Code Pink Journals CodePINK Journals

Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

grassroots and the s.f. school board

After recently being subjected to the cowardly hawkishness of so-called ‘democrats’ in Contra Costa County, delays and postponements in Alameda & Pinole, and then the political rollercoasters at the capitol, I was so deeply heartened last nite at the Board of Education meeting in San Francisco – and so very proud to be a San Franciscan (close enough!)

Not only did the commissioners unanimously adopt the resolution, they actually read the whole resolution out loud to everyone. Several commissioners spoke avidly about the costs of this war on their students, their classrooms, our state & country and the critical need for a powerful anti-war movement coming from the grassroots – and they identified themselves as the grassroots! Several times they expressed their appreciation and admiration for CodePINK and the work we are doing!

AND we didn’t have to wait until 10:55p.m. for their vote! We were actually outta there by 8:30!

Prior to our resolution being brought forth by Dan Greene, a 3rd grader spoke passionately about peace & love and the end to violence, unknowingly influencing hearts & minds at her young age, setting the stage for our resolution. Several CodePink women and one man addressed the board succinctly and eloquently, staying on topic (yeah!) and speaking from the heart.

Thank you to the Hardcore Team, and the several codepinkers who took the time to come to the meeting last nite, to stand in support, and to speak – many participating for the first time with CodePINK outside of demonstrations!

CodePINK in action cannot be stopped! It’s on to Pinole, Alameda, and Sacramento!!! Peace, Sam

Valentine: Love is a Higher Calling than war

What an AWESOME Valentine's Day - Raging Grannies were joined by Grandmothers for Peace, Grandmothers Against War and about 300 determined, beautiful, powerful wimmin at the military recruiting stations downtown Oakland at noon today, attempting to enlist!

These wimmin, dressed in deep red and singing amazing songs from resistance, to peace, to spirituals, were determined to get the military to take them instead of their grandchildren.

The military closed & locked their doors! We took over the whole street. The police, clad in these innocuous uniforms I’ve never seen but reminded me of military casuals – minus the shiney chrome & hardware normally accompanying officers of the law, stayed back quite a distance, blocked off the street & kinda blended into the traffic in a way I’ve never witnessed at a rally, especially of this size.

Women grumbled, disappointed at the disappeared military, and reaffirmed their commitment to coming back again and again and again until the recruiting station closes down permanently!!!

There are five days in the week, 26 letters in the alphabet. I suggest wimmin with names beginning w/the first five letters a-e take Mondays; f-j take Tuesdays; k-o take Wednesdays; p-t take Thursdays; and u-z take Fridays – and we shut them down!!!

In pink power, Sam