4 Years of War: Staged Occupation and Blue Dogs

By Rae Abileah


Today we mourn 4 years since the US invaded Iraq. We met up with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) at Union Station where they staged a street theater occupation of the city, grabbing (planted) civilians and taking them hostage. It was a jolting action to witness. But the reality is that these soldiers have done it in Iraq, and violent hold ups are the norm in many cities in this country.

We attended the 4th anniversary press conference that Military Families Speak Out and IVAW held outside the Cannon House of Reps building, and held our Don't Buy Bush's War banners up for all to see. We paraded our shopping carts full of war objects, and sung "Can't Buy Me War." We tried to take those carts inside, but security just wouldn't have it.

We went into Congress and visited the offices of the Blue Dog Democrats who are campaigning to reduce the national debt. Each blue dog has a big poster mounted on an easel outside his/her office with the national debt and the taxpayer's individual share of the debt (about $30,000 currently). We carried in the poster, asked to speak with the chief of staff, and sang a little song for them (to the tune of "This Old Man"):

These Blue Dogs, they're upset,
They don't want a bigger debt.
So CODEPINK is here to give this dog a bone;
Stop funding war; bring our troops home!

At the end of the song we held out milkbones with stop funding messages written on in perm. marker, and tied with a pink ribbon. Each blue dog rep we visited received a bone and the jingle with applause and appreciation, thus proving that speaking the language of the targeted audience is a surefire way to get the point across! Who knew that these blue dogs loved pink?

We went to a MoveOn 4th Anniversary candle light vigil in the evening and brought our stop funding war message there. To read more about MoveOn and the critical eye the anti-war movement is casting their way, click here. Check out this great photo of Barbara and her MoveOn t-shirt:

In the evening there was an anti-war art event at Bus Boys and Poets. May art prevail over war!