So what are you going to do about it, Damnit Janet? Well, tonight I’m going solo due to a sick kid. I’ll be taking the Max Light Rail into Portland tonight and meeting up with some of the most beautiful people – CodePink and Veterans For Peace Chapter 72.
I do not have a ticket to get INSIDE, so the arrest level is a low probability for me.
I feel betrayed by such a person who could have been a strong advocate for education, health care and human rights. Instead I’m trekking through the cold, rainy night to tell Hillary – LISTEN!!!
To all my beloved bloggy friends. I do not truly march or protest alone. I take you all with me. I take RubDMC and his witnesses, I take StevenD and BostonJoe and their sincerity and humor with me. I take Bood and his gallery with me. I take the entire Froggy Bottom Contingent with me as they provide me with the courage, strength and love to do this.
When I get there, I will be surrounded by new sisters and brothers. I am not alone. Not alone at all.
Most likely FBC quote:
“Have fun storming the castle, Janet!” – “Second Nature”
From an email to a distractor who asked why not just meet with Hillary:
I can only speak for CodePink New York, but I will tell you that we called Hillary Clinton’s office on October 24th to ask for a meeting with her or her staff. We were told by local peace groups (Vets for Peace, among others) that they had never been able to secure a meeting because Senator Clinton wasn’t interested in what peace activists had to say. But we called and called, and e-mailed and e-mailed. When by early December they were still stonewalling us we decided to take an outside street action approach.
This is from our new Hillary post-card:
“Part of my job is to be a good listener” – Senator Hillary Clinton
In a survey that accompanied a recent fundraising letter, Hillary Clinton asked for her constituents’ opinions on a variety of issues—but the war in Iraq wasn’t one of them. Clearly, Hillary isn’t listening when it comes to Iraq.
And while her ears remained covered, thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. Isn’t it time for leadership, not politics? For bravery, not calculation? Hillary needs to hear that the time to end the war is now.
Cindy Sheehan met with staff in Chuck Schumer’s office who told her, “Senator Schumer believes the war is good for America.” Hillary Clinton’s position on the war is not far different from his. And in a speech at Princeton last week she took a belligerent tone with regard to Iran–in fact, Newsday characterized her position on the conflict with Iran as “to the right of the Bush Administration.”
If we don’t want another Lyndon Johnson—a Democrat who escalated the air war in Vietnam and Cambodia–we need to make sure that the Democrats who represent us and particularly those with national ambitions know how we feel about the war in Iraq. There are many ways to let them know and we’ve been using all of them: phone calls, letters, face-to-face meetings, and street actions.
We believe that direct action works. A recent study on environmental activism by sociologist Jon Agnone showed that chaining yourself to a bulldozer and throwing paint over company executives is more likely to influence environmental policy than lobbying on Capitol Hill.
It was only on January 20th after CodePink announced a weekly vigil outside Hillary’s office that her staff returned our phone calls to set up a meeting. We are scheduled to meet her at 10 a.m. on February 16th—but we will be out front with our signs HILLARY YOU’RE NOT LISTENING: BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW every Friday until that meeting….And unless we hear of some significant change in her position on the occupation in Iraq, we’ll probably be there from now until next November.
Thanks for taking the time to contact us. It is always useful to hear from people who disagree with us because it helps us think carefully about our tactics and our goals.
Sincerely,
Nancy Kricorian
for CodePink New York
(If I were making a sign, that might be it).
Ha! Cabin Girl!!! I’m passing that one along!
Janet, Im so proud of you! I’ll be sure to watch the 10PM and 11PM Seattle news to see if there are any reports !
My daughter loves It’s Happy Bunny. She has this sticker on the back of her van:
Recently I also got her a pin of It’s Happy Bunny with a hatchet stuck in its head and the caption “Everything is fine, thanks for asking.” Which more or less sums up the world some days.
And oh yeah, I meant to add: Give ’em hell over there!
I’m so proud of you, lady!
Boo is busy, but Puss is ever vigilant. He’d go with you.
is that your apartment? It’s so … neat!
With you in spirit, DJ! We ALL look pretty in pink.
My good buddy Other Lisa in Los Angeles is very good friends with all the founders of Code Pink and goes to a lot of their soirees … she even goes to Arianna’s house!
But what really matters is that they are truly wonderful human beings who actually GO to Iraq and Iran and other countries, and find out what’s going on … and represent the opposite of the official U.S. position.
(And their antics — like sneaking into the GOP Convention — kick ass.)
Go get ’em Warrior maiden Sister! I know you will grab attention some how. I am so very proud to know you are out there fighting for us DJ!!
you rock.
Yay, Janet.
Going to go rummage in the closet now, find something pink to wear on your behalf.
but I can go shower, put on my jeans and my pink golf shirt… 🙂
And I LOOOOOVE the top graphic — I’m stealing it for future usage… 🙂 [Memo to self — need color printer ASAP…]
On Graphic, So Do I and Doing Same!!
On your PJ’s, put them on than Shower and Blowdry!!;c}
I once had a pink ostrich-feather boa, god knows why. If I still had it, I’d send it to you.
My closet isn’t yielding much pink in this dark time of year. Just a pair of flannel jammies and a long-sleeve turtleneck. But I’m with you in spirit.
I’m NOT Even Going There!!!!
[but hmmmmm the head photo ain’t bad!;c}]
Thanks guys! 🙂 I’ll report in with the low down of what played out. I’m taking my cell and camera along. … as well as what every non-violet yet wicked pissed off and dealing with their inner anger issue activist should take to protest… Pink Pom Poms and CodePink Parasol. 🙂
Murtha flanked by CodePink members
Thank You Congressman Murtha!
CODEPINK co-founder Gael Murphy and DC coordinator Allison Yorra met with Congressman Murtha to thank him for his courageous stand on Iraq. We presented him with our pink badge of courage and pink flowers sent by CODEPINK members nationwide. Rep Murtha was very appreciative of these gestures as he has been receiving many responses to his public denouncement of the war. Murtha said that while many of the calls and emails have been supportive, those opposed have been quite vitriolic. He stated that the best support of his position and of the troops would be to ask legislators to support H.J Res 73 (Murtha’s resolution). In addition to the flowers, Murtha requested that we use additional donations for the wounded at Walter Reed. DC CODEPINK along with Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, US Labor Against the War and other peace groups involved in the weekly vigil at Walter Reed recently delivered baskets of goodies to the wounded at Walter Reed. Together, with Murtha’s office, we will be continuing this outpouring of kindness and support to the wounded soldiers from CODEPINK.
Janet, I wish you could send those photos and that story to Jim VandeHei at the WaPo.
I can’t find his e-mail address.
All i could find was this form.
And you’re Right, You’re Not Alone-EVER!!!
Was going to post this up on Rub’s Diary but as it isn’t up will post it here.
The First is a Must Visit Site, it’ll explain itself as to what’s going on, Join In!!!!
Opening of the Heart
Nationwide screening of Voices in Wartime film from January 30-April 4. memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King
Dramatic Performance of Voices, Feb. 9th – LA
Fond du Lac in February! Community events, teacher workshop, film screening, communications workshop.
Opening of the Heart aims to transform how we respond to, engage in, and recover from conflict, through education and the arts. Acknowledging that conflict is inevitable, we envision a world in which individuals, communities and nations move beyond polarization, instead viewing conflict as an opportunity for positive change.
Study Reveals Lack of Funds
All-purpose headline a perfect fit for mostly ignored U.S. slush-fund scandal in Iraq. (This subhead also works, but it’s too long.)
Member: Veterans For Peace
VFP ‘Declaration Of Impeachment’
Sign On and Pass Link To Others
As Eric, over at Bush Flash puts it so Simply:
THE BATTLE FOR AMERICA
Encore feature- you should watch this, every day.
James Starowicz
Member: Veterans For Peace
VFP ‘Declaration Of Impeachment’
Sign On and Pass Link To Others
I’ve given up on Hillary. In the Democratic Primary I’m voting for anyone who espouses an antiwar stance.
And I will refuse to vote for her this year in the general election unless she makes a big u turn in her positions and her rhetoric.
I wake up in th emiddle night with the worst case of the trembles… A nightmare? A look into the future?? …
Blondi versus Condi in 2008
NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! ACCKKKKKK!!!
I’m with you StevenD!!! 🙂
Maybe I need to get a nightlight?? 🙂
My hero! 🙂
they’ve outdone everyone as far as grassroots activism goes. Not to mention infiltrating staged republican photo ops. The next Democratic president should get these girls to run the CIA, they’d do a much better job.
we’ll all be the wind beneath your awesome wings tonight…stay warm and safe.
As for Hilary, war seems to make people do pretty crappy things doesn’t it. Who knew she’d be a war hawk…I think it has a lot to do with her rather blind support of Israel although that’s just an opinion of mine. Yes, that speech at Princeton was the last straw that broke the camels back for me as far as she is concerned.
As long as she supports the Iraq war and anything to do with an Iran war that means she is ok with draining literally trillions of dollars that could be spent here on education, health care, jobs creation and so and she is not putting regular Americans first but her own war blinded ideology.
What chocolate ink said goes for me too.
And to chocolate ink–agree 100% re: $ that could be spent on health care…am gonna keep on saying it: Medicare D(isater) sucks and we need a single-payer system in this country. Did HRC forget her health care reform issue, as opposed to war? Would love to ask her that one!!!
Last week I walked into the house of another kindergarten mom and immediately she tells me that my husband phoned and said to call him. I had not told my husband that I was going to her house that day. I felt the hair on the back of my neck raise, he had gone to a lot of trouble to be able to track me down there. My first thought was that our friend Mike who is in Iraq was dead. My husband just had a wild hair though and too much time on his hands and wanted to say to say HI! This is what it is like when someone you care about is serving in Iraq though. How can she not listen?
Tracy, it is a post like this that really hits home to me how even a small simple pleasure of a phone call during ‘war’ that makes every day life so stressful and difficult for families like yours. Never being to completely relax and always be in a sort of fight/flight mode takes it’s toll on everyone.
How I wish that sooner rather than later this will be over for your family and all the other military families and for everyone who cares about them.
The Portland Oregonian website sucks — couldn’t find anything on any protest.
Details, girl, details…