WE frame the issues: To vote $$$ to continue war in Iraq; or to vote $$$ to Bring our Troops Home NOW!

Asheville not!

I was looking so forward to being in Asheville again this morning but I didn’t make it! I decided after weathering a deluge in Atlanta last nite that I wasn’t going to risk driving in the mountains and encountering ice! I’ve already done my ice share this trip!

And also, I didn’t have time to buy that tire the truck desperately needs –nor did I get the oil changed yet! These will HAVE to be priorities after Tuesday’s actions and before the final haul to D.C. Wednesday. Finding a peace-friendly truck shop in the south – hmmmmm! We’ll see.

So I made a grave mistake and postponed the Asheville action. I should have just told the wimmin that I wasn’t going to be able to make it and encouraged them to do the action without me – which is what happened – but I inadvertently undermined it by announcing it was postponed. I don’t know what I was thinking – except I was exhausted.

And I succumbed slightly to the one very strident Asheville voice that really protested our Peace-In at the newly elected Democrat’s Office, Congressman Shuler. She wanted the Congressman treated with kid gloves, wanted to give him space to get used to his new job, his new constituents, his new duties.

I pointed out to her that we not promoting a new bridge or traffic light. We’re ending war and need this Democrat’s commitment. During the few moments we were emailing each other, several hundreds, if not thousands, human lives were destroyed in Iraq. Period. Gone. Dead. Killed.

I asked her if she was afraid Shuler was going to come down on the side of war? She is worried we will not be “nice and polite”. I assured her we will be whatever the situation calls for.

Even though I never showed up, we did not have to wait long to find out Shuler’s position. An awesome CodePINK womon actually got to talk with the congressman himself and it seems he is toting the conservative party line: he does NOT want to be seen as being against our troops so he will not cut funds while the soldiers are there.

We MUST frame this argument ourselves. We MUST tell our Congresspeople it is a clear choice: they can either vote the money to continue the war and occupation of Iraq; OR they can vote money to bring our soldiers home NOW. Period.

Those are the 2 choices: the choices are NOT either you vote money for our soldiers, or you’re not supporting our soldiers. We cannot allow the Republicans that are supporting the continuation of war & occupation to frame the issue in this way.

And besides, ask these fellows exactly how much of the war budget goes to the soldiers and they don’t know. But we do – very, very, very little goes to the soldiers themselves. Most of it goes to the military industrial complex as the Halliburton’s, the Kellogg Root and Browns, etc.

Public radio in Asheville covered the news and this codepinker got to speak to the media for the first time! I’m sure she did an EXCELLENT job!