Protests denounce U.S. occupation of Iraq

By John Catalinotto, Workers World, March 24, 2010

The seventh anniversary of the criminal U.S.-British occupation of Iraq on March 20 gave impetus to demonstrations in cities around the world. Anti-war protesters could not forget the suffering this U.S.-led aggression has imposed on the Iraqis, killing over a million and driving 5 million people into exile.

click here for photo slideshow

On top of the Iraq occupation, the Barack Obama administration has begun a serious escalation in Afghanistan, destined to inflict similar damage upon other peoples of that region; it has intensified pilotless bombing of areas of Pakistan; and it threatens to bomb Iran.

This situation aroused protests across the U.S. Regional actions attracting thousands took place in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco, initiated by the Answer Coalition and in which many anti-war forces participated.

In Washington, some 10,000 people joined the protest, according to organizers. Among the key speakers was Cindy Sheehan, who has been an active spokesperson against U.S. wars since her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and anti-monopoly fighter Ralph Nader were also featured. Sheehan was arrested as part of a civil disobedience protest following the march.

Protest slogans included demands for jobs at home, not wars abroad, and pointed out how military spending drained wealth away from social benefits. The Bail Out the People Movement and the International Action Center had strong delegations from New York at the demonstration.

Workers World Party leader Larry Holmes was at the protest. “Considering all the activities going on this weekend,” Holmes told WW, “we were pleased to see so many people coming out. People came from around the country to show solidarity with the Palestinians, to tell the U.S. to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and to refrain from starting a new war against Iran. Young people were ready to march up to the Mortgage Bankers Association and make it a target of the protest. It’s a good sign for the future.”

In Los Angeles, thousands, including many youth of color, gathered at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine and marched down Hollywood Blvd. to the rally site at Highland Ave. There they listened to speakers prominent in left and progressive movements demand an end to U.S. militarism and money for human needs at home and abroad.

In San Francisco, 5,000 demonstrators gathered at City Hall Plaza, called by a broad coalition of anti-war, solidarity and social justice organizations.

Under the lead banner “Occupation is a crime — Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine! Fund people’s needs — not war and bank bailouts!” speaker after speaker demanded an end to all U.S.-backed military adventures abroad, including U.S. support for the continued occupation of Palestine, while at the same time demanding that funds be used for jobs, health care and education.

One of the most moving talks was given by Father Andres Tamayo, a priest and popular leader who was expelled by the Honduran junta. Tamayo brought solidarity greetings on behalf of the people of Honduras who are struggling against the U.S.-backed military government. Father Tamayo stated simply that the land and wealth of Honduras must be returned to its people.

Following the rally, a march moved through downtown San Francisco, passing two hotels, the Hilton and the Four Seasons, to express solidarity with striking hotel workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 2.

Anti-war protesters in Detroit, called out by the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice, on March 19 demanded that the U.S. immediately stop the wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Somalia, Pakistan and other nations and that the Pentagon budget be used instead for people’s needs, including jobs, housing, health care and education.

According to the National Priorities Project, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone have cost Michigan taxpayers at least $25 billion. Protesters rallied at Detroit’s city hall and then marched behind a lead banner declaring “Michigan says no to war” to the Central United Methodist Church while chanting “Money for jobs, not for war!”

In Stockholm, Sweden, 300 people joined a cultural protest. Under banners reading, “Crimes against peace are the worst of all crimes — Nuremburg 1946” and “U.S. out of Iraq,” the Iraqi music group SUMER was joined by leading Swedish poets and actors who recited anti-war poetry. The former Swedish Foreign Minister and U.N. Ambassador Pierre Schori denounced the invasion and the fact that Swedish authorities did not charge former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for war crimes when she was in Stockholm for a conference to raise funds for the occupation regime.

An Iraqi guest speaker concentrated on the destruction of the Iraqi state and the horrendous situation for women and children. A speaker for Iraq Solidarity suggested that if Dante were writing today he would have to add another layer of hell to describe the present situation for Iraqis in their ravished homeland.

Expatriate U.S. citizens called a protest in Rome, Italy, and in Lisbon, Portugal, there was a public meeting denouncing the continued occupation of Iraq.

Judy Greenspan, Bob McCubbin, Bryan G. Pfeifer and Mike Powers contributed to this report.

Thousands rally on anniversary of invasion of Iraq

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, AP, SFGate.com, March 20, 2010

Photo: Henry Shoiket, 92, of Rutherford, N.J., joins other anti-war protesters in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Saturday, March 20, 2010.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of protesters — many directing their anger squarely at President Barack Obama — marched through the nation's capital Saturday to urge immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least eight people, including activist Cindy Sheehan, were arrested by U.S. Park Police at the end of the march, after laying coffins at a fence outside the White House. Friday marked the seventh anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"Arrest that war criminal!" Sheehan shouted outside the White House before her arrest, referring to Obama.

At a rally before the march, Sheehan asked whether "the honeymoon was over with that war criminal in the White House" — an apparent reference to Obama — prompting moderate applause.

The protesters defied orders to clear the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and park police say they face charges of failure to obey a lawful order.

Activist Ralph Nader told thousands who gathered in Lafayette Park across from the White House that Obama has essentially continued the policies of the Bush administration, and it was foolish to have thought otherwise.

"He's kept Guantanamo open, he's continued to use indefinite detention," Nader said. The only real difference, he said is that "Obama's speeches are better."

Others were more conciliatory toward Obama. Shirley Allan of Silver Spring, Md., carried a sign that read, "President Obama We love you but we need to tell you! Your hands are getting bloody!! Stop it now."

Allan thought it was going too far to call Obama a war criminal but said she is deeply disappointed that the conflicts are continuing.

"He has to know it's unacceptable," Allan said. "I am absolutely disappointed."

The protest drew a smaller crowd than the tens of thousands who marched in 2006 and 2007. Protests in cities around the country also had far fewer participants than in the past.

San Francisco's rally brought out Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the top-secret Pentagon Papers study of the Vietnam War and is the subject of the recent documentary film, "The Most Dangerous Man in America." He likened the protest and others like it around the country Saturday to a day of demonstrations organized against the conflict in Vietnam in 1969.

"They thought it had no effect," he told the crowd in San Francisco, referring to the 1969 protesters. "They were wrong."

Ellsberg said President Richard Nixon was planning to escalate the war around that time, but held off.



Protesters in Washington stopped at the offices of military contractor Halliburton — where they tore apart an effigy of former Vice President and Halliburton Chief Executive Dick Cheney — the Mortgage Bankers Association and The Washington Post offices.

Anna Berlinrut, of South Orange, N.J., was one of a number of protesters who have children who have served in Iraq, and said her son supports her protests.

"If there were a draft, we'd have a million people out here," Berlinrut said when asked about the turnout. The exact number of protesters was unclear, as D.C. authorities do not give out crowd estimates. Organizers estimated the march, which stretched for several blocks, at 10,000.

Despite the arrests, the protest was peaceful. At the outset, police closed a portion of the sidewalk in front of the White House fence after protesters tried to use mud and large stencils to spell out "Iraq veterans against the war."

Once the sidewalk was closed, the protesters stenciled the message on the street using mud they had carried in buckets to the rally.

Sheehan has been a vocal critic of the war since her 21-year-old son Casey was killed in Iraq in April 2004. She staged a prolonged demonstration in 2005 outside former President George W. Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas.

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark also spoke, calling on the Justice Department to investigate the officials who launched the Iraq war.

In New York City, there were far fewer protesters at a similar rally. A few dozen enthusiastic protesters gathered near a military recruiting station in Times Square, though they were far outnumbered by disinterested tourists.

A group of older women calling themselves the Raging Grannies sang, "The country is broke, this war is a joke." Four demonstrators evoked images of the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by dressing in orange uniforms and wearing black hoods.

Liz Proefriedt, a retired Roman Catholic nun, held up a banner that read, "Bread not bombs."

"It's sad that a lot of people did not come out for this protest," said Kathy Hoang, of Manchester, Conn. "People are getting used to the war, and don't bother even to think about it anymore."

In Los Angeles, hundreds chanted anti-war slogans and carried mock tombstones, and several hundred gathered in San Francisco. The Los Angeles march, which was under a mile, was to culminate with a rally in front of the famed Grauman's Chinese Theater.

"We want to see the troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq," said Corazon Esguerra with Act Now to Stop War and Racism or ANSWER, which organized the protest. "We want all the troops wherever they are to come back."
___

Associated Press writers Verena Dobnik from New York, Noaki Schwartz from Los Angeles and Sudhin Thanawala of San Francisco contributed to this report.

Thousands Rally in DC Against Iraq War

Protest was expected to draw smaller crowds
By ASHA BEH, NBC Washington, March 20, 2010

click here for video

On the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, demonstrators carried flag-draped cardboard coffins as they marched from Lafayette Park across from the White House through downtown DC Saturday.

President Barack Obama's decision to send more troops into Afghanistan helped build momentum for the anti-war protest, which was expected to draw smaller crowds, according to military veterans and activists Ralph Nader and Cindy Sheehan, who helped organize the protest.

The protesters picked on another president as well, carrying signs reading "Indict Bush Now."

Saturday’s large-scale protest signaled the revival of the anti-war movement, that has been largely silent since January 2008, according to The Hindu.

In a statement obtained by the newspaper, the ANSWER Coalition said that although “the enthusiasm and desire for change after eight years of the Bush regime was the dominant cause that led to the election of a big Democratic Party majority in both Houses of Congress and the election of Barack Obama to the White House… [it was now] obvious to all that waiting for politicians to bring real change… is simply a prescription for passivity by progressives and an invitation to the array of corporate interests from military contractors to the banks, to big oil, to the health insurance giants that dominate the political life of the country.”

Stops on the route included military contractor Halliburton, the Mortgage Bankers Association, The Washington Post offices and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. On the website for the March 20th protest, the ANSWER Coalition claims "Halliburton has become synonymous with war profiteering" and the Washington Post "has been a staunch supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and continues to operate as an apologist for U.S. aggression."

March 20, 2010: National Anti-War March On Washington DC On The 7th Anniversary Of The War On Iraq

People from all over the country are organizing to converge on Washington, D.C., to demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!" We will march together to say "No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing.

A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13. This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities.

March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war.

This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.

The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA - Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild - LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice - Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai'i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.

For more information & to become an endorse see:
ANSWER Coalition

"Killing is right and proper" (What happened at Travis AFB, yesterday)

“The Killing is Right and Proper”
By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Nov. 29, 2009

Yesterday, Bay Area CODEPINK and I, started our caravan to Creech AFB in Nevada with a morning peace rally at Travis AFB in Fairfield, CA.

After we got there we were informed that we had to move off the base and were shown by MPs where we could protest. As good warriors for free speech and peace, we groused about it and we were moving forward to where we were supposed to go, when a very angry older man pulled up and started yelling at us to: “Don’t go, I want to counter protest you.” I told him, first of all, he shouldn’t be drinking so early in the morning, and secondly not to worry, that we were going anywhere, we were just moving about 100 yards away.

We decided to just stop and take a picture by the Travis AFB sign and then we were going to get back in our cars to caravan down to Lemoore NAS because it was extremely windy and we were running a little late anyway.

I was giving a little speech denouncing the drone-bombing program and the upcoming 50 percent troop escalation to Afghanistan, when the angry old man, now dressed in a military uniform, charged around the corner and got right into my bullhorn—I told him to get out of my face and he very violently slaps the bullhorn away from me.

Everything happened so quickly: I was so shocked that I was actually physically assaulted that I just turned away from him and that’s when my colleague, Suzanne immediately jumped to my aid and got between the man and me. He swore profusely and pushed her—and then a mini-melee ensued. The numerous MPs and POs that were there finally intervened after I asked them to stop the man from assaulting my friends. I touched no one even though I was within my rights to defend myself. The video clearly shows that the aggressor and the person who brought unreasoning anger and violence to the rally was Sgt. Phil Ward

After the mini-melee, a Fairfield Police Officer, told Suzanne and I that we couldn’t press charges against the man who physically assaulted us because it was a “he-said, she-said” situation, when at least one dozen law enforcement officers were standing around and witnessing the events AND if we did press charges, then Suzanne and I would also have to go to jail until things got sorted out! Complete bullshit.

After all that, when we were leaving, like we were asked to, I got about 2 feet out of the parking lot and I noticed one of the CODEPINK women was not in the van, so I pulled over to the side of the road to wait for her and as soon I we got rolling again, to add insult to injury, I WAS PULLED OVER and detained for about one-half hour and kept isolated in my car from the others until I was presented with a ticket for “impeding traffic!”

We dropped my daughter’s car off and I hopped in the van with a group of desperadoes, (with me being the third youngest, at 52, and six out of eleven in the van being over 70), and we headed down to Lemoore NAS and a National Guard post in Fresno. After another three- hour drive from Fresno, we landed at a cheap motel in Mojave California and I was shocked to open my email and see that I had received numerous emails attacking me for essentially “bullying” a poor, old military veteran.

I watched the news videos to confirm my recollection, which was 100 percent correct. I got to watch an interview that Phil Ward did after his attack on us and he says that the killing in the wars is “right and proper” and was exceedingly upset with Obama because he is only sending 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan when the generals asked for 40,000 more. During an interview with me, I am clearly shaken, but I say, “no matter how much violence they bring to us, we will bring them more peace.”

A thing to think about in this whole episode, is that at least one area newspaper posted that we were going to be at Travis AFB, and it only drew ONE person out to protest us who was unreasonably aggressive and almost comically out of control? Hmm—it makes one wonder what Phil Ward was up to. He charged out of his car at us from the second he got there and felt it was okay to be physically aggressive towards me and the other protestors and he did get away with it with impunity?

We will bring them more peace, but we will also bring them justice, too, as we are planning on pressing charges against Phil Ward as soon as we return from Creech AFB.

There’s scum that attack and more scum that protect those attackers.

There’s scum that take away our rights to peaceably assemble and to freedom of speech, and more scum that protect those who try to steal those rights.

We the People need to be the ones to vigorously defend our rights and defend peace on earth from everyone from Sgt. Phil Ward to President Obama who think that killing is “right and proper.”

Video of Phil Ward attacking our protest:

http://cbs13.com/video/?id=64185@kovr.dayport.com

Getting up early to stop at Edwards AFB and Nellis AFB on our way to Creech in Nevada---the other stops yesterday were uneventful and we just want to peaceably protest without any further assaults.

Response to Obama’s planned Afghanistan ‘surge’: Cindy Sheehan, CodePINK head to military bases

Cindy Sheehan, CodePINK head to military bases in California, Nevada protest escalation of the war

BERKELEY – With anti-war Mom Cindy Sheehan on board, a CodePINK “NO DRONES/NO SURGE Bus” heads to Indian Springs, Nevada Saturday – with more than a half dozen demonstrations at military bases along the way – to protest President Obama’s plan for a surge against Afghanistan and the administration’s use of assassinations by “drone warfare” that kills civilians at high rates.

A NEWS CONFERENCE will be held at the bus send-off at the Marine Recruiting Station (64 Shattuck Square) in Berkeley SATURDAY at 7-7:30 a.m.

The bus, and its cadre of demonstrators from Northern California, will hold the following actions:

SATURDAY:

8:30-9:30 a.m. - TRAVIS AFB (main gate), Fairfield.

2-3 p.m. - LEMOORE Naval Air Station (main gate), Lemoore..

4-5 p.m. - FRESNO Air National Guard (main gate, Fresno.

SUNDAY:

7:30-8:30 a.m. - EDWARDS AFB (main gate), Edwards.

11-12 Noon - Marine Corps Logistics Base (main gate), Barstow.

1-2 p.m. - Ft. Irwin Army Military Reserve (main gate), Ft. Irwin.

5-6 p.m. - Nellis AFB (main gate), North Las Vegas.

Once at Creech AFB (just out Las Vegas, NV) demonstrations are planned in conjunction with International Climate Justice Action Day to protest the environmental disaster caused by wars (e.g. 51 percent of fossil fuels in the world are consumed by the U.S. military) on MONDAY.

On TUESDAY, timed to coincide with Obama’s expected announcement to increase U.S. troops against Afghanistan, Dawn to Dusk protests will be held at the front gate at Creech AFB.

“President Obama was elected to end war. We are still occupying Iraq, drone bombing against Pakistan for the past 6 months has been more than all the drone bombing under Bush and we’re escalating against Afghanistan. We have one message for U.S. troops: RESIST, REFUSE, DON’T GO, NO SURGE; and one message for Obama: Troops Home NOW” said CodePINK in a statement.

Oct. 25: Cindy Sheehan & Ret. Lt. Col. Bob Bowman Speak in Charlotte

Sun., Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church
9704 Mallard Creek Road
Charlotte, NC 28262
Phone: 704-510-0008

Gold star mother, peace activist, author and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Cindy Sheehan, will speak in Charlotte at PUUC Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. There is no charge, but donations will be taken.

Speaking with her will be Lt. Col. Bob Bowman, one of the countries foremost authorities on national security. The event is sponsored by the PUUC Peace Alliance.

http://cindysheehanssoapbox.com

http://www.thepatriots.us

Cindy Sheehan: If McCain Were President

By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Sept. 5, 2009

"There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part; and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers and all the apparatus and you’ve got to make it stop; and you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free the machine will be prevented from working at all.”
Mario Savio, Sproul Hall, Berkeley, 1964

If John McCain were president, we can never be exactly sure what would be happening right now, but I think we can have a little inkling.

First of all, the banksters would be receiving their TARP money and Bernanke would have been re-appointed Fed Chairman.

Robert Gates would probably still be the Secretary of Defense and Sarah Palin would be offering late night comedians endless fodder for their monologues.

Single-payer health care would be “off the table” and McCain’s justice department would be protecting the war crimes of the preceding administration. Official unemployment would be hovering around 10 percent and a troop surge in Afghanistan would be killing scores of humans and the drone bombing would be proceeding apace in the tribal regions of Pakistan.

If McCain were president, Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and her colleagues would still be funding the repulsive wars…because they support the War Machine just as much as the Republicans do.

If McCain were president, MSNBC would be the faux-opposition and Fox would be the faux-supporter of the regime, and CNN would be pro-war, as usual.

If McCain were president, conservative columnist George Will would be supporting Af-Pak, instead of condemning it under a Democratic regime AND there would be an active “anti-war” movement. But as during the Bush-Republican years, the “movement” wouldn’t be so much anti-war as it would be anti-Republican wars.

The anti-McCain movement would be comfortable marching aimlessly around major cities on Saturdays, when the least amount of affect would be had, but not comfortable doing profound civil disobedience when the gears, levers and wheels of the Machine could be slowed down. Only symbolic efforts would be tolerated, because we don’t actually want to change things, we just want Democrats back in power. Democrats=status quo.

If we truly “put our bodies on the gears” of the War Machine, we would be compromising the other pro-war party, the Democrats, and that would be non-productive in the eyes of the politically "pragmatic" anti-McCain movement.

There are still some of us who realize that the Machine is grinding up and crushing people here and abroad and needs to be stopped, and we are the only ones who can do it.

There will be two major opportunities to put our bodies on the gears of the Machine this fall….

The anti-globalization movement will be out in full-force during the G20 nations’ meeting in Pittsburgh September 23-27 despite the jackbooted thuggery planned by the organizers of the G20 summit. Not only will there be 4000 riot police, but there will be 2000 Pa. National Guard there to suppress opposition. This is merely a bullying tactic designed to scare us away from the global “elite” while they plan more economic devastation for the world.

On October 5th, we will be gathering in front of the White House to protest Democratic wars of aggression (especially Af-Pak, since the 8th is the anniversary of the US invasion) and there will be opportunity for civil disobedience that is not just symbolic. We will also be reading the International People's Declaration of Peace (IPDoP) in front of the White House that day and kicking off the campaign to build an effective grassroots movement against all violence, but particularly, state-sanctioned violence.

The face has changed in DC, but the odious policies of the Machine remain the same.

Remember, if you don’t actively oppose the policies of this government, then you are passively supporting them and you are responsible for helping to oil the Machine and keep it running.

If you can't physically attend the protests, please consider making a contribution, even if it is tiny, to help defray expenses.

**************
Also see:

Sept. 20: March 4 Jobs in Pittsburgh Before The G20 Summit

Sept. 20 - 25: Tent City / Solidarity With The Unemployed in Pittsburgh

Sept. 25: Peoples March On The G20

Oct. 5: Anti-War Protest & Civil Resistance At The White House

Oct. 17: National Day Of Local & Regional Anti-War Protests
& For more on Oct 17 see: National Assembly To End The Iraq & Afghanistan Wars & Occupations & Iraq Moratorium

“Enough Already”

By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Aug. 20, 2009

“And you look at somebody like that (note: me -CS) and you think here's somebody who's just trying to find some meaning in her son's death. And you have to be sympathetic to her. Anybody who has given a son to this country has made an enormous sacrifice, and you have to be sympathetic. But enough already.”
- ABC Nightly News Anchor, Charles Gibson, August 18, 2009

“Enough already?” Hmmm…I don’t know Charlie Gibson and I don’t pay any attention to his career, but I seem to agree with him on this one: “Enough already.”

Enough with the killing, torturing, wounding and profiting off of the backs of our troops and off of the lives of the people of Iraq-Af-Pak: as our brothers and sisters in Latin America say: “Basta!”

Somehow, I don’t think that this is what Charlie Gibson meant, though. I am sure that he just wants me to go away like most of the rest of the anti-war movement has done under the Obama presidency.

One of the things I hear quite often from people from all over the political spectrum is: “Why don’t you just go away, you’ve had your 15 minutes of fame.”

Yes, that’s exactly what I thought as soon as I heard that my son was killed in the US’s illegal and immoral war in Iraq: “this is a perfect opportunity to get my 15 minutes of fame.” Actually, after I slowly recovered from the shock and horror, the pain always remains, I thought that I had to do everything I can to end this nightmare so other mothers/families wouldn’t have to go through what I was going through and what I am going through.

I certainly am not the anchor of a major network news show, but last time I checked, people are still dying at a heartrending clip in Iraq-Af-Pak.

If my goal was “15 minutes of fame,” I could have gone quietly away a long time ago. I started because I wanted the wars to end, and I will figure I can go away when the wars end…but when is that going to be? In my lifetime, probably not.

I am cutting my writing-staycation short to head to Martha’s Vineyard because I think the new titular head of the empire needs to know that his policies are devastating people as much as the same policies did when Bush was president.

I would rather be able to go away and spend the rest of my life worshipping my grandchildren, writing, reading, resting, and doing humanitarian work where I am needed.

I wish the wars would go away, but they aren’t going away if we the people don’t get more militantly insistent.

http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2009/08/enough-already-by-cindy-sheehan.html

We Have the Moral High Ground

By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Aug. 19, 2009

"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love...” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1958

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal…” Dr. King, 1967

I remember back in the good ol’ days of 2005 and 2006 when being against the wars was not only politically correct, but it was very popular. I remember receiving dozens of awards, uncountable accolades and even was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Those were the halcyon days of the anti-war movement before the Democrats took over the government (off of the backs of the anti-war movement) and it became anathema to be against the wars and I became unpopular on all sides. I guess at that point, I could have gone with the flow and pretended to support the violence so I could remain popular, but I think I have to fiercely hold on to my core values whether I am “liked” or not.

Killing is wrong no matter if it is state-sanction murder or otherwise. Period. Not too much more to say on that subject, except what I quote above from Dr. King.

However, while the so-called left is obsessed over supporting a very crappy Democratic health care plan, people in far away countries are being deprived of their health and very lives by the Obama Regime’s continuation of Bush’s ruinous foreign policy.

I was never dismayed when the so-called right attacked me and called me names for protesting Bush. However, something inside me gets a little sick when I hear people who claim to be peace activists supporting the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, a policy that is not like Bush’s in the fact that it’s much worse.

I have been called a “racist” from the so-called left. In these people’s opinion, I was totally justified in protesting Bush, but I am a racist for protesting the same policies under Obama. When I opposed Bush’s policies, I was called traitor, anti-American, anti-Semitic, and other names I cannot print. Name-calling is a great way to shut down critical thinking and discussion. And, not to mention, I think the murder of innocent life in the Iraq-Af-Pak regions is racist and morally corrupt.

There are many people in this country who oppose Obama because they’re racist, but I am not one of them. I oppose Obama’s policies because they are wrong…again, period!

One cannot obfuscate when innocent lives are being destroyed, here and abroad. We cannot allow “political reality” to get in the way of morality. Human sacrifice is not worth the political reality. Violence, killing, war and more war are NEVER the solution to any problem. Period.

If Obama has violent shadow forces around him pulling him in the direction of violence, which begets more violence and more resistance; then we, especially people in the peace or anti-war movements need to gather and organize to pull him in the direction towards peaceful conflict resolution and solutions that aren’t based on exploiting people’s fears, anxieties or ignorance.

I am going to Martha’s Vineyard because we have the moral high ground. The war supporters aren’t going to protest Obama’s wars. They are strangely silent over his foreign policy, unless they are praising it.

I am going to Martha’s Vineyard because someone has to speak for the babies of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan that do not deserve the horrible fate that has been handed to them by the US Military Industrial Complex. The voiceless need a voice, and even if I am called every name in the book by all sides, I will speak up for them.

I am going to Martha’s Vineyard because so many people have been blinded to the fact that the system has momentum that rolls on and over and around no matter who is the titular head of the system.

Let's just pretend that elections are fair in this country and my candidate, Cynthia McKinney, won for president. If she wasn’t able to rein in the systemic violence, then I would be going wherever she vacationed to protest her policies, too. I guess at that point, I would not only be called “racist,” but I would be called a “self-hating female.”

In a recent conversation someone was trying to convince me that I should not be so stridently opposed to Obama’s policies and I responded that today 75 people were killed and 300 people were wounded in a bomb blast in Iraq and 26 mostly women and children were killed in a wedding party in Afghanistan this week and she said: “Oh, that wouldn’t be acceptable if it happened here.”

And that‘s the problem: it’s not acceptable if it happens anywhere, to anybody, no matter who is President of the USA.

Not only is the death toll mounting for innocent civilians but also is once again climbing for our troops.

While the “festivities” are occurring on Martha’s Vineyard next week, there are families all over the world who will never again be able to fully feel festive. Ahhhh…. everyone should just stand down, relax and sip an Obamarita on the beach…Hope reigns once again in The Empire.

And, yes, we are going to Martha’s Vineyard to get attention. We vehemently want to call attention to all of the points I have made above.

Even though there is a small anti-war, peace movement in this country, there still is one and this movement has the moral high ground and punditry, personal attacks, glitzy marketing, or “political realities won’t drown us out.

Members of Dr. King's own caucus tried to convince him not to publicly speak out against the Vietnam war, and that's when he delivered his brilliant Beyond Vietnam speech at the Riverside Church in NYC exactly one year before he was assassinated. That speech was in response to the critics. Dr. King took the moral high ground when he said: "There comes a time when silence is betrayal."

That time has now come, once again. By our silence we are betraying humanity.

Love the President or hate him, or anywhere in between, but we must speak out loudly and without any timidity against the institutional violence of the US Empire.

http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2009/08/we-have-moral-high-ground-by-cindy.html

The President Exhibits Crazy Speech Patterns

By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Aug. 18, 2009

As I listened to clips of Obama's speech to the VFW on August 17th, 2009, I was wondering if his speechwriters were on vacation and they just recycled an old Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice speech.

While the so-called left is focused on the health care debacle and is allowing the so-called right to define the debate when it should be: Medicare for all, and all for Medicare; Obama and his neocon foreign policy team are preparing for a decades long, bloody foray in Af-Pak.

As Yael T. Abouhalkah, an editorial writer for the Kansas City Star, put it:

President Barack Obama did his best imitation of former President George Bush Monday at the VFW national convention in Phoenix.

Obama sounded downright hawkish -- and, yes, presidential -- when he addressed the issue of terrorism in front of the veteran-laden crowd…Dick Cheney could not have said it better.

This is one of the reasons I am leading protests next week on Martha's Vineyard where President Obama will be vacationing. The anti-war movement cannot allow itself to be co-opted by the Democratic Party any longer.

We cannot allow the War Party and other elites to define the terms of the War Debate.

Obama actually had this to say in his speech in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW):

We must never forget. This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people.

He also made a lot of other crazy Bushian statements, but this one has to take the cake and lead the charge for peace!

One thing that we must NEVER forget is that the Taliban, and especially the people of Afghanistan (26 members of a WEDDING party, not WAR party, but WEDDING party were bombed and killed yesterday) DID NOT attack us on 9/11. Even if Osama did plan the attacks from someplace in Afghanistan (not likely) this war of choice is not about defending America. Remember: profit is not a consequence of war, it is the reason for war. And how can we as a nation allow the War Party to sacrifice innocent babies for the illusion of safety? Afghanistan is just as much a war of choice as Iraq is, and Obama is choosing to continue it by exploiting the lies.

What is fundamental to the defense of our people is a sane foreign policy, not more war crimes brought to the world by the War Criminals in DC. What is fundamental to our health and prosperity is to bring the troops home from Iraq-Af-Pak and reduce the Pentagon budget so we can afford such basic human rights as health care, housing and education.

Besides Afghans and Pakistanis being killed and displaced at a Bushian clip, these days, our troops are increasingly being killed and wounded so the War Profiteers can squeeze more bucks out of violence. More of our families will be harmed while most of the anti-war movement stands down for Obama.

This is unconscionable.

I don't care if you love Obama, or hate him, or something in between (he has the lowest approval ratings of any President after 7 months in office), we must loathe his wars and his crazy hate speech directed at our brothers and sisters in war torn regions.

Please join us on Martha's Vineyard from August 26th-30th to demonstrate to the world that there are still some people here in America who want peace no matter who's inhabits the Oval Office.

For more information please email, or call:

Laurie Dobson
lauriegdobson@yahoo.com
(207) 604-8988

or
Bruce Marshall
brmas@yahoo.com
(802) 767-6079

Or donate to help with the expenses:

Go to: www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com

And click the DONATE link.

http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2009/08/president-exhibits-crazy-speech.html

Cindy Sheehan heads to Martha's Vineyard to Confront Obama on the War

Press Release, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, Aug. 16, 2009

Next week, Cindy Sheehan will join other like-minded peace activists to have a presence near the expensive resort on Martha's Vineyard where President Obama will be vacationing the week of August 23-30.

From her home in California, Ms. Sheehan released this statement:

"There are several things that we wish to accomplish with this protest on Martha's Vineyard.

First of all, no good social or economic change will come about with the continuation or escalation of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We simply can't afford to continue this tragically expensive foreign policy.

Secondly, we as a movement need to continue calling for an immediate end to the occupations even when there is a Democrat in the Oval Office. There is still no Noble Cause no matter how we examine the policies.

Thirdly, the body bags aren't taking a vacation and as the US led violence surges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so are the needless deaths on every side.

And, finally, if the right-wing can force the government to drop any kind of public option or government supported health care, then we need to exert the same kind of pressure to force a speedy end to the occupations."

Cindy Sheehan will arrive on the Vineyard on Tuesday, August 25th.

For more information, or to request an interview with Cindy Sheehan please contact:

Laurie Dobson
lauriegdobson@yahoo.com
(207) 604-8988

or
Bruce Marshall
brmas@yahoo.com
(802) 767-6079

To donate to help with logistical support, or to help Cindy and other Gold Star Families (families who have lost loved ones in war) get to Martha's Vineyard please go to:

Or go to

www.Paypal.com and put in the email: Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com

or

Mail a check to:
Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox, LLC
55 Chumasero Dr STE 5D
San Francisco, Ca 94132

Families who oppose the wars and have lost a loved one during the Obama Regime are especially encouraged to attend.

Please forward this far and wide!

http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2009/08/cindy-sheehan-heads-to-marthas-vineyard.html

Happy Co-Dependence Day

By Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Blog, July 4, 2009

The ultimate end of all revolutionary social change is to establish the sanctity of human life, the dignity of man, the right of every human being to liberty and well-being.
Emma Goldman

One of the reasons, in my opinion, that so many people are ready, willing, able and yes, eager to succumb to “hope,” is because most of us believe that true change is not possible.

In our heart of hearts, do we really think that Obama is an agent of change for the people? Have we not been fooled, yet again? So, we lay all of our hopes and dreams for a better life on one person and allow the inevitable heartache of betrayal to wash over us and once again drown us in disappointment when that person turns out to be just another politician. Politicians just act like politicians because we always let them.

I just returned home from a 28 day, 18-city (multiple event) trip from California to New Hampshire and back where I talked about the need for us to recognize the fact that we cannot, must not, place false hopes in any politician. Yet, even people who know that the Dalai Bama is not what the gurus on Madison Avenue sold to us don’t think that they have any power.

“We need a leader, we need a leader,” a Russian woman cried to me during a talk I gave in Philly last week. We “consumers” (remember when we used to be “citizens?”) here in America have been sold another bill of goods: that one person cannot make a difference so why should we even try? We want “leaders” to do all the work and take all of the heat so we don’t have to. That is an absolute myth. If you can fog a mirror, you can make a relevant and profound difference. If you sit around waiting for a politician to lead you to a better life, you will sit around forever.

I just had a heartbreaking conversation with a veteran who struggles on a daily basis with suicide issues. He wants to hang on so he can tell his story of betrayal and to try to stop what happened to him from happening to others. He has been so thoroughly traumatized by this Empire that he must make a daily choice to either work to make things better or to physically or mentally check out. Unfortunately, this story is not rare, so I ask myself, why are people so mesmerized by a system that is so harmful to 98% of the people of this country, and by extension, the world?

We are Co-Dependent with a Robber Class that expects us to keep it in the style to which it has been accustomed and unfortunately we are accustomed to doing so. When AIG needs billions of dollars in bailouts, it gets all the money that is asks for with no strings attached. Does that money ever trickle down to us in the steroidal capitalism of Obamanomics? Heck no…my state needs a bailout of 24 billion to save tens of thousands of jobs and public services. When the Governator asks DC for the money, he is told: “No, if we bailed out your state, we would have to bail out all the states!” So what? Bailout all the states; save jobs and services and fix the economy from the ground up, instead of supporting a cancerous capitalism that sucks the life out of the Robbed Class.

233 years ago, some of the colonists here rose up to say that they would no longer be bound to a system that hurt them, not helped them. It must have taken a fair amount of courage to do so. I am sure there were some colonists who were too afraid to stand up to the Empire of the day and say: “enough is enough,” and were grateful that some did have the courage to resist.

Well, after these 233 years, the USA has become the dominant military empire of today and we need the courage to stand up to it and say: “enough is enough!”

Enough bankster bailouts.

Enough of the unitary executive when even a one party dictatorship still necessitates illegal presidential signing statements. (Which Obama promised he wouldn't do, but does).

Enough “pre-emptive” indefinite detention.

Enough torture.

Enough war.

Enough environmental plunder.

Enough economic pillage.

Enough of our Co-Dependence with the Robber Class.

Declare your Independence from the Robber Class today!

Buy your copy of Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution.

Original Post

Peace activist Sheehan comes to the area Monday

Belmont Citizen-Herald, June 26, 2009

Arlington, Mass. - Cindy Sheehan, who became America’s most outspoken peace activist when she staged a protest at former President George Bush’s Texas ranch following the death of her son, Casey, in Iraq in 2004, will appear at Arlington’s Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., on Monday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m.

The Smedley D. Butler Brigade, Chapter 9, of Veterans For Peace, is sponsoring the free event. Co-sponsors of the event include Military Families Speak Out, 9/11 Truth, Citizens for an Informed Community, and Boston-area United for Justice with Peace, which includes Arlington/Lexington UJP.

Sheehan’s topic will be the title of her latest book, "Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution."

“We in Veterans for Peace and our other co-sponsors are thrilled to bring Cindy to Boston,” said Nate Goldshlag, Coordinator of the Smedley D. Butler Brigade. “Cindy’s message today is just as important as it was when she set up her protest camp in Crawford, Texas.”

Sheehan’s antiwar activism began after her son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. After the death of her son, Sheehan listened to then President George W. Bush telling the nation that those killed in Iraq died for a “noble cause.” Sheehan had a simple and direct question for George W. Bush: “What noble cause did my son die for?”

She took her question to President Bush while he was vacationing in August 2005, and created a makeshift camp by the side of the road near Bush's Crawford Ranch. Soon afterward, the media began referring to her camp as “Camp Casey” and to Sheehan as “Peace Mom”. Over the next few weeks, thousands of supporters, including members of Congress, notable actors and singers, and civil rights activists, visited Camp Casey.

Sheehan became known throughout the world for her courage and direct action. She has continued her activities in the U.S. and abroad, appeared on numerous political programs on TV, and wrote Dear President Bush, about civil disobedience, her son’s death, and her transformation into the US’s most outspoken advocate for peace; "Peace Mom: A Mother’s Journey Through Heartache to Activism, her memoir; and Not One More Mother’s Child."

In May, 2007, Sheehan officially left the Democratic Party after the Democratic-controlled Congress authorized the continued funding for the war in Iraq, and resigned as the “face” of the antiwar movement, saying she wanted to go home and be a mother to her other children. In a farewell message, she said that she felt that for so little in return she had sacrificed her health, her husband, and her life savings.

Sheehan later returned to the antiwar fray, and soon announced that she would run for Congress in 2008 as an independent against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She ran on a very progressive platform, but came in a distant second to Pelosi in the election in 2008, but ahead of the Republican candidate. She has continued her antiwar activities. She is credited with having revived the antiwar effort, and providing a name and face for the peace and justice movement. Since then, her peace activities have literally taken over her life. Sheehan was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and has received many peace awards from all over the world.

Co-sponsors of the event include Military Families Speak Out, 9/11 Truth, Citizens for an Informed Community, and Boston-area United for Justice with Peace which includes Arlington/Lexington UJP.

The Smedley D. Butler Brigade Chapter 9 of Veterans For Peace was established in the mid-1980s and includes more than 100 veterans from the Boston area who are involved in antiwar activities. The local chapter is part of the national Veterans For Peace and is named in honor of Marine Gen. Smedley D. Butler, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history, who turned against war and famously said “War is a racket. A few profit, the many pay.”

Activist Cindy Sheehan in Dallas to renew anti-Bush protests

By SCOTT FARWELL, The Dallas Morning News, June 8, 2009

Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar activist whose son was killed in the war on Iraq, plans to lead a protest this afternoon near former President George W. Bush’s Preston Hollow home.

The march is sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center, which has been involved in protests with Sheehan since 2005, when the California mother staged a prolonged demonstration outside Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas.

“I think this is going to be the protest of the summer,” Sheehan said. “It’s really picking up a lot of energy.”

Protesters plan to gather about 4:30 p.m. at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane. From there, they will walk about a mile to John J. Pershing Elementary School, which is across the street from gates leading to the Bush home on Daria Place.

Organizers did not apply for a permit from the city and will be required to stay on sidewalks and not cross or impede major streets, said Trish Major, communications director for the Dallas Peace Center.

“My guess is that the neighbors would probably rather that we not be there,” Major said, anticipating a cool reaction.

“”But it’s also important to remember this is the neighborhood that welcomed the Bushes warmly and they knew that by having a person of this stature in their neighborhood, this is something they would have to deal with.”

Sheehan said people who live near the former president will be joining the march. She would not provide names.

“I’m sure most people who live there won’t be happy with the protest,” she said. “But we’re going to be exercising our rights as Americans to do this and hopefully people who don’t agree with us, and us with them, will agree that all sides have the right to express their opinion.”

“There won’t be any civil disobedience or anything,” Major said. “There will be no climbing of the gates.”

sfarwell@dallasnews.com

Anti-war activist visits Valley to promote book

by Glen Creno, The Arizona Republic, June 6, 2009

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan says she's gotten over her personal animosity with former President George W. Bush and has replaced it with a broader, institutional revulsion.

Sheehan, the California "Peace Mom" who used to hold anti-war demonstrations outside Bush's ranch in Texas, was in the Valley on Friday to promote her new book. She stopped by a demonstration outside Sen. John McCain's office before planning an appearance at a bookstore Friday evening and said she was on her way to Texas to demonstrate outside Bush's new home in Dallas.

Her son was killed in the Iraq war, and she wants answers.

"At first, it was about George Bush to me," she said. "Now, it's about the entire military-industrial complex, which George Bush was just a tiny part and Barack Obama is just a tiny part. I believe accountability for an American administration is essential for reigning in the military-industrial complex."

Sheehan's appearance gave some horsepower to a demonstration outside McCain's office staged by local activists. They delivered a letter to the office staff - McCain wasn't there - demanding that McCain oppose Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's nomination to run the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan.

About a dozen activists showed up, and a similar number of reporters and photographers attended. The activists invoked the name of Pat Tillman, the former Phoenix Cardinals and Arizona State University football star who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, as part of their pitch.

McChrystal was head of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command when Tillman was killed in 2004 and oversaw the paperwork for the Silver Star awarded to Tillman after his death. The recommendation did not mention that Tillman was killed by friendly fire.

A McCain spokeswoman said he "takes very seriously the Senate's constitutionally mandated role of advice and consent and will thoroughly examine Gen. McChrystal's nomination."

Local activist Mitch Rubin said McChrystal hid the truth. "We demand they not confirm this man who was involved in the cover-up of Pat Tillman," he told McCain's office staff.

Cindy Sheehan 2009 Book Tour "Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution"

Cindy and the Soapbox are heading back out on the road with Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution. Cindy will be in Charlotte, NC sometime between July 15 - 18, 2009. We will post details here as soon as the date is confirmed.

June 5: Phoenix

June 7-8: Dallas

June 9: Waco, Tx

June 10-11: Austin

June 14-16: Nashville

June: 17-18: St. Petersburg, Fl

June 20-23: Philadelphia and surrounding areas

June 24-26: NYC and surrounding areas

June 27-29: Cape Cod

June 30-July 1: New Hampshire

July 3-5: Socialist Conference in SF, Ca

July 8-9: Cleveland

July 11-12 National Assembly to end the Iraq War: Pittsburgh

July 15-18: Norfolk, Va and surrounding areas

July 25-26 Vashon Island, Washington State

Cindy Sheehan is the author of four books, including her most recent book: Myth America, The 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution.

Order your PDF copy of Myth America for a 10.00 donation at www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com

Direct donation link.

Robber Class v. Robbed Class: What Can We Do?

by Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox blog, June 1, 2009

In my new online book: Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution, I outline a clear path for grassroots communities, from neighborhoods to associations, to divorce ourselves and declare independence from the Robber Class.

What is the Robber Class? Among other things, the Robber Class is the class that just profited off of the bankruptcy of General Motors.

Besides losing tens of thousands of good union jobs, Greg Palast, economist and journalist, outlined the illegal plan for GM’s bankruptcy in raiding retiree’s pensions to pay off six billion dollars in loans to Citigroup and Morgan Chase. So again, while tens of thousands of autoworkers lose their jobs and retiree’s lose their pensions, the banksters don’t lose a freaking penny.

Besides, as Greg points out in his brilliant article linked here, raiding pensions is clearly illegal under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act; which was enacted by Congress in 1974.

Who is responsible for this outrage? The Obama administration and its Car Czar Steven Rattner (Stevie the Rat, according to Palast).

Greg does a good job of outlining the problem and exposing the Obama administration for what they really are: tools of the Robber Class, but he doesn’t propose any solutions, probably because there are none if you go after the Robbers in a head-on, full frontal attack.

So what can we do here in the Robbed Class? The so-called Ship of State that “turns slowly” cannot turn at all if the rudder keeps pointing in the direction of economic piracy for the Robbers and economic pillage for We the Robbed. We can't turn the Ship of State around, but we can turn ourselves around...most of us move more easily than this Empire laden with corruption, anyway. It's easier to turn a canoe than an aircraft carrier!

First of all, I banked at Washington Mutual; which was subsumed by Chase in the frenzy of bankster bailouts and immoral consolidations. After I finish writing this, I am going to my bank and close my account. I am sure my few hundred dollars won’t break the bank, but if we all started to pull our money out of banks and invest instead in local credit unions, it will send a clear message to the banksters. Choose a credit union that invests in your community and has a board made up of locals who have the best interests of your community at heart.

Do not buy into the myth that “Credit is the Lifeblood of our Economy” (Barack Obama in his "non-state-of-the-union address" to a joint session of Congress). Credit is the lifeblood of the Robber Class, but the death knell for our personal economies. Do not use credit except under the direst of circumstances and stop paying your credit card bills. The merchants you purchased goods and services from have already been paid with an electronic transaction after you purchased real goods and services. If you aren’t a debt slave to your credit card company, you are freeing a lot of your real income to pump into your local economy and to do something that we are never encouraged as a society to do: Save for a Rainy Day! We were told our homes were our cash-reserve or our investment in the future, but the bursting mortgage backed derivatives bubble, created mostly by Obama's economic team, solved that issue.

One of the reasons that we are in this mess is because we were sold the illusion of prosperity based on credit. How can we not feel prosperous when we are surrounded by such cool stuff being stored in a really cool home burdened with a really hot mortgage? Look around you…what was purchased on credit? What was purchased used? What was purchased using cash? What was bartered or traded for?

This brings me to my third point: only buy used, only use cash or bank debit cards, or only buy from local merchants. Oftentimes “mom and pop” stores cannot compete with the Megalo-Marts of today, so the goods are more expensive. The money you will save on not paying credit card interest and buying what you can at thrift stores (that often benefit charities---Good Will claims an 84% rate of return to its charity) will offset the extra money you may have to spend when you frequent local merchants. Also, ask yourself why those goods are so cheap at the Megalo-Marts? Because they were made by virtual slave labor in factories that American companies open up in foreign countries so the “savings” can be passed down to you.

Lastly, consume less. Do you really need that 10th pair of shoes or latest video gaming system? Can your old beater run another year or two with a little TLC (give your neighborhood mechanic some business). Bailout the economy of the local shoe or appliance repair shop. Lose the “disposable society” mentality and make do.

Another thing to consider above the fact that our economy is intended to make us debt slaves to the banks for our entire lives, is that we fund our governments war crimes around the world with our tax money. I stopped paying income taxes after my son was killed in Iraq because I paid for Empire with my own flesh and blood, but now, we are financing corporate welfare and still losing our homes and jobs. It's not right and not paying your taxes will also send a message to Robber Class Politicians.

With the impending hyper-inflation that is predicted by many economists, local currencies may spring up organically around the country, but until then, form co-ops of trade: trading goods or services. Form growing co-ops for food. Form neighborhood associations that are modeled after “Neighborhood Watch” but instead of being paranoid, form “Neighborhood Care” associations.

The bottom-line is: Keep your dollars as geographically as close to you as you can. I am not talking about being greedy or stingy. Stop sending your hard earned money to Washington, DC, New York or your local state house that is also on the verge of bankruptcy.

Additionally, buy necessities and staples now when your dollar still has a little purchasing power.

I am not trying to be an alarmist, far from that, but we need to take care of each other. The Robber Class is taking care of itself and certainly is not looking out for our best interests!

Cindy Sheehan is the author of four books, including her most recent book: Myth America, The 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution.

Order your PDF copy of Myth America for a 10.00 donation at www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com

Growing stronger

The right to return is not up for negotiation, reports Anayat Durrani from the Al-Awda conference
Al-Ahram Weekly, May 28 - June 3, 2009 Issue #949

"Freedom for Palestine, Growing Our Global Movement" was the theme for the seventh Annual International Al-Awda Convention 22-24 May in Garden Grove, California, attracting some 1,000 attendees. The convention marked the 61st year of the ongoing Nakba, or catastrophe, and 61 years of the struggle to return.

"Our objective is to keep the right of return at the centre of any discussion of the Palestinian cause," said Zahi Damuni, co-founder of Al-Awda.

Among the speakers was Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed during his service in Iraq. Sheehan gained international attention when she protested against the Iraq war, camping outside President George Bush's Texas ranch.

"My son is the victim of US foreign policy, as are the people of Palestine the victim of US foreign policy," said Sheehan. She spoke against the "aid" to Israel and described the US-Israel relationship as an "unholy alliance", affirming that "more Americans would have compassion for the Palestinian cause if they knew the truth."

Fernando Suarez Del Solar, a Mexican who lost his son Jesus when he stepped on a US cluster bomb while fighting in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, travelled to Iraq and was deeply moved after visiting a Palestinian refugee camp on the border of Jordan. He asked children what they wanted most and a 10-year-old girl told him, "I want to go home. I am from Palestine."

Richard Becker of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition, said the US administration is finally realising it must address the Palestinian issue seriously, setting the stage for conflict with the Israeli government. "What Israeli leaders want is land. They want all of the land of Palestine," said Becker. "The US has a different perspective... what they want is to dominate the region and eliminate all resistance that stands in the way of their domination. And this domination is part of a strategy of global domination."

Michael Prysner, an Iraq war veteran and ANSWER activist called for the right of return for all Palestinian refugees, and reparations. "For any individuals who had a hand in the Gaza massacre, from Israeli generals to US politicians to media CEOs who distorted the reality, we demand they be indicted for war crimes," said Prysner.

University of California professor Jess Ghannam said Palestinians form the largest, oldest refugee problem in the world. "What started in 1948 with 800,000 refugees has grown into well over six million refugees," he said. Over 100,000 people in Gaza were displaced and lost their homes as a result of the Israeli attack in December 2008. He said there are people living in Gaza who lost their homes in 1948, lost their homes once again in 1967, again in 2002 and for a fourth time in Gaza.

Jamal Nassar argued that Israel's offensive against Gaza was in response to missile attacks by Hamas in violation of the ceasefire were false. "It is a lie. In fact, the ceasefire was broken by the Israelis while we in the US were busy electing a new president," said Nassar. "On 5 November, Israel went in and killed a number of Palestinians activists, and destroyed some houses there. That was the beginning of the breakdown of the ceasefire." Regarding the new Israeli government, he said, "clearly our enemy has gone to the extreme. Anytime your enemy goes to the extreme, you are closer to achieving your dream."

Regarding media coverage of Gaza, Al-Jazeera correspondent Khaled Dawoud said Israel miscalculated how their offensive into Gaza played out. "Israel started this war with this very solid media propaganda plan of how to control the way the outside world is going to see this war. And they failed," said Dawoud. He said Al-Jazeera showed the side that Israel did not want seen, "what the rest of the world does not show." He strongly credited "citizen journalists" and the Internet with helping show the real situation on the ground and exposing it to the rest of the world.

British MP George Galloway discussed the upcoming US Viva Palestina Convoy, expected to raise $10 million, to leave by air on 4 July from New York to Cairo where participants will purchase 500 trucks and ambulances and drive across the Rafah border into Gaza. The fiscal sponsor for the convoy will be Pastors for Peace. Americans will drive the convoy in vehicles flying American flags. Vietnam veteran and peace campaigner Ron Kovic, the hero of Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" will be the co-leader of the convoy.

Galloway said it was fitting that the convoy leave from America, "where a black man whose father would not have been served in the cafeterias of Washington, now occupies the White House built by black slaves." He believes the election of Obama is significant. "Because he knows the truth. He's the first president who knows about Palestine."

The legendary British MP reminded his audience about the little girl who asked him, following the successful entry of UK Viva Palestina into Gaza, "Where are the Arabs?" He said this time he will have an answer. "The Arab countries have left you alone. But the Arabs in America are with you all the way."

Peace & Love to Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan

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