Open Letter to the John Edwards' Campaign

I  left this message for the John Edwards campaign at http://JohnEdwards.com:

Please clarify. While I applaud John Edwards' concern for the rights of the working people, unions, and the preservation of the middle class -- an America of We the PEOPLE instead of an America for Corporations, Corporate CEOs and Big Money interests, I am taken aback by something which Amy Goodman sited on Democracy Now! This is that John Edwards is joining in and helping to fan the corporate media's war flames on Iran, just like they did for Iraq.

 

I am so upset. Fool me once, we understand (but I knew they were lying about Iraq and John should have known, too), but fool me twice? PLEASE -- let me know if he supports more illegal and unnecessary wars/invasions. Iran's moderate population is speaking up and trying to take over. Encourage that, DON'T BOMB THEM. They are far away from being able to produce nukes. John Edwards should speak out for Peace and Diplomacy.

 

I really can't stand Hillary Clinton [I was blunt but Hill is a big disappointment to progressive New Yorkers. While Thom Hartmann says we should lead the parade and get her to follow our lead, it is like pulling teeth.] who is MY Senator (who supported the illegal Iraq invasion until just recently, tried to compromise with Health Insurance companies instead of supporting Universal healthcare when she had a chance, and doesn't care about the Middle Class except in verbage -- and talk is cheap) and Obama seems phony -- they are both corporatists. [His first votes in Congress point to that. AND he supported Joe Lieberman. For more, listen to FAIR's CounterSpin interview of Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report on Barack Obama at http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3001 ]

 

I am an Independent Democratic activist and would be happy to work on the campaign for John Edwards IF he is ready to be for diplomacy and peace -- not the use of nukes and illegal preemptive wars.

 

Please get back with me -- but I am happy to see a phone number [919-636-3131] and may call. THANKS!

 

We'll see if I hear back from the Edwards' campaign -- or reach a live person who can help me when I call. I really like John and want to support him -- but not if he's for another trumped up war of aggression, this time on Iran.

 

Peace hugs,

Kate Anne

Home from Washington DC Peace March

Kwong Eng and Wayne Lum
Tired but happy -- it was a great day for peace, energy, networking, and inspiration yesterday, January 27, 2007. I joined a UFPJ Queens contingent in busing to Washington DC for the Peace March against escalation and for bringing the troops home NOW. Much to write about a bit later -- I met some great people, a number of them supporting Lieutenant Ehren Watada who refused to be deployed to Iraq due to the illegality of the invasion. In the meantime click on the title link above to see pictures posted in the January 27th Peace March set on my Flickr site.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Activist Question: What does it mean?

Paige Doughty posts food for thought at CommonDreams.org:

What does it Mean to be a Politically Active Citizen if No One is Listening?
by Paige Doughty

Over the last five years it has come to my attention that I do not live in a "democracy." That in fact, I have no idea what living in democracy might mean. A comment made to me during a recent conversation with a member of the press has exacerbated and confirmed this feeling on the most basic level. "I live in D.C and I see at least one protest everyday. Protesting is not effective anymore. I hardly even blink when I see one on my way to work."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from responding, "Well, perhaps this is the problem."

In the year leading up to the current war in Iraq. I was living in Australia. There, I and hundreds of thousands of other people took to the streets in protest of the building momentum towards war. Similar protests took place around the world. Later that same evening as I was watching the news a rolling headline flew past my eyes on the bottom of the screen, with the words, "Thousands protest U.S. entrance into Iraq around the world, but media does not cover." The protests were under reported, but the major corporate television station I was watching did manage to include a meager headline reporting that they were not reporting thousands of people protesting. A month later the war began. MORE

The bigger question may be, "How do we make them listen?" What do we have to do to get the word out not only to the masses but also and perhaps especially to the legislators who make the laws and the executive branch who is supposed to enforce them? Paige may downplay protests but numbers do count. We want huge crowds at the January 27th Washington peace march. If people who hate the occupation and U.S. sabre rattling diss the march and stay home, you can well be sure that then the media will be having a field day. It is hard to win the peace, but we still have to be out there. And while we are at it, it is imperative with the current state of main-stream media that we insist upon internet neutrality or the voice of America of We the People will be effectively silenced. We must seek to reform media and to restablish the Fourth Estate and our democracy.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Another tip of the hat to creativity

The Six Word Short Short Story Contest continues on Robert Hruzek's blog, Middle Zone Musings. Down times fill with six words. (Hey another one!) But I just posted this comment on Bob's site -- maybe it will inspire you to leap on over:

I second Troy's comment: Thanks for putting this on, Robert. Of course, in doing so you may have delayed world peace. Still creativity feeds the spirit. Lots of entries are pure poetry, others pure wit. Good mixture.

Got home too late last night to post these from yesterday. Besides, I wanted to read more of the other submissions. Whew, I'm grateful that Troy got political before I posted these:

- Congress got involved. Troops surged home.
- Profiteering eliminated. Little reason for war.
- Bush admits mistake. Hell freezes over.
- Martians attack. United nations at last.
- Too sleepy to write too deeply
- Dreamed it. Wrote it. Blogged it.
- Sweet dreams of lost love, peace.
- Pondering disaster, she sang peace songs.
- Mother talks. Kids squirm. Enough already.
- Six words travel on subway trains.
- Six words: serendipitous free for all

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

She justified procrastination with six words.

Time out for a little bit of creativity -- which helps bring peace to the soul: a fun little short short story contest sponsored by Bob of Middle Zone Musings. Hurry, hurry, contest only runs through Sunday, January 21, 2007.

I confess I got my title idea from another blogger (click title link) -- but, hey, Shakespeare and many of the greats borrowed. Hats off to Isabella Mori from whose blog (which also has some great entries) led me to the contest. My initial entries:

She justified procrastination with six words.
Big tomes? Six words. Enough said.
Choices lead to utter confusion. Breathe.
Sex in the City -- on TV.
Change yourself. Change the world. Today.
Read. Giggle. Focus. Type. Create. Share.

(I had to cut my best one -- miscounted! Any seven word contests around??)

Check it out here -- and have fun!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

"Oh say can you hearsay..."

What does the world think of us and our war tribunals? Well, my Australian friends Alan and Jill sent me this article by Dominic Knight:

Oh say can you hearsay...

The majority of Australians are outraged by the treatment of David Hicks – so much so, in fact, that even John Howard and Philip Ruddock, of all people, recently aired concerns about the process. So what do the Americans do? Create a tribunal that allows dodgy evidence obtained through coercion or hearsay. In other words, they’d admit evidence where a Guantanamo inmate was deprived of sleep until he said “My friend told me that David Hicks said Osama bin Laden was awesome.” And not only would they accept it – it’d probably be enough to get Hicks executed.

Really, it’s a return to The Crucible-style witchhunt justice. And in case the military commission needs even more conclusive evidence of his perfidy, I have a friend who swears she saw Goody Hicks dancing with the devil.

Are these rules about a fair trial really all that important? Well, don’t take my word for it, as respected as it may be in the circles of power. These rights are considered so fundamental and universal in America that they’re enshrined in the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution, as part of America’s Bill of Rights. MORE

In the same email, Jill and Alan also spoke of an Australian television program which we'll never see, except perhaps on the web somewhere, if we are lucky:

Last night on ABCTV we watched a program "In the shadow of the palms" by an Australian journalist who went to Iraq BEFORE the war and filmed ordinary people like us - intelligent (blush), well educated, cosmopolitan and politially aware in the count down to the war from 14 days to hours before the bombing began. It was sickening and we were filled with dread as ordinary peoplel prepared as best they could, not knowing precisely what was going to happen.

Then it followed the early stages of the battle. After that he returned to Australia before returning to Iraq a year or so later to
catch up with some of his friends. He's not a Muslim by the way.

It's heart rending stuff. Their entire way of life has been destroyed all because of an arrogant invading force which wrongly assumed that they were dealing with illiterate sand arabs. I include our PM in that invading force mentality. Don't know if it will ever make it to US TV. Keep an eye out for it.

Hey, Dems, are you listening? My God, we sound like the bad guys in Star Wars! End the illegal occupation, stop torture, close Gitmo, uphold our Constitution, restore respect for America! Let's give our REPRESENTATIVES those messages. Contact Congress: 202.224.3121.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Congress: Surge Troops HOME!!!

On Thursday, hundreds came out to Time Square in New York City with very little notice to protest Bush's call for an escalation to the U.S. occupation in Iraq. This was one of many such vigils and events that took place all over the country, with the help of United for Peace and Justice, Move On, True Majority, Code Pink, Fellowship of Reconciliation and other such peace and justice groups. See MoveOn's wrapup of the events here.

At Time Square, we stood and placed our signs where the passersby in cars and buses and those walking on Broadway could plainly see them. Fox Network's Sean Hannity was there getting an earful, no doubt. I received a fascinating little package of plastic soldiers labeled, "Bring Me Home, Mouthswideopen.org" I left one on the subway that night and another in a New York City taxicab the next day. (See their website to take part in the project.) Also, check out more of my pictures from the Time Square event on my Flickr.com photo site. And do more: be there in Washington the weekend of January 27th. I didn't need to take a leaflet -- I have my own supply, but they were being handed out at Time Square Thursday night to advertise the Peace March on Washington. Come on, gang, make plans to go to Washington for the January 27th event -- and if you can stay longer, the other activities.

I had a good conversation with Mike Accordino (picture below) and fellow Tasini campaign worker, Gwendolyn. But NYFOR's Sam Oast wasn't at Time Square -- he was in Washington with Witness Against Torture working to close Guantanamo -- another noble effort, and about 90 of that group got arrested.

Photo: Mike Accordino at Time Square


On this, Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, speak out for peace and justice -- decide what YOU can do: call Congress, make plans for the Washington march, write letters to the editor, put a NO to Bush! sign in your window. talk to friends and neighbors.... Please do something. As Brother Martin said about Vietnam, apt for today, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal." We cannot sit by and do nothing. We, each of us, must act. Please -- and thank you for whatever YOU can do for peace and justice.



Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Warm Weekend Buys

After vigiling at Union Square and handing out United for Peace and Justice leaflets with Eileen Bardel, I wandered into Barnes and Noble and used my gift certificate to make some very apt buys, pictured here.

We plan to show Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth at the January 28th WQIDC meeting and as for John Nichols' book, after George W. Bush's criminal antics, The Genius of Impeachment may hold the answer. Meanwhile, the climate, both weather and political, is strange indeed. Time for action and

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Amy Goodman: Ford should not have pardoned Nixon

CommonDreams.org is featuring an article by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman:

Impeaching, Prosecuting Nixon Could Have Elevated the Nation
by Amy Goodman

One of the high points of the U.S. media was the investigation into the Watergate scandal. Now, 30 years later, with President Ford's death, the media are contributing to the cover-up they once exposed.

Most people get their news from television, yet there has hardly been any explanation of what the Watergate scandal was. This is of particular concern, given that roughly half the U.S. population was born after President Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974. Gerald Ford would pardon him a month later. Rather than explain Watergate, we hear the same chorus from all the networks, that the nation needed to move beyond Watergate, needed to "heal," and that the pardon, while controversial, was needed. The pundits agree that prosecuting Nixon would have led the country in a downward spiral.

But there is another scenario. Impeachment and/or prosecution could have shown Americans that no person is above the law, that all governments must be held accountable. MORE

While the Bush-Cheney cabal sets up the stage for their own future pardons for their own crimes, we must become more vocal that impeachment can be healing. On my to-read list is a book by John Nichols entitled The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism. Ford should not have impeded justice and the new Democratic legislative majority must not impede justice. Impeachment MUST be on the table, Nancy Pelosi -- and we must tell her and our congressmembers that they cannot, for the sake of what is left of our democracy, rule out this cleansing, indeed healing, option. This is more crucial given the news of the latest Bush outrage, the signing statement he placed on the postal reform bill wherein he claims the right to open our mail without warrant. God help us. (And remember God helps those who help themselves.)

As for Gerald Ford, he was no healer in his lifetime. But at least in death he spoke up about some of today's outrages. I blogged about this on a post of The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur's at HuffingtonPost.com:

Yes, Ford was affable, but he was also complicit. And he closed a festering wound which has resulted in today's horrific ulcers. That said, at least he had the grace to finally say something, however late -- at least, THIS dead man told his tale. Now if only we can get America to pay more attention and more Americans to speak up and demand that we end this mess. End the occupation of Iraq -- and make some reasonable restitution.

.

And I would add that we must also speak up to Congress that they must also give serious consideration to the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney. We must heal the nation and restore integrity and restraint to the Executive Branch.

Call Congress: 202-224-3121

Peace Hugs,
Kate Anne

Tell Congress: Not One More Death, Not One More $

At last night's Washington Square American Friends Service Committee 3000 US killed peace vigil there was poignant juxtaposition: a celebratory tree and a telling message, TELL CONGRESS:

Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar.

Enough killing, too much killing, too much death for NO noble cause. Some stood at Washington Square to send the message that so many more feel and MUST echo. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell the passers-by on the streets of New York City and any city to TELL CONGRESS:

Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar.
Phone Congress: 202-224-3121
End the Occupation NOW

Some quietly spoke out with their presence last night. Let's all speak out today.

Peace on Earth NOW. Troops home NOW. Money for live-giving programs NOW. End war profiteering NOW. Peace, please, NOW. With God's help, with your help NOW. Phone Congress, 202-224-3121, NOW.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

AFSC peace vigilers