Maddow Uses Racial Slur Against AstroTurfers

Here's an interesting angle on the disruptive Town Hall Protesters.

Is Rachel Maddow Accusing
Conservatives of Being Mafiosi ?!?

In this clip about the Astro-turfing of opposition to, well everything liberal but mostly public health care, Rachel speaks of "an organization that promotes itself as non-parmesan but appears to be anything but." Just listen.

Who's Behind Health Care Disinformation?

(Complete clip is HERE)
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Now we all know what the Right Wing Wind Machine is going to say about this; that Rachel was cryptically accusing the town hall disruptors of being Italian, which is of course code for Sicilian*, which is code for (cue dramatic riff on pipe organ) THE MOB!!

Obviously the Republican Party and all affiliates mentioned in Rachel's bit will be suing Rachel for defamation of character. Rumor has it that they've already retained the same attorney who's representing Kenneth Gladney, the man who was allegedly beaten by SEIU thugs at a town hall meeting in St. Louis. Good luck with that, Ken; it passes neither the laugh test nor the smell test.

In other news the Italian Anti-Defamation League have announced that they too will be suing Rachel for having associated them with Republicans. I personally think they've got a much stronger case going forward.. These days you ask most people and the Mafia seem downright benign next to the Repugnicants.

In other other news, there has been no response from the Pastafarians as to whether they plan to sue anybody. Most of them seem to be keeping their yearly vigil in keen anticipation of the Second Helping prophesied in their holiest of holy books, known only as the Dinner Menu. Unlike other religions that fast during such times, the Pastafarians keep vigil while eating basket upon delicious basket of fresh garlic bread.

~~~~~~~~~~~
* - Sicilian: (footnote) I realize that the town of Parma, from whence Parmighiani, is in the Italian province of Tuscany, not in Sicily. However, that is what is referred to as a "well-known fact," and as such has no place in any conservative or Republican argument.

TAGS: Rachel Maddow, Town Hall Protests, Astroturfing, Kenneth Gladney

OFF With Their Our PANTS

Canadian Protesters to Moon US Spy Balloon

Woo Hoo! This one's a gem. From Raw Story:

A Canadian man is planning what local press called a "moon mission" in protest of a U.S. spy balloon being tested for the Department of Homeland Security. In other words, when the balloon flies, he and other Canadians (he hopes) will give its operators a glimpse at how they feel about the aerial spying.

The Vancouver Sun kept score:

A Sarnia resident is organizing a protest to express his displeasure over a balloon equipped with a surveillance camera that was hoisted last week just across the St. Clair River in Port Huron, Mich., with its eyes set on the border.

Eli Martin said Thursday he hopes protesters at "moon the balloon" will simultaneously drop their trousers to send a signal that Sarnia "doesn't like being watched."

The 15-metre long balloon has a high-tech camera capable of identifying the name on a ship 12-15 kilometres out in Lake Huron, according to the American company operating it. The Sierra Nevada Corp., is testing the technology that could eventually be used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, according to the report, called it the "Port Huron Hindenburg" and demanded the Canadian prime minister stand up for citizens' privacy.

Let's hope there are lots of sunny days in Sarnia so that the patriotic residents there don't catch a chill when they drop trou for freedom. And even though I see a contradiction in someone exposing themselves over the issue of privacy, I say go for it boys and girls. You're all inducted into the Unruly Mob as far as I'm concerned.

Ella Fitzgerald: "Blue Moon"

TAGS: Canada, Protest, The Fundaments of Democracy, PEEK-a-boo!!

Shoe Throwing Hero Brutally Beaten

From the BBC:

The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody.

Muntadar al-Zaidi has suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC. Mr Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush at a news conference, calling him "a dog".

The head of Iraq's journalists' union told the BBC that officials told him Mr Zaidi was being treated well.
[...]
Mr Zaidi told our correspondent that despite offers from many lawyers his brother has not been given access to a legal representative since being arrested by forces under the command of Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but my definition of being treated well does not result in a broken hand, broken ribs, internal bleeding and an eye injury. Nor does this brutal response jibe with Bush's own protestations that 1) it wasn't that big a deal and 2) that it was somehow an example of the new freedoms that Iraqis enjoy thanks to the heroic efforts of US troops. And we already know too well that Bush's definition of freedom includes being locked up in a cell indefinitely and denied legal representation.

As the same BBC article shows, Mr. Zaidi is now regarded more as a hero than a criminal - which hardly bodes well for Bush's attempts to pass the whole thing off as insignificant. Reaction to the incident only underlines how misguided it is to brutalize someone who now has a reputation as a hero in the Middle East.

Our correspondent says that the previously little-known journalist from the private Cairo-based al-Baghdadia TV has become a hero to many, not just in Iraq but across the Arab world, for what many saw as a fitting send-off for a deeply unpopular US president.
[...]
The shoes themselves are said to have attracted bids from around the Arab world. According to unconfirmed newspaper reports, the former coach of the Iraqi national football team, Adnan Hamad, has offered $100,000 (£65,000) for the shoes, while a Saudi citizen has apparently offered $10m (£6.5m).

The daughter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Aicha, said her charity would honour the reporter with a medal of courage, saying his action was a "victory for human rights". The charity called on the media to support Mr Zaidi and put pressure on the Iraqi government to free him.

Does anybody remember back when Bush was trying to sell this war to the American people, the UN and an array of countries who might join the coalition of the willing? One of the talking points was how the general Arab and Muslim world would embrace American intervention in the region and move towards a more stable and US-friendly footing. How's that working out for you Mr. Bush?


TAGS: The Shoe, Dumbya, World's Worst Statesman, Dodgy Diplomacy

The Iraq News

Fifth Anniversary Edition

Ten shy of four thousand members of the American military have lost their lives in Iraq. The first 3,990 of those did not have to die and the ten more that will soon die and bring this total to a mindblowing 4,000 do not have to die either. The ones that will likely die on the way to 5,000 and beyond do not have to die. The untolled masses of Iraqis that will be killed, do not need to be. All it would take to end this is a few words spoken into a telephone by George W. Bush. Just a few words. But, instead, the words we hear from him are "it was worth it".

The democratic majority in Congress ruthlessly squandered the opportunity to defund the OCCUPATION, so now, Congress can only end it with the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. These things sound impossible. They are not. They can happen right now. Today. It's a matter of will. Waiting another year is obviously a tragic mistake.

We continue to be told that a we just need to hold out for political reconciliation. It's never going to happen. Never was that more obvious than yesterday at a national reconciliation convention in Iraq that was boycotted by some of the most important political players in the country.

Here's the Iraq News:

• A lot of Americans like John McCain. Somehow, they fail to grasp that he's a complete hack who does not understand Iraq at all. On his radio show today Brian Leher spoke about the subject.
• Several Democratic congressional candidates have laid out an impressive plan that will end US involvement in Iraq and then tie up some loose ends like restoration of our image in the world and supplying humanitarian relief. The pledge also would restore the constitution, bolster the military and advance energy independence (more at America Blog).
• Today Dick Cheney is fishing off the coast of Iran. That's not symbolism--symbolically Cheney has been fishing off the coast of Iran since 2004. He's literally fishing off the coast of Iran. No word on whether he accidentally hooked Harry Whittington with an errant cast.
• Speaking of Cheney, he doesn't care what two-thirds of the American people think about Iraq, and he's not shy about it.
• Wikileaks has become an invaluable resource. Just browsing today I found two military "Lessons Learned" reports. One from operations in Mosul between 22 September - 19 October 2004involving the Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The other from the "notorious" (report's language) Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Operation Arrowhead Bizzard" in Samarra, Iraq, 2004. Now all I gotta do is read them.
• Police arrested more than 40 protesters in San Fransisco today.
• Dennis Kucinich recorded a video statement about Iraq.
• Iraq coverage has dipped to a horrendous 3% of all news stories in February. I'm guilty of this too. Looking back at my own posts, it's almost all campaign all the time. It's a disease.
• Question Girl at Blue herald 2.0 looks at some of the things on which we could have spent the money we poured into Iraq. Free gas for everyone for 1.2 years? No thanks! Nearly 3,000 high schools? No. Dlindorff at Democrats.Com weighs in with more on the cost of OCCUPATION. For even more on the costs, because there's a lot of costs to go around, CBS looks at fraud and waste in Iraq.
• Al Jazeera spoke to Hans Blix about the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Part one here. Part two here.
• Adam Tanner, writing on Common Dreams, looks at the diplomats that walked away.
• The tireless Scott Horner took a brief break from hammering Karl Rove over Don Siegelman (maybe he was multitasking) to talk to Aram Roston about his book about Ahmad Chalabi, one of the primary instigators of the Iraq invasion.

TAGS: Iraq, Dick Cheney, Protest, Antiwar

They've Admitted It

But Still Insist They Did Nothing Wrong

The Québec Sureté (Provincial Police) have admitted that the three unwise men identified as police agents provocateurs by David Coles (bearded man in suit, right) were indeed members of the force.

From CBC.ca;
Quebec provincial police admitted Thursday that their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during the protest at the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que.

"At no time did the police of the Sûreté du Québec act as instigators or commit criminal acts," the police force said in French in a news release. "It is not in the police force's policies, nor in its strategies, to act in that manner."

"At all times, they responded within their mandate to keep order and security."

Police said the undercover officers were only at the protest to locate and identify non-peaceful protesters in order to prevent any incidents.

Ri-ight. I just have a few follow-up questions on this matter.

• Why have you been forcefully denying these men were police since Monday?
• Why was one of the men carrying a large rock in his hand?
• Why were they wearing identical bandanas?
• Why were the uniformed police in full battle dress, with batons and gas masks?
  

David Cole, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, said at the time, "[Our union] believes that the security force at Montebello were ordered to infiltrate our peaceful assembly and provoke incidents." It really looks like that to me too. And I'll tell you why.

The identical bandanas, unlike the boots (which were just unbelievable stupidity on the dumbass police's part) could be used so that the uniformed police could identify the provocateurs when the billy clubs started swinging. The gas masks indicate that the police were indeed expecting trouble, even though the demonstration was so peaceful that;

On Wednesday, the mayor of Montebello thanked police and protesters, praising the fact that there wasn't a single report of damage during the two-day summit.

I'm not the only one who has noticed these discrepancies. As Matthew Good reports;

Two NDP MP’s, Libby Davies of East Vancouver and Peter Julian of Burnaby-New Westminster, have sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day calling for an inquiry into the Montebello security allegations.

And from that letter;

Along with hundreds of other Canadian citizens who participated in the Monday protest, we were both alarmed at the enormous police presence. We are more shocked at the allegations that inside agents, appearing to be working with riot police, attempted to provoke a violent incident during the peaceful demonstration. Video and photograph evidence has led to many unanswered questions.

We're waiting for some answers. My previous post on this, with the YouTube video of the incident is here.

Related Links: This piece from the Ottawa Citizen has the Sûreté du Québec's statement and more reaction from David Coles.

TAGS: Montebello, Agents Provocateurs, SPP Summit, Bu$hCo™
Caught Red-handed

There's a Riot Goin' On

Or Were Cops Just Trying to Start One?

CBC Canada is reporting that police acted as agents provocateurs at a protest in Montebello Quebec against the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership* (SPP.) Implementation of the SPP is on the agenda for the two day summit in Montebello between US President George Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexico's President Felipe Calderone.

Police disguised as masked demonstrators tried to incite violence at the North American leaders' summit in Montebello, Que., on Monday protesters say, after footage of the incident was posted on YouTube Tuesday.
...
In (the video), three burly men with bandanas and other covers over their faces push through protesters toward a line of riot police. One of the men has a rock in his hand.

As they move forward, union leaders dressed in suits order the men to put the rock down and leave, accuse them of being police agents provocateurs, and try unsuccessfully to unmask them.

In the end, they squeeze behind the police line, where they are calmly handcuffed.

The RCMP has refused to comment, while Quebec Provincial Police have flatly denied that its officers were involved in the incident.

It (presumably the QPP) said it is not releasing any names as no charges were laid.

It's an old technique that reminds us of the Vietnam-era protests in the US, when police allegedly infiltrated groups like the SDS in order to discredit their opposition to the war. For those of you who don't know how this works, this from Wikipedia:

An agent provocateur (plural: agents provocateurs, French language, "inciting agent") is a person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group. Agents provocateurs typically represent the interests of another group, or are agents directly assigned to provoke unrest, violence, debate, or argument by or within a group while acting as a member of the group.

An agent provocateur is often a police officer that encourages suspects to carry out a crime under conditions where evidence can be obtained; or who suggests the commission of a crime to another, in hopes they will go along with the suggestion, so they may be convicted of the crime. These are sometimes called sting operations.
...
Agents provocateurs are also used against political opponents. Here, it has been documented that provocateurs deliberately carry out or seek to incite counter-productive and/or ineffective acts, in order to foster public disdain for the group and provide a pretext for aggression..
...
Historically, Agents provocateurs activities have been one operational tactic of labor spies who may also be hired to infiltrate, monitor, disrupt, and/or subvert union activities.Within the United States the COINTELPRO program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had FBI agents posing as political radicals in order to disrupt the activities of radical political groups in the U.S., such as the Black Panthers, Ku Klux Klan, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Suffice to say, this is a slimy, underhanded and thoroughly disreputable tactic, in other words something fully worthy of Bu$hCo™ and their international corporatist lackeys. Unfortunately the Conservative Government of Stephen Harper is included in that lackey category. Harper would like to see himself in the position of Bush's lead poodle now that Tony Blair's out of the picture.

So were the masked instigators working for the police? Did they truly "squeeze behind the police line" where they were calmly handcuffed? (But significantly not unmasked - nor have the police identified them, since no charges were laid.)

SEE FOR YOURSELF

What I'm seeing there is a bunch of guys in masks who are built like cops and groomed like cops. When they are confronted by protest organizer Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, the fake protesters hide behind the cops in order to prevent being identified.

The Toronto Star has even more damning information;

Late Tuesday, photographs taken by another protester surfaced, showing the trio lying prone on the ground. The photos show the soles of their boots adorned by yellow triangles. A police officer kneeling beside the men has an identical yellow triangle on the sole of his boot.

Kevin Skerrett, a protester with the group Nowar-Paix, said the photos and video together present powerful evidence that the men were actually undercover police officers.

"I think the circumstantial evidence is very powerful," he said.

The three do not appear to have been arrested or charged with any offence.

Draw your own conclusions. It may have been the RCMP and/or the QPP were involved. Maybe not. Bush has lots of Secret Service, CIA and FBI people who will do that kind of work for him. In either case, it's a crying shame to see Bu$hCo's Police State being exported to Canada.

UPDATE: I've changed the link in the still picture at the beginning of the post. If you click now it will open up a very large detailed version of the picture, in which it can be seen that the boot of the cop (in uniform) kneeling is the same as that of the cop (pretending to be a protester) face down on the ground being arrested. Not just the yellow tag but the tread patterns are also identical. A comment on one blog that was covering this story said that the yellow tag just indicated that the boots had steel toes, and therefore proved nothing. As you can see, the similarity goes beyond just the yellow tag. Next time you try a stunt like this guys - change your frickin' shoes, fer gawdsake! More large, clear pictures here.

UPDATE 2: The Quebec Police have admitted to this idiocy, but insist that there's nothing wrong with what happened. Right, that's why they were denying it so vehemently for the last two days. I'll have a new post later. The new post is here.

Related Links:
Dawg's Blawg (Ottawa, Canada) - has a 'roundup' of people blogging this.
Upset The Setup
Art Threat
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Drinking Liberally in New Milford

---

* SPP = NAU?

Michael Byers says the agreement under discussion this week by Canadian, US and Mexican leaders Harper, Bush and Calderon should more properly be framed as a secret agreement to hand sweeping military, immigration and border control of all three countries over to the US. On Sunday, Byers, the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia told a standing-room-only forum in Ottawa about the politics and persuasion connected with the agreement under discussion behind the barricades this week at Montebello, Quebec.

UPDATE 3: Station Agent posted on the anti-protest manual the Bush Administration wrote in 2002, which outlined ways to keep protesters out of The Decider's face.

TAGS: Quebec Summit, SPP, Agents Provocateurs
Bullshit, Bullshit, BULLSHIT!!

Kent State Shooting Tape Aired

Today is the 27th anniversary of one of America's darkest moments - the shooting in 1970 into a crowd of students protesting the bombing of Cambodia, which was seen as an escalation of the Vietnam war. Since I'm about the same age as the victims, it is something that still sends chills down my spine whenever I think about it. Of the four killed, two were not even protesters, just students heading to class. Does it really matter, when those victims who were protesting were just exercising their right to free speech?

This post almost didn't happen, the very thought of soldiers firing on their own citizens is so sickening - every time I tried to write about it I cringed away from the brutally sad task. I have always blogged in support of public demonstrations against the Bu$hCo™ criminal cabal posing as government. It's hard not to ask "What If?" Could a similar protest today have such tragic results? This post from Station agent convinced me I couldn't let this one go. Like Neil Young asked in his musical tribute released only weeks after the event, "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?" As Station Agent points out today, "history continues to repeat itself on many levels." So what are the lessons learned?

Wikipedia: Kent State Shootings

What is really amazing is that, out of 67 shots fired over 13 seconds, there were so few students hit. Besides the four dead, there were nine wounded. Though charges were laid against some of the National Guardsmen all were acquitted. The day before the shootings, a confrontation resulted in a student being wounded with a bayonet. A fucking BAYONET!! The shootings were the culmination of four straight days of mounting friction, people back then had the balls to let the government know how pissed off they were about killing being done in their name, with their tax dollars. In a democracy, each person bears some responsibility for what their government does. Silence is not an option.

Oh, and the news from a couple of days ago; one of the protesters has released an audio tape made on that fateful day, which seems to include an unidentified officer giving the fatal command, "Get Set! Point! Fire!" I can't respond to that in any coherent way.

What If You Knew Her?

TAGS: Kent State Shootins, Tragic History, Neil Young, Ohio

The Iraq News

Fourth "Anniversary" of Shock and Awe, Bush Speech, Walter Reed, Protests, "Zip It," Frank Rich, More

I just watched President Bush give a five minute speech on the first four years of the Iraq War. Today's the "anniversary". That's one and a quarter minutes of speech per year of warfare.

Bush managed to exceed the low expectations he's set for these speeches. Though I just harangued him for brevity, it was probably a blessing for him and us. To his credit, he appeared sober. He was dressed. His facial expressions fit the mood; that's to say, he wasn't laughing the whole time like he always does.

So, with Bush's 'big acknowledgment' of the anniversary of Shock and Awe in the history books, here's the Iraq News.

• So far, 3,185 members of the American military have died in Iraq. 40% of Americans still think the invasion was the right thing to do. A lot of journalists are still telling little and big lies about it.
• New shit has come to light on what caused the Walter Reed scandal. A three year delay in privatizing the hospital led to critical staff shortages as the number of soldiers in need of care rose sharply. The privatization movement, people, is dead. Write it on your blogs. Spread the word. We actually need a government. Shocker.
• Thousands of Christians marched on Washington Saturday to protest the Iraq War. In fact there was widespread protest generally ignored by our press. San Francisco. Hollywood, California. New York City. Tallahassee, Florida. Providence. Miami. Barack Obama in Oakland. Obama in Denver. I could go on and on.
• Ned Lamont tells us what the UN weapons inspectors knew four years ago.
• The outing of Valerie Plame was done to help make this war happen. Now Plame has testified under oath that she was under cover and improperly outed. Yet, no apologies for the people who dragged her, ass first, through the mud for four years.
• Arianna on four years.
• Frank Rich writes, "The Ides of March 2003." Rich does a fantastic job in this article of demolishing the Bushies call for patience.
• From the Guardian (h/t The Carpetbagger Report)--"The Regrets of the Man Who Brought Down Saddam". Here's me quoting Steve Benin quoting Cliff Schecter, “Try and imagine how truly horrible it must be. Something you wanted with all your heart, and this is the result? You’d rather have a homicidal despot in charge than the U.S. Government?”

VIDEO: Tony Snow tells Ed Henry to "zip it" about Iraq. "Zip it?"
VIDEO: This week's episode of Meet The Press came from the fucking Twilight Zone. Watch as Tom DeLay and Richard Perle team up on Rep. Sustek (Crooks and Liars). So the indicted and disgraced Tom DeLay and the un-indicted, yet also quite disgraceful, PNAC member Perle are welcomed into Russert's den on the eve of the war's anniversary? WTF, Russ?
IMAGE: Blognonymous has a poignant picture that speaks many words about the American approach to Iraq.
VIDEO: Here's a quick look at Saturday's St. Patrick's Day march on the Pentagon.


Crossposted at Ice Station Tango.

TAGS: Iraq War, Shock and Awe, Protest, Walter Reed

Passing the Peace

BUMPED AND UPDATED BELOW

This Friday evening, March 16th, Christians will overflow the National Cathedral in a powerful witness for peace. Already registrations have exceeded the 3,200 seat capacity of the Cathedral and plans are underway to broadcast the service into another area church. Following the worship service, we'll pour into the streets for a candlelight procession to the Whitehouse. And at the late night peace rally in Lafayette Park there will be a time for divine obedience and possible arrest.

Especially during this season of Lent, the Christian community must repent of its silence and complicity in the run-up to war perpetrated by the Whitehouse. And I join with the event organizers in saying that until the Christian community is willing to take risks for peace, to put its words into action, to publicly witness that the war in Iraq is wrong, more people will die, more violence will shatter more lives, and we will all be less secure. We must commit to the fullness of the Gospel vision of justice, peace, inclusive community and wholeness. Let us choose life that we and our children and the people of Iraq may live!


The next day, Saturday the 17th, will join tens of thousands of Americans and march on the Pentagon. This demonstration marks the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the shock and awe invasion of Iraq, March 19,2003. When we march on the Pentagon, it will mean that the war and occupation of Iraq have raged on for four years. That’s longer than any war in U.S. history with the exception of the Vietnam War and the U.S. Civil War. Unless we act now the war in Iraq will last for years. Bushco are prepared to send hundreds of thousands of troops to Iraq for years to come. These young men and women are being sent to kill and be killed so that the U.S. government can avoid the appearance of having “lost ” in Iraq.

It is unconscionable to allow this carnage to go on. Now is the time to end this illegal and immoral war.

Use this thread to coordinate a blogger meet-up in dc. Feel free to also express your antiwar outrage.

UPDATE: The 3,200 seats of the National Cathedral were preregistered nearly two weeks ago. As of today, planners have made room for an additional 1,000 worshippers to stand outside the Cathedral and listen by loud speaker. Another 1,000 will be seated in the sanctuary of the New York Ave Presbyterian Church, where the service will be broadcast on a large screen TV.

Clearly, God intends for our witness to burst the seams of Washington! Following the worship service, we will be surrounding the Whitehouse in a candlight vigil for peace. It's going to be an awesome and beautiful sight, though I'm not sure if 41 had this in mind when he envisioned a 1,000 points of light (make that 5,000 points of light!) I invite all the locals to come down and participate. If you want to attend the worship service, pre-registration is still encouraged. Planners anticipate the procession to take begin at 9:00 p.m. It's 4 mi. to the Whitehouse, so I'm guessing we won't arrive there until 10 or 10:30.

BLOGGER BREAKFAST: It is my understanding that bloggers will meet up with Americablog's Joe Saturday morning at about 9:00 at the corner of 21st & Constitution Ave NW. Aroiund 8:00 a.m. those who want to meet at the Lincoln Memorial and check out the Memorial and the Wall can do that before Joe arrives. I recall some reichwingers have it in their minds that we're coming to town to deface the Wall. Don't ask me how they got this idea. We should just be aware that there may be some confrontations. It is my hope that we will practice peace and respond to any confrontations in peaceful and nonviolent ways.

Please note in the comments if you will be joining us for any of these events so that we won't leave without you.

And may God grant you travelling mercies, bless our witness, and soften the hearts of our leaders that they may catch a vision of true peace and justice for all. Amen.


TAGS: peace, antiwar, pentagon

Say Peace

I am so glad I decided to go to DC to remind Congress that I voted for peace and not for more war. It was a great day, the crowd was awesome and the people spoke truth to power.

The rally started out with ecumencal prayers - which I really liked. I thought it was done in a pretty open and inclusive fashion. Certainly there were more Christian religious represented than any other group, but also Jewish and Muslim. Maybe they could think outside the box next time and include wicca or other spiritualist groups.

I think the crux of this spiritual preparation for peace work was the approach that we - as people of one planet and connected one to the other - can counter the present war machine. The Whitehouse answers threats of terror with fear and oppression. But violence begets violence. Spirited people counter terror with care, compassion, and generosity. Rather than conquering evil, we liberate goodness through acts of care, attitudes of compassion and generosity of our selves and our resources so that justice and dignity can be restored and celebrated. In practical terms, we're talking about healthcare, education, and economic opportunities to allow persons to grow and thrive.

All in all, I thought they did a good job of staying on topic. The only tangent was two speakers on ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. That they had to give a rather convoluted explanation of why these two causes were related makes me think the real answer is they made a donation to the cause. Otherwise, you heard the same message repeated clearly:

Not One More Dollar
Not One More Day
Not One More Death

I particularly enjoyed Tim Robbins speach. He noted that Richard Nixon talked to the walls, but George Bush is talking to God. "But it is not a God I recognize," said Robbins. This God seems to be giving Bush a pass on some commandments. Robbins then went on to outline several of the commandments that God seems to have so graciously given George a pass. It was delightful.

I do wish Jane had stayed home and sent her daughter instead. Her daughter could have carried on the legacy of activism without all of the baggage. I predicted she would be the only soundbite the newsstations would carry. Actually, I was wrong. It was Jane and the Raging Grannies.

I found Rev. Jesse Jackson completely uninspiring.

As for the crowd. To me, the crowd looked like family day. There were so many young people. There were also many families with young children and teens. There didn't look to me to be nearly as many really far out there folks. I thought there were more African-Americans at this rally, but these things continue to be mostly lily white. I was amazed at the large number woman age 30-40 who obviously had never attended a rally before. I never saw so many leather coats and leather boots - with heels!! And perfectly done hair and make-up. Some were with groups of women, others with their yuppy husbands. I suspect that these are the moms and sisters and aunts of those serving in Iraq.

As for the size of the crowd, I couldn't really judge. The "official" count for the September '05 rally was 100,000. I heard CNN say that this crowd was larger. Wapo noted that the crowd was big enough that the march stretched the length of the route from the Mall, up Constitution Avenue to the east front of the Capitol and back to the Mall.


I think protests like this are an important part of the peace movement, but they aren't the only component. Monday is a day of congressional advocacy. Click on the link and find out what United for Peace & Justice is asking of our congresscritters. But just because we're not in Washington Monday, doesn't mean that we can't join in the fun. Please take time to call your representative and senators and tell them we want our troops home now and no more funding for Bushco's illegal and immoral war.

TAGS: Peace Rally, Washington DC, March, People Power,

Anti-war Protests EVERYWHERE

Images from the nationwide protests held yesterday have been popping up online. Here's a sampling of the people taking to the streets. You know, in case the media didn't tell you about it.

San Francisco, Ca.


Washington, D.C.


D.C. again.


Stamford, Connecticut.


Salt Lake City, Utah.

More images at Ice Station Tango and The Walrus Speaks.

TAGS: Iraq War, Protest

Democracy: NOT a Spectator Sport

"No Pasaran" - The Battle of Cable Street
Tomorrow, Oct. 5th is the day that World Can't Wait is calling for a public protest to 'drive out the Bush regime', something they have been trying to do since their inception, as far as I know. On their website's home page they ask a simple but powerful question, "Can a regime headed in a fascist direction be driven from power?" We all hope fervently that the answer to that question is a resounding YES collectively and loudly shouted by millions of voices at once.
Here from the UK's Guardian Unlimited, a fine example of well-balanced and socially responsible journalism IMO, is the story of another protest, today celebrating its 70th anniversary. This protest, Oct. 4th, 1936, was mounted by opponents to a fascist Rally in London's east end. An unruly mob of 300,000 may well have turned the tide of history that day. If they had not taken to the streets, Britain could have become every bit as fascistic as Hitler's Germany.

"Shouting the Spanish civil war slogan 'No pasaran' - 'They shall not pass' - more than 300,000 people turned back an army of Blackshirts. Their victory over racism and anti-Semitism on Sunday October 4, 1936 became known as the Battle of Cable Street and encapsulated the British fight against a fascism that was stomping across Europe.

Mosley planned to send columns of thousands of goose-stepping men throughout the impoverished East End dressed in uniforms that mimicked those of Hitler's Nazis. His target was the large Jewish community.

..The Jews did not keep away. Professor Bill Fishman, now 89, who was 15 on the day, was at Gardner's Corner in Aldgate, the entrance to the East End. "There was masses of marching people. Young people, old people, all shouting 'No Pasaran' and 'One two three four five - we want Mosley, dead or alive'," he said. "It was like a massive army gathering, coming from all the side streets. Mosley was supposed to arrive at lunchtime but the hours were passing and he hadn't come. Between 3pm and 3.30 we could see a big army of Blackshirts marching towards the confluence of Commercial Road and Whitechapel Road.

I push the limits of fair use to reprint so much of this article, and hope that The Guardian will forgive me..

"[Eyewitness, Professor William Fishman] 'I pushed myself forward and because I was 6ft I could see Mosley. They were surrounded by an even greater army of police. There was to be this great advance of the police force to get the fascists through. Suddenly, the horses' hooves were flying and the horses were falling down because the young kids were throwing marbles.'

Thousands of policemen were sandwiched between the Blackshirts and the anti-fascists. The latter were well organised and through a mole learned that the chief of police had told Mosley that his passage into the East End could be made through Cable Street.

'I heard this loudspeaker say "They are going to Cable Street",' said Prof Fishman. 'Suddenly a barricade was erected there and they put an old lorry in the middle of the road and old mattresses. The people up the top of the flats, mainly Irish Catholic women, were throwing rubbish on to the police. We were all side by side. I was moved to tears to see bearded Jews and Irish Catholic dockers standing up to stop Mosley. I shall never forget that as long as I live, how working-class people could get together to oppose the evil of racism.'

Max Levitas, now 91, was a message runner and had already been fined £10 in court for his anti-Mosley activities. Two years before Cable Street, the BUF had called a meeting in Hyde Park and in protest Mr Levitas whitewashed Nelson's column, calling people to the park to drown out the fascists. Mr Levitas went on to become a Communist councillor in Stepney.

'I feel proud that I played a major part in stopping Mosley. When we heard that the march was disbanded, there was a hue and cry and the flags were going wild. They did not pass. The chief of police decided that if the march had taken place there would be death on the road - and there would have been,' he said.

'It was a victory for ordinary people against racism and anti-Semitism and it should be instilled in the minds of people today. The Battle of Cable Street is a history lesson for us all. People as people must get together and stop racism and anti-Semitism so people can lead an ordinary life and develop their own ideas and religions.'

Beatty Orwell, 89, was scared and excited. 'People were fighting and a friend of mine was thrown through a plate glass window.' "

There's more: audio links to the actual words of these witnesses are provided at the end of the Guardian's article. These senior CITIZENS are so obviously proud of the actions they took on that day. Their actions put a spine into the entire British populace, something that Winston Churchill could draw upon and build on a few years later when England was under more direct military attack from Hitler's Germany. There has seldom been a finer day in the defense of democracy than Oct. 4, 1936. What stories will you be telling about Oct. 5, 2006 when you reach your twilight years?

TAGS: Democracy, Civil Liberties, Protest, Free Speech, MCA