--A message from Cindy Sheehan
Today as we honor and memorialize our countrymen and women who were tragically killed on 9/11, we must also not just remember them, but honor their memories by working to hold this dangerously incompetent administration accountable and responsible for the continuing devastation of our country.
I jumped back on the tour this past Wednesday in Illinois, and I have been busy meeting with Congressional members ever since and speaking at rallies with hundreds and hundreds of people in attendance.
We had a rally in front of Denny Hastert's office in Batavia, Illinois, we didn't get a meeting. He will go on our "Meet with the Moms" Hall of Shame along with Tom Delay, whose aide at least spoke to us on the phone: even if it was a very non-productive conversation.
I met with an aide of Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco. The Senator will also go on our Hall of Shame. Her aides (I have only spoken with her aides, even though I have requested 3 meetings with her) have admitted that she knows that Iraq was a mistake and if she knew then what she knows now she never would have given George Bush the authority to invade and occupy Iraq. First of all, I don't buy that argument. Anyone with a brain knew George was lying in the insane rush to the invasion of Iraq, and second of all, if she believes it is a mistake, then she should be working to bring our troops home. Casey and so many tens of thousands of others should still be alive and humanity is damaged immensely by allowing the travesty to continue. The aide we spoke to, James Molinari, was pretty defensive and borderline rude when he spoke to me, a Gold Star Sister, Dr. Nooshin Razani, and a member of MFSO: Anne Roesler. Anne's son, Michael is in Iraq for his third tour of duty. As we all know, not one Senator, Congress person or member of Bush's criminal administration has any loved one serving any Iraq.
These are Mrs. Feinstein's cardboard hurdles that must be jumped before we bring our troops home. (Again, I feel her aide was patronizing us andmaking the mistake that if we are women, who are obviously distraught because we have had horrible losses and potential horrible losses, then we must not know what we are talking about.)
1) Iraq needs a constitution. The constitution that Iraq is working on is one that will create a theocracy and an Islamic Republic that will deny women in Iraq the rights that they had before the US invaded the country. It will make the region less stable than it is now and was before.
2) Iraq needs leadership. Puppet leadership with the Neocons pulling the strings. Leaders like Ahmed Chalabi who is a CIA trained operative who had everything to gain politically and monetarily by toppling the Hussein regime.
3) Enough Iraqi soldiers need to be trained. These poor unfortunate souls are not going to be trained in Iraq. They are seen as collaborators and are targets of the insurgents. I often wonder how desperate the Iraqis must be for jobs if they are willing to risk their lives standing in line for a job application.
4) Iraq must have infrastructure. This infrastructure will not be built and maintained properly with our military presence in Iraq.
We pointed all of these counter-arguments out to Mr. Molinari. I also pointed out that as a mother and grandmother, would the Senator be willing to sacrifice one of her loved ones so people can line their pockets with her children's blood. At this point, I don't believe that Dianne Feinstein represents her constituents (of which I am one), the people of California. Not only is she weak on the Iraq issue, she introduced Condi ("smoking gun") Rice for her confirmation hearing and she called John (Death Squad) Negroponte "a great public servant." If she refuses to be a leader on getting our troops out of Iraq, then we the people of California need to withdraw our support of her.
On a better note, I spoke with Senator Barbara Boxer, also from California. We Golden Staters are so proud of our other Senator. She is 100 percent behind us and 100 percent on board with bringing the troops home from this nightmare. She also questioned the stuffing out of Condi at her confirmation hearings and our beloved Mrs. Boxer could be elected Queen of California. I wish Mrs. Feinstein would exercise real leadership like Mrs. Boxer and quit pandering to the center and to special interests.
Another bright spot in my Congressional talks was Nancy Pelosi from San Francisco, the house minority leader. I had, up until last Friday, been very disappointed with the lack of leadership that I saw that she was exhibiting on this war. Our talk was very productive and she is, I believe, willing to take a new leadership role in bringing our troops home from this quagmire. She said it was because of the leadership that I have shown by going down and challenging the Emperor that more House Dems will grow back bones and challenge the President and his lies.
Lloyd Dogget of Austin, Tex, Henry Waxman of Los Angeles, Maxine Waters of Los Angeles, and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia will also go up on our "Hall of Fame" list. Maxine and Cynthia have always been strong critics of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and Mr. Waxman is coming around to our side in a big way. I am meeting with Frank Pallone of New Jersey on Monday and he has already told me we will work together to get our young men and women out of harm's way, ASAP. Congressman Charles Rangel of New York was the first one to answer our questions and go on our Hall of Fame list. Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico joins Senator Boxer on our Hall of Fame. Welcome Senator Bingaman and thank you!
The Bring Them Home Now bus tour had a great rally in Atlanta last night at the Victory Church. There were hundreds of people there to hear Gold Star Moms from Georgia; GSFP members, MFSO members and an Iraqi vet speak about our war stories. Congresswoman McKinney joined us and informed us that she spoke the "I" word on the floor the other day…she got a standing ovation for that one.
I will be joining our Camp Casey III in Covington, LA, on Tuesday and don't miss us on Donny Deutsch's show on CNBC this Monday. It is a very busy and potentially devastating time in our nation's history. I see one of two things happening: we will kick the criminally negligent people out of our government who have raped our country of our integrity, lifeblood and treasure and we will once again have a country we can be proud of; or we will allow the madmen to continue to take us down the path of destruction.
I vote for taking our country back and I think that is the direction we aregoing. With the grassroots help of our fellow citizens and with continuing to hold Congress accountable and pressuring them to do the right thing, we are on the right track. Write to your representatives in DC and urge them to start to bring our troops home and join us in DC on September 24 th and show our elected leaders that we mean business as patriotic Americans.
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Mike's Crew Reports In From CovingtonSunday, September 11, 2005
Eric Writes:
A 7 car convoy went into Kiln, MS; Bay St. Louis, MS; Bogalusa, LA and other decimated areas west of Gulfport. Overturned cars and debris are still everywhere. Other groups went into the 9th Ward of New Orleans, the West Bank, and Algiers.
Food, water, medical supplies and other necessities were delivered in each location.
Most people who need help don't have gas/transport to make it to Camp Casey so the people who come by are generally from the neighborhood. Every day, however, multiple vehicles of various sorts do runs into communities that were hardest hit.
There are people who are still blocked from exiting their communities by trees in the roads. People are being sent with chainsaws and food so they can get in with relief and bring out whoever needs help.
The Red Cross is having the same problems reaching people. They are not set up for distribution so food is piling up and the people who need it most can't get there, so on numerous occasions VFP has helped deliver food for the Red Cross to surrounding areas.
Another group stayed behind at the Pine View Middle School in Covington. They have a computer bank running from a satellite dish on the Veterans for Peace bus where people are coming for help filling out their FEMA applications online.
Here are some photos from the day's events:
A young boy's emergency treatment for Cystic Fibrosis is facilitated by the Vets for Peace generator.
Algiers residents get a much needed delivery of food and water.
Former Black Panther Malik Rahim and his wife Sharon are delivered food, water, medical, flashlights and other supplies from Veterans for Peace, which they are distributing to the survivors of their hard-hit community of Algiers. Plenty.org was on-hand to help deliver the donations.
Covington local's pick up supplies from CCC before the remaining supplies are loaded and distributed to the surrounding area.
Camp Casey III: Covington
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Jason's Day:
I am just now returning from about 6 hours in downtown New Orleans.
I went in today with a VFP guy here named James. He took me to the convention center which is empty now accept for the massive amounts of garbage everywhere.
He also took me to the French Quarter which is in pretty good condition. I was able to get into a bar named, Molly's, which is a famous 31 year old bar in the French Quarter. The owner of the bar told me that he only closed the bar for one night and other than that it has been open all along. In the bar it was a little bit of normalcy in a completely surreal situation.
When we were about to leave the bar we ran into Amy Goodman. She was down for the day conducting interviews. She interviewed the VFP guy I'm with, James, and then she jumped in our car and drove with us to the 9th Ward.
Flooded street in New Orleans' 9th Ward
The 9th Ward, like the rest of the city, is a total ghost town. The Army has been effective in evacuating everyone and the few people who are left behind are hiding in their homes because the National Guard has been telling everyone to leave. We ran into two locals in the street. They seemed to be doing as well as could be expected. We spoke to them and found out what they needed and we plan to return and bring some items back for them.
An evacuee who is staying at the Covington shelter had asked James to go to her homein the 9th Ward and see if we could find some family pictures that we could bring back to her. We were lucky. Her house was right at the current water line in the 9th Ward and we were able to get to it by foot. The woman's house had been flooded but the water had receded down the street. Her house was just like many homes I've been in and, but now vacant and devastated. And there are thousands of houses like this one that their owners will probably never see again.
It is mind boggling to think how long it will take at this pace to get the city into some semblance of its former self.
The biggest surprise of the day was just how accessible and easy it was to move around in the city. The police and Army are welcoming to people who are there to help and they didn't give us a problem at all. We got in and out very easily.
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More to come. Situation Developing.
The Office Has Moved
Thursday, September 08, 2005
RESPONSE TO MY LETTER
The response to today's letter has been overwhelmingly generous. Thank you, all of you, who have contributed to Camp Casey-Covington in Covington, Louisiana. Over 200,000 dollars was donated in the first few hours and the mail indicates that thousands of you are shipping the much-needed emergency items to our relief center on the shores of Lake Ponchatrain.
I have closed my New York production office and flown my crew down to Louisiana to assist in the effort. Retired Army colonel Ann Wright (who joined us on our election tour last fall) is there at Camp Casey-Covington helping to organize our relief effort and working with the dozens of Vietnam and Iraqi War vets who are going into New Orleans every day to rescue people. They are also distributing food, water and other necessities to area shelters.
My crew will arrive later today to make sure that every item you are sending gets to the needy IMMEDIATELY, not days or weeks from now. And I will personally see that every single cent you have donated goes to those afflicted.
Late in the day we were contacted by someone offering the use of their jet tofly supplies down to Louisiana. Then came the offer of a boat from a man in Dallas whois driving it to Covington for our vets to use...
DON'T BELIEVE THE P.R.
The Bush spin machine keeps issuing the cheery news that the networks keep reporting without questioning it. Last week they kept telling us that there were "30,000" or "40,000" National Guard troops either already in or on their way to New Orleans. None of that was true.
Today's news that "debit cards worth 2,000 dollars" were being handed to each homeless hurricane evacuee. A friend of mine, who's in-laws live in Jefferson Parish, told me that they went to the FEMA center today to get their debit cards and they said that not only weren't there any debit cards, the FEMA people there didn't know anything about it.
Is there a reporter out there willing to find out what's really going on?
FREE FLIGHTS FOR EVACUEES
We need to start a frequent flyer miles bank so that people can donate their free miles to evacuees so they can fly to cities where they may have family members who can take care of them. Anyone want to give this a shot? Write to my webmaster.
THANK YOUS
Thank you Sean Penn for risking your safety and health by going in the toxic waters of New Orleans to save people.
Thank you Kanye West for telling it like it is on the telethon last Friday.
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South Tour: Atlanta
September 11th, 2005By Dante Zappala, GSFP
Today was a difficult day for many of us, a day of mixed emotions. We joined the nation in observing the anniversary of this tragic day when terrorists attacked the United States. We also realize how this event was used to start the war in Iraq—the war that has brought us all together under these unfortunate circumstances. Needless to say, it was a good day to go to church.
We split forces this morning and headed to three separate services. Jimmy Massey and Jean Prewitt went to the Unitarian Universalist Church and were hosted by Mike Burke. They spoke for an hour with the group of seventy-five. They conducted a Q and A session. There was a lot of curiosity about Jimmy’s experience as a recruiter and his time in Iraq. As ever, Jimmy detailed his experiences with an inescapable plainness of detail. Jean shared her story and her grief, which painfully illustrates the human costs of war.
Phil and Linda Waste of MFSO, and Tom Palumbo of VFP visited the Hillside Chapel and Truth Center. Reverend Dr. Beverly L. King gave an incredible sermon and welcomed them with open arms. Her message was to promote peace and coming together for a common cause. She said she would include our message--Bring them home now and take care of them when they get here--in her weekly sermons.
After the service, they visited the United Auto Workers Union meeting. Both Phil and Linda are union members. Phil is with the International Union of Elevator Constructors. Linda is with the Public School Employees. Tom made the connection between the brotherhood of the military and the brotherhood of the unions. They were well received.
Julie, Brooke, and I attended an inspiring service at The True Light Baptist Church. We were invited by the Reverend Darrell D. Elligan, who is the head of the Concerned Black Clergy. John Evans, our local event organizer was in attendance also. We felt right at home. The space was intimate and full of life and joy. We welcomed it on a day that marks a horrible tragedy and at a time when we, as a nation, are so immersed in suffering and pain.
Music was a main component of the worship at True Light. We were led by an electric organ, a drummer, and a guitar. It was youth Sunday, and we were treated to the sounds of the youth choir as well as a performance by the dance ministry.
Rev. Elligan has been very adamant about his belief that the war is wrong. He is a champion of local anti-poverty initiatives and, therefore, knows well that resources spent in Iraq leave folks at home in greater need. His congregation was supporting seven families who evacuated from New Orleans.
The church had provided apartments for them and was now asking for furnishings. As he went down the things that the folks needed—sofas, beds, plates, silverware—he reminded us all of what having nothing really means. “How can you eat a can of soup if you haven’t got a can opener?” I sensed that this was both a practical statement as well as a metaphor for what is wrong in America right now.
Many of these evacuated families were present at the service. However, the Reverend made the point not to “parade them in front of everyone,” which I found incredibly respectful and wise. He said there were no conditions placed on generosity. He said that just knowing someone was in need is enough inspiration to give. And someone is always in need.
He gave us as much time as we needed to speak. We told our stories. At the pulpit, I was reminded of something a man on the street told me once: How can we stop the war in Iraq if we can’t stop the war in our hearts? I shared that in my speech. If we are to stop the war in our hearts, we must all embrace the losses, failures and betrayals of the Iraq War as our own. We must have transparency. We must face the truth to heal ourselves.
There were members of the congregation with loved ones serving in Iraq currently. Meeting them is a painful reminder of what is really at stake. For us that have lost loved ones, stopping the war will not bring them back. But stopping the war will save others from the grief we know too well.
Repeatedly during the service, The Reverend said, “Faith without out works is…” And in unison, the congregation responded, “Dead.” We had many people come up to us afterwards to say that they would be coming to Washington on the 24th.
It was eerily perfect here in Atlanta. The warm southern sun allowed us to relax this afternoon. It’s easy to feel guilty about taking a few moments of repose. We know that so many are reliving the horror that forever changed their lives today. The worse part is that tomorrow, the sun will come up just the same, and the loss will be present just the same.
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