By Medea Benjamin
Day One/ April 29, Amman, Jordan
It was an amazingly full first day in Jordan. Asma Al-Haidari, a brilliant Iraqi woman who lives in Amman and works with political as well as humanitarian groups, picked me up at 8am from the Toledo Hotel. Our first stop was the office of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), where a group of about 40 Iraqis was waiting on line to register with the agency or ask for some type of assistance. We started talking to the people on line. One woman, who was completely covered in a black abaya except for her eyes, had a disabled son she was trying to get medical help for. Another woman had a child with a tumor who needed an operation. All had fled the violence in Iraq and were living in Jordan without funds and in legal limbo.
A group of men gathered around us and started talking all at once.
“Please help me. I need to get out of Jordan.”
“We’re not allowed to work here; how are we supposed to support our families? We have used up all our savings.”
“If we go back to Iraq we’ll be killed. Can’t you help me get to the United States?”
I asked the men what they did back home. One was in the army. Another was a sports trainer. Another an engineer. All were used to working hard and taking care of their families. Having fled the terror in Iraq, they were now living hand to mouth without jobs, without a future and feeling desperate. I felt terrible that I wasn’t able to do anything for them.
We went inside to talk to the staff at UNHCR, including Anna-Maria Deutschlander, a “Senior Protection Officer” in charge of helping Iraqis to be resettled in other countries. She talked to us about the long, difficult process of resettlement and how few countries wanted to take in the Iraqis. “The Swedes were originally very generous, but now they are clamping down. Most European countries feel the U.S. is responsible and should take the lead, but the U.S. has a goal this year of only 12,000—a drop in the bucket—and I doubt they’ll even take that many,” Anna-Marie told us.
We also talked to one of the program officers who deals with the food and cash assistance programs. I was shocked to hear that the UNHCR only distributed cash assistance to a tiny percentage of the refugees, just 1,800, and food assistance to only 3,550, which they distribute through a group called the Jordanian Alliance Against Hunger. Moreover, only 53,000 of the estimated 500,000 refugees in Jordan have even registered with the UNHCR.
I asked why so few were registered. Some Iraqis, they said, are afraid to register because they are in Jordan illegally, and they think it is better to lay low. They also see little benefit to registering, as there are few services and people don’t have to be registered to get them. Whatever the case, the UN outreach and support seems to be surprisingly limited. “If we had more staff and more funds, we could of course do much more,” said Anna-Marie. “But our present budget is just until June and we have no idea what we’ll have to work with in the future, so it’s very hard to plan.”
In a diplomatic way, the staff also conveyed their frustration with the politics that infuses the refugee situation. In Syria, where the government is at odds with the U.S., the government is more open about the plight of the refugees and UNHCR has more of a public presence. In Jordan, the government is an ally of the U.S. and wants to downplay the plight of the refugees so the UNHCR has to be more low key. Also, in Syria there are more refugees, and poorer refugees, so the need is greater. But with Iraqis in Jordan depleting their savings as time passes, the UNHCR staff obviously feels inadequate to cope with the crisis.
Next Asma took me to visit a women’s self-help group in the home of the group leader Maha Al Muneem. In the U.S. this group works with the Collateral Repair Project, and CODEPINK has hooked up with them to raise funds for their activities. About 15 lovely women greeted me at the door, most dressed in pink in honor of CODEPINK. They knew about our work in the U.S. to try to end the occupation, and were grateful for our actions. I, of course, felt terrible that we have been so unsuccessful, and apologized profusely for the horrible damage our country had done.
Some of the women began sharing their stories. One young woman’s brother had been burned to a crisp by a U.S. shell that hit his car. “We couldn’t even recognize his body,” his sister said, her eyes tearing up. One woman had been the victim of a botched kidnapping, and while she luckily survived, she had been dragged for blocks hanging out of a car and still has trouble walking. Another woman broke down as she recalled how the U.S. soldiers raided her home, traumatizing the family and stealing all their savings and family jewels.
The saddest story was that of Um Marianne, single mother whose husband had been killed. She started crying hysterically about how difficult life in Jordan was, with men preying on her, bosses cheating her because she was working illegally and couldn’t complain. She was despondent that she was unable to provide a decent life for her daughter. Suddenly, all the women were weeping—for their own plight, for the plight of their sisters. It was heart-breaking to witness, knowing that my government was responsible for their suffering.
What the women did have, however, was the camaraderie of each other and a profound social conscience. After spending a few hours with them, I realized that the reason Iraqis are not literally starving is not because there is an effective network of UN and NGOs, but because they all help each other. The wealthy look after the middle class, the middle class look after the poor. There was a large pile of clothing in Maha’s kitchen, for example. The women had gathered old clothes from rich Iraqis by literally going door to door asking for donations. Then these women, most of whom had been middle class back home, carefully washed, folded and bundled the clothing not for themselves, but to take to Iraqis living in really poor conditions. The women did not get any compensation for this work, but did it out of a sense of moral obligation. “It’s our duty to help those who are suffering even more than we are,” they said.
Within this informal collective, the women looked after each other like sisters. “We are all worried about Um Marianne,” they said. She had been working several jobs, often in sweatshop-like conditions, and leaving her daughter home alone. So the women got a donation to buy her a sewing machine so she can work at home.
The women have set up a series of “micro-projects” like this that the U.S. Collateral Repair then tries to fund. One woman got funds to set us a hair salon in her home. Another got a heavy-duty sewing machine to sew leather—she buys old leather jackets and cuts them up to make beautiful wallets. Another woman wanted video camera and good digital camera to make money filming weddings and other celebrations (unfortunately, there is not much to celebrate these days, she admits). They hope to start a bakery project, a home-pickling business, and for some poor men, they plan to buy a machine to clean floor tiles and one to make keys.
Some of the women have formed a craft collective, and brought out their wares—mosaic paintings, ceramic bowls, place mats, dresses, intricately painted jewelry boxes. They make the products in their homes and the collective helps them market their goods.
After spending several houses with the women, and eating a lovely lunch together, we parted sisters, vowing to stay in touch and help each other.
My next stop was the office of Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), where I met the Communications Director Valerie Babize. I had met the MSF staff in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, before it became too dangerous to work there—and to visit. After leaving Iraq they set up shop in Amman, renting an entire floor of the Red Crescent Hospital where they have provided reconstructive surgery to over 400 Iraqi civilian victims of violence-—be it from the Americans troops, the Sunni insurgents, the Shia militia or Iraqi army. “We see the most horrible cases,” Valerie told me. “Children whose entire faces have been blown apart and they can barely eat or talk; people who have lost limbs and through poor treatment come in terrible pain with severe bone infections. We perform miracles; they come in wheelchairs and terribly disabled. They leave walking, talking, eating.”
But one of their biggest problems is that since January 2008, the Jordanian government has clamped down on Iraqis trying to enter the country. While the group has a capacity to treat 80 patients at a time, they now have only 20 or 30 patients. “It’s such a shame,” said Valerie. “There are thousands of Iraqis in desperate need of our help, since the hospitals in Iraq are now so terrible and so many of the doctors have left. But now we just say to the patients, if they can get in, we will treat them but they have to figure out a way to get here.”
My next meeting was with Dina, a beautiful 28-year-old Iraqi woman who I had been in touch with over the internet. Dina had written to CODEPINK out of desperation, looking for help to get into the United States. She had worked as an interpreter and program officer for a U.S. AID contractor in Iraq called Research Triangle Institute, or RTI. At first, it was wonderful work, educating Iraqis about women’s rights and democracy after the fall of Saddam Hussein. But the violence in Iraq increased, and it became more and more dangerous to be seen as a U.S. collaborator.
In August 2007, she got a terrifying phone call from saying “We know you work with the Americans. We know how to reach you and your family. We will kill you and your American friends won’t be able to do anything to help you.” Having seen many of her colleagues meet a gruesome end, she quickly packed up and fled to Jordan. The rest of her family—a sister and elderly parents—following soon after. Dina thought the Americans would help her get a job in Jordan or get into the United States, but she found herself abandoned with no income and no support. In the email we received from her she said, “The Americans say they want to help the Iraqi people. They talk about human rights, women’s rights. But how can they help the Iraqi people if they can’t even help the staff who worked with them under dangerous circumstances? Are we slaves to be discarded when our lives are in danger? They don’t know the risks or feel our suffering because they hide in the secured area of the Green Zone. I can’t go back home because I will get killed or raped for my association with Americans. I can’t stay in Jordan because I am not allowed to work and have no money. Please, I need your advice because I am depressed and don’t know what to do.”
Dina came to meet me with her mother, a frail woman whose face revealed her severe anxiety of leaving everything familiar to come live in a strange land. A Christian woman married to a Shia man, she was at first happy to see Saddam overthrown, until life post-Saddam became hell. Now the family is totally dependent on their young daughter for their survival.
We talked about Dina’s prospects for getting into the United States. She already had one interview to establish that she indeed worked for a U.S. company. Now she will have another interview to convince the Americans that her life was in danger in Iraq. It is a grueling and long process, but I promised to do what I could in the US end to help her.
“When I wrote to CODEPINK I never thought I’d get a response much less meet you,” Dina said tearfully as we parted. “I hope our next meeting is in the United States.”
I spent the evening at Asma’s apartment, as she insisted I stay with her instead of in a hotel. It was spacious apartment in a nice, quiet neighborhood, but it was sparsely furnished. “I am furnishing this apartment little by little, as my funds allow,” Asma explained. “How ironic that I used to run a business in Baghdad that made beautiful furniture and now I can’t afford to furnish my own apartment.” “Bush would like us all to be beggars but we are proud people,” she added. “I predict that the Americans will be forced to leave in about two years, and we will get our country back. Inshallah--God willing.”
Showing posts with label CODEPINK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CODEPINK. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Trip to Jordan and Syria to Research Plight of Iraqi Refugees
By Medea Benjamin
Day One/ April 29, Amman, Jordan
It was an amazingly full first day in Jordan. Asma Al-Haidari, a brilliant Iraqi woman who lives in Amman and works with political as well as humanitarian groups, picked me up at 8am from the Toledo Hotel. Our first stop was the office of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), where a group of about 40 Iraqis was waiting on line to register with the agency or ask for some type of assistance. We started talking to the people on line. One woman, who was completely covered in a black abaya except for her eyes, had a disabled son she was trying to get medical help for. Another woman had a child with a tumor who needed an operation. All had fled the violence in Iraq and were living in Jordan without funds and in legal limbo.
A group of men gathered around us and started talking all at once.
“Please help me. I need to get out of Jordan.”
“We’re not allowed to work here; how are we supposed to support our families? We have used up all our savings.”
“If we go back to Iraq we’ll be killed. Can’t you help me get to the United States?”
I asked the men what they did back home. One was in the army. Another was a sports trainer. Another an engineer. All were used to working hard and taking care of their families. Having fled the terror in Iraq, they were now living hand to mouth without jobs, without a future and feeling desperate. I felt terrible that I wasn’t able to do anything for them.
We went inside to talk to the staff at UNHCR, including Anna-Maria Deutschlander, a “Senior Protection Officer” in charge of helping Iraqis to be resettled in other countries. She talked to us about the long, difficult process of resettlement and how few countries wanted to take in the Iraqis. “The Swedes were originally very generous, but now they are clamping down. Most European countries feel the U.S. is responsible and should take the lead, but the U.S. has a goal this year of only 12,000—a drop in the bucket—and I doubt they’ll even take that many,” Anna-Marie told us.
We also talked to one of the program officers who deals with the food and cash assistance programs. I was shocked to hear that the UNHCR only distributed cash assistance to a tiny percentage of the refugees, just 1,800, and food assistance to only 3,550, which they distribute through a group called the Jordanian Alliance Against Hunger. Moreover, only 53,000 of the estimated 500,000 refugees in Jordan have even registered with the UNHCR.
I asked why so few were registered. Some Iraqis, they said, are afraid to register because they are in Jordan illegally, and they think it is better to lay low. They also see little benefit to registering, as there are few services and people don’t have to be registered to get them. Whatever the case, the UN outreach and support seems to be surprisingly limited. “If we had more staff and more funds, we could of course do much more,” said Anna-Marie. “But our present budget is just until June and we have no idea what we’ll have to work with in the future, so it’s very hard to plan.”
In a diplomatic way, the staff also conveyed their frustration with the politics that infuses the refugee situation. In Syria, where the government is at odds with the U.S., the government is more open about the plight of the refugees and UNHCR has more of a public presence. In Jordan, the government is an ally of the U.S. and wants to downplay the plight of the refugees so the UNHCR has to be more low key. Also, in Syria there are more refugees, and poorer refugees, so the need is greater. But with Iraqis in Jordan depleting their savings as time passes, the UNHCR staff obviously feels inadequate to cope with the crisis.
Next Asma took me to visit a women’s self-help group in the home of the group leader Maha Al Muneem. In the U.S. this group works with the Collateral Repair Project, and CODEPINK has hooked up with them to raise funds for their activities. About 15 lovely women greeted me at the door, most dressed in pink in honor of CODEPINK. They knew about our work in the U.S. to try to end the occupation, and were grateful for our actions. I, of course, felt terrible that we have been so unsuccessful, and apologized profusely for the horrible damage our country had done.
Some of the women began sharing their stories. One young woman’s brother had been burned to a crisp by a U.S. shell that hit his car. “We couldn’t even recognize his body,” his sister said, her eyes tearing up. One woman had been the victim of a botched kidnapping, and while she luckily survived, she had been dragged for blocks hanging out of a car and still has trouble walking. Another woman broke down as she recalled how the U.S. soldiers raided her home, traumatizing the family and stealing all their savings and family jewels.
The saddest story was that of Um Marianne, single mother whose husband had been killed. She started crying hysterically about how difficult life in Jordan was, with men preying on her, bosses cheating her because she was working illegally and couldn’t complain. She was despondent that she was unable to provide a decent life for her daughter. Suddenly, all the women were weeping—for their own plight, for the plight of their sisters. It was heart-breaking to witness, knowing that my government was responsible for their suffering.
What the women did have, however, was the camaraderie of each other and a profound social conscience. After spending a few hours with them, I realized that the reason Iraqis are not literally starving is not because there is an effective network of UN and NGOs, but because they all help each other. The wealthy look after the middle class, the middle class look after the poor. There was a large pile of clothing in Maha’s kitchen, for example. The women had gathered old clothes from rich Iraqis by literally going door to door asking for donations. Then these women, most of whom had been middle class back home, carefully washed, folded and bundled the clothing not for themselves, but to take to Iraqis living in really poor conditions. The women did not get any compensation for this work, but did it out of a sense of moral obligation. “It’s our duty to help those who are suffering even more than we are,” they said.
Within this informal collective, the women looked after each other like sisters. “We are all worried about Um Marianne,” they said. She had been working several jobs, often in sweatshop-like conditions, and leaving her daughter home alone. So the women got a donation to buy her a sewing machine so she can work at home.
The women have set up a series of “micro-projects” like this that the U.S. Collateral Repair then tries to fund. One woman got funds to set us a hair salon in her home. Another got a heavy-duty sewing machine to sew leather—she buys old leather jackets and cuts them up to make beautiful wallets. Another woman wanted video camera and good digital camera to make money filming weddings and other celebrations (unfortunately, there is not much to celebrate these days, she admits). They hope to start a bakery project, a home-pickling business, and for some poor men, they plan to buy a machine to clean floor tiles and one to make keys.
Some of the women have formed a craft collective, and brought out their wares—mosaic paintings, ceramic bowls, place mats, dresses, intricately painted jewelry boxes. They make the products in their homes and the collective helps them market their goods.
After spending several houses with the women, and eating a lovely lunch together, we parted sisters, vowing to stay in touch and help each other.
My next stop was the office of Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), where I met the Communications Director Valerie Babize. I had met the MSF staff in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, before it became too dangerous to work there—and to visit. After leaving Iraq they set up shop in Amman, renting an entire floor of the Red Crescent Hospital where they have provided reconstructive surgery to over 400 Iraqi civilian victims of violence-—be it from the Americans troops, the Sunni insurgents, the Shia militia or Iraqi army. “We see the most horrible cases,” Valerie told me. “Children whose entire faces have been blown apart and they can barely eat or talk; people who have lost limbs and through poor treatment come in terrible pain with severe bone infections. We perform miracles; they come in wheelchairs and terribly disabled. They leave walking, talking, eating.”
But one of their biggest problems is that since January 2008, the Jordanian government has clamped down on Iraqis trying to enter the country. While the group has a capacity to treat 80 patients at a time, they now have only 20 or 30 patients. “It’s such a shame,” said Valerie. “There are thousands of Iraqis in desperate need of our help, since the hospitals in Iraq are now so terrible and so many of the doctors have left. But now we just say to the patients, if they can get in, we will treat them but they have to figure out a way to get here.”
My next meeting was with Dina, a beautiful 28-year-old Iraqi woman who I had been in touch with over the internet. Dina had written to CODEPINK out of desperation, looking for help to get into the United States. She had worked as an interpreter and program officer for a U.S. AID contractor in Iraq called Research Triangle Institute, or RTI. At first, it was wonderful work, educating Iraqis about women’s rights and democracy after the fall of Saddam Hussein. But the violence in Iraq increased, and it became more and more dangerous to be seen as a U.S. collaborator.
In August 2007, she got a terrifying phone call from saying “We know you work with the Americans. We know how to reach you and your family. We will kill you and your American friends won’t be able to do anything to help you.” Having seen many of her colleagues meet a gruesome end, she quickly packed up and fled to Jordan. The rest of her family—a sister and elderly parents—following soon after. Dina thought the Americans would help her get a job in Jordan or get into the United States, but she found herself abandoned with no income and no support. In the email we received from her she said, “The Americans say they want to help the Iraqi people. They talk about human rights, women’s rights. But how can they help the Iraqi people if they can’t even help the staff who worked with them under dangerous circumstances? Are we slaves to be discarded when our lives are in danger? They don’t know the risks or feel our suffering because they hide in the secured area of the Green Zone. I can’t go back home because I will get killed or raped for my association with Americans. I can’t stay in Jordan because I am not allowed to work and have no money. Please, I need your advice because I am depressed and don’t know what to do.”
Dina came to meet me with her mother, a frail woman whose face revealed her severe anxiety of leaving everything familiar to come live in a strange land. A Christian woman married to a Shia man, she was at first happy to see Saddam overthrown, until life post-Saddam became hell. Now the family is totally dependent on their young daughter for their survival.
We talked about Dina’s prospects for getting into the United States. She already had one interview to establish that she indeed worked for a U.S. company. Now she will have another interview to convince the Americans that her life was in danger in Iraq. It is a grueling and long process, but I promised to do what I could in the US end to help her.
“When I wrote to CODEPINK I never thought I’d get a response much less meet you,” Dina said tearfully as we parted. “I hope our next meeting is in the United States.”
I spent the evening at Asma’s apartment, as she insisted I stay with her instead of in a hotel. It was spacious apartment in a nice, quiet neighborhood, but it was sparsely furnished. “I am furnishing this apartment little by little, as my funds allow,” Asma explained. “How ironic that I used to run a business in Baghdad that made beautiful furniture and now I can’t afford to furnish my own apartment.” “Bush would like us all to be beggars but we are proud people,” she added. “I predict that the Americans will be forced to leave in about two years, and we will get our country back. Inshallah--God willing.”
Day One/ April 29, Amman, Jordan
It was an amazingly full first day in Jordan. Asma Al-Haidari, a brilliant Iraqi woman who lives in Amman and works with political as well as humanitarian groups, picked me up at 8am from the Toledo Hotel. Our first stop was the office of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), where a group of about 40 Iraqis was waiting on line to register with the agency or ask for some type of assistance. We started talking to the people on line. One woman, who was completely covered in a black abaya except for her eyes, had a disabled son she was trying to get medical help for. Another woman had a child with a tumor who needed an operation. All had fled the violence in Iraq and were living in Jordan without funds and in legal limbo.
A group of men gathered around us and started talking all at once.
“Please help me. I need to get out of Jordan.”
“We’re not allowed to work here; how are we supposed to support our families? We have used up all our savings.”
“If we go back to Iraq we’ll be killed. Can’t you help me get to the United States?”
I asked the men what they did back home. One was in the army. Another was a sports trainer. Another an engineer. All were used to working hard and taking care of their families. Having fled the terror in Iraq, they were now living hand to mouth without jobs, without a future and feeling desperate. I felt terrible that I wasn’t able to do anything for them.
We went inside to talk to the staff at UNHCR, including Anna-Maria Deutschlander, a “Senior Protection Officer” in charge of helping Iraqis to be resettled in other countries. She talked to us about the long, difficult process of resettlement and how few countries wanted to take in the Iraqis. “The Swedes were originally very generous, but now they are clamping down. Most European countries feel the U.S. is responsible and should take the lead, but the U.S. has a goal this year of only 12,000—a drop in the bucket—and I doubt they’ll even take that many,” Anna-Marie told us.
We also talked to one of the program officers who deals with the food and cash assistance programs. I was shocked to hear that the UNHCR only distributed cash assistance to a tiny percentage of the refugees, just 1,800, and food assistance to only 3,550, which they distribute through a group called the Jordanian Alliance Against Hunger. Moreover, only 53,000 of the estimated 500,000 refugees in Jordan have even registered with the UNHCR.
I asked why so few were registered. Some Iraqis, they said, are afraid to register because they are in Jordan illegally, and they think it is better to lay low. They also see little benefit to registering, as there are few services and people don’t have to be registered to get them. Whatever the case, the UN outreach and support seems to be surprisingly limited. “If we had more staff and more funds, we could of course do much more,” said Anna-Marie. “But our present budget is just until June and we have no idea what we’ll have to work with in the future, so it’s very hard to plan.”
In a diplomatic way, the staff also conveyed their frustration with the politics that infuses the refugee situation. In Syria, where the government is at odds with the U.S., the government is more open about the plight of the refugees and UNHCR has more of a public presence. In Jordan, the government is an ally of the U.S. and wants to downplay the plight of the refugees so the UNHCR has to be more low key. Also, in Syria there are more refugees, and poorer refugees, so the need is greater. But with Iraqis in Jordan depleting their savings as time passes, the UNHCR staff obviously feels inadequate to cope with the crisis.
Next Asma took me to visit a women’s self-help group in the home of the group leader Maha Al Muneem. In the U.S. this group works with the Collateral Repair Project, and CODEPINK has hooked up with them to raise funds for their activities. About 15 lovely women greeted me at the door, most dressed in pink in honor of CODEPINK. They knew about our work in the U.S. to try to end the occupation, and were grateful for our actions. I, of course, felt terrible that we have been so unsuccessful, and apologized profusely for the horrible damage our country had done.
Some of the women began sharing their stories. One young woman’s brother had been burned to a crisp by a U.S. shell that hit his car. “We couldn’t even recognize his body,” his sister said, her eyes tearing up. One woman had been the victim of a botched kidnapping, and while she luckily survived, she had been dragged for blocks hanging out of a car and still has trouble walking. Another woman broke down as she recalled how the U.S. soldiers raided her home, traumatizing the family and stealing all their savings and family jewels.
The saddest story was that of Um Marianne, single mother whose husband had been killed. She started crying hysterically about how difficult life in Jordan was, with men preying on her, bosses cheating her because she was working illegally and couldn’t complain. She was despondent that she was unable to provide a decent life for her daughter. Suddenly, all the women were weeping—for their own plight, for the plight of their sisters. It was heart-breaking to witness, knowing that my government was responsible for their suffering.
What the women did have, however, was the camaraderie of each other and a profound social conscience. After spending a few hours with them, I realized that the reason Iraqis are not literally starving is not because there is an effective network of UN and NGOs, but because they all help each other. The wealthy look after the middle class, the middle class look after the poor. There was a large pile of clothing in Maha’s kitchen, for example. The women had gathered old clothes from rich Iraqis by literally going door to door asking for donations. Then these women, most of whom had been middle class back home, carefully washed, folded and bundled the clothing not for themselves, but to take to Iraqis living in really poor conditions. The women did not get any compensation for this work, but did it out of a sense of moral obligation. “It’s our duty to help those who are suffering even more than we are,” they said.
Within this informal collective, the women looked after each other like sisters. “We are all worried about Um Marianne,” they said. She had been working several jobs, often in sweatshop-like conditions, and leaving her daughter home alone. So the women got a donation to buy her a sewing machine so she can work at home.
The women have set up a series of “micro-projects” like this that the U.S. Collateral Repair then tries to fund. One woman got funds to set us a hair salon in her home. Another got a heavy-duty sewing machine to sew leather—she buys old leather jackets and cuts them up to make beautiful wallets. Another woman wanted video camera and good digital camera to make money filming weddings and other celebrations (unfortunately, there is not much to celebrate these days, she admits). They hope to start a bakery project, a home-pickling business, and for some poor men, they plan to buy a machine to clean floor tiles and one to make keys.
Some of the women have formed a craft collective, and brought out their wares—mosaic paintings, ceramic bowls, place mats, dresses, intricately painted jewelry boxes. They make the products in their homes and the collective helps them market their goods.
After spending several houses with the women, and eating a lovely lunch together, we parted sisters, vowing to stay in touch and help each other.
My next stop was the office of Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), where I met the Communications Director Valerie Babize. I had met the MSF staff in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, before it became too dangerous to work there—and to visit. After leaving Iraq they set up shop in Amman, renting an entire floor of the Red Crescent Hospital where they have provided reconstructive surgery to over 400 Iraqi civilian victims of violence-—be it from the Americans troops, the Sunni insurgents, the Shia militia or Iraqi army. “We see the most horrible cases,” Valerie told me. “Children whose entire faces have been blown apart and they can barely eat or talk; people who have lost limbs and through poor treatment come in terrible pain with severe bone infections. We perform miracles; they come in wheelchairs and terribly disabled. They leave walking, talking, eating.”
But one of their biggest problems is that since January 2008, the Jordanian government has clamped down on Iraqis trying to enter the country. While the group has a capacity to treat 80 patients at a time, they now have only 20 or 30 patients. “It’s such a shame,” said Valerie. “There are thousands of Iraqis in desperate need of our help, since the hospitals in Iraq are now so terrible and so many of the doctors have left. But now we just say to the patients, if they can get in, we will treat them but they have to figure out a way to get here.”
My next meeting was with Dina, a beautiful 28-year-old Iraqi woman who I had been in touch with over the internet. Dina had written to CODEPINK out of desperation, looking for help to get into the United States. She had worked as an interpreter and program officer for a U.S. AID contractor in Iraq called Research Triangle Institute, or RTI. At first, it was wonderful work, educating Iraqis about women’s rights and democracy after the fall of Saddam Hussein. But the violence in Iraq increased, and it became more and more dangerous to be seen as a U.S. collaborator.
In August 2007, she got a terrifying phone call from saying “We know you work with the Americans. We know how to reach you and your family. We will kill you and your American friends won’t be able to do anything to help you.” Having seen many of her colleagues meet a gruesome end, she quickly packed up and fled to Jordan. The rest of her family—a sister and elderly parents—following soon after. Dina thought the Americans would help her get a job in Jordan or get into the United States, but she found herself abandoned with no income and no support. In the email we received from her she said, “The Americans say they want to help the Iraqi people. They talk about human rights, women’s rights. But how can they help the Iraqi people if they can’t even help the staff who worked with them under dangerous circumstances? Are we slaves to be discarded when our lives are in danger? They don’t know the risks or feel our suffering because they hide in the secured area of the Green Zone. I can’t go back home because I will get killed or raped for my association with Americans. I can’t stay in Jordan because I am not allowed to work and have no money. Please, I need your advice because I am depressed and don’t know what to do.”
Dina came to meet me with her mother, a frail woman whose face revealed her severe anxiety of leaving everything familiar to come live in a strange land. A Christian woman married to a Shia man, she was at first happy to see Saddam overthrown, until life post-Saddam became hell. Now the family is totally dependent on their young daughter for their survival.
We talked about Dina’s prospects for getting into the United States. She already had one interview to establish that she indeed worked for a U.S. company. Now she will have another interview to convince the Americans that her life was in danger in Iraq. It is a grueling and long process, but I promised to do what I could in the US end to help her.
“When I wrote to CODEPINK I never thought I’d get a response much less meet you,” Dina said tearfully as we parted. “I hope our next meeting is in the United States.”
I spent the evening at Asma’s apartment, as she insisted I stay with her instead of in a hotel. It was spacious apartment in a nice, quiet neighborhood, but it was sparsely furnished. “I am furnishing this apartment little by little, as my funds allow,” Asma explained. “How ironic that I used to run a business in Baghdad that made beautiful furniture and now I can’t afford to furnish my own apartment.” “Bush would like us all to be beggars but we are proud people,” she added. “I predict that the Americans will be forced to leave in about two years, and we will get our country back. Inshallah--God willing.”
Monday, January 14, 2008
Letter to Muhammed - Prisoner in Guantanamo on the Six Year Anniversary of Its Opening
Dear Muhammad Ejaz Khan:
I finally found the correct spelling of your name from the list of detainees on www.CagePrisoners.com. The Pentagon list spelled it incorrectly.
As a member of Code Pink Women for Peace, I am writing to let you know that there are many Americans who care about yours and others' extended imprisonment without charges in Guantanamo Prison and named and "secret" prisons around the world. (I believe that Guantanamo is truly a Maximum Security Prison and not a "Camp" , unless you call this a "Concentration Camp"...I am not allowed to visit to find out for myself!)
On Friday, January 11, 2008 hundreds of people gathered on a rainy, cold day in Washington, D.C. from around the country to protest the continued imprisonment without charge the reported 275 persons still imprisoned in Guantanamo on the sixth anniversary of the first detainee being brought there.
When were you brought to Guantanamo and what circumstances caused you to be picked up in Afghanistan since you were born in Alipoor, Pakistan I am told. What is your real birth date? The one on the Pentagon record is 1-1-71, but "Cage Prisoners" does not publish the birth dates because there is no proof available in most cases.
Where is your family living? I realize that to tell me this might get them killed, so I do not expect to hear back from you on this, but I would like to meet your family some day...
I believe that we are one family supported by planet earth. That is part of the reason that I took your name on Friday and surrendered my Driver's License in the Nonviolent Direct Action at the Supreme Court in the Nation's Capital. I was born into a country in which one is innocent until proven guilty. I believe that you are innocent, especially since your guilt in any crime warranting your extended imprisonment has not been proven.
I cannot imagine what you have been through in Gitmo! My heart becomes sad, then shuts down and becomes numb thinking about the travesty of torture promulgated upon Muslim people by the Bush Administration in its "War on Terror" in multiple known and unknown prison sites around the world...
But today (January 11) I chose to focus on YOUR imprisonment. (Actually we did an action at a Mall in Western Massachusetts, where we marched in orange jumpsuits wearing signs saying " The united States of America I believe in ... would not through the mall passing out information about the sixth anniversary and spoke to people about yours and other prisoners' plight in Gitmo until we were lead out of the Mall by security guards. I spoke your name and mae up how you might have been picked up and brought to prison. WHY ARE YOU STILL BEING HELD?!
I am hoping that the kind of publicity that we have raised about yours and others' imprisonment will lead to your release, eventual healing from the traumas you have witnessed and experienced. I believe that this is the very LEAST that I can do to say no to the immoral and shameful Bush-Cheney policy of torture , torture by rendition and (seomtimes secret)indefinite detention without legal charge or evidence. You should have the right to challenge your detention via Habeas Corpus. We are advocating that everyone call their Congresspersons at 202-224-3121 and ask for a closing of Guantanamo and an end to torture as an official policy of the United States military and agencies and its agents and sub-contractors.
We got a glimpse of what you go through. Some have speculated that our imprisonment was so difficult in order to discourage future demonstrations at the Supreme Court. There was an outside procession, which I cannot report about.Information about it can be found on the Witness Against Torture website: www.witnesstorture.org
My dear Muhammed, I was arrested on my knees a few minutes after arriving in the Rotunda of the Supreme Court. My friend and I were to have served as liasons with the Supreme Court Police after our program on Guantanamo started up. They grabbed my arms and pulled them harshly behind my back, never giving us warnings. 82 of us were arrested for standing up for you all, about half inside the Supreme Court and half outside...We felt that it was the right thing to do, to stand up for you and raise more awareness about this deplorable fact of the sixth anniversary of imprisonment at Guantanamo!
Whatever the reason, we were held for 28-30 hours with inadequate water and food. In my case I was moved with a changing group of seven to five different jail sites, not allowing us any sleep. Each time the women were frisked, even though we had been jailed, guarded, and transported by police personnel. But who is supposed to have a rational experience in prison?! Friends that we came with suddenly disappeared from our midst. This was disorienting as we worried about their whereabouts.
In the last jail at the District Court on Indiana Avenue there were fourteen of us in a single jail cell. None of the jail cells throughout the time we were held was clean. In fact they were all filthy! I tried to sleep by covering my head with the neck portion of my turtleneck sweater flipped over my shoe. (Laces had been removed...)
Our main goal was to get our name recorded in the Congressional Record, so when we went to Court the following day to be arraigned, when called upon to state our names, we gave the name of the detainee we were representing. We hope that you are still alive and that you are okay. I want to hear your voice and see you face once more. I pray daily for your legal representation by an attorney, for your prompt release and return to your family, for a full recovery of your health and well being and that you might never experience torture again.
I have decided to send this letter to you via the website Cage Prisoners.com. I hope that you receive it and that you will know that I/we care about you-ALL of you!
I hope even more people will join the protest of the torture and rendition program which will increase the likelihood of your release to your family. (NOT some secret prison somewhere...)
Don't lose hope-it lives!
Beth Adams-Code Pink - Western Massachusetts from D.C. Code Pink House
I finally found the correct spelling of your name from the list of detainees on www.CagePrisoners.com. The Pentagon list spelled it incorrectly.
As a member of Code Pink Women for Peace, I am writing to let you know that there are many Americans who care about yours and others' extended imprisonment without charges in Guantanamo Prison and named and "secret" prisons around the world. (I believe that Guantanamo is truly a Maximum Security Prison and not a "Camp" , unless you call this a "Concentration Camp"...I am not allowed to visit to find out for myself!)
On Friday, January 11, 2008 hundreds of people gathered on a rainy, cold day in Washington, D.C. from around the country to protest the continued imprisonment without charge the reported 275 persons still imprisoned in Guantanamo on the sixth anniversary of the first detainee being brought there.
When were you brought to Guantanamo and what circumstances caused you to be picked up in Afghanistan since you were born in Alipoor, Pakistan I am told. What is your real birth date? The one on the Pentagon record is 1-1-71, but "Cage Prisoners" does not publish the birth dates because there is no proof available in most cases.
Where is your family living? I realize that to tell me this might get them killed, so I do not expect to hear back from you on this, but I would like to meet your family some day...
I believe that we are one family supported by planet earth. That is part of the reason that I took your name on Friday and surrendered my Driver's License in the Nonviolent Direct Action at the Supreme Court in the Nation's Capital. I was born into a country in which one is innocent until proven guilty. I believe that you are innocent, especially since your guilt in any crime warranting your extended imprisonment has not been proven.
I cannot imagine what you have been through in Gitmo! My heart becomes sad, then shuts down and becomes numb thinking about the travesty of torture promulgated upon Muslim people by the Bush Administration in its "War on Terror" in multiple known and unknown prison sites around the world...
But today (January 11) I chose to focus on YOUR imprisonment. (Actually we did an action at a Mall in Western Massachusetts, where we marched in orange jumpsuits wearing signs saying " The united States of America I believe in ... would not through the mall passing out information about the sixth anniversary and spoke to people about yours and other prisoners' plight in Gitmo until we were lead out of the Mall by security guards. I spoke your name and mae up how you might have been picked up and brought to prison. WHY ARE YOU STILL BEING HELD?!
I am hoping that the kind of publicity that we have raised about yours and others' imprisonment will lead to your release, eventual healing from the traumas you have witnessed and experienced. I believe that this is the very LEAST that I can do to say no to the immoral and shameful Bush-Cheney policy of torture , torture by rendition and (seomtimes secret)indefinite detention without legal charge or evidence. You should have the right to challenge your detention via Habeas Corpus. We are advocating that everyone call their Congresspersons at 202-224-3121 and ask for a closing of Guantanamo and an end to torture as an official policy of the United States military and agencies and its agents and sub-contractors.
We got a glimpse of what you go through. Some have speculated that our imprisonment was so difficult in order to discourage future demonstrations at the Supreme Court. There was an outside procession, which I cannot report about.Information about it can be found on the Witness Against Torture website: www.witnesstorture.org
My dear Muhammed, I was arrested on my knees a few minutes after arriving in the Rotunda of the Supreme Court. My friend and I were to have served as liasons with the Supreme Court Police after our program on Guantanamo started up. They grabbed my arms and pulled them harshly behind my back, never giving us warnings. 82 of us were arrested for standing up for you all, about half inside the Supreme Court and half outside...We felt that it was the right thing to do, to stand up for you and raise more awareness about this deplorable fact of the sixth anniversary of imprisonment at Guantanamo!
Whatever the reason, we were held for 28-30 hours with inadequate water and food. In my case I was moved with a changing group of seven to five different jail sites, not allowing us any sleep. Each time the women were frisked, even though we had been jailed, guarded, and transported by police personnel. But who is supposed to have a rational experience in prison?! Friends that we came with suddenly disappeared from our midst. This was disorienting as we worried about their whereabouts.
In the last jail at the District Court on Indiana Avenue there were fourteen of us in a single jail cell. None of the jail cells throughout the time we were held was clean. In fact they were all filthy! I tried to sleep by covering my head with the neck portion of my turtleneck sweater flipped over my shoe. (Laces had been removed...)
Our main goal was to get our name recorded in the Congressional Record, so when we went to Court the following day to be arraigned, when called upon to state our names, we gave the name of the detainee we were representing. We hope that you are still alive and that you are okay. I want to hear your voice and see you face once more. I pray daily for your legal representation by an attorney, for your prompt release and return to your family, for a full recovery of your health and well being and that you might never experience torture again.
I have decided to send this letter to you via the website Cage Prisoners.com. I hope that you receive it and that you will know that I/we care about you-ALL of you!
I hope even more people will join the protest of the torture and rendition program which will increase the likelihood of your release to your family. (NOT some secret prison somewhere...)
Don't lose hope-it lives!
Beth Adams-Code Pink - Western Massachusetts from D.C. Code Pink House
Saturday, September 29, 2007
WILLITS, CA, RESIDENT MADGE STRONG GOES TO WASHINGTON D.C.
By Madge Strong
After 2-1/2 years of helping organize CodePink (Women for Peace) activities in Willits, I decided it was time to bring the message directly to Washington D.C., where our government makes the decisions that affect our future. I arrived Thursday, Sept. 27 evening, staying with my cousin and his wife. Their son is currently in Iraq, serving in a war that they oppose. So far, he is OK.
Day 1: Fri. Sept. 28
Peace Encampment, Sen. Feinstein’s Office
Friday morning I showed up at the CodePink house. I was immediately swept up in the activities for that day, rushing to the peace encampment at the foot of the Capital for a Peace Mass. From there a group of four CodePink activists from California went to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office, where we presented to one of her staff a "Hall of Shame" award for her recent vote in favor of the Kyle-Lieberman resolution that beats the war drums by demonizing Iran. Capitol police tracked our coming-and-going from the building with their walky-talkies: “CodePink is just leaving Sen. Feinstein’s office,” and escorted us to the door. One of them asked kindly about a CodePinker who had been arrested earlier that week.
Global Warming Demonstration
Our delegation then joined a group of about 200 in front of the State Dept., organized by Friends of the Earth calling for urgent measures to combat global warming - in contrast to the Bush Administration's foot-dragging and ineffective lip service. One of the speakers there had been fasting for 25 days to bring attention to this crucial issue. One person dressed as a polar bear (despite the warm day), illustrating their impending extinction; the arctic ice pack has already shrunk by 40%.
Breasts, Not Bombs
Our next stop was a stretch for me and several CodePink colleagues: we met Mendocino actress/activist Sherry Glaser in front of the White House for a "Breasts, Not Bombs" action. Sherry explained to a few passers-by that a woman's breasts are natural and nurturing, not indecent, but the killing, torture, and illegal wars of the Administration truly are indecent. To my surprise, baring of breasts is not illegal in D.C.! Nonetheless, two policemen came, after Sherry and her friend Sheba had shed their shirts, to discourage the "inappropriate display." Eventually, a crowd gathered and several news people were filming, as three other women (and a man!) joined the action; two of us passed out literature and took documentary video. As I explained to curious on-lookers, I was too inhibited to go bare, but certainly agreed that extreme measures - and acts of courage by ordinary citizens - are required to call attention to the obscenity of this war.
Democracy for Burma Demonstration
We took a taxi from the White House to the Burmese Embassy, where we joined a group of Buddhist monks and many students, protesting the killing and persecution going on in Burma by the military junta with China's backing. The crowd swelled to about 200 by the time we marched and chanted to the Chinese Embassy, led by the monks.
My cousin picked me up back at the CodePink house (a 4-story row house that accommodates about 20 people at a time), and I passed on the evening event featuring people from "Sicko," supporting universal health care. I was exhausted, but felt rewarded by a busy first day in the capitol!
DAY 2 – Sat. Sept. 29
Rally & March for Peace
After my whirlwind first day of demonstrations, my second day in D.C. was similarly exciting and exhausting. On Saturday, Sept. 29 I participated as part of CodePink in a rally and march sponsored by the Troops Out Now Coalition, culminating a week-long Peace Encampment at the capitol. Dozens of groups were represented during the 3-hour rally, as the crowd grew to several thousands (much smaller than the Sept. 15th ANSWER Coalition event but still impressive).
I got to experience the unique style of CodePink. For starters, there's the fashion statement: not just pink, but boas, 3-layer umbrellas, capes, etc. The idea is to have fun as well as get attention; it works!
Then, when Medea Benjamin (CodePink co-founder) and retired Colonel Ann Wright spoke on-stage at the rally, they rounded up about a dozen of us to climb the ladder and stand with them. Medea and Ann are fantastic spokespeople, passionate and articulate, but there's no ego about it. We all stand together.
And finally, during the march, the CodePink contingent of about 30 didn't just walk the two mile route through government central D.C.; we improvised actions as we went, chanting "Funds for Education, Not for Occupation" at the entrance to the Dept. of Education, and - at the Voice of America building - we chanted "The voice of America: Let's End the Occupation!"
DAY 3 - Sunday, I enjoyed sight-seeing with my cousins - and rested.
DAY 4 - Monday Oct. 1st
Pres. Bush at Ft. Myers
I arrived at CodePink house just in time to go out the door for another "action." We had word that Pres. Bush would be attending the retirement party for Gen. Pace at Fort Myers, so eight of us piled into two cars, with banners, bull horns, a Bush mask, and other paraphernalia.
Five of us were dropped off at one entrance, where we waved our message to dozens of VIPs entering the base. The others hit the jackpot, greeting Bush's motorcade as it arrived at the other entrance. So they fetched us and all 8 of us, plus two more who joined us there, continued demonstrating against the war to hundreds of cars passing by. We also gathered a total of 10 police cars (2 cops each) plus 4 motorcycle cops sent to "control" us. One person wore the Bush mask and prison garb, four were holding banners ("Don't Buy Bush's War"), and Ann Wright and Medea Benjamin took turns on the bull horns, directing a plea to the military personnel on the other side of the heavily-armed gate not to support this illegal war. We got quite a few thumbs-ups and peace signs from passing motorists for over an hour.
The wait paid off, as we saw the color guard escort Bush back to the motorcade. We chanted "George Bush: War Criminal." Four copters and four jets flew low overhead. Street traffic was closed, and then the parade of about 20 motorcycles, many armored SUVs, and at least four limousines passed about 50 feet from us. Someone said they could see Bush blandly smiling at us. Considering how they normally keep all protesters out of Bush's sight, this felt like quite a coup!
Meeting with Sen. Feinstein’s Aides
My next stop for the day was Senator Feinstein's office, where I met with two of her legislative assistants, Joel McFadden and Richard Harper, Jr., for a half-hour. I expressed my concern over her support of the Kyle-Lieberman "sense of the Senate" resolution which essentially joins the drum-beat of war-mongering against Iran. They defended her position by noting that more explicit language implying permission to use force was removed before she would support it. They also assured me that Sen. Feinstein absolutely believes diplomacy should be the first priority. Unfortunately, this administration doesn't seem so diplomacy-minded. In view of this - and Feinstein's misplaced faith in the Administration back in the Fall 2002 run-up to the Iraq war, I strongly urged that Congress tie the President's hands rather than sit on their own hands. Finally, I of course urged that we get the troops out of Iraq now. They were polite listeners and said they would pass along my concerns to the Senator. Perhaps that makes a bigger dent than the 30,000 emails she gets each week.
On my return to the CodePink house (I had decided to stay there for my last two nights in DC), we greeted three Japanese peace activists who had just arrived, direct from Osaka. They're my roommates, so I helped them settle, we all ate dinner together and received many gifts from them to CodePink.
DAY 5 - Tuesday, Oct. 2
Blackwater Hearing
My last full day in Washington D.C. had three main events. After breakfast with the CodePink house residents, which now included the three peace activists from Japan, most of us headed to the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, where they were conducting a hearing on private security contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. They would be questioning Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater.
We were in line almost an hour early, but it was a small hearing room and the guards said that, except for people with authorized press passes, only the first 25 people would get in. They advised us to watch the hearing on closed circuit TV in an overflow room down the hall. Since the hearing had not yet started, though, we waited there. It was interesting to meet other people in line, but as the minutes dragged, I suggested to Amber that we sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee." (Amber is a CodePinker from Santa Cruz staying at the house, and we had enjoyed singing together the day before at Fort Myers.) We got through the song
once before a guard rushed over and sternly advised us we would be arrested if we didn't stop immediately. Ah, sweet land of liberty!
We went to the overflow room when the hearing began with a powerful statement from its chair, Henry Waxman. He said, "For every taxpayer dollar spent on federal programs, over 40 cents now goes to private contractors. Our government now outsources even the oversight of the outsourcing." He noted that Blackwater, founded in 1997, went from just $200,000 in government contracts in 2000 to over $1 billion since then; more than half of those were awarded without full competition. The questions for this hearing, he said, are: Is Blackwater helping or hurting our efforts in Iraq? Are we holding such private military contractors accountable? And what are the costs?
Waxman advised the committee that the Sept. 16 shooting in which at least 11 Iraqis were killed would not be the subject of any detailed questions today, due to requests from the Justice Department in view of the FBI's current investigation of the matter. He noted, however, that the September 16 event "is just the latest in a series of troubling Blackwater incidents." There have been at least 195 shooting incidents involving Blackwater forces since 2005; in most of these, Blackwater forces fired first. In addition, 122 Blackwater employees - one out of seven of the company's current workforce in Iraq - have been terminated for improper conduct.
Waxman brought up the case of a drunken Blackwater contractor who shot the guard of the Iraqi Vice President on Dec. 24, 2006. In the U.S., the contractor would have been arrested and charged. If a U.S. soldier had killed an Iraqi guard, he would face a court martial. But this Blackwater employee simply lost his job and was whisked out of Iraq within 36 hours. Adding insult to injury, the State Department advised Blackwater how much to pay the murdered man's family to "make the problem go away." The first suggestion of $250,000 was reduced to $15,000 because, as internal emails said, Iraqis would try to get themselves killed for such a large payout. (Prince later said they had actually paid the family $20,000.) It's hard not to conclude, said Waxman, that "the State Department is acting as Blackwater's enabler."
I won't detail all the questions and answers as the hearing went on for hours, but a few statements stand out. One line of questioning concerned the Nov. 27, 2004, airplane crash in Afghanistan in which the inexperienced Blackwater pilots not only did not follow standard procedures but were, as clearly evidenced by the cockpit recording, acting like cowboys on a joyride. (Three U.S. servicemen died in the crash.) Erik Prince's comments were, "Accidents happen," and there have been thousands of safe flights since then. Blackwater was not sanctioned, because the Air Force found that the accident was pilot error, not corporate error.
Another set of questions focused on accountability. Prince stated that Blackwater is subject to the Military Code of Justice, but some Congresspeople doubted that, since they are hired by the State Department and are civilians. Prince said all the company can do (regarding their employees' wrong-doing) is fire them; it is up to the Justice Department if any investigation or criminal charges are required. Apparently no case has yet tested what law Blackwater is actually subject to. One certainty is that it is not Iraqi law.
What did CodePink do to express our outrage at this mercenary force running amok and making the U.S. even more hated by the Iraqi people? Only one of our group had made it into the hearing room; he was forcibly removed when he "disrupted" the proceeding with a loud objection. In the hall and overflow room, one CodePink woman wore a princess-like outfit, with a crown that said "Prince Be Gone!" Several wore cloth signs on their backs saying "Blackwater = Mercenaries." As the hearing ended and Erik Prince was quickly escorted out, our group chanted "war criminal" until capitol police warned that one more outburst would result in our arrest. Let freedom ring.
Meeting with Rep. Mike Thompson
I left for part of the hearing to meet with my Congressman, Mike Thompson, and his legislative assistant Tracy Varghese. I had made the appointment days earlier and since then had been rehearsing in my mind what I wanted to say. I decided to focus on the reasons for and importance of impeaching Vice President Cheney. First, I thanked him for his Fall 2002 vote against the Iraq invasion and his sincere efforts to end the war. Thompson is clearly proud of his record, saying something to the effect of "I was against the war before any of you got active." He said the only time he's voted for any funds for the war was when it had a timeline for withdrawal attached (troops to be out by March 2008), which he thinks looks pretty good now. He resents the heat he's gotten for that and some of his other votes.
As I steered to the subject of impeachment, he stated his position that it would be strategically unwise. He did not seem to disagree with the ample grounds for impeaching Cheney (starting a war based on lies, outing a CIA agent, condoning torture and spying, war profiteering, etc.), nor that the Constitution calls for impeachment in cases of abuse of power. In fact, he stated that, if charges of impeachment were to come to a vote on the floor of the House (which would then require a trial in the Senate), he would vote for it. That was good news to me!
But he did not support such an action because, he said, "it would play right into the hands of the GOP," it would stop progress on other important legislation, and would not have enough votes to be successful. I disagreed that it would stop other progress, as very little can be accomplished anyway, between filibusters and vetoes. I pointed out that he often voted as a matter of principle for legislation that didn't have enough votes, and holding this Administration accountable for flouting laws and endangering our security warrants such a principled stand. Moreover, I believe it would be good strategically: instead of letting the Administration control the debate, impeachment hearings would bring media and public attention to the repeated lies, blunders, and criminal behavior of Cheney (not to mention others in the Administration).
Finally, I do not condone what I see as the Democratic strategy of running out the clock, hoping this unpopular Administration and war brings the Democrats a bigger victory in Nov. 2008. (He interjected that he believes such a victory would enable salutary changes in policy.) One problem I see with that argument is that the damage may be difficult to reverse: Democrats or Republicans aside, protecting our Constitution and rights should come first. Another big concern I have is that Cheney and his cronies, already shown to be ruthless, will stop at nothing to retain their power. That could include dirty electoral tricks, terrorist attacks, and/or starting another war (already in the works). This is just too dangerous!
Thompson, who seems to enjoy some verbal sparring, had begun glancing at the clock. He said we would have to agree to disagree, as he reiterated his opposition to bringing impeachment hearings. I thanked him and his aide for their time (almost a half-hour) and hoped he would keep aware of these concerns. With that, we adjourned and I returned to the Blackwater hearing.
Jena 6 Rally
My third action for the day was attending a rally in support of the Jena 6 - the black high school students arrested for a schoolyard brawl in this small Louisiana town after racial tensions had erupted following white students putting a noose in a tree, an unveiled threat to keep blacks away. The all-white jury had handed down an outrageous sentence for the first youth, overturned on appeal, yet he was still in jail, almost a year after the incident. At the rally, I joined 100-150 others, including our three polite Japanese visitors, calling for dropping all charges. It is sometimes discouraging to see that we are still fighting so many of the same injustices, decade after decade.
I returned to the CodePink house with the Japanese women, for dinner, conversation, and watching TV coverage of the day's events.
Leaving Day – Oct. 3
The next morning, Medea and Ann flew to Buffalo, New York, to test whether Canada would let them in (due to their FBI record of arrests for peace activities); Canada would not. Meanwhile, reluctantly, I was leaving DC.
Gold-Star Parent Carlos Arredondo
I got a ride to the train station with Carlos Arredondo. I hadn't realized, when I'd met him earlier in my visit, that he was the father of Alex, who died in Iraq at the tender age of 20, that Carlos has brought his son's symbolic coffin to peace marches, that he was the one who was beaten up by pro-war counter-demonstrators on Sept. 15th. Carlos said he's been spat on and insulted, but he cannot help but commemorate his son by working tirelessly for an end to this insane war, knowing what it has taken from him and from tens of thousands of other families – both in the U.S. and in Iraq. We shared some tears as he gave me a copy of his son's letter from Iraq.
With a full heart, I boarded the train and went north to visit with dear friends in New York State. I felt that I'd done more in one week than I'd done in months or even years back home, that I was not alone along-side many passionate, courageous peace-makers. I don't know what it will take to make a dent in the seemingly cold-hearted halls of Congress and the tunnel vision of Beltway politics, but I believe all our acts, small or large, make a difference. Like Carlos, I know I cannot be silent.
After 2-1/2 years of helping organize CodePink (Women for Peace) activities in Willits, I decided it was time to bring the message directly to Washington D.C., where our government makes the decisions that affect our future. I arrived Thursday, Sept. 27 evening, staying with my cousin and his wife. Their son is currently in Iraq, serving in a war that they oppose. So far, he is OK.
Day 1: Fri. Sept. 28
Peace Encampment, Sen. Feinstein’s Office
Friday morning I showed up at the CodePink house. I was immediately swept up in the activities for that day, rushing to the peace encampment at the foot of the Capital for a Peace Mass. From there a group of four CodePink activists from California went to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office, where we presented to one of her staff a "Hall of Shame" award for her recent vote in favor of the Kyle-Lieberman resolution that beats the war drums by demonizing Iran. Capitol police tracked our coming-and-going from the building with their walky-talkies: “CodePink is just leaving Sen. Feinstein’s office,” and escorted us to the door. One of them asked kindly about a CodePinker who had been arrested earlier that week.
Global Warming Demonstration
Our delegation then joined a group of about 200 in front of the State Dept., organized by Friends of the Earth calling for urgent measures to combat global warming - in contrast to the Bush Administration's foot-dragging and ineffective lip service. One of the speakers there had been fasting for 25 days to bring attention to this crucial issue. One person dressed as a polar bear (despite the warm day), illustrating their impending extinction; the arctic ice pack has already shrunk by 40%.
Breasts, Not Bombs
Our next stop was a stretch for me and several CodePink colleagues: we met Mendocino actress/activist Sherry Glaser in front of the White House for a "Breasts, Not Bombs" action. Sherry explained to a few passers-by that a woman's breasts are natural and nurturing, not indecent, but the killing, torture, and illegal wars of the Administration truly are indecent. To my surprise, baring of breasts is not illegal in D.C.! Nonetheless, two policemen came, after Sherry and her friend Sheba had shed their shirts, to discourage the "inappropriate display." Eventually, a crowd gathered and several news people were filming, as three other women (and a man!) joined the action; two of us passed out literature and took documentary video. As I explained to curious on-lookers, I was too inhibited to go bare, but certainly agreed that extreme measures - and acts of courage by ordinary citizens - are required to call attention to the obscenity of this war.
Democracy for Burma Demonstration
We took a taxi from the White House to the Burmese Embassy, where we joined a group of Buddhist monks and many students, protesting the killing and persecution going on in Burma by the military junta with China's backing. The crowd swelled to about 200 by the time we marched and chanted to the Chinese Embassy, led by the monks.
My cousin picked me up back at the CodePink house (a 4-story row house that accommodates about 20 people at a time), and I passed on the evening event featuring people from "Sicko," supporting universal health care. I was exhausted, but felt rewarded by a busy first day in the capitol!
DAY 2 – Sat. Sept. 29
Rally & March for Peace
After my whirlwind first day of demonstrations, my second day in D.C. was similarly exciting and exhausting. On Saturday, Sept. 29 I participated as part of CodePink in a rally and march sponsored by the Troops Out Now Coalition, culminating a week-long Peace Encampment at the capitol. Dozens of groups were represented during the 3-hour rally, as the crowd grew to several thousands (much smaller than the Sept. 15th ANSWER Coalition event but still impressive).
I got to experience the unique style of CodePink. For starters, there's the fashion statement: not just pink, but boas, 3-layer umbrellas, capes, etc. The idea is to have fun as well as get attention; it works!
Then, when Medea Benjamin (CodePink co-founder) and retired Colonel Ann Wright spoke on-stage at the rally, they rounded up about a dozen of us to climb the ladder and stand with them. Medea and Ann are fantastic spokespeople, passionate and articulate, but there's no ego about it. We all stand together.
And finally, during the march, the CodePink contingent of about 30 didn't just walk the two mile route through government central D.C.; we improvised actions as we went, chanting "Funds for Education, Not for Occupation" at the entrance to the Dept. of Education, and - at the Voice of America building - we chanted "The voice of America: Let's End the Occupation!"
DAY 3 - Sunday, I enjoyed sight-seeing with my cousins - and rested.
DAY 4 - Monday Oct. 1st
Pres. Bush at Ft. Myers
I arrived at CodePink house just in time to go out the door for another "action." We had word that Pres. Bush would be attending the retirement party for Gen. Pace at Fort Myers, so eight of us piled into two cars, with banners, bull horns, a Bush mask, and other paraphernalia.
Five of us were dropped off at one entrance, where we waved our message to dozens of VIPs entering the base. The others hit the jackpot, greeting Bush's motorcade as it arrived at the other entrance. So they fetched us and all 8 of us, plus two more who joined us there, continued demonstrating against the war to hundreds of cars passing by. We also gathered a total of 10 police cars (2 cops each) plus 4 motorcycle cops sent to "control" us. One person wore the Bush mask and prison garb, four were holding banners ("Don't Buy Bush's War"), and Ann Wright and Medea Benjamin took turns on the bull horns, directing a plea to the military personnel on the other side of the heavily-armed gate not to support this illegal war. We got quite a few thumbs-ups and peace signs from passing motorists for over an hour.
The wait paid off, as we saw the color guard escort Bush back to the motorcade. We chanted "George Bush: War Criminal." Four copters and four jets flew low overhead. Street traffic was closed, and then the parade of about 20 motorcycles, many armored SUVs, and at least four limousines passed about 50 feet from us. Someone said they could see Bush blandly smiling at us. Considering how they normally keep all protesters out of Bush's sight, this felt like quite a coup!
Meeting with Sen. Feinstein’s Aides
My next stop for the day was Senator Feinstein's office, where I met with two of her legislative assistants, Joel McFadden and Richard Harper, Jr., for a half-hour. I expressed my concern over her support of the Kyle-Lieberman "sense of the Senate" resolution which essentially joins the drum-beat of war-mongering against Iran. They defended her position by noting that more explicit language implying permission to use force was removed before she would support it. They also assured me that Sen. Feinstein absolutely believes diplomacy should be the first priority. Unfortunately, this administration doesn't seem so diplomacy-minded. In view of this - and Feinstein's misplaced faith in the Administration back in the Fall 2002 run-up to the Iraq war, I strongly urged that Congress tie the President's hands rather than sit on their own hands. Finally, I of course urged that we get the troops out of Iraq now. They were polite listeners and said they would pass along my concerns to the Senator. Perhaps that makes a bigger dent than the 30,000 emails she gets each week.
On my return to the CodePink house (I had decided to stay there for my last two nights in DC), we greeted three Japanese peace activists who had just arrived, direct from Osaka. They're my roommates, so I helped them settle, we all ate dinner together and received many gifts from them to CodePink.
DAY 5 - Tuesday, Oct. 2
Blackwater Hearing
My last full day in Washington D.C. had three main events. After breakfast with the CodePink house residents, which now included the three peace activists from Japan, most of us headed to the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, where they were conducting a hearing on private security contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. They would be questioning Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater.
We were in line almost an hour early, but it was a small hearing room and the guards said that, except for people with authorized press passes, only the first 25 people would get in. They advised us to watch the hearing on closed circuit TV in an overflow room down the hall. Since the hearing had not yet started, though, we waited there. It was interesting to meet other people in line, but as the minutes dragged, I suggested to Amber that we sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee." (Amber is a CodePinker from Santa Cruz staying at the house, and we had enjoyed singing together the day before at Fort Myers.) We got through the song
once before a guard rushed over and sternly advised us we would be arrested if we didn't stop immediately. Ah, sweet land of liberty!
We went to the overflow room when the hearing began with a powerful statement from its chair, Henry Waxman. He said, "For every taxpayer dollar spent on federal programs, over 40 cents now goes to private contractors. Our government now outsources even the oversight of the outsourcing." He noted that Blackwater, founded in 1997, went from just $200,000 in government contracts in 2000 to over $1 billion since then; more than half of those were awarded without full competition. The questions for this hearing, he said, are: Is Blackwater helping or hurting our efforts in Iraq? Are we holding such private military contractors accountable? And what are the costs?
Waxman advised the committee that the Sept. 16 shooting in which at least 11 Iraqis were killed would not be the subject of any detailed questions today, due to requests from the Justice Department in view of the FBI's current investigation of the matter. He noted, however, that the September 16 event "is just the latest in a series of troubling Blackwater incidents." There have been at least 195 shooting incidents involving Blackwater forces since 2005; in most of these, Blackwater forces fired first. In addition, 122 Blackwater employees - one out of seven of the company's current workforce in Iraq - have been terminated for improper conduct.
Waxman brought up the case of a drunken Blackwater contractor who shot the guard of the Iraqi Vice President on Dec. 24, 2006. In the U.S., the contractor would have been arrested and charged. If a U.S. soldier had killed an Iraqi guard, he would face a court martial. But this Blackwater employee simply lost his job and was whisked out of Iraq within 36 hours. Adding insult to injury, the State Department advised Blackwater how much to pay the murdered man's family to "make the problem go away." The first suggestion of $250,000 was reduced to $15,000 because, as internal emails said, Iraqis would try to get themselves killed for such a large payout. (Prince later said they had actually paid the family $20,000.) It's hard not to conclude, said Waxman, that "the State Department is acting as Blackwater's enabler."
I won't detail all the questions and answers as the hearing went on for hours, but a few statements stand out. One line of questioning concerned the Nov. 27, 2004, airplane crash in Afghanistan in which the inexperienced Blackwater pilots not only did not follow standard procedures but were, as clearly evidenced by the cockpit recording, acting like cowboys on a joyride. (Three U.S. servicemen died in the crash.) Erik Prince's comments were, "Accidents happen," and there have been thousands of safe flights since then. Blackwater was not sanctioned, because the Air Force found that the accident was pilot error, not corporate error.
Another set of questions focused on accountability. Prince stated that Blackwater is subject to the Military Code of Justice, but some Congresspeople doubted that, since they are hired by the State Department and are civilians. Prince said all the company can do (regarding their employees' wrong-doing) is fire them; it is up to the Justice Department if any investigation or criminal charges are required. Apparently no case has yet tested what law Blackwater is actually subject to. One certainty is that it is not Iraqi law.
What did CodePink do to express our outrage at this mercenary force running amok and making the U.S. even more hated by the Iraqi people? Only one of our group had made it into the hearing room; he was forcibly removed when he "disrupted" the proceeding with a loud objection. In the hall and overflow room, one CodePink woman wore a princess-like outfit, with a crown that said "Prince Be Gone!" Several wore cloth signs on their backs saying "Blackwater = Mercenaries." As the hearing ended and Erik Prince was quickly escorted out, our group chanted "war criminal" until capitol police warned that one more outburst would result in our arrest. Let freedom ring.
Meeting with Rep. Mike Thompson
I left for part of the hearing to meet with my Congressman, Mike Thompson, and his legislative assistant Tracy Varghese. I had made the appointment days earlier and since then had been rehearsing in my mind what I wanted to say. I decided to focus on the reasons for and importance of impeaching Vice President Cheney. First, I thanked him for his Fall 2002 vote against the Iraq invasion and his sincere efforts to end the war. Thompson is clearly proud of his record, saying something to the effect of "I was against the war before any of you got active." He said the only time he's voted for any funds for the war was when it had a timeline for withdrawal attached (troops to be out by March 2008), which he thinks looks pretty good now. He resents the heat he's gotten for that and some of his other votes.
As I steered to the subject of impeachment, he stated his position that it would be strategically unwise. He did not seem to disagree with the ample grounds for impeaching Cheney (starting a war based on lies, outing a CIA agent, condoning torture and spying, war profiteering, etc.), nor that the Constitution calls for impeachment in cases of abuse of power. In fact, he stated that, if charges of impeachment were to come to a vote on the floor of the House (which would then require a trial in the Senate), he would vote for it. That was good news to me!
But he did not support such an action because, he said, "it would play right into the hands of the GOP," it would stop progress on other important legislation, and would not have enough votes to be successful. I disagreed that it would stop other progress, as very little can be accomplished anyway, between filibusters and vetoes. I pointed out that he often voted as a matter of principle for legislation that didn't have enough votes, and holding this Administration accountable for flouting laws and endangering our security warrants such a principled stand. Moreover, I believe it would be good strategically: instead of letting the Administration control the debate, impeachment hearings would bring media and public attention to the repeated lies, blunders, and criminal behavior of Cheney (not to mention others in the Administration).
Finally, I do not condone what I see as the Democratic strategy of running out the clock, hoping this unpopular Administration and war brings the Democrats a bigger victory in Nov. 2008. (He interjected that he believes such a victory would enable salutary changes in policy.) One problem I see with that argument is that the damage may be difficult to reverse: Democrats or Republicans aside, protecting our Constitution and rights should come first. Another big concern I have is that Cheney and his cronies, already shown to be ruthless, will stop at nothing to retain their power. That could include dirty electoral tricks, terrorist attacks, and/or starting another war (already in the works). This is just too dangerous!
Thompson, who seems to enjoy some verbal sparring, had begun glancing at the clock. He said we would have to agree to disagree, as he reiterated his opposition to bringing impeachment hearings. I thanked him and his aide for their time (almost a half-hour) and hoped he would keep aware of these concerns. With that, we adjourned and I returned to the Blackwater hearing.
Jena 6 Rally
My third action for the day was attending a rally in support of the Jena 6 - the black high school students arrested for a schoolyard brawl in this small Louisiana town after racial tensions had erupted following white students putting a noose in a tree, an unveiled threat to keep blacks away. The all-white jury had handed down an outrageous sentence for the first youth, overturned on appeal, yet he was still in jail, almost a year after the incident. At the rally, I joined 100-150 others, including our three polite Japanese visitors, calling for dropping all charges. It is sometimes discouraging to see that we are still fighting so many of the same injustices, decade after decade.
I returned to the CodePink house with the Japanese women, for dinner, conversation, and watching TV coverage of the day's events.
Leaving Day – Oct. 3
The next morning, Medea and Ann flew to Buffalo, New York, to test whether Canada would let them in (due to their FBI record of arrests for peace activities); Canada would not. Meanwhile, reluctantly, I was leaving DC.
Gold-Star Parent Carlos Arredondo
I got a ride to the train station with Carlos Arredondo. I hadn't realized, when I'd met him earlier in my visit, that he was the father of Alex, who died in Iraq at the tender age of 20, that Carlos has brought his son's symbolic coffin to peace marches, that he was the one who was beaten up by pro-war counter-demonstrators on Sept. 15th. Carlos said he's been spat on and insulted, but he cannot help but commemorate his son by working tirelessly for an end to this insane war, knowing what it has taken from him and from tens of thousands of other families – both in the U.S. and in Iraq. We shared some tears as he gave me a copy of his son's letter from Iraq.
With a full heart, I boarded the train and went north to visit with dear friends in New York State. I felt that I'd done more in one week than I'd done in months or even years back home, that I was not alone along-side many passionate, courageous peace-makers. I don't know what it will take to make a dent in the seemingly cold-hearted halls of Congress and the tunnel vision of Beltway politics, but I believe all our acts, small or large, make a difference. Like Carlos, I know I cannot be silent.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
VIDEO BLOG: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Inducted into the Hall of Shame by CODEPINK
On monday September 17th, CODEPINK lead a delegation composed of numerous anti-war organizations and individuals into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office in order to induct him in the Hall of Shame.
There is also this video of CODEPINK singing "THis Little Light of Mine" in the hallway of the Russel Senate office building on the way to Mitch McConnell's office.
There is also this video of CODEPINK singing "THis Little Light of Mine" in the hallway of the Russel Senate office building on the way to Mitch McConnell's office.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Arrested at the Capitol
A personal account from the civil disobedience that followed the national peace march on Sept. 15, 2007
By Jes Richardson
In the movie Gandhi there is a powerful scene showing a long line of men standing in rows of four slowly moving forward. They are supporting workers on strike. As each row reaches the front of the line, the men are systematically clubbed by the waiting police. The next row of four steps forward to replace them and they, too, are beaten. This goes on for hours. These courageous acts of non-violence, and others like them, would eventually bring independence to India.
I watched from the steps of our nation's capital as the police threw demonstrators violently to the ground. They pushed people's faces into the cement and held them down with their knee as they tightened the plastic handcuffs behind their backs. One man was pepper sprayed in the face. Another woman had her arm pulled from the socket. The demonstrators were non-violent and did not resist.
The Iraq Veterans Against the War led the way. One by one they climbed up and over a wall and descended into the waiting arms of the police. They knew they might be injured, but their determination to end the war moved them forward.
I quietly joined them in line. Before I knew it, it was my turn. Medea Benjamin gave me a boost and up the wall I went. I stood on the top for a moment and looked back at Leslie. She sorely wanted to join me, but because of Lieberman's "unlawful entry" charge, she needs to stay out of trouble for the next six months. We each did our best to muster encouraging smiles. Filled with emotion, I held up the peace sign and over the wall I went ...
The policeman grabbed me by the arm. “Get on your knees,” he said. He tightened the handcuffs behind my back and guided me up the steps to the front of the Capital Building. I talked with him about my trip to Iran and how I’m doing my best to create a better world for our children. He didn't say anything, but he did seem to loosen his grip.
They loaded all 192 of us into four air-conditioned buses and a small paddy wagon. Wouldn’t you know I’d get the paddy wagon. On New Year’s Day I was arrested with CodePink on the Golden Gate Bridge and I got the paddy wagon then too. Just once I’d like to get the bus …
I was charged with "crossing a police line" and after approximately 15 long hours of processing I was "cited and released". The final consequences: a $100 fine, nothing on my record, and one act closer to ending the occupation of Iraq.
An interesting incident in lock-up ... We were getting a little loud at one point and one of the officers bellowed, "Keep it down!" Not a group to take orders easily, we took advantage of the prompt and proceeded to raise the roof with our hooting and hollering. The solidarity felt good. Later, we were told to sit down. People were standing up everywhere and an officer chose me to use as an example. "Sit down," he said after tapping me on the shoulder. I felt like a patsy. I took small footsteps and circled in front of my chair. "Really, you have to sit down RIGHT NOW!" he said. I continued the small circles, pretending not to hear him. "OK, that's it!" he said as he pushed me toward the side of the room. Six of them held me while a seventh slipped on the handcuffs. "Help!" I yelled out as they started dragging me towards the door.
Their commanding officer intervened and asked me what happened. I told her I felt like I had been singled out. She told me I needed to respect her officers. In general I thought they were acting professionally and I told her so. She told me she would consider dropping the additional charges if I thought I could behave myself. I told her I could. I asked her if she'd be willing to remove the handcuffs and she said she'd consider it ... in a while.
I walked out of there at 7:00 in the morning and was greeted by Leslie and a whole CodePink contingency. They met me, and a dozen other CodePinkers, with sandwiches, tea, and big hugs. They had been there ALL NIGHT because they didn't know when we'd be released. Thank you, CODEPINK, for your dedication and courage and thank you, Leslie, for your love.
Peace and Freedom,
Jes & Leslie
By Jes Richardson
In the movie Gandhi there is a powerful scene showing a long line of men standing in rows of four slowly moving forward. They are supporting workers on strike. As each row reaches the front of the line, the men are systematically clubbed by the waiting police. The next row of four steps forward to replace them and they, too, are beaten. This goes on for hours. These courageous acts of non-violence, and others like them, would eventually bring independence to India.
I watched from the steps of our nation's capital as the police threw demonstrators violently to the ground. They pushed people's faces into the cement and held them down with their knee as they tightened the plastic handcuffs behind their backs. One man was pepper sprayed in the face. Another woman had her arm pulled from the socket. The demonstrators were non-violent and did not resist.
The Iraq Veterans Against the War led the way. One by one they climbed up and over a wall and descended into the waiting arms of the police. They knew they might be injured, but their determination to end the war moved them forward.
I quietly joined them in line. Before I knew it, it was my turn. Medea Benjamin gave me a boost and up the wall I went. I stood on the top for a moment and looked back at Leslie. She sorely wanted to join me, but because of Lieberman's "unlawful entry" charge, she needs to stay out of trouble for the next six months. We each did our best to muster encouraging smiles. Filled with emotion, I held up the peace sign and over the wall I went ...
The policeman grabbed me by the arm. “Get on your knees,” he said. He tightened the handcuffs behind my back and guided me up the steps to the front of the Capital Building. I talked with him about my trip to Iran and how I’m doing my best to create a better world for our children. He didn't say anything, but he did seem to loosen his grip.
They loaded all 192 of us into four air-conditioned buses and a small paddy wagon. Wouldn’t you know I’d get the paddy wagon. On New Year’s Day I was arrested with CodePink on the Golden Gate Bridge and I got the paddy wagon then too. Just once I’d like to get the bus …
I was charged with "crossing a police line" and after approximately 15 long hours of processing I was "cited and released". The final consequences: a $100 fine, nothing on my record, and one act closer to ending the occupation of Iraq.
An interesting incident in lock-up ... We were getting a little loud at one point and one of the officers bellowed, "Keep it down!" Not a group to take orders easily, we took advantage of the prompt and proceeded to raise the roof with our hooting and hollering. The solidarity felt good. Later, we were told to sit down. People were standing up everywhere and an officer chose me to use as an example. "Sit down," he said after tapping me on the shoulder. I felt like a patsy. I took small footsteps and circled in front of my chair. "Really, you have to sit down RIGHT NOW!" he said. I continued the small circles, pretending not to hear him. "OK, that's it!" he said as he pushed me toward the side of the room. Six of them held me while a seventh slipped on the handcuffs. "Help!" I yelled out as they started dragging me towards the door.
Their commanding officer intervened and asked me what happened. I told her I felt like I had been singled out. She told me I needed to respect her officers. In general I thought they were acting professionally and I told her so. She told me she would consider dropping the additional charges if I thought I could behave myself. I told her I could. I asked her if she'd be willing to remove the handcuffs and she said she'd consider it ... in a while.
I walked out of there at 7:00 in the morning and was greeted by Leslie and a whole CodePink contingency. They met me, and a dozen other CodePinkers, with sandwiches, tea, and big hugs. They had been there ALL NIGHT because they didn't know when we'd be released. Thank you, CODEPINK, for your dedication and courage and thank you, Leslie, for your love.
Peace and Freedom,
Jes & Leslie
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
DC House - y'all come
It is my belief that everyone who is involved with CP desires a trip to work with the organizers of this fablous organization. I am lucky enough to be here in DC far from my home & family in very sunny CA. Is it a sacrafice to be away? Yes! Does it compare to the sacrafice our troops are making? No. Or the Mother who has lost her child to this war? NO I encourage you to come. Let me tell you about the past few days!
Sunday night - Wow! Throw a potluck at the DC Codepink house and not only do the anti-war supporters like you and I show up, but so do people who are the movers and shakers in the movement. This potluck was in celebration of our own Des getting out of jail, and in honor of Evan Kappenberger who just finished a seven day vigil (Stop Loss). Others in attendance were Col. Anne Wright, the first woman officer to resign over the war, Adam Kakesh Iraq Veterans against The War, Tina Richards of Military Moms Speak Out, Tyler Westwood of www.WhyNotNews.org as well as the CodePink women who staff this house and fight the good fight. Please google the names of these people to see the inspiring work they do.
Monday _ The atmosphere in the house changed today. Medea came “home”. The air became charged. What are we going to do to make Congress look up and pay attention to the people? What can be done differently? How can we rally the people? What will be the action to get Congress’s attention? The questions were being thrown out like fast and furious. Not in despair, oh no, like gauntlets. Decisions were made. The line was drawn in the sand, so to speak. The women are fighting mad. An interesting side of a group dedicated to peace. We all have worked so hard attempting to get the Congress to act to end this war. Now, they will be asked to pass $200 billion in war funding. Will they cave or will they listen to the will of the people? It is up to us, the grassroots to do more. Each of us has the potential to be a “mover and shaker”. We all have stories to share, lives we know that have been devastated because of the war. How many people do you know who are better off because of the war? I do not know of anyone. Keep your eyes open for the action that will make them stop and listen.
I also watched and participated in the creative process of another “action” being formed. What great fun! Twelve creative minds taking one person’s idea and honing it to make it clear, concise, and on message is like being in the middle of a friendly storm. Ideas flew through the room like electrical bolts. Tomorrow will prove to be more than interesting. We will put the “action” out there as finally, the Congress returns. We have some fun things planned to welcome them baaaaack. by Corla Coles
CODEPINK REDLANDS, CA
Sunday night - Wow! Throw a potluck at the DC Codepink house and not only do the anti-war supporters like you and I show up, but so do people who are the movers and shakers in the movement. This potluck was in celebration of our own Des getting out of jail, and in honor of Evan Kappenberger who just finished a seven day vigil (Stop Loss). Others in attendance were Col. Anne Wright, the first woman officer to resign over the war, Adam Kakesh Iraq Veterans against The War, Tina Richards of Military Moms Speak Out, Tyler Westwood of www.WhyNotNews.org as well as the CodePink women who staff this house and fight the good fight. Please google the names of these people to see the inspiring work they do.
Monday _ The atmosphere in the house changed today. Medea came “home”. The air became charged. What are we going to do to make Congress look up and pay attention to the people? What can be done differently? How can we rally the people? What will be the action to get Congress’s attention? The questions were being thrown out like fast and furious. Not in despair, oh no, like gauntlets. Decisions were made. The line was drawn in the sand, so to speak. The women are fighting mad. An interesting side of a group dedicated to peace. We all have worked so hard attempting to get the Congress to act to end this war. Now, they will be asked to pass $200 billion in war funding. Will they cave or will they listen to the will of the people? It is up to us, the grassroots to do more. Each of us has the potential to be a “mover and shaker”. We all have stories to share, lives we know that have been devastated because of the war. How many people do you know who are better off because of the war? I do not know of anyone. Keep your eyes open for the action that will make them stop and listen.
I also watched and participated in the creative process of another “action” being formed. What great fun! Twelve creative minds taking one person’s idea and honing it to make it clear, concise, and on message is like being in the middle of a friendly storm. Ideas flew through the room like electrical bolts. Tomorrow will prove to be more than interesting. We will put the “action” out there as finally, the Congress returns. We have some fun things planned to welcome them baaaaack. by Corla Coles
CODEPINK REDLANDS, CA
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Classic CODEPINK Video: Bush Pinkslipped at Mayflower Hotel in DC
Our friends at WHYnot News made this mini-documentary of a CODEPINK action in early February at the Mayflower Hotel where Bush was speaking to the American Enterprise Institute. This 18 minute video features an ensemable of all-star activists including Ann Wright, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Medea Benjamin, Tina Richards, Gael Murphy, Midge Potts, Lori Perdue... plus a special appearance by President Bush from the safety of his motorcade.
Friday, July 20, 2007
VIDEO BLOG: Rally @ Capitol with Congressional Dems, CODEPINK, and Iraq Veterans Against the War
CODEPINK joined Iraq Veterans Against the War and other autonomous individuals at the Democratic Congressional rally in Upper Senate park. Featuring Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, John Lewis, Carl Levin, Jan Shakowsky and a variety of other Senators and Representatives.
This short video clip shows how the People spoke up for impeachment and an end to the Iraq War during the speeches of Senator Reid and Speaker of the House Pelosi.
This short video clip shows how the People spoke up for impeachment and an end to the Iraq War during the speeches of Senator Reid and Speaker of the House Pelosi.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
CODEPINK "Speaking of Freedom" - MUSIC VIDEO
This is a music video featuring CODEPINK Women for Peace in footage shot at the 2007 4th of July parade in Washington DC.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Mother on 21st Day of Fast Arrested at Sen. Lieberman's Office: Asking Senator to Promote Diplomacy, Not War With Iran!
Click here to see a slideshow of photos from the action.
Outraged that Senator Lieberman has publicly called for bombing Iran, CODEPINK member Leslie Angeline, 50, from Santa Rosa, CA, began a hunger strike to get a meeting with the Senator and was arrested in the senator's office today at around 11 a.m. while asking for a meeting.
Angeline recently returned from a citizen diplomacy trip to Iran with the group Global Exchange. "When I heard that Lieberman said he thought we should launch military action against Iran, I couldn't help but think of the 70% of the Iranian population who are under the age of 30-—the age of my son. Iran is a country of warm, kind, and generous children and their families. We cannot bomb these kids," says Angeline.
Angeline is anxious to meet with Senator Lieberman to explain why an attack on Iran would turn 70 million Iranians, now mostly friendly to the US, into enemies and would undermine US security.
In the past, when Angeline has gone to Senator Leiberman's office, they have threatened to call the police if she stays for more than 10 minutes. This time, Angeline was quickly arrested.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Pink Peace Faerie Dust and Fireworks!
Kit Kimberly
With an eye to fun and beauty as well as peace protests, July 3rd found the Pink House Peace Room filled scurrying with activities to make Independence Day sparkle with pink and peace.
In-house artist and props-mistress Laurie established costume workshops for Radical Cheerleaders and Peace Faeries as well as banners to emphasize that DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC. Messages of liberation and revolution (and despite the alarmism of some “homeland security” types, what’s more patriotic on Independence Day than talking about a revolution?) spread throughout the room as Joel played peace and protest songs from the generations. Using strands of flowers and wired bouquets, I created pagan wreaths for Desiree and me to wear in our hair; tulle and bubble wrap tutus emerged from disheveled piles of pink on the floor, as did pompoms, twirling batons, and of course the Faerie Peace Wands.
The music, singing, company and diligence was soothing and empowering—we discussed how Bush’s pardon of Libby had come so soon, it could only cause more resentment, more shock at the administration’s arrogance and disdain for rule of law. Besides, I reckon, what does it matter if Libby spends two years in a country-club prison? He’s not the real culprit, he’s just a scapegoat. If it opens more peoples’ eyes to the complete disregard of the law, it’s a sacrifice well worth making.
And it seems that that may be, in fact, just the result—people who saw my Impeach t-shirt stopped me to say, “Yes! Especially now,” and I saw others shaking their heads over the NYT headline about Libby being pardoned.
So our fearless leaders left the Pink House in shifts beginning at 11 pm to camp out and hold our place for the parade the next day: Medea, Liz, Desiree, Rae, Sam (and her partner Jake)—the hardcore folks—stayed out there all night and got hardly any sleep. Wednesday dawned bright and cool (**AN ASIDE: what is going on with the DC weather? I’ve never seen this part of the world so moderate at the height of summer. Ordinarily I’d celebrate the anomaly, but with the climate change issues underway, I’m afraid it’s the herald of really bad things to come, a fear that was reinforced by the evacuation of the National Mall later the afternoon of the 4th. Although it occurs to me that a tornado wiping out all of the federal government and us having to start all over again from scratch would NOT necessarily be all bad …). We got to 11th and Constitution by 10:30 and found our space well-preserved and to the hilt with pink. Even the vendors around laughed and chatted with us: “We expect you pink folks to buy all your food here,” one hotdog vendor said.
The vanguard was already up at the main marquis with the gorgeous “Dissent is Patriotic” banner—Ena and Sam in the pink sequined dresses with their I Miss America sashes; Rae, Des and Liz in tulle tutus, waving wands and streamers; everyone twirling pink peace parasols in front of the TV cameras. The stands—and consequently the cameras—were so filled with pink, eventually the police made them get down. We danced down the street in a gang, singing peace songs like, “We defend the constitution/We’re the pink police” and “Impeachment’s on the table” while onlookers mostly cheered us and took photos. All the tourists wanted photos with the peace faeries and cheerleaders, so we kept having to stop to oblige.
Of course, there was dissent to our dissent. Allison, Liz and even I tried hard to engage those who sought us out to argue—one of my greatest lessons in the Pink House has been to engage, not enrage. But mostly, I think, our message is about fun and finding that doing the right thing—working for justice—is a joyous task, not an onerous one. I would like to think that even people who dismiss us: “Those CodePink folks, what a bunch of losers” are also just a little bit jealous because we’re always having such a good time.
We had such a good time, as we cheered on the parade participants and floats, that it was a truly rare group we couldn’t get at least ONE two-fingered peace sign from. From the marching bands, immigrant Americans and balloon carriers to the firefighters, Red Cross and veterans of 20th century wars, the response of peace for peace was ubiquitous. As Medea said to Bill O’Reilly last week, we’re no longer the “radical left”—CodePink’s position on the Iraq war (and, almost certainly, the potential military attack on Iran) represents that of the majority, not the minority, of this country. I think that was abundantly clear throughout the day.
Back at the Pink House in the evening, Des and helpers dished up veggie burgers and other goodies, and we “debriefed” with music, a few beers, and affectionate consultations. Never still for one second, Des and Liz were already planning out the next day’s Capitol Hill actions; unbelievably, Media and a couple of other die-hards actually went to bed before midnight. But as Joel and Jake played music, we sang and enjoyed the cool, damp evening, pleased to have had such a great day for—and OF—peace.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Pink Police arrest Bush and Libby @ White House
George Bush-Soft on Crime - Scooter Libby Should be Doing Time
Laurie Meier
CODEPINK St.Louis - Local Coordinator - in DC
Today CODEPINK responded to an early morning call from retired Col. Anne Wright to mobilize in front of the White House to protest Bush's decision to commute Scooter Libby's sentence to only a measly $250,000 fine AND NO JAIL TIME! A car full of PINKs sported a Bush-devil costume and Libby-jail-jumpsuit costume Liz (AZ) and David (MD). The PINK police circled Bush and Libby with yellow disaster tape Medea (CA), Marie (CA), and Suzanne (AK), while other PINKs had the bull horns Deseree (TX) and Laurie (MO) chanting the following:
George Bush is soft on crime
Scooter Libby should be doing time
and
For he's a jolly good felon
For he's a jolly good felon
For he's a jolly good feloooooooooooooon
-AND he should go to jail
And he should go to jail
And he should go to jail
For he's a jolly good felon
And he should go to jail
Arvind (TX), Midge (MO), Janet (CA, and Tara (VA) helped document the moment. "Filming street theater dramatics helps the people realize the lack of justice from our leaders who are supposed to be serving America" says Midge (MO). There were also loads of media and tourists capturing and some participating in the action. Some media-personnel located inside the gate on the lawn of the White House waiting for Tony Snow to hold a Press Conference said they definitely could hear our bull-horned chants.
After the press died down CODEPINK Marie (CA) and Laurie (MO) went to go get the car and needed to wait on the side of the road as the other PINKs were finishing up. Marie and Laurie, then, noticed a motorcade approaching- fast, and the busy DC street cleared. Laurie put her PINK police cap on and both gals jumped out of the car and made a halting motion with peace fingers in front of the motorcade. One of the black SUVs intimidatingly swerved toward them and sped away.
Todays CODEPINK action was a follow-up to a CODEPINK action outside the federal courthouse in DC where the court handed down their decision on Libby.
CLICK HERE to read more on this in Janet's blogpost.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Claire Gives Peace a Cold Shoulder
With our congress people still funding war and leaving our soldiers to be killed- despite what we-the-people (aka- their bosses) voted for, I felt compelled to dedicate my summer to helping to end the Iraq war. During the school year I am a teacher in St.Louis and also the local coordinator of CODEPINK St.Louis- Women for Peace. I accepted an arts-coordinator/media outreach position with the CODEPINK House in Washington DC, for a couple of months, to help non-violent activists from around the country to creatively exercise their rights, represent their communities (majority) voice-of-peace, and teach (primarily) women useful outreach-tools before they return home. We at the DC-CODEPINK House are encouraged to make goals for the week- benchmarks, if you will, a sort of a timetable which acts as our road map for the week before we leave to go back home to our own states... to ensure each activist who visits the DC-CODEPINK House has an imperative exit strategy before returning home...
One of my benchmarks for June 21st, 2007 was to visit Senator Claire McCaskill's office. Claire had just voted for another $100 billion more funding without a timetable for withdrawal which she claims she wants (...even though she is on record saying she doesn't think the troops should come home). Claire recently returned from a visit to Iraq, proclaiming that money is being “wasted”. When I confronted her about her reckless war funding vote $100 billion spending habit, during her morning public meeting today, she brushed me off and made small talk about the Cardinals and weather instead.
I explained to Claire and the small group of constituents that “my cousin, who has a new baby, is serving in Iraq and I want him to come home to see his daughter; so “after funding more war... what steps is she taking to bring the soldiers home?”. Instead of responding to my question, she redirected it; and spoke of her visit to Iraq, of entering the green-zone, and blah blah blahed until she quickly asked others in the room if they had any other questions. A couple of young students in the room from St.Louis asked, again, about the Iraq war and Claire told them “we had just talked about that,” and she blah blah blahed again while I discreetly corrected her careful sound bytes into the reality of what she was actually saying. For example, when she talked about funding an important..blah blah blah that would help give the troops what they needed- I would interject grounded things like “giving the corporations” what they wanted and “funding more troops” to be killed.
Yet another man from this small group of constituents asked about the war and by this time she seemed thoroughly uncomfortable and clearly flustered with my subtle and righteous corrections (which she ignored and didn't challenge. I had to sit at her neglect; I felt sickened and on the verge of crying– which I didn't want to do, because my message of peace could risk being discounted. She had no acknowledgement of my cousin, his family, nor any of her contradictions I was bringing to light. The gut-quaking wails, I couldn't help, came out of pure realization that she really has no intentions of bringing our soldiers home nor hearing or really listening to her constituents.
She then, quickly maneuvered another distraction, to take a happsy whapsey group photo and began to hustle out of the room. Out of pure desperation at her ridiculousness and cowardice I sang her a song through my tears and distressed emotion called “Stop In The Name of Peace”, sung to the tune of “Stop In The Name of Love”. It went as follows:
Senator I'm aware of how you vote
Each time you reach the floor
I'm watching you talk on TV
Knowing that you're gonna lie to me
But this time before you run to war
Without the nation's support
(think it over) Haven't Missourians been good to you?
(think it over) Haven't Missourian voters been sweet to you?
Stop! In the name of peace
U.S. Out of the Middle East
Stop! In the name of peace
U.S. Out of the Middle East
Think it over
Think it over
My CODEPINK sisters later reflected that Claire had turned her back on us immediately after I had introduced myself and friends as members of CODEPINK. This seemed symbolic to me of her turning her back on the majority of Missourians, who helped her get elected to bring peace, the people, I felt, I was there representing. And also I feel as though she hasn't the strength and backbone she claimed to have to stand up to this administration, like she said she would do during her campaign.
Although Claire broke me down for a minute today, she should understand that her constituents are watching what she is doing. She has not destroyed my hope for peace. She just destroyed the hope for a female congress woman brave enough to balance peace with the over-bloated war, and be a real leader worthy of American women's dreams. She's clearly allowing herself to be a pawn buying Bushes war... well, now, officially in my mind, she bought it and needs to own it now too.
Laurie Meier in Washington DC
CODEPINK St.Louis – Local Coordinator
www.geocities.com/codepinkstlouis
Why I Don’t Support Hillary Clinton for President
Kit Kimberly
(please note that this is a personal opinion and does not reflect any position held by CodePink Women for Peace)
At the Take Back America breakfast yesterday morning, I got to see Hillary Clinton close up, in person, for the first time. Although I have not supported her since she began this campaign, to see a woman approaching the podium as one of the leading presidential candidates brought tears to my eyes. Twenty-five years ago, when I was first beginning my feminist journey, I could never have foreseen a woman and a black man as leading candidates in the
Hillary Clinton, of course, spoke of issues that warm the hearts of all progressives. She set up a clear barrier between “us” (Democrat-supporting progressives—is that an oxymoron?) and “them” (the war-mongering, corrupt, corporate-controlled Bush administration). She called for all the issues on the Democratic platform: national health, a living wage, end to the war in Iraq (last on her list, but that may have been because of the expected, protracted support for that topic), affordable education from pre-school through higher ed, a decent wage for the working class—in short, everything that every Democratic candidate supports. She personalized her speech with the story of Lilly Ledbetter, the woman who was paid less than men for 20 years as a supervisor at Firestone, then was told by the Supreme Court that it was too late for her to receive compensation.
One of the non-“bumpersticker” (credit to John Edwards) truths, as I perceive it, that she mentioned was that US people are the “hardest working in the world.” As Dan Savage points out in his book Skipping Towards Gomorrah, US people work hardest of any in the industrial world (more about this distinction later, OK, Medea?). Folks in this country work more hours (and more jobs), take shorter, fewer vacations (minimum mandatory vacations in every other industrialized nation begin at three weeks), and produce more per capita. And where has it gotten us? We’re have the highest addiction, depression, suicide and violence rates of any society in the Western world. We’re over our heads in debt, our houses are being foreclosed on, and our economy is in shambles (a fact that, by the way, seems not to have reached the mainstream media at all. The US dollar is worth less in the world than it has been since the Great Depression. Why is no one worried about this?) I really don’t see why this “hard work” is something to be so proud of, since it doesn’t seem to have made us personally or societally very happy or well-balanced.
At this statement, however, she—and I—were immediately shot down by Medea, who reminded me of the 2/3 of the world we call "developing". In retrospect, it seems a shame to me that Ms Clinton (I will always call her “Ms”— I’d call her Ms Rodham but then no one would know who I was talking about!) didn’t tie in her Lilly Ledbetter story with the story of working women all over the world: Women, who make up 52% of the population and do 2/3 to ¾ of all the work in the world (in the Third World, women rise at 3 or 4 am to begin to carry water for the work they will do all day; in the vast majority of places, men do next to nothing while women do all the planting, caretaking, harvesting, production, slaughtering and processing of food and other goods, as well as “traditional” women’s work of childcare and homemaking); but they own less than 10% of the world’s wealth and less than 1% of the property.
And this, in a nutshell, is why I don’t support Hilary Clinton: Because she has chosen to side with the rich, almost all white, western, and male, power structure. Rather than build a campaign and coalition that reaches out, educates and empowers the majority of this country that is not the rich white male elite, she has joined their ranks. Now, whether or not they will ever accept her as one of their own is a question I have no desire to address. Some say they did Margaret Thatcher, but the way they treated her at the end of her term says otherwise. My point is that I’m not going to support a woman, just because she is a woman, if she isn’t addressing my concerns.
Now, to be fair, I’m sure that Ms Clinton affected President Mr. Clinton’s politics and policies. I argue that Bill Clinton is the best president women ever had, simply because he was the first to put women in visible positions of power—and in such a way that there was no going back. Do you really believe GW Bush’s cabinet and administration would be as diverse as it is if not for Bill Clinton's opening of doors that could never be shut? Sometimes I think I’m being too hard on the Ms, that I expect more of women—well, that’s probably true. I do expect more of women because for the most part, when I look around me, I see women giving, doing, being much more.
Until he said, in response to a possible attack on
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
CODEPINK to Hillary and Nancy: Lead Us Out of Iraq Now!
This morning at the Take Back America conference when Senator Hillary Clinton took the stage CODEPINKers held up pink signs reading "Lead Us Out of Iraq Now!" and pleaded with the senator to bring our troops home now, to be a leader in ending the occupation of Iraq. While Hillary made some great promises about offering universal healthcare and ensuring a preschool education for every American child, and reiterated that she voted no on the last Supplemental spending bill to appropriate funds to the war, without her leadership on actually bringing our troops home with a full and immediate troop withdrawal, it remains unclear where funds would come from for these excellent domestic programs, and how we can move forward as a nation. Hillary's commentary about the Iraq war included a commentary about how the US has liberated Iraq from Saddam, helped hold democratic elections, and installed the Iraqi government. Her commentary seemed to blame Iraq for the ongoing violence, which in turn was met with loud boos from the audience. Hillary walked a careful talk today, but it was not convincing to many in the audience, who feel the only way that trust in Hillary could be restored is through her actions to end the war, not her rhetoric. As an aside, Hillary asserted that the US is the oldest democracy. I seem to remember something about Athens appearing in a school textbook. Hillary also stated that the US has the hardest working population in the world. To me, that kind of hubris does not inspire the kind of patriotism I feel for this country and the global community.
CODEPINK protested at Hillary's talk at the Take Back America conference last year as well. This year our message was a proactive one: Hillary, be a leader and bring our troops home! Take action NOW to end the war!
Nancy Pelosi made some excellent comments about listening to young people in this country, who are agitated, don't believe elected officials will take action, and are fed up with the government. She spoke about meeting with people and having dialogues. I asked her to meet with us in San Francisco, as she has yet to meet with the anti-war movement in district. Because we have not be able to meet with her, we've been camping outside her doorstep! Nancy made some excellent points about green jobs and about the need to bring our troops home, and we would like to believe that she will stick to her word--we know that she, as Speaker of the House, can do more to end the US occupation of Iraq, and that's why we were in the audience today with our pink signs and loud voices for peace, demanding that these elected officials lead us out of Iraq!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Senator Lieberman & Peaceful Conflict Resolution
By Marcia Jansen
To see a slideshow of photos of CODEPINK's action at Senator Lieberman's office, click here.
To see a slideshow of Leslie's photos from Iran, click here.
What resulted from Senator Joseph Lieberman's cancellation yesterday of
a scheduled meeting with Leslie Angeline, and other members of CODEPINK,
to discuss his recent remarks on CBS' "Face the Nation", that "…we've
got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the
Iranians…", was a microcosm of the very dynamic we had come to protest,
the belief that ultimately you must use force to resolve conflict, and
our call for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Iran.
Senator Lieberman's cancellation of yesterday's scheduled meeting was an
acting out of the very U.S. policy which leads to war, death and
destruction – the refusal to talk to those with whom you disagree,
refusal to talk to your opponents, your enemy.
What followed Senator Lieberman's refusal to talk with us, demonstrates
the power of a willingness to be open – a willingness to talk to one
another.
Sixty people, from around the country, including leaders from the
Iranian community, came to Senator Lieberman's office at the original
meeting time of 4:30 p.m., yesterday afternoon. After all sixty of us
completely filled the reception area of Senator Lieberman's office,
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, again asked that Senator
Lieberman meet with us, as originally scheduled, and recounted the
series of events that led up to the cancellation of the meeting.
The receptionist in Senator Lieberman's office kept insisting that we
leave and we kept insisting on meeting with Senator Lieberman. Finally,
we were given a warning by a member of the Capitol police to leave or
face arrest.
Then the phone rang. The receptionist answered the phone, left her desk
and went into another room. She returned with Senator Lieberman's chief
of staff who again told us the meeting had been cancelled and said we
must leave.
Leslie Angeline began to talk about her recent travels in Iran and the
beautiful people she met, and in a very emotional plea begged the United
States not bomb the people of Iran, 70% who are under the age of 30.
Senator Lieberman's chief of staff was visibly touched by Leslie's plea.
When Leslie was finished speaking, Medea Benjamin asked the chief of
staff if there was a high ranking staff member who would meet with a
delegation from the group. What resulted from that request was a
meeting which lasted over an hour with three members from our group and
Senator Lieberman's chief of staff, legislative director, and an aide on
the Middle East.
Yesterday we came to Senator Lieberman's office to advocate for a
resolution of the conflict with Iran, through diplomacy not war. What
subsequently played out in Senator Lieberman's office was a powerful
example that conflicts can be resolved peacefully.
The conflict yesterday, in Senator Lieberman's office, was resolved
through the power of persistence, words, good will, the power of
humanity and a willingness, on the part of everyone involved, to be open
and respectful of one another, a willingness to come face to face, a
willingness to negotiate and compromise and come to some agreement, some
understanding.
The principles and values that brought about the peaceful resolution to
the conflict yesterday in Senator Lieberman's office are the same
principles and values that can bring about a diplomatic resolution to
the conflict with Iran.
To see a slideshow of photos of CODEPINK's action at Senator Lieberman's office, click here.
To see a slideshow of Leslie's photos from Iran, click here.
What resulted from Senator Joseph Lieberman's cancellation yesterday of
a scheduled meeting with Leslie Angeline, and other members of CODEPINK,
to discuss his recent remarks on CBS' "Face the Nation", that "…we've
got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the
Iranians…", was a microcosm of the very dynamic we had come to protest,
the belief that ultimately you must use force to resolve conflict, and
our call for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Iran.
Senator Lieberman's cancellation of yesterday's scheduled meeting was an
acting out of the very U.S. policy which leads to war, death and
destruction – the refusal to talk to those with whom you disagree,
refusal to talk to your opponents, your enemy.
What followed Senator Lieberman's refusal to talk with us, demonstrates
the power of a willingness to be open – a willingness to talk to one
another.
Sixty people, from around the country, including leaders from the
Iranian community, came to Senator Lieberman's office at the original
meeting time of 4:30 p.m., yesterday afternoon. After all sixty of us
completely filled the reception area of Senator Lieberman's office,
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, again asked that Senator
Lieberman meet with us, as originally scheduled, and recounted the
series of events that led up to the cancellation of the meeting.
The receptionist in Senator Lieberman's office kept insisting that we
leave and we kept insisting on meeting with Senator Lieberman. Finally,
we were given a warning by a member of the Capitol police to leave or
face arrest.
Then the phone rang. The receptionist answered the phone, left her desk
and went into another room. She returned with Senator Lieberman's chief
of staff who again told us the meeting had been cancelled and said we
must leave.
Leslie Angeline began to talk about her recent travels in Iran and the
beautiful people she met, and in a very emotional plea begged the United
States not bomb the people of Iran, 70% who are under the age of 30.
Senator Lieberman's chief of staff was visibly touched by Leslie's plea.
When Leslie was finished speaking, Medea Benjamin asked the chief of
staff if there was a high ranking staff member who would meet with a
delegation from the group. What resulted from that request was a
meeting which lasted over an hour with three members from our group and
Senator Lieberman's chief of staff, legislative director, and an aide on
the Middle East.
Yesterday we came to Senator Lieberman's office to advocate for a
resolution of the conflict with Iran, through diplomacy not war. What
subsequently played out in Senator Lieberman's office was a powerful
example that conflicts can be resolved peacefully.
The conflict yesterday, in Senator Lieberman's office, was resolved
through the power of persistence, words, good will, the power of
humanity and a willingness, on the part of everyone involved, to be open
and respectful of one another, a willingness to come face to face, a
willingness to negotiate and compromise and come to some agreement, some
understanding.
The principles and values that brought about the peaceful resolution to
the conflict yesterday in Senator Lieberman's office are the same
principles and values that can bring about a diplomatic resolution to
the conflict with Iran.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Peace: The Medium AND the Message
Kit Kimberly
The Pink House is awash with activity at the moment as we prepare to meet with Senator Joe Lieberman tomorrow (Thursday) to confront him on his comments that “we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians …”. CODEPINK member Leslie Angeline has been on a hunger strike since Sunday in reaction to his statement. Leslie recently returned from a Citizen Diplomacy visit to Iran, where she met dozens of Iranians and was particularly touched by their kindness and warmth. Seventy percent of the Iranian population is under the age of 30—the same age as her son.
In the Peace Room, Liz and Mila prepare pink body banners that read, “Iranians are our Sisters” and “Peace Talks, not War Hawks”. Desiree paints a frame to hold one of Leslie’s photos of the beautiful Iranian children and families that she met while there. Phillip researches presidential candidates’ statements on military action against Iran. Medea, Rae and Ena network with media and other peace groups to bring attention to tomorrow’s meeting.
It’s amazing how, once we have a plan, CODEPINK goes into immediate overdrive. Over dinner we discussed our plan for tomorrow—who will meet with the Senator; who will be outside in the halls liaising with media and the Capitol Police; alternatives in case the Senator doesn’t show, or doesn’t listen; who will get arrested and how. Our message and the medium through which we deliver it will be all about peace. Pat, who was involved with the Vietnam anti-war movement, points out that our peace movement has a very different tone than that one.
“It was testosterone-filled—very militant,” she says. After having spent a couple of days on the Hill with CODEPINK, she’s impressed by the difference in our tactics. I, too, love the almost Southern-gentility of our approach. First of all, pink is such a warm, healing, non-threatening color—on my first day in the halls of Congress, I saw the affect that it has: People smile and seem welcoming, whatever their particular stand on the issue. As Pat notes, Medea (and Gael, until she got banned from the Hill) are always engaging, pleasant—assertive, but clearly there to open and maintain dialogue, not to set up untenable positions. It’s a style that wins more friends than makes enemies, and it’s one that I and my Pink Sisters all learn to emulate.
How much more successful, I can’t help thinking, would US foreign relations be if we used the same level of diplomacy—rather than bullying and violence—to achieve our goals. I, like many others, believe that many of those now targeted as US “enemies” have legitimate grievances against this country. But as my grandma used to say, you catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Why is it that, with so much military and economic might, the US can’t use its power for good? Why are we still building, selling and using weapons of mass destruction (oh, those WMDs—they’re not hard to find right here at home) when that money could go toward assisting, healing, educating and encouraging people all over the world to develop their own prosperous, peaceful cultures? When the US uses its military might to try to force nations to do what we want, those nations naturally get their backs up—no matter what it is we might want.
So I hope that the generosity and joy and devotion and dedication through which CODEPINK conducts its campaign for peace will begin to disperse throughout the entire political and diplomatic community—not only to end the war in Iraq and stop one in Iran, but also to bring about peace, justice and goodwill throughout the world, for now and for the future of the Iranian, Iraqi, Afghani, Sudanese, Albanian, Chechnyan, and all the other children who will one day inherit these conflicts and concerns. What better gift can we give our children—in a global society, these are ALL our children, they are the world’s children—than the tools through which to bring about peaceful, joyful change?
The Pink House is awash with activity at the moment as we prepare to meet with Senator Joe Lieberman tomorrow (Thursday) to confront him on his comments that “we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians …”. CODEPINK member Leslie Angeline has been on a hunger strike since Sunday in reaction to his statement. Leslie recently returned from a Citizen Diplomacy visit to Iran, where she met dozens of Iranians and was particularly touched by their kindness and warmth. Seventy percent of the Iranian population is under the age of 30—the same age as her son.
In the Peace Room, Liz and Mila prepare pink body banners that read, “Iranians are our Sisters” and “Peace Talks, not War Hawks”. Desiree paints a frame to hold one of Leslie’s photos of the beautiful Iranian children and families that she met while there. Phillip researches presidential candidates’ statements on military action against Iran. Medea, Rae and Ena network with media and other peace groups to bring attention to tomorrow’s meeting.
It’s amazing how, once we have a plan, CODEPINK goes into immediate overdrive. Over dinner we discussed our plan for tomorrow—who will meet with the Senator; who will be outside in the halls liaising with media and the Capitol Police; alternatives in case the Senator doesn’t show, or doesn’t listen; who will get arrested and how. Our message and the medium through which we deliver it will be all about peace. Pat, who was involved with the Vietnam anti-war movement, points out that our peace movement has a very different tone than that one.
“It was testosterone-filled—very militant,” she says. After having spent a couple of days on the Hill with CODEPINK, she’s impressed by the difference in our tactics. I, too, love the almost Southern-gentility of our approach. First of all, pink is such a warm, healing, non-threatening color—on my first day in the halls of Congress, I saw the affect that it has: People smile and seem welcoming, whatever their particular stand on the issue. As Pat notes, Medea (and Gael, until she got banned from the Hill) are always engaging, pleasant—assertive, but clearly there to open and maintain dialogue, not to set up untenable positions. It’s a style that wins more friends than makes enemies, and it’s one that I and my Pink Sisters all learn to emulate.
How much more successful, I can’t help thinking, would US foreign relations be if we used the same level of diplomacy—rather than bullying and violence—to achieve our goals. I, like many others, believe that many of those now targeted as US “enemies” have legitimate grievances against this country. But as my grandma used to say, you catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Why is it that, with so much military and economic might, the US can’t use its power for good? Why are we still building, selling and using weapons of mass destruction (oh, those WMDs—they’re not hard to find right here at home) when that money could go toward assisting, healing, educating and encouraging people all over the world to develop their own prosperous, peaceful cultures? When the US uses its military might to try to force nations to do what we want, those nations naturally get their backs up—no matter what it is we might want.
So I hope that the generosity and joy and devotion and dedication through which CODEPINK conducts its campaign for peace will begin to disperse throughout the entire political and diplomatic community—not only to end the war in Iraq and stop one in Iran, but also to bring about peace, justice and goodwill throughout the world, for now and for the future of the Iranian, Iraqi, Afghani, Sudanese, Albanian, Chechnyan, and all the other children who will one day inherit these conflicts and concerns. What better gift can we give our children—in a global society, these are ALL our children, they are the world’s children—than the tools through which to bring about peaceful, joyful change?
Monday, June 11, 2007
CODEPINK Strikes Again: Targets Senate Re Gonzales No Confidence Vote and Joseph Lieberman for His Call to Bomb Iran
CODEPINK was out in full peaceful force on Capitol Hill today at the following two fantastic actions:Senate No Confidence on Gonzales Vote
Starting at 10am, CODEPINK visited every Senate office handing them copies of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales dressed in a “pink slip” with a message "Pink Slip Gonzales: Vote No Confidence." Check out the great graphic that Phillip, a current DC house resident who came to DC from NYC for the Peace Surge, created for us to give to senators:
We went through the Senate office buildings dressed in orange Guantanamo-style jumpsuit and pink slips. CODEPINK also held its daily vigil outside the Justice Department at 12 noon calling for Gonzales to resign.
Senator Joe Lieberman: Don't Bomb Iran!
Outraged by Lieberman’s comments on CBS on Sunday about wanting to bomb Iran, CODEPINK went to his office at 1:30pm to demand that he retract his call for a military attack on Iran. We sung a new version of "Don't Bomb Iran" and met with the office scheduler. We'll be back and will keep up a presence until Lieberman meets with up. Leslie Angeline, an activist from California who recently traveled to Iran on a Global Exchange delegation, is beginning a hunger strike to ask Lieberman to meet with her and rescind his comment about attacking Iran. More about Leslie in an upcoming blog! Check out photos from the office visit below:
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