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Fifth Column
American Leftists Now Openly (Criminally) Inciting The Military To Mutiny
2007-10-06
Country music legend Willie Nelson, literary icon Gore Vidal, Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega, author and radio host Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Rabbi Steven Jacobs, and dozens of other prominent Americans have signed a letter asking the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all U.S. military personnel to refuse orders to launch an aggressive war on Iran.

The letter has been posted as a petition for others to sign at http://www.dontattackiran.org

The text of the letter follows:

ATTENTION: Joint Chiefs of Staff and all U.S. Military Personnel:

Do not attack Iran.
Any preemptive U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal.
Any preemptive U.S. attack on Iran would be criminal.

We, the citizens of the United States, respectfully urge you, courageous men and women of our military, to refuse any order to preemptively attack Iran, a nation that represents no serious or immediate threat to the United States. To attack Iran, a sovereign nation of 70-million people, would be a crime of the highest magnitude.

Legal basis for our Request – Do not attack Iran:

The Nuremberg Principles, which are part of US law, provide that all military personnel have the obligation not to obey illegal orders. The Army Field Manual 27-10, sec. 609 and UCMJ, art. 92, incorporate this principle. Article 92 says: "A general order or regulation is lawful unless it is contrary to the Constitution, the law of the United States …"

Any provision of an international treaty ratified by the United States becomes the law of the United States. The United States is a party and signatory to the United Nations Charter, of which Article II, Section 4 states, "All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state…" As Iran has not attacked the United States, and as the U.S. is a party and signatory to the Charter, any attack on Iran by the U.S. would be illegal under not only international law but under the U.S. Constitution which recognizes our treaties as the Supreme Law of the Land. When you joined the military, you took an oath to defend our Constitution.

Following the orders of your government or superior does not relieve you from responsibility under international law. Under the Principles of International Law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, complicity in the commission of war crime is a crime under international law.

Background:

The Bush Administration's charges against Iran have not been proven. Neither the development of nuclear weapons, nor providing assistance to Iraq would, if proven, constitute justification for an illegal war.

An attack on Iran might prompt the formidable Iranian military to attack U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. Thousands of our soldiers might be killed or captured as prisoners of war. A U.S. attack against Iranian nuclear facilities could also mean the deaths, from radiation poisoning, of tens of thousands of innocent Iranian civilians. The people of Iran have little control over their government, yet would suffer tremendously should the U.S. attack. Bombing raids would amount to collective punishment, a violation of the Geneva Convention, and would surely sow the seeds of hatred for generations to come. Children make up a quarter of Iran's population.

Above all, we ask you to look at the record of our actions in Iraq, which U.S. intelligence admits is “a cause celebre for jihadists” – a situation that did not exist before we attacked. We must face the fact that our rash use of military solutions has created more enemies, and made American families less safe. Diplomacy, not war, is the answer.

Know the Risks Involved in Refusing an Illegal Order or Signing This Statement:

We knowingly and willingly make this plea, aware of the risk that, in violation of our First Amendment rights, we could be charged under remaining sections of the unconstitutional Espionage Act or other unconstitutional statute, and that we could be fined, imprisoned, or barred from government employment.

We make this plea, also aware that you have no easy options. If you obey an illegal order to participate in an aggressive attack on Iran, you could potentially be charged with war crimes. If you heed our call and disobey an illegal order you could be falsely charged with crimes including treason. You could be falsely court martialed. You could be imprisoned. (To talk to a lawyer or to learn more about possible consequences, contact The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, Courage to Resist, Center on Conscience and War, Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild 415-566-3732, or the GI Rights Hotline at 877-447-4487.) **

Final request:

Our leaders often say that military force should be a last resort. We beg you to make that policy a reality, and refuse illegal orders to attack Iran. We promise to support you for protecting the American public and innocent civilians abroad.

Our future, the future of our children and their children, rests in your hands.

You know the horrors of war. You can stop the next one.

Sincerely,

Daniel Ellsberg, Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Rabbi Steven Jacobs, Cynthia McKinney, Willie Nelson, Cindy Sheehan, Norman Solomon, Elizabeth de la Vega, Gore Vidal, Ann Wright,
James Abourezk, former U.S. Senator, (D) South Dakota
Stacy Bannerman, Author, "When the War Came Home", Military Families Speak Out Charter Board member
John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney and author of "Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George W. Bush."
Amy Branham, Gold Star Mother of
Sgt. Jeremy R. Smith, US Army Reserves, Nov. 1981-Feb. 2004
Blase Bonpane, Ph.d, Director OFFICE OF THE AMERICAS
David Clennon, Actor/activist
Tim Carpenter, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America
Daniel Ellsberg, author of "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers."
David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate
Jeff Cohen, author/media critic
Elizabeth de la Vega, former federal prosecutor and author of U.S. v. George W. Bush
Karen Dolan, Director, Cities for Progress/Cities for Peace
Anne Feeney, activist/folksinger or Local 1000, AFM
Mike Ferner, Navy corpsman; Secretary, Veterans for Peace
Bob Fertik, President Democrats.com
Laura Flanders, Radio Host on Air America
Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Lila Garrett, KPFK Host of “Connect the Dots”
Liberty Godshall, writer, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council
Hon. Jackie Goldberg, California Assembly Member (AD 45), retired.
Kevin Alexander Gray, writer, and organizer with the Harriet Tubman Freedom House Project
Representative Betty Hall, Hillsborough District 5, New Hampshire General Court
David L. Harris, MD
Tom Hayden
Thom Hartmann, author and Air America radio host
Valerie Heinonen, o.s.u., Ursulines of Tildonk for Justice and Peace
Jenny Heinz , member of CodePink, member of Granny Peace Brigade Rabbi Steven Jacobs, Los Angeles
Michael Jay, Steering Committee, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
Charles Jenks, co-founder and editor of traprockpeace.org
Justice Through Music
Antonia Juhasz, author, The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time
Jerry Kass, playwright and professor at Columbia University
Dr, Nazir Khaja ,Chairman, Islamic Information Service, Los Angeles, CA.
Mimi Kennedy, National Chair, Progressive Democrats of America
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun and Chair, the Network of Spiritual Progressives
Summer Lipford, Gold Star Mother,NC 28677
David Lindorff, Author, The Case for Impeachment
Alice Lynn, Delegate, California Democratic Party (41st AD)
Ben Manski, Executive Director, Liberty Tree
Ray McGovern, Army infantry/intelligence officer, 1962-64; CIA analyst 1964-90.
Cynthia Mckinney, former Congresswoman
Barbara Mills-Bria, Be The Change-USA
Bill Moyer, Executive Director, Backbone Campaign
Willie Nelson, Entertainer, Peace Activist Annie Nelson, Sustainable Biodiesel/Peace Activist
Honorable Eric Oemig – Washington State Senator
Geov Parrish, Executive Director Peace Action of Washington
Jacob Park, Founder, A28.
Brad Parker, Officer of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party
Bill Perry, Director, Delaware Valley Veterans For America
Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and historian
Marcus Raskin, member of National Security Council Staff under President Kennedy
Dorothy Reik, President, Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains
Coleen Rowley, retired FBI Agent and former Chief Division Counsel of Minneapolis Division of the FBI
Bill Scheurer, Editor, PeaceMajority Report
Randi Scheurer, IL-Dist. 8, Congressional Candidate
Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace
Alice Slater, Abolition 2000 New York
Norman Solomon, Author and syndicated columnist
David Swanson, Afterdowningstreet.org
John Stauber, Co-author, "Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq"
Jonathan Tasini, PDA NY
Ethel Tobach, Ph. D., member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility
Tina Richards CEO Grassroots Americaredith, Gold Star Mother, Proud Mom of Lt Ken Ballard- KIA 5.30.04
Gore Vidal, Author
Marcy Winograd, President, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (Retired) and US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war.
Kevin Zeese on behalf of Voters for Peace and Democracy Rising
Velvet Revolution

** These resources are publicly available, and our offering them does not indicate that these organizations support this petition.

Link


Home Front: Culture Wars
Why I Am Leaving the Democratic Party
2007-06-01
By Cindy Sheehan
Dublin, Ireland

Dear Democratic Congress,

Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City , Baghdad , Iraq . He was killed when the Republicans still were in control of Congress.
The implication, of course, is that he was killed by vicious Republicans.
Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority to wage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die.
Hatred of oppression is a noble cause in the minds of some of us.
Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into "Mr. 28%".
La Pelosi can see Congress' numbers in the tank as well, Cindy.
There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage.
Sure there is: The determination to win the war against a vicious and tenacious enemy.
You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.
Has Cindy ever considered that there are buckets of blood splattered over the hands of the enemy? To included the blood of her son?
Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think the president's policy will begin to unravel."
Certainly they're trying, and not even hiding the fact.
Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred?
When we started this war there was the possibility of Tarawa-like casualties. That possibility still remains. I am willing to see Iraq pounded to a uniform layer of rubble to defeat the enemy -- and to avoid having our own cities destroyed.
How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit while their poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms. Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse?
She's using the inflated numbers so beloved of the left. I haven't seen any data on the average number of Iraqi civilian deaths per day -- the vast majority of which are caused by the insurgency led by al-Qaeda, mind. My feeling is that the figure is something under 100 per day, occasionally spiking higher, sometimes lulling lower. That would produce 36500 civilian dead per year for four years, or 146,000. If someone has the time, maybe he/she/it can come up with a better figure.
Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.
It can in fact get much worse, and much of the credit for that can go to people like Cindy.
Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House.
Which is the entire point for the Dems. Winning the war never was.
Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering?
Perhaps it was that obvious fence-sitting and pandering that cost him the election. 'Course, it's part and parcel of his being a phoney.
The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese.
No! Not the Yellow Peril! Anything but that!
I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action.
It makes it a little more dangerous than when the Publicans are in power, since the Dems have less objection to the naked use of force to silence those who displease them. All for a good cause, of course.
That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo held accountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot... don't' you think?
Gosh. I agree with Cindy Sheehan. Who'da ever thunkit?
We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way... let me tell you what it is like: You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he agrees with.
"Even if he says he doesn't, you know he does."
Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do is worry. You lie awake at night barking staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you get that dreaded knock on your door. You can't concentrate, you can't eat, and your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a life of constant pain, regret, and longing.
"Oh, why? Why wasn't I a better mother?"
Everyday is hard, but then you come up on "special" days...like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep holes of absence that will never be filled.

So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me...I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.

By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings.

Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.

It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.

The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor.

We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq .

We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.

Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President of
Gold Star Families for Peace.

Founder and Director of
The Camp Casey Peace Institute

Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan
Link


Home Front: Politix
Cindy Shehan Quits Democratic Party
2007-05-29
The Camp Casey Peace Institute

Dear Democratic Congress,

Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. He was killed when the Republicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority towage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: "Mr. 28%"

There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.

Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think the president's policy will begin to unravel." Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit while their poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms.Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.

Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese. I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo held accountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot don't' you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way. Let me tell you what it is like:

You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do I worry. You lie awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you get that dreaded knock on your door. You can't concentrate, you can't eat, and your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come up on "special" days.like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep holes of absence that will never be filled.

So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me. I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.

By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings. Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.

It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.

The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor. We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq.

We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.

Sincerely,

Cindy Sheehan

Founder and President of
Gold Star Families for Peace.

Founder and Director of
The Camp Casey Peace Institute
Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan
Link


Fifth Column
Cindy Sheehan Buys Property in Crawford
2006-07-27
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - War protester Cindy Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot in Crawford with some of the insurance money she received after her son was killed in Iraq. The group she helps lead, Gold Star Families for Peace, says on its Web site that it will return next month to protest the war in Iraq in the small town near Waco where President Bush has a ranch. Like last year, Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004, will again demand to meet with the president.

``We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world,'' Sheehan said in a newsletter set to be sent to supporters Thursday. ``I can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am sure that Casey approves.''

Her anti-war gathering in Crawford is scheduled for Aug. 16 through Sept. 2. But Bush is scheduled to be at his ranch mainly during the first two weeks of August. Sheehan, from California, reinvigorated the anti-war movement last summer with her peace vigil, which started in ditches off the road to Bush's ranch. As it grew, the group also set up its protests on a private, 1-acre lot closer to the ranch.
Link


Home Front: WoT
Mother Sheehan Plans 4th of July Fast With Celebrity Friends!!
2006-06-23
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced Wednesday that she plans to begin an "open-ended hunger strike" on July 4 to urge the Bush administration to bring troops home from Iraq.

"We hope the fast will galvanize public attention, invigorate the peace movement, build pressure on elected officials, and get our troops back home," Sheehan said in a statement posted on the anti-war blogosphere.

The fast, organized by Code Pink and Sheehan's Gold Star Families for Peace, will begin on Independence Day in Washington, D.C. In her statement Sheehan said she would move the fast to Crawford, Texas, where the president owns a ranch and often vacations. Y'know, anyone else would have been busted under stalking laws by now....

Sheehan gained national attention in August 2005 when she staged a protest outside the Crawford ranch to protest the war. She named the protest "Camp Casey" in memory of her son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.

In her latest statement, Sheehan wrote that celebrities like singer Willie Nelson, actor Danny Glover and comedian Dick Gregory will show their support for her by joining in a one-day fast. She urged her supporters to do the same. Damn. If I could travel, I'd be up there with some tasty BBQ. A pregnant woman could put away a lot of food....besides, I'd be doing it for my childTM, not because I'm not supportive of their cause or anything like that....Surely Mother Sheehan would understand, right?

Sheehan is currently in Vienna, Austria, racking up frequent flyer miles protesting President Bush's appearances there. He is in Europe to meet with leaders of the European Summit, seeking support for the United States' efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East.

In an interview posted on Code Pink's website, the group's co-founder Diane Wilson said the fast would show solidarity with Iraqis and U.S. troops. Well, yeah, if they were sending their lunches to the troops, otherwise, not so much... "Their bodies are on the line every day," Wilson said, referring to Iraqi civilians. "And so are the bodies of the U.S. soldiers. So shouldn't we be putting our bodies on the line?"

Wilson told her interviewer, fellow Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, that a hunger strike "can be a very powerful action." "Ask Bobby Sands!" She mentioned three previous hunger strikes she organized, two of which lasted more than four weeks.

The "Troops Home Fast," Wilson said, means that she will abstain from food and drink, with the exception of water, as long as possible. "I don't know how long I can fast," she said, "but I'm making this an open-ended fast. I plan to take this as far as I've ever taken anything in my 58 years."

Wilson acknowledged that her fast is a pointless media stunt might not get the attention of Bush, who after meeting with Sheehan once to offer his condolences for the loss of her son, has ignored her requests for another meeting. "Some fasts are successful," Wilson said in her interview, "others aren't. You never know."
Link


Home Front: Culture Wars
Anti-War Artists Give Benefit Concert
2006-03-21
Like, wow, man...
NEW YORK - Michael Stipe, Susan Sarandon, Cindy Sheehan and others marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq with a concert to benefit groups campaigning against the war. Organizers of Monday night's "Bring 'Em Home Now!" concert said 3,000 tickets were sold.
Sounds like it was... Woodstock all over again!
"I was raised by peace activists," Moby announced to the crowd at Hammerstein Ballroom from a stage flanked by two oversized peace symbols. He then accompanied Laura Dawn in a rendition of Buffalo Springfield's Vietnam-era song, "For What It's Worth."
Moby and Laura Dawn. Wow. I'm sure everyone was mesmerized...
Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, gained international attention last summer with her monthlong protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch."It's awesome to me because there are more and more kids getting involved," Sheehan said before the concert.
...and it's another freebie for me over my dead kid's body!
Sarandon said artists were playing their part in the anti-war effort by attending the concert and through the movies Hollywood is producing.
Drumming up business. Good for you, Susan! The industry can use the help.
"Look at `Syriana,' look at `Good Night, and Good Luck,'" Sarandon said of two recent films that deal with issues of war and censorship.
Take that evil oil companies and Joe McCarthy!
The actress, who said she was in talks to portray Sheehan in a film, said the activist "gave a face to all that was going on."
...a butt ugly one.
Profits from the ticket sales will go to anti-war groups including Gold Star Families for Peace, which counts Sheehan among its founding members, and Veterans Against the War.
Far out! Okay, kids! Let's build some Big Giant Puppets!
Link


Fifth Column
Sheehan offers services as first Secretary of History
2006-01-11
Welcomed with a standing ovation, Cindy Sheehan and co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace gave a rousing talk. She stressed the need to impeach this administration as war criminals who continue to lie to the American public about pre-war Iraq intelligence. She also contends that Pres. Bush's assertions about pulling the U.S. troops out of Iraq would lead to chaos are a part of a calculated strategy to mislead the American public. Cindy reminded the audience that we all need to take responsibility for Iraq—as we elected the officials who ultimately allowed the invasion and occupation. We have the power to remove them from office. Cindy emphasized we must exit Iraq now to save precious lives. After expressing her support for a Dept. of Peace, Cindy concluded that she'd like to create a U.S. Dept. of History, with herself as the first secretary.

Actor Sean Penn added to the enthusiasm of the day by stressing that all of the nation's anti-war activism was taking hold and was starting to work—while admitting that the stress of living under the current administration was making it tough for him to quit smoking. Stating that he "was not a pacifist on the inside", he was moved to be one on the outside for the sake of his children and grandchildren's future. He said we have to fight for everything we have.

Perhaps the most unforgettable moment occurred when Jesse Dyen, Camp Casey's beloved sound guy and songwriter, played his guitar and sang "Sons and Daughters", the beautiful and plaintive anthem that was born in Crawford during those hot August nights. Before he sang, Jesse asked the audience which direction southeast was. He explained that when the song was sung every night at Camp Casey, they always faced Bush's ranch. The emotion in his song was reflected and magnified by the packed hall. It was aching and palpable.
Link


Home Front: Politix
'Gold Star' Families of Slain Soldiers Clash Over Name
2005-10-31
(CNSNews.com) - Groups representing the family members of slain American soldiers in Iraq are upset with anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and her group for the alleged "misuse" of the term "Gold Star."
The gold star, usually displayed as a pin or banner, is a symbol representing family members of soldiers who die in combat. American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM) is one of several groups open to Americans who qualify, apply and pay dues. Founded in 1923, AGSM offers emotional support to mothers and encourages people to volunteer their time to help veterans who might be disabled obtain their military benefits.

The problem, the groups say, is that the name of Sheehan's anti-war group, Gold Star Families for Peace, sounds similar to non-political groups like AGSM and Gold Star Wives of America. Members of four gold star groups in August asked for "an end to the misuse of one of the nation's most sacred symbols - the Gold Star - to politicize efforts for ending the war in Iraq." An ad hoc coalition of gold star families on Friday criticized Sheehan for using the term for political gain, stating that they were "thoroughly disgusted with Cindy Sheehan and her publicity stunts."

Sheehan established Gold Star Families for Peace in January 2005 and gained media attention in August for her protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch. Sheehan demanded a meeting with Bush during her protest, which was dubbed "Camp Casey" after her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. She had earlier met with president in April 2004 along with other families who had lost loved ones in Iraq. Sheehan has also organized protests in Washington. She was arrested in September for protesting outside the White House without a permit. Then she returned to Washington on Wednesday to commemorate the 2,000th U.S. soldier being killed in Iraq. Sheehan and her supporters staged a "die-in" near the White House grounds without a permit and were arrested again.

American Gold Star Mothers president Judith Young said the problem with Sheehan's group is that people get confused and assume she speaks for all gold star families. "It's just that when someone says she's a gold star mother ... they associate it with us." Young added that every time Sheehan is in the news, her group gets e-mails and calls supporting and attacking the group because they think Sheehan speaks for the organization.
Good point to remember, the bitch in the ditch runs the Gold Star Families for Peace. Don'r blame the wrong group.

Young does not believe Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq, intentionally chose to confuse people by using "Gold Star" in her group's name, but another gold star representative was more suspicious of Sheehan's motives. "What the Left does is they hijack traditional symbols of America and turn them inside out for their own anti-American motives," Kristinn Taylor told Cybercast News Service. Taylor is a spokesman for the coalition criticizing Sheehan.

In its statement, Taylor's group said it was "angered that Mrs. Sheehan is once again using our fallen loved ones against our wishes to undermine the cause they voluntarily gave their lives for." Representatives from Gold Star Families for Peace did not return calls and e-mails requesting comment for this article.
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Fifth Column
Cindy Sheehan Called 'Desperate' For Media Attention
2005-10-26
(CNSNews.com) - Like many other anti-war demonstrators, Cindy Sheehan has been waiting for the 2,000th American to be killed in Iraq. When that happened on Tuesday, Sheehan, the mother of one of those slain soldiers, resumed her protest in front of the White House -- a tactic that one of her critics called "desperate."

"She will do anything to get publicity. Cindy Sheehan has been blown off the public map by [Hurricane] Katrina and [Hurricane] Wilma. She is desperate," said David Horowitz, the co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Center for the Study of the Popular Culture and a former 1960s radical turned conservative. "Cindy Sheehan has gone from disgracing her son's memory to becoming a caricature of someone who exploits a tragedy for her own self aggrandizement, to someone who is on her way to becoming a rich and famous harridan," Horowitz told Cybercast News Service.

Horowitz added that Sheehan has "nothing interesting to say, except to parrot lines written by [left-wing filmmaker] Michael Moore and [former U.S. Attorney General] Ramsey Clarke. "Who cares what Cindy Sheehan thinks? The only thing she has done in her life is given birth to a heroic young man who she has, in word and deed, disowned," Horowitz added, referring to Sheehan's son Casey, who was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004.

On Tuesday, a moment the anti-war movement had been anticipating for weeks, the 2,000th U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq, according to media reports. A coalition of groups, including Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out and the American Friends Service Committee were planning nationwide "events" to claim that "the country's pro-peace majority wants Congress to stop the deaths by stopping the dollars that are funding the war."

But Horowitz dismissed the anti-war left as a movement to help the terrorists win the battle for Iraq. "[Two thousand military deaths is] a small price to pay for the freedom of 50 million people [in Iraq], not to mention the safety of 300 million [in the U.S.]," Horowitz said.
"We have not been attacked since 9/11. There is only one reason for that and that is young men and women like Casey Sheehan were willing to give their lives for the rest of us, which makes even more disgusting the lack of gratitude of his own mother and all the people gathered with her for that sacrifice," he added.

Sheehan's fading media star has been noted by other media outlets.

An Oct. 17 article in the San Francisco Tri Valley Herald newspaper was titled, "Peace Mom Slips From Public Stage" and noted that Sheehan's "name is fading from headlines." The article quoted Columbia University professor and former 1960s anti-war activist Todd Gitlin, as noting that Sheehan lacked the "star status and historical staying power of some 1960s activists ..."

Sheehan's decision to move to Berkeley, Calif., following the breakup of her marriage, might also accelerate the dimming of her celebrity as a grieving mom from Middle America. Instead, she will increasingly be seen as a promoter for the radical left, according to Horrowitz.
"I needed a place to stay and some friends got me an apartment," Sheehan said, according to the Berkeley Daily Planet. But Horowitz noted that Berkeley is a bastion of left-wing politics and said the relocation was "the perfect place for Sheehan."

Sheehan also recently signed a contract with the speaker's bureau Speaking Matters LLC. Representatives from the group have not returned repeated requests from Cybercast News Service to discuss Sheehan's schedule and speaking fees.
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Fifth Column
Berkely cancels Verterans Day
2005-10-18
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - (KRT) - Berkeley's Veterans Day ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 11, was abruptly canceled on Monday because the volunteer organizing committee split over the political content.
Really, politics in Berkeley?
At issue was a proposal by the chairman, singer/songwriter Country Joe McDonald, to have Bill Mitchell, a co-founder of Cindy Sheehan's organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, as the keynote speaker.
That pretty much sez it all right there
Mitchell's and Sheehan's sons were killed in Iraq the same day.

Some committee members worried that Mitchell would inject an unwelcome note of partisanship into the event, which has been scrupulously non-political in years past. "If you want to have an anti-war rally, count me in," said Linda Perry, an aide to City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. "But not on Veteran's Day. It's neither the time nor the place."

Edwin Harper, adjutant of the local Disabled American Veterans chapter, which has participated in past Berkeley Veterans Day observances, threatened that his group would pull out. "They have the other 364 days and 23 hours to make their political point," he said. "This one hour should be reserved for honoring veterans, period."

McDonald, backed by other members of the committee, disagreed, saying that not permitting Mitchell to express his point of view would be tantamount to censoring free speech. "Their position was that no matter what he said, because he was a member of Gold Star Families, he wouldn't be allowed to speak," McDonald said. "I've been doing this for 10 years, and this is the first time content and affiliation ever came up for discussion. I was shocked to find this kind of narrow-mindedness in my own hometown, in Berkeley, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement."
Some speech being more free than others
Last week it appeared that a compromise had been reached, with McDonald agreeing to drop another proposal to include anti-war songs by the group Annie and the Vets. But on Monday, McDonald, a U.S. Navy veteran, circulated an e-mail among the committee reading, "The disagreement over the participation of Gold Star Families, with their anti-war reputation, in our 2005 ceremony has made it impossible to continue. Without consensus we have no program. The event is cancelled."

This would have been Berkeley's fourth annual Veterans Day ceremony, but the event has its origins in a memorial ceremony nine years ago, when McDonald and then-Mayor Shirley Dean sponsored a visit of the traveling Vietnam Wall - aka "The Wall That Heals" - to Berkeley. "There was no dispute over political content back then," said Perry's husband, Tim, another committee member. "But you have to consider the context: There was no war in Iraq going on back then."
Sure, you were still living in your glory days of protesting Lyndon Johnson's war.
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Fifth Column
'Peace Mom' Cindy Sheehan returns home to hero's welcome
2005-10-06
'Peace Mom' Cindy Sheehan returns home to hero's welcome
By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer

AP...go figure..this headline turns my stomach


(10-06) 00:31 PDT Oakland, Calif. (AP) --


Peace mom Cindy Sheehan, after becoming irrelevant wrapping up her tour of the country, returned home to northern California where she plans to continue her protest of the Iraq war. from the safety of her home (paid for by the blood of others...including Casey)


The mother who staged a 26-day mental abberation vigil in front of President Bush's Texas ranch this summer received a hero's welcome I had a different welcome planned Wednesday night from a hometown crowd of 10 attending a fundraiser for anti-American anti-war groups.


"I'll be a grieving mom until I die when will that be? because of the lies that took my son," ranted said Sheehan, making her first public appearance in the liberal San Francisco Bay area since the August vigil. "I plan on keeping this up until the troops are brought home." or until I get addditional media attention


Sheehan's 24-year-old son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died in April 2004 in Iraq.


She has spent much of the time since speaking out against the war. and other things After the monthlong vigil in Texas, she traveled the U.S. and also met with politicians, including Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-North Carolina.


Last week, she was arrested with more than 350 other people after a protest outside the White House.


Sheehan said she has received encouragement and support in Vacaville, Calif. the San Francisco suburb where her three surviving children still live. Sheehan, whose husband wisely filed for divorce while she was staked out in Texas, has since moved to Berkeley. How far left must she be when a Bezerkelite won't have her?

"People come up to me and say, 'Cindy, STFU and STFD thanks for doing what you are doing and welcome home,'" she said.


Sheehan's speech at an Oakland movie theater was a benefit for several anti-war groups, including Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization she co-founded to mobilize families of soldiers who died in Iraq.


Sheehan's return to her home state does not signal a break in her activism unfortunately . She is scheduled to participate on Saturday in a silent Silent my a** peace walk in Los Angeles where she will be joined Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who spent 40 years in exile from his native Vietnam. Uncle Sam's fault no dooubt.

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Fifth Column
Mother Sheehan Releases Statement About Her Arrest
2005-09-27
The rumors are true this time. I was arrested in front of the White House today. It was my first time ever being arrested.
That can be verified...
We proceeded from Lafayette Park to the Guard House at the White House.

I, my sister, and other Gold Star Families for Peace members and some Military Families requested to meet with the President again. We again wanted to know: What is the Noble Cause? Our request was, to our immense shock and surprise, yeah, right denied. They wouldn't even deliver any letters or pictures of our killed loved ones to the White House.

We all know by now why George won't meet with parents of the soldiers he has killed who disagree with him. First of all, he hates it when people disagree with him. I am not so sure he hates it as much as he is in denial that it even happens. Secondly, he is a coward who arrogantly refuses to meet with the people who pay his salary. Maybe the next time one of us is asked by our bosses to have a performance review you don't work, Cindy, or we are going to be written up for a workplace infraction, we should refuse to go and talk to our bosses citing the fact that the President doesn't have to. The third reason why he won't talk to us is that he knows there is no Noble Cause for the invasion and continued occupation of Iraq. It is a question that has no true answer.
Using a similar line of reasoning, blowjobs aren't sex because Prsident Clinton said so. See where that logic gets us?
After we were refused a meeting with the Disconnected One, we went over to right in front of our house...the White House (in front of the gate of course) and we sat down and refused to move until George came out and talked to us. We actually had a good time singing old church songs and old protest songs while we waited. I tied a picture of Casey on the White House fence and apparently, that is against the law, too.
Fight the power!
After three warnings to get up and move off of the sidewalk in front of our house, we were arrested. Fight the police! It is so ironic to me that the person who resides in our White House swears to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. The person who is the (p)resident of the White House now has no concept of the Constitution. He was appointed by the Supreme Court for his first term, invaded and continues to occupy a sovereign country without a declaration of war from the Congress, and violated several treaties to actually invade, Iraq too. Not to mention the condoned torture that pervades the military prisons these days. These are all violations of the Constitution. The Patriot Act and denying us our rights to peaceably assemble are serious breaches of the Bill of Rights. George is so hypocritically concerned about Iraq developing a Constitution when he ignores and shreds our own Constitution.

Being arrested is not a big deal. Even though we were arrested for "demonstrating without a permit" we were protesting something that is much more serious than sitting on a sidewalk: the tragic and needless deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis and Americans (both in Iraq and here in America) who would be alive if it weren't for the criminals who reside in and work in the White House.
But wait... there's more!
Karl Rove (besides just being a very creepy man) outed a CIA agent and was responsible for endangering many of our covert agents worldwide. Dick Cheney's old company is reaping profits beyond anyone's wildest imaginations in their no-bid contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans. John Negroponte's activities in South America are very shady and murderous. Rumsfeld and Gonzales are responsible for illegal and immoral authorization, encouragement and approval of torture. Not to mention, violating Geneva Conventions, torture endangers the lives of our service men and women in Iraq. Along with the above mentioned traitors, Condi lied through her teeth in the insane run-up to the invasion. The list of crimes this administration has commited is extensive, abhorrent, and unbelievable. What is so unbelievable is that WE were arrested for exercising our first amendment rights and these people are running free to enjoy their lives of crime and to wreak havoc on the world.
You're above filing for a permit?
The fine for "demonstrating without a permit" is $75.00. I am certain that I won't pay it. My court date is November 16th. Any lawyers out there want to help me challenge an unconstitutional law??
I think Lynne Stewart has some free time...

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