back

I keep having this dream, I'm watching Marines die and scream
praying I can make it home and hold my baby Kristine
"Is that Cloy on the phone, tell him I love him this time
"is he coming home yet? He must not be, you're crying
"why has he been gone so long? I hope he's doing just fine"
I'm sorry baby, brother's busy watching all his friends dying

"When I'm gone was a variant on a song of the same name written by Marshall
Mathers and is pretty obviously about A brother and sister with a deep
connection separated by war and their lives forever tainted by the trauma
they both suffer by one of them being deployed to a war zone. It's actually
all a true story about what me and my sister have gone through and I'm sure
there are many veterans out there who have a similar story. It's not
finished yet but hopefully will be soon"
Cloy Richards, USMC

Finally Friday arrived for my meeting with Congressman Murtha. After hearing throughout the week his stance as being, "far left" and "on the fringes", my goal was focused on having a chance to testify at a hearing, to legitimize our voices, to move our voices from the curbside to the congress. I read him Cloy's letter he had written after he received written notice to attend a IRR Marines meeting on March 24 to present VA disability validation. (Which we still don't have).

Mom,
Here's my letter to Congressman Murtha, I hope
you don't cry as much while reading this to him
as I did while writing it. Jesus please stop
this war, I can't hold on much longer, it's
killing me more and more each day. STOP THIS WAR

Dear Mr. Murtha

Semper Fidelis
First I want to commend you on what an honor
you are to the greatest country in the world, The
United States of America, and the finest fighting
service in the world, the United States Marine
Corps. You had the temerity and the intestinal
fortitude to do what was unpopular and risk
political suicide by doing what was truly right.
As a brother in arms, who has seen too many of
his comrades die for a lost cause, I pray to our
Lord that you will do his bidding. By that I mean
I hope you will use all the power vested into
you, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the people
of America to stop the meaningless suffering of
the people of Iraq and of our soldiers and our
Marines and their families. God help you if you
choose not too.
With all due respect
Corporal Cloy Thomas Richards II
United States Marine Corps

Congressman Murtha was moved by my story, he told his chief of staff to get Colonel Kennedy's, "butt in my office right now." As he addressed the top Marine in Congress, he demanded to know why he has to keep hearing about our troops being so abused by the military. He stated he was disgusted by his fellow congressman viewing this as a game to be played and won. I asked if we would be allowed to testify to congress our side of the war. He stated yes and asked his chief of staff to get the process started.
From the curbside to congress, we will have our voices heard.

If he could get the support of leadership, I believe he would defund the war and so many others too. But as long as Hoyer and Pelosi exhaust their effort on squashing the voices of peace, the congress must rely on the people to guide them. Without a strong voice on the outside, they have no where to turn.

All donations are greatly appreciated.

Please keep the letters coming!!!
All donations and letters to congress can be sent to the address below:

Tina@grassrootsAmerica4us.org
Or write me at
Tina Richards
c/o
Institute for Policy Studies
1112 16th St.NW, Ste 600
Washington DC, 20039
573.247.8059

I have been updating the website with more of Cloy's poem and other events. Please check it out:
www.GrassrootsAmerica4us.org

Occupation Project Youtube Links

2007-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Since the Occupation Project has been largely shut out of the natioanl mainstream news by such important stories as the death of Anna Nicole Smith, I have compiled links to various reports from all across the country which detail the sustained action taking place across America to end the war in Iraq.

Pass this on as you deem appropriate!

Peace & Freedom,
Midge
----------------------------------------------------------------------

For the past 2 weeks, constituents of Russ Carnahan have been staging peaceful sit-ins at his St. Louis Office as part of The Occupation Project

Here is a link to video from February 8th in which anti-war constituents are reading the names of those killed in Iraq inside Carnahan's office:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G26TVUXK5UY

On February 14 the Women-of-Faith Affinity group visited the office of Rep Russ Carnahan (MO-D) to deliver a valentine as part of the Occupation Project. 3 were arrested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Z60dEJpGA

Four members of the Occupation Project in Saint Louis visited the office of Rep Russ Carnahan (D-MO) at 11:00 on Feb 15. Two were arrested on charges of trespassing shortly after noon.

"Barbarians at Both Sides of the Gate," by Michael Winship

2007-02-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Speaking with a journalist friend over the weekend, just back from his sixth or seventh trip to Iraq, my mind flashed to a moment in James Goldman's play and movie "The Lion in Winter."

The English King Henry II's sons and wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, are scheming against the monarch and plotting against each other. One of the boys, Prince John (whose perfidy as king three decades later will lead to the Magna Carta) is accosted by his brother Richard (as in "the lionhearted"). "He's got a knife!" John shouts.

"Of course he has a knife," Eleanor replies. "He always has a knife. We all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians!"

Nearly eight and a half centuries later, we're still barbarians, and I'm not just talking about the rabid Islamic extremists who make life miserable for the rest of us, including their fellow Muslims.

Okay, there are some good signs. My friend told me about being in a US military hospital when a badly wounded Sunni insurgent was brought in, a guy who had been shot while planting a roadside bomb. Thirty units of blood were given him but he still was fading fast. A call for donors went out and within minutes there was a line of GI's ready to give. A life's a life, they said.

On the other hand, my friend and colleague said he has never seen as much gore and carnage as he did on this trip. The situation continues to deteriorate and Afghanistan is rapidly going down the tubes, too, says he. That, in turn, is critically threatening the stability of Pakistan. And so on and so on and so on...

Our own barbarism manifests itself in our continuing ignorance of the Middle East, despite our many years bogged down there. Nowhere is that lack of knowledge more manifest than in our seeming, even willful inability to make sense of the intramural fighting within the Islamic religion that's so key to understanding what's going on there.

The split between Sunni and Shitte Muslims dates back four hundred years before Eleanor of Aquitaine was verbally going medieval on her offspring, and has to do with the line of succession from the prophet Mohammed. Over the centuries, some of the differences have blurred and often there have been intermarriage and good feelings. But our recent actions have stirred the pot beyond our powers comprehension.

Reporting in Monday's Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid, author of a tremendous book about Iraq ("Night Draws Near"), wrote, "The growing Sunni-Shiite divide is roiling and Arab world as unsettled as at any time in a generation. Fought in speeches, newspaper columns, rumors swirling through cafes and the Internet, and occasional bursts of strife, the conflict is predominantly shaped by politics: a disintegrating Iraq, an ascendant Iran, a sense of Arab powerlessness and a persistent suspicion of American intentions. But the division has begun to seep into the region's social fabric, too. The sectarian fault line has long existed and sometimes ruptured, but never, perhaps, has it been revealed in such a stark, disruptive fashion.

"...Rarely has the region witnessed so many events, in so brief a time, that have been so widely interpreted through a sectarian lens: the empowering of Iraq's Shiite-led government and the bloodletting that has devastated the country; the lack of support by America's Sunni Arab allies--Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia--for the Shiite movement Hezbollah in its fight with Israel last summer; and, most decisively, the perception among many Sunni Arabs that Saddam Husseing was lynched by Shiites bent on revenge. In the background is the growing assertiveness of Shiite Iran as the influence of other traditional regional powers such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia diminishes."

That last sentence is especially relevant amidst our current saber rattling toward Iran and this past Sunday's bizarre press conference in Baghdad's Green Zone. Bizarre because reporters' cellphones were seized, no one was allowed to shoot photos or video and the briefers insisted on anonymity.

Our military presented alleged evidence of Iran's ties to Shiite militias in Iraq--in the form of rocket-propelled grenades (RPG's), mortar shells and especially vicious devices that tear through armor called EFP's--explosively formed penetrators. All are said to be of Iranian manufacture, purportedly brought into Iraq by the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

(I'm just wondering, by the way, not judging: According to the New York Times, "The shells had serial numbers in English in order to comply with international standards for arms, the officials said. One greanade, for instance, was marked with the serial number P.G.7-AT-1 followed by LOT:5-31-2006." Numbering month-day-year is an American standard. Virtually every other country, including English-speaking ones, uses day-month-year: 31-05-2006. I asked two, Mideast native speakers if the day-month-year standard was also true in Iran's Farsi language and Arabic. They answered yes.)

It would be foolhardy to dismiss the reports totally out-of-hand, just because this administration's truth-telling track record rivals Baron Munchausen's. We've all heard the story of the little-boy-who-cried-Wolf-Blitzer.

Nevertheless, as Tuesday's New York Times reported, "Both Democratic and Republican officials on Capitol Hill siad that while they do not doubt that the weapons are being used to attack American troops, and that some of those weapons are being shipped into Iraq from Iran, they are still uncertain whether the weapons were being shipped into Iraq on the orders of Iran's leaders."

George Perkovich of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace added, "I'm not doubting the provenance of the weapons, but rather, the issue of what it says about Iranian policy and whether Iran's leaders are aware of it."

As has been suggested, this administration may just be trying to scapegoat Iran for America's failures in Iraq. But if they are hell-bent on using these allegations as part of a pretext for military action against Iran and, not coincidentally, its nuclear program, they would do well not only to remember the gross errors of far too recent memory ("slam-dunk,"anyone?) but the socio-cultural implications of what Iran may or may not be up to. They could be trying to create regional havoc and increase their status as a regional superpower, but their motivations are also about protecting the religious interests of Shitte Muslims. Until we comprehend that, we should move with the most extreme caution or not at all.

The consequences of a misstep are perilous, and yet our foolish barbarians blunder on. Conservative cold warrior Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-at-large for UPI and the right-wing Washington Times, reported the following (as noted by Dan Froomkin's "White House Watch" column on the Washington Post website):

"At a farewell reception at Blair House for the retiring chief of protocol, Don Ensenat, who was President Bush's Yale roommate, the president shook hands with Washington Life Magazine's Soroush Shehabi.
'I'm the grandson of one of the late Shah's ministers,'said Souroush, 'and I simply want to say one US bomb on Iran and the regime we all despose will remain in power for another 20 or 30 years and 70 million Iranians will become radicalized.'

"I know, 'President Bush answered.

"But does Vide President Cheney know?" asked Soroush.

"President Bush chuckled and walked away."

copyright 2007 Messenger Post Newspapers

copyright 2007 Messenger Post Newspapers

How A Planned Day of Civil Disobedience (As Part of the Occupation Project) became a One-Way ticket to Bizarro World

2007-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Maggie Freilich February 12, 2007

We showed up signs in hands, energy level up, in non-violent anti-war protester mode to occupy the Pasadena office of Congressman Adam Schiff. The consensus was that Schiff, as a member of the appropriations committee, could help stop the supplemental money, for escalation in Iraq, before it hit the floor for a vote. Therefore he made a good first target for the Occupation Project. The premise of the Occupation Project is to hold non-violent sit-ins in congressional offices around the country so that our elected officials might experience a feeling of occupation. Several various Westside peace group united in the planning of this event. We had volunteers willing to get arrested. We were ready.

Things started getting a little weird while we were out front planning strategy, waving signs and getting people to honk for peace. Plans were in a state of finalization when out of the building comes one of Schiff’s assistants, with a big smile and a plate full of cookies. It must be noted that they were catered, not box cookies. This seems like a small point unless you are a cookie gourmand, but looking at it analytically it reveals a pre-meditation on the part of Schiff’s office to send out the welcome wagon. The assistant gave credence to my theory with his big grin and announcement of appreciation at our concern and involvement. He said Schiff was interested in what we have to say. Several activists spoke out on our grievances and concern about increased funding for the Iraq war. Cookie Man took notes and seemed to be a good listener. He disappeared back into the building. We all looked at each other with a “what the…” look in our eyes.

We continued our demonstration outside and gave interviews to the media folks that were there, while waiting for some of the designated, willing to be arrested, people to show up. Cookie man returns with letters on official Schiff stationary (made from recycled fibers) that starts out, “Dear Friends, Thank you for taking the time to come by my office to demonstrate your concern over the war in Iraq.” Schiff continues, in the letter, saying he is against the escalation and is willing to use the power of the purse to change direction. Was this letter written in advance as the “occupation” plans have been all over the Internet, or did his assistant write the desired response to please the audience at hand? It seems that it was pre-planned as it included most all points that peace activists want to hear. The righteous thoughts are there yet lack specificity, clouded by the layer of political ambiguity our representatives are so skilled at. My main comment on Schiff’s letter is rhetoric is not action or in street lingo, if you talk the talk, then walk the walk.

The planned action was delayed because a number of potential arrestees failed to show up. This was after all Monday, in Pasadena. There was debate on whether we should have the action tomorrow. One thing for sure is progressive types do not walk in lock step. While debating and continuing to get drivers to honk for peace, Cookie Man returns. Smiling. With cookies and water. He acts so nice and deferential that if he were in drag he’d be a perfect Stepford wife. Anything you need. More fresh baked cookies. Mimi surmises that maybe the cookies are like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Hum. Maybe Schiff figures when he votes in a manner that is objectionable he will be less likely to find demonstrations outside his office because everyone was so nice and hospitable. Stepford Mom, cookies and great big smiles.

We went up to Schiff’s office to voice our complaints, lead by one of his constituents, Jamie. Jamie laid out our demands and concerns. The female manager bobbed her head in agreement, smiled, and said Schiff will hear all our concerns. I wonder if one of Schiff’s donors has any connection to the company that makes Prozac. She said, “If there is anything else I can help you with let me know.” I make my demand, “Is there a bathroom we can use?” “No problem, and if anyone needs to use it, just send them up.” The Bizzaro World weirdness factor begins welling up within me. For those who know, finding “facilities” near many peace events and protests can be a daunting task. Unless you are at a really, really big (and well financed) event there are not going to be any Andy Gumps in a row waiting for your deposit.

Our crowd thins. People have to pay the man. The meter, or feed their bodies. A young man across the way puts a hand written sign in his window that says “Impeach.” We cheer him later when he comes onto the balcony. Sam asks if we can hang a banner over his balcony. He replies, “Sorry but I’d get kicked out of my apartment,” another free speech victim silenced by threats of retribution.

Later a few decide, despite the curve ball that has been thrown, a sit-in will be staged. In a gracious manner, but ready to rumble. I am outside with Shawn whose persuasive manner gets many political zombies to honk for peace. One trucker horn was so intense it caused the street beneath to vibrate. Shawn got him to do it a second time. That was some horn. I go upstairs to take some photos of the sit-in only to find Schiff’s local manager holding court with the protesters. Everyone gets to say their piece about their desire for peace. I angle for photos of our civilized discussions. These will make the front page…not. I attack the oatmeal/ chocolate chip cookies surmising that somehow my tax dollars helped pay for these cookies. I have to leave because things seem just too nice and I am eating way too many cookies.

Downstairs I return to the peaceful demonstration. The upstairs so called sit-inners come down stairs and fill us in on the scoop. Schiff’s office recognizes the concern and wants our motley crew of protestors to know that they are welcome to sleep over in the office, order pizza and use the bathroom. We also found out that he told the police not to intervene. Talk about a civil disobedience buzz kill. This day is rapidly moving from Stepford to Superman’s Bizzaro World. The Stepford wives are like Orange County Republicans (my mother was one so I know this tribe) but Bizzaro World, even though the players are the same, does not correlate to any known earthly environment, which is how unreal our Schiff action is becoming.

As Sam and I drove back to the CodePink LA office we wondered what was behind this so called premeditated kindness attack. I wonder if these sort of kill them with kindness attacks occurred at any other Occupation Project events? Was this a coordinated plan or conspiracy to diffuse the anti-war groups? Stun them with good vibes and cookies so they won’t know what hit them. Was it about holding on to political power? Why would the Dems design such an attack? Did Schiff channel some sort of warped Rovian political strategy or is he really thankful to have anti-war protesters at his doorstep? Time and Schiff’s voting record and actions will reveal the truth. These are questions that must be answered. Whatever the outcome we must keep up the fight against this unjustified war and must remember that we are the people and we will prevail!

Molly Ivins: America's Jericho Voice by Maya Angelou

2007-02-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Up to the walls of Jericho

She marched with a spear in

her hand

Go blow them ram horns she cried

For the battle is in my hand

The walls have not come down,

but they have been given a

serious shaking.

That Jericho voice is stilled now.

Molly Ivins has been quieted.

The writer and journalist, dearly loved and admired by many, hated and feared by many, died of cancer in her Texas home on Jan. 31.

The walls of ignorance and prejudice and cruelty, which she railed against valiantly all her public life, have not fallen, but their truculence to do so does not speak against her determination to make them collapse.

Weeks before she died, she launched what she called ''an old-fashioned newspaper crusade'' against President Bush's announcement that he was going to send more troops to Iraq.

She wrote, 'We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. Every single day every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. We need people in the streets banging pots and pans and demanding, `Stop it now!' ''

Years ago there was a fundraising gala for People for the American Way in New York, and Molly Ivins was keynote speaker. I was a loyal collector and serious Ivins reader, but I had not met the author. Another famous journalist, who was to have introduced her, had his flight canceled in a Southern city. Norman Lear, founder of the organization, asked me to introduce her. I did not hesitate. I spoke glowingly about Ms. Ivins for a few minutes, then, suddenly, a six-foot-tall, red-haired woman sprang from the wings. She strode onto the stage and over to the microphone. She gave me an enveloping hug and said, in that languorous Texas accent, ``Maya Angelou and I are identical twins, we were separated at birth.''

I am also six feet tall, but I am not white. She was under 50 when she made the statement, and I was in my middle 60s, but our hearts did beat in the same rhythm. Whoever separated us at birth must know it did not work. We were in the struggle for equal rights for all people since we met on that Waldorf Astoria stage. We laughed together without apology, and we wept when weeping was necessary.

I shall be weeping a little more these days, but I shall never forget the charge. Joshua commanded the people to shout, and the walls came tumbling down.

Molly,

I am shouting,

With two voices,

Walls come down!

Walls come down!

Walls come down!

Poet Maya Angelou is the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Report from my arrest with 9 other activists protesting Senator McCain's Iraq War stance...

2007-02-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

I was arrested yesterday, Monday February 5th, along with 10 others in the first of many action of a sustained campaign to end the Iraq War called "The Occupation Project"

Senator McCain was targeted yesterday because he is a staunch supporter of the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The message brought to McCain's Capitol Hill office by Voices For Creative Non-Violence , CodePINK , Veterans For Peace and toher groups was "Stop Funding the War!" Two time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly was among those arrested. The were also coordinated actions at McCain's offices in his homestate of Arizona, as well as other demonstrations nationwide including sit-ins at Barrak Obama's and Dick Durbin's offices in Chicago which resulted in 8 additional arrests.

We got a little news coverage including just one paragraph in an AP article about the demise of the Senate's non-binding resolution denouncing Bush's "troop surge." However, that very article was edited in some publications, including my hometown paper The Springfield News-Leader, which cut the article short without mention of the McCain protests.

Here is what the AP reported which was left out by the News-Leader:
Republicans and Democrats carried out their clash as 10 members of "Code Pink," an anti-war group, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during a protest in front of McCain's office in a building across the street from the Capitol. "They were absolutely compliant, peaceful," Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said of the protesters.

If you live Southwest Missouri, email the Springfield News-Leader and ask them "Why did you edit out news reported by the AP?" I mean, how Orwellian is that? Is this 1984 or what?

Oh well, I heard that CNN Headline News showed footage of the arrests, and the action did get very good coverage by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now. .. I have posted the DN report & interview with Kathy Kelly below.

Peace & Freedom,
Midge

Walk In Their Shoes to Bahrain

2007-02-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Shoe campaign stepped up -- Bahrain Gulf Times
...MORE than 300 pairs of children's shoes have already been contributed for the Walk in their Shoes initiative, by the RIA Integration Pre-School, Adliya...

Tribute to young Iraqi victims -- Bahrain Gulf Times
... MORE than 50 pairs of children's shoes have been donated to an anti-violence campaign commemorating young Iraqis killed in the continuing

Walk In Their Shoes-What CODEPINK Activists Have to Say

2007-02-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

"Not only did we get an amazing amount of support from people in conservative rural areas, but it was moving to find out how much our being there meant to women who can feel very isolated in their peace activism.”—Marie Bravo, CODEPINK Lake Tahoe Area Coordinator"

“Displaying the shoes made me feel connected with the spirit of these people who have been brutally killed. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed with sadness and misery, but we are the ones alive who can make the change and stop this. We need to be doing this every day all over the place.”—Sam Joi, CODEPINK Berkeley Coordinator"

“This action crosses political borders. I had people who voted for Bush and believe we should ‘stay the course’ in Iraq coming up and talking with me during our shoe display action about how moved they were.”—Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK organizer

Walk In Their Shoes Press Conference-The National Mall

2007-02-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Photos Provided by Maggie Freilich

Walk In Their Shoes Preparation.

2007-01-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'm now in Washington D.C. I arrived earlier than most of the other
CODEPINK ladies because there is much preparation required for the
"Walk In Their Shoes" installation (http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=176).
This public display of 6,550 shoes (number of the Iraqi dead from the
latest John Hopkins report) will be displayed during the J27 peace
mobilization of thousands later this week. The container, composed of
four acrylic panels all measuring four feet wide by eight feet tall,
will rest on the National Mall juxtaposed with the Capitol's outline in the sky.

Back at the Alfishawy Café and People's Media center, postal shipments
of shoes from all over the country have been filtering in. The last
time I checked, there were about 30 boxes, garbage bags, and large
plastic tubs filled with shoes. I've received countless emails from
people who will bring shoes to the "Walk In Their Shoes" press
conference on Friday and to the peace march on Saturday. Many of the
packages arrived with emotional letters of how people have been so
touched and inspired to be a part of this. Volunteers have been
labeling the shoes with tags that reveal the names of the dead. Some of them
even stating how they died. The tone is very somber, but we do this
because we believe in peace and we are the ones who create it.

Times like these move me in such deep ways. I'm left speechless, but
I had to drop a few words on this page to spark the imagination of
those who are not here and can only dream of what it's like to create
such a unique display of art.

It's 2am in the morning and I have to catch some Z's. The work will continue
tomorrow, another day to awaken the dream of peace.

A Powerful Start to the New Year

2007-01-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

The week of January 9th marked a very explosive and powerful week of activism for CODEPINK, a women’s organization for peace. These are dark times, but the pink ladies are burning brighter than ever before.

Monday began with a bon voyage to CODEPINK cofounders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans as they departed for Guantanamo to protest the incarceration of nearly 400 men accused of having links to Al-Quaida and the Taleban. They met in Guantanamo with a group of human rights activists including Cindy Sheehan, former US Army colonel Ann Wright, a former Guantanamo detainee who was held and tortured for four years, and Zohra Zewawi and Taher Deghayes, the mother and brother of British detainee Omar Deghayes.

Click here to read The Shame of Guantanamo Exposed in Cuba by Medea Benjamin

Click here to read personal reflections of Guantanamo from Jodie Evans

Click here to read the perspective of Nancy Mancias, who organized actions in Miami during the delegation's trip

Related Articles
http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2007-01-08/cindy-sheehan-and-other-anti-war-activists-in-cuba-to-demand-the-closing-of-guantanamo-prison/

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/01/10/18345635.php

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/16900

See more photos from a day of Guantanamo actions around the world

Jodie Evans hangs a banner on a barbedwire fence at the Guantanamo prison.

In Washington D.C., CODEPINK facilitated a talk with Nobel Peace Prize Winners Shirin Ebadi and Jodie Williams, and the Iranian Americans to discuss how to stand up to an attack in Iran.

CODEPINK coufounder Gael Murphy sat behind Condoleeza Rice who testified on Iraq before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. One of her pink partners in crime was forced to leave the hearing after disrupting the session with a “More Lies” sign (see photo) and let out a dramatic “more lies, all lies, stop the war” as he was dragged out by security.

Later during the week at the Armed Services Committee hearing, Gael made it onto MSNBC (click here to see clip) when she asked commitee members Senator Robert Gate, and General Pete Pace about exit strategies from Iraq. Who would have known that the diplomacy of "talking" could be such a powerful activist tool?

“You can cover me up, but you can’t cover this catastrophe” boldly rolled off Gael Murphy’s lips (far left) as secret service agents tried to block her from C-SPAN cameras at the Foreign Relations hearing.

On January 11th, CODEPINK participated in the America Says No which stated an immediate "NO!" to the president's war agenda at 600 peace vigils around the country. Over 150 peace activists were present at a local candlelight vigil in L.A.

J27-Mandate for Peace

CODEPINK is currently preparing to deliver a strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration on January 27th in Washington D.C. : The people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and we want the troops home now! Please visit our website to learn more about this very special mobilization for peace and how you can participate (http://www.codepink4peace.org/article.php?list=type&type=182). _______________________________________________

More pictures from a new year for peace

Even the dogs are itching to bring the troops home.

Activist Ellen Taylor, (seen with pink boa) joined the CODEPINK team at the hearing, sporting a very fashionable pink boa just after greeting committee members and attendants outside with her Condi bobble head mask.

Condee Bobble-Head flashes peace sign

CODEPINK Peace Vigil, L.A.

Guantanamo Protest in NY

Parasols of Peace, L.A.

The Shame of Guantanamo Exposed in Cuba by Medea Benjamin

2007-01-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

“This is the closest I have been to my son in almost 5 years,” said Zohra Zewawi, the mother of Guantanamo prisoner Omar Deghayes, as she stood in front of the gates of the prison on the Cuban side. “On the one hand I feel incredibly sad that I am so close but can’t see or hold him; on the other hand I am happy because focusing the world’s attention on this shameful place might help get my son out of prison.”

While protests were happening all over the world to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the first prisoners taken to Guantanamo on January 11, 2002, a group of us traveled to the city of Guantanamo to bring our protest close to the gates of the US prison. The group, organized by CODEPINK and Global Exchange, included U.S. activists such as retired US Colonel Ann Wright, peace mom Cindy Sheehan, mother of 9/11 victim Adele Welty, and constitutional lawyer Bill Goodman. But the most compelling members of the delegation were three people most directly affected by the prison: Zohra Zewawi and Taher Deghayes, the mother and brother of a current prisoner; and Asif Iqbal, a former prisoner who spent 2 ½ years locked up in the cages of Guantanamo.

Zohra Zewawi and her son Taher Deghayes traveled all the way from Dubai to shine light on the plight of Omar Deghayes. Omar had been captured in Pakistan in September 2002, accused of being an enemy combatant. While his family is convinced that Omar never committed any crimes and was picked up merely for the $5,000 bounty the US military was offering, they were not in Cuba to plead his innocence. “We are simply asking for due process and fair trials for my son and all detainees at Guantanamo,” said Zohra.

This is not the first time tragedy has befallen the Deghayes family. Zohra's husband, a labor lawyer in Libya, was killed by the government of Col. Omar Qaddafi. Zohra fled to England to raiser her five children. "The dictator Qaddafi tortured and imprisoned my husband; now the U.S., a country I thought was civilized, is doing the same thing to my son," she said.

The other member of the delegation most directly is Asif Iqbal, who was captured in Afghanistan when he was 20 years old. Asif and the two friends imprisoned with him, all from Tipton, England, became known as the Tipton 3 and their plight became the subject of the powerful docu-drama Road to Guantanamo.

“Most of the people in the prison in Guantanamo are simple farmers or villagers from Afghanistan who were sold to the US to get a $5,000 reward,” said Asif. “Many of them never heard of Al-Qaeda, although under torture some, like me, might have confessed to things they knew nothing about.”

This was the first time such a delegation had come to Guantanamo to protest the prison, and the residents of Guantanamo, horrified by the shameful reputation their city has gained, greeted us with open arms.

Teachers from local high schools flocked to the all-day conference we held on January 10 to hear about prison conditions. Their hearts went out to Zohra Zewawi when she talked about longing to see her son, and to Adele Welty, US mother of a firefighter killed on September 11, who insisted that she didn’t want her son’s legacy to be the abuse and false imprisonment of other mothers’ sons. The local people packed the 1,000-person theater in Guantanamo to see the movie Road to Guantanamo. They gave a standing ovation to the co-director Matt Whitecross and the protagonist Asif Iqbal and afterwards stood transfixed, not wanting to leave the theater.

On the day of the march, January 11, we started out in the center of town, decorating the caravan and practicing our songs and chants. We drove to a town near the base, La Glorieta, then walked to the gate of the military zone. The opening service was officiated by our Cuban host Reverend Raul Suarez, head of the Havana-based Martin Luther King Center, and attended by other religious leaders from the province. The ceremony included testimonies, a reading of the names of those still imprisoned, placing flowers on the military fence, singing and chanting. There was press from all over the world, including AP, Reuters, BBC and live feeds from CNN, Al-Jazeera, Telesur and Cuban television.

For the people of Guantanamo, our visit gave them insights into the horrors of the prison, but hope that people around the world are working to shut it down. “My city used to be known for Jose Marti’s beautiful poem and the song Guantanamera. It pains us that now we’re known worldwide for the infamous prison on the US base,” said Eneida Leiva Molina, head of the Guantanamo Friendship Institute. “We hope that once this anniversary is over, people will continue to work to shut the prison down.

Taher Deghayes, whose brother remains behind bars, made a poignant call to the American people. “Now more than ever, after the tragic events of September 11, America needs to be the leading example of how we should treat all human beings—with dignity, respect and due process for all,” he said. “I would like to appeal to the American people to fight for and uphold the values that once made America admired and respected around the world.”

Medea Benjamin (medea@globalexchange.org) is the cofounder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange.

Guantanamo Reflections From Jodie Evans-CODEPINK Co-Founder

2007-01-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

Guantanamo Delegation Including CODEPINK Co-Founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, former prisoner Asif Iqbal, mother of current Guantanamo prisoner Zohra Zewawi and and brother Taher Deghayes, mother and of 9/11 victim Adele Welty, constitutional lawyer Bill Goodman, peace mom Cindy Sheehan, and retired US Colonel Ann Wright.

Our time in Guantanamo was at once horrible and beautiful. The hospitality and appreciation by the Cuban people, yet the shame they have to endure because GTMO is on their soil. The inspiring testimonies by Asif Iqbal, Taher Deghayes, Bill Goodman, Ann Wright, Adele Welty brought the audience to tears over and over again. Tears and disbelief. On January 11th we marched to the gates of the prison, gates we could not pass. We read the names of the prisoners, heard testimony of the torture and abuse they have endured and built an alter of flowers on the fence. Hardest of all was climbing a hill nearby and looking down at Guantanamo with Zahar, Omar’s mother. He has been there for over 4 years, she hasn’t seen or spoken to him. We looked down and could see where he was, it felt so close and yet to her all she could feel with the wrenching pain of what he was enduring and her own desire to at least hear his voice. How could I be standing on this hill, looking at this base that held her son without cause for so long and not be able to take her in to see him? How could I live in a country that does this to anyone? How can this actually be happening? How do the soldiers who work in the base, listen to the news, not call us and say please come and say hello to your son? What has become of us?

Report From Miami-Nancy Mancias

2007-01-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Activist poses as Guantanamo prisoner Adel Hamad #940 at a public action in Miami

After the first detainees arrived into the US Naval Base Guantanamo detention facility 5 years ago, widespread reports of abuse and torture in Guantanamo and Iraq surfaced, erupting some stories that inspire a Global Day to Shut Down Guantanamo, an international day of protest.

Adel Hamad #940

Reports show that there are nearly 400 detainees at the Guantanamo detention facility, many of who have never been tried and remain in indefinite detention. Adel Hamad, a former elementary school teacher of orphans, a hospital worker, and someone who coordinated the delivery of food, medicine and blankets to refugees, has been imprisoned for 5 years according to The Project Hamad website. He was taken from his home late one night in Pakistan, classified an enemy combatant by Americans and flown to Guantanamo detention facility. The United States is detaining him on three allegations – 1. The charity where he worked may have supported “terrorist ideas” 2. He may of come into contact with Al Qaeda members 3. He is an enemy combatant. Hamad’s case, displayed on YouTube, became a viral internet piece, which prompted Lydia Vickers, a CODEPINK Tallahasse activist, to join the Global Day to Shut Down Guantanamo, just blocks away for the US Southern Command Center in Miami. She arrived dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, black muslin hood, black plastic chains, and an Adel Hamad #940 hand made sign. Hamad’s Federal Public Defender came across Vickers creative public display and thanked her, “…for protesting the detention of our client Adel Hamad #940.” The Public Defender expressed the need for public knowledge about Hamad’s case by going to his project website www.projecthamad.org

Nancy Mancias and local activists at a Guantanamo protest in Miami

US Southern Command

Tucked away in a quiet business park in sunny Miami, Florida resides the US Southern Command Center (USSouthcom), the center to which controls the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Inside this square ominous green-windowed office building, lay the commands
of different military components including the Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF) located at U.S. Naval Base in Cuba that oversees the interrogation process of the nearly 400 men and boys who remain in indefinite detention. The command center relocated to Miami in 1997 from Panama where it has and still provides US military security in Central and South America. With shiny palm trees and palmetto backdrop, Miami residents go along with their daily lives unaware that this silently remote Pentagon-run building is responsible for the controversial Guantanamo detention facility. But just down the road, a small January 11th vigil was being planned in accordance with the global call to shut down Guantanamo, a local attorney, at the vigil, was asked by reporter Tamara Lush of the Miami New Times, “Do you think the people of Miami know that this place exist?” Her respond was, “No, that’s why I’m out here today, all attorneys should be out here.” Miami resident Warren Hoskins is well aware of the command centers community presence, he states, “The employment of torture in Cuba and Iraq has been directed by people stationed among us in South Florida, living among us, and coming and going on their missions or just with their families from our local airport to do so. That airport, Miami International, is just a few miles east of SouthCom.”

Guantanamo to Iraq

Widespread criticism has loomed over the abuse and torture of detainees in Guantanamo and Iraq. Among those critics is South Florida resident, Camilo Mejia, a former Florida National Guard sergeant, who served in Iraq. Mejia witnessed the torture and abuse of Iraqi detainees, first-hand, at Al Assad air base. He refused to return to Iraq and applied for conscientious objector status. While speaking at a Miami press conference, just blocks away from USSouthcom at a boutique hotel, Mejia told reporters, “I don’t need someone to tell me whether or not there was abuse and torture, I know because we (military unit) were responsible.” He was later court-martialed, convicted of desertion and received a one-year sentence. Amnesty International declared him a Prisoner of Conscience, and he has received numerous awards of courage, including the 2005 Global Exchange “Young Leader” Human Rights Award. Also, speaking at the press conference was Steven Wetstein of Amnesty International, Linda Belgrave of Miami for Peace and CODEPINK cofounder and Cuba peace delegate Jodie Evans who was on her way to Guantanamo, Cuba to join “peace mom” Cindy Sheehan and prominent peace activist Medea Benjamin in their protest of the wrongful detention and abuse of hundreds of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo.

The Media

On the 5th year anniversary of the first detainees taken into the Guantanamo detention facility, Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald along with other reporters, are still unable to speak with them. She explains in an interview with the Herald that due to, “their (military) interpretation of what would be humiliating behavior…it (an interview) would be some kind of violation of the Geneva Conventions by subjecting them (detainees) to the media.” According to Rosenberg, the only civilians allowed to speak with detainees are their attorneys and members of the Red Cross. After 5 years of what is labeled “The Alcatraz of the Caribbean” there are still many unanswered questions about the controversial detention facility, Rosenberg has a few questions that she would like answered:*When are there going to be trials?*How have interrogations been carried out?*How much does this cost?*How will this end?She further explains in the Herald interview that it seems, the US detention facility is here to stay. The US Southern Command, as she indicates, “had been given orders to prepare a prison camp for 2000 prisoners, so the idea that there would be 2000 cells, 2000 cages for terror suspects.” Rosenberg is one of the first reports to cover the arrival of the first 20 detainees flown into the detention facility 5 years ago, and she’s one of two reporters who was ordered to leave the US Naval Base Guantanamo by former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, this notice came after widespread criticism of the detention facility and detainee suicides.

Nancy L. Manicas is with human rights group Global Exchange and CODEPINK Women for Peace.