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

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Women Say ENOUGH! BASTA

protest in front of white house


WHAT: Bushwhacked at Fort McNair
 
While Bush officiates the change of command in the Coast Guard, anti-war activists are demanding a change of command in the White House.  72% of the soldiers presently in Iraq and the vast majority of Americans want our troops home before the end of 2006.  To date, 2,459 US troops have been killed in the war in Iraq.  At the height of operations, there were 1250 Coast Guard personnel deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Today, activists are sending the president the message that we need to bring our troops home.  On Monday, May 22, CODEPINK anti-war activists demonstrated outside Fort McNair.  Retired Army colonel Ann Wright entered the base and was detained for two hours at Fort McNair after trying to pass out postcards for “Sir!  No Sir!” -- a documentary about military resistance to the Vietnam War.  Ann Wright will return to Fort McNair today as the group of activists continue to hold a peaceful presence at the gates of the base.   
 
Beginning on Mothers’ Day weekend, CODEPINK activists from around the country converged on the Capitol to work aggressively toward ending the war on Iraq.  This latest campaign called “Women Say Enough! BASTA!” includes daily actions as ‘sweeping house’ at Capitol Hill, a 24 hour vigil in front of the White House,  processions  and creative demonstrations around Federal buildings,  a march from the White House to a civil disobedience action at Donald Rumsfeld’s home,  and citizens testifying at Congressional hearings, and disrupting the complacency within Congressional offices.
7:00p.m. We will continue our protest of the Bush agenda in front of the White House

Paleeze Police - in progress

The police have actually been better than incredible in D.C. – that is the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police – there are 5 different police departments in D.C. Besides these two just mentioned, there are the Secret Police, the Homeland Security Police, not to forget the National Park Police – the latter being okay also.

The Capitol & City Police have not just tolerated our presence here in D.C. – they’ve welcomed us & tried to make the way easy. On many occasions, individual police officers have told us they personally support everything we’re doing. The times we’ve committed illegal acts inside the halls of congressional buildings, they’ve slowly tried to herd us toward the doors. They have a hard time not breaking into a full grin, especially when we’re singing “we don’t want your dirty war machine, your dirty war machine, your dirty war machine” thru the halls. The acoustics are so fabulous in these beautifully crafted, marble-floored & walled old buildings – even we, without one singer amongst us, sound wonderful!

All that said, there are still individual police who come up with the most silly, off-the-wall ‘rules’ – reiterating one of the first rules of negotiating with the police: know your rights & inform the police.

Some of the things we’ve been told:

1) You are not allowed to protest on Capitol Hill
2) You cannot stand on the sidewalk & protest
3) You have to be 100 yards from a federal building in order to protest
4) You have to keep moving in order to protest
5) You have to stand still in order to protest
6) You need a permit to carry a sign on Capitol Hill
7) You need a permit to stand together singing on Capitol Hill
8) You can’t walk up and down the stairs if you want to protest
9) You cannot stand in the street (which is shut off from vehicle traffic, baring police & official cars, and the only place you can stand) in front of the White House & protest
10) You need a permit to protest
The police have actually been better than incredible in D.C. – that is the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police – there are 5 different police departments in D.C. Besides these two just mentioned, there are the Secret Police, the Homeland Security Police, not to forget the National Park Police – the latter being okay also.

The Capitol & City Police have not just tolerated our presence here in D.C. – they’ve welcomed us & tried to make the way easy. On many occasions, individual police officers have told us they personally support everything we’re doing. The times we’ve committed illegal acts inside the halls of congressional buildings, they’ve slowly tried to herd us toward the doors. They have a hard time not breaking into a full grin, especially when we’re singing “we don’t want your dirty war machine, your dirty war machine, your dirty war machine” thru the halls. The acoustics are so fabulous in these beautifully crafted, marble-floored & walled old buildings – even we, without one singer amongst us, sound wonderful!

All that said, there are still individual police who come up with the most silly, off-the-wall ‘rules’ – reiterating one of the first rules of negotiating with the police: know your rights & inform the police.

Some of the things we’ve been told:

1) You are not allowed to protest on Capitol Hill
2) You cannot stand on the sidewalk & protest
3) You have to be 100 yards from a federal building in order to protest
4) You have to keep moving in order to protest
5) You have to stand still in order to protest
6) You need a permit to carry a sign on Capitol Hill
7) You need a permit to stand together singing on Capitol Hill
8) You can’t walk up and down the stairs if you want to protest
9) You cannot stand in the street (which is shut off from vehicle traffic, baring police & official cars, and the only place you can stand) in front of the White House & protest
10) You need a permit to protest