DIVIDED WE STAND

When both your children die because of war

2012-01-24T07:14:00.004-05:00

I haven't written on the blog for a long time. War is hell! And to the military families it's worse then hell.
Brian, Alex brother killed himself on December 19, 2011. The loss of Alex was too much. The troops were coming but not Alex because he was KIA in 2004. It doesn't matter how much time has passes the loss was too much for Brian.

Sweet boys in heaven playing together again. May both Alex and Brian RIP. I pray for the people they left behind who love them so much. I don't know how they're hearts will ever recover from this. Please Dear God wrap their hearts with love until they can be with Alex and Brian again....

Brian Arredondo, 24; troubled by brother’s death, father’s trauma

Alex (above left) and Brian Arredondo in 2003. At top right, Victoria Foley with sons Brian (right) and Nathan in 2003. Bottom right: Brian greeted a Marine following funeral services for his older brother Alex, who died in Iraq, in September 2004.

Bryan Marquard, Globe Staff / Jan 23, 2012 05:17 AM

Brian Arredondo was 17 and living with his mother in Maine in August 2004 when he looked outside and saw two Marines approach the front door. They wouldn’t say why they wanted to speak with his mother, who wasn’t there, but he knew.

“When I came home, Brian came out to the driveway,’’ said his mother, Victoria Foley. “He said, ‘I’m sorry Mom.’ He just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry.’ ’’

Parked around the corner, the Marines returned to say her oldest son, Alex, a Marine lance corporal, had been killed in Iraq. The phone rang with an emotional, agitated call from the boys’ father, Carlos Arredondo, who lived in Florida. Then another call: Turn on the TV.

They watched coverage of Carlos, who took gasoline, a propane tank, and a lighting device into a Marine Corps van outside his house. The van began to burn, and though Carlos said later it was an accident, not a suicide attempt, the flames seared about a quarter of his body.

“Brian said, ‘Oh my God, what happens if my father dies?’ It was a double whammy for him,’’ Foley said. “We were standing outside that afternoon and he said, ‘I just want to die. How can I live?’ ’’

He was 24 when he took his life Dec. 19, in a small building on the property of his mother’s Norwood home, his family said.

Life offered an abundance of sadness and turmoil since the day he learned that his brother was dead and, within minutes, that his father was inside a burning van.

Brian Arredondo had dropped out of high school when his brother first went to Iraq. After a sniper killed Alex, Brian worked occasionally as a custodian and for a florist. Everyone knew he struggled.

“I used to say, ‘Brian, I see through that smile. People don’t understand what’s going on with you with that smile,’ ’’ said his stepmother, Melida Arredondo of Roslindale. “That smile could hide a lot.’’

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Father Loses Second Son

Carlos Arredondo lost one of his two sons in Iraq. Twenty-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo was killed in Najaf in 2004.

Now his other son, Brian Arredondo, is also gone. Brian apparently committed suicide on Monday. He was 24.

When the Marines came to Arredondo’s home in 2004 to deliver the news about Alexander, he became so distraught that he poured gasoline in the Marine vehicle and set it and himself on fire. The Marines who had come to his home saved him. Carlos called them his “angels in camouflage.”

In the years since, Carlos and his wife Melida became very visible advocates for military families in the Boston area. Carlos, so familiar for his pickup truck with a flag-draped coffin in the bed, representing his son’s.

In memory of Alexander Arredondo, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. (Anna Miller/Here & Now)

The last time I saw them was Memorial Day weekend. They had come to the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne to help another Massachusetts family mourn its own loss. Paul Monti of Raynham, Massachusetts had gathered thousands of volunteers to put flags on all the veterans’ graves there, including his son’s. Jared Monti was killed in Afghanistan and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Carlos and Melida came to help and brought Alexander’s boots and a photo of him, and propped them up against a tree in the cemetery.

Carlos Arredondo was on Here and Now in 2007. He was a native of Costa Rica and he had finally become an American citizen, with the help of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

When he did that, he had his named legally changed. “I changed my name after my first born Alexander and my second born Brian,” he told Here & Now‘s Robin Young. “So my name now is Alexander Brian Arredondo. And for me to honor my boys with their own names is wonderful.”

A candlelight vigil will be held for Brian at First Church in Jamaica Plain, Mass. Tuesday night.

****************************************************

Brian Luis Arredondo

ARREDONDO, Brian Luis December, 19, 2011, age 24. Loving son of Victoria Foley of Norwood, MA, Alexander Brian (aka Carlos) Arredondo of Roslindale, and stepson of Melida Arredondo, also of Roslindale. Brother of the late Lcpl. Alexander Scott Arredondo of Randolph. Brother of Nathaniel Foley of Norwood, MA. Grandson of the late John C. Foley (former U.S. Marine), the late Nancy R. Foley of Jamaica Plain, Luz Marina Redondo of Costa Rica, and the late Carlos Luis Quiros of Costa Rica. He is also lovingly remembered by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. A wake will be held at the Mann and Rodgers Funeral Home, 44 Perkins St., (corner of So. Huntington Ave.), JAMAICA PLAIN, on Tuesday, Dec. 27th, 4-9 PM. A Funeral Mass will held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 90 South St., Jamaica Plain, at 10 AM on Wednesday, Dec. 28th, followed immediately by a procession and interment at Rural Cemetery at Pemberton and North Street in Walpole, MA. Brian will be laid to rest next to his brother, Alexander. In lieu of flowers, the family asks consideration for a donation to aid with funeral expenses.

Donations may be sent to the Brian Arredondo Memorial Fund, c/o The Cooperative Bank, 40 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale, MA 02131.

Melida in Time Magazine

2009-12-10T16:31:00.003-05:00

The Afghan War Through a Marine Mother's Eyes

Mélida Arredondo, of Roslindale, Mass., center, holds boots worn by her son, Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, as she joins demonstrators in Boston Dec. 2 in opposition to President Obama's plan to commit an additional 30,000 troops to the war in Afghanistan

Nearly everything is a sad reminder for Mélida Arredondo: the news on TV, stories in the paper, speeches of Barack Obama and others who talk about a war that seems to have lasted so long and affected so many lives, those lost as well as those left behind.

"Did your son like the Marine Corps?" I ask her.

"Yes," she replies. "He loved it."

"And why did he join?"

"Too poor to go to college," Mélida Arredondo says.

Alexander Arredondo enlisted at 17 and was killed at 20 in Najaf during his second deployment in Iraq. He died on his father's birthday, Aug. 25, 2004, when Carlos Arredondo turned 44.

"My husband almost killed himself in grief," his wife says. "The day [the Marines] came to tell us Alex was dead, he poured gasoline all over himself and all over the inside of [their] car and lit it on fire. He survived ... physically."

Last week, she and her husband went to the Kennedy Library in Boston to hear Ted Kennedy's widow talk about her husband's book, True Compass. She and Carlos, born in Costa Rica, stood patiently while Vicki Kennedy signed books and shook hands. They reminded her that their son Alex and her husband the Senator died on the same day, Carlos' birthday, five years apart, and they thanked her for the help Senator Kennedy provided after the young Marine's death when his father sought citizenship.

"I remember," Vicki Kennedy told them.

The library event took place hours after Obama announced he would throw 30,000 additional troops into an ungovernable country called Afghanistan. Carlos and Mélida Arredondo listened and thought of their lost son and a nephew now at Fort Hood, one tour of Afghanistan behind him, a second on the horizon because the Army is fractured by years of battle.

"People have no idea what it does to families," she says. "When he got killed, I didn't sleep for days. I still don't sleep. I lost 30 pounds. My husband withdrew from everyone.

"My son Brian, he is 22, and he can't seem to do anything without thinking about Alex. We are very worried about him."

The families of the fallen are nearly alone in a nation served by an all-volunteer military now nearing a decade on the front line against an enemy that wears no uniform and cannot be brought to any negotiating table. The pain of loss is forever. Their shared grief scatters across the land like ashes blown by the wind, invisible to the majority preoccupied with joblessness and a gnawing anxiety that America might be broken.

"I was disappointed in Obama," Mélida Arredondo says. "I thought, 'I've heard this before, from Bush.' He wasn't as passionate as he usually is. He sounded like a professor. I want to hear him talk about the cost of these wars. I want a discourse about a war tax. I want people to have some skin in the game."

"Did you believe him?" I ask.

"Wrong question," she suggests. "Did he believe his own speech? I don't think so."

She speaks from another battleground too, the health care wars that threaten to swallow Washington. For nine years, Mélida Arredondo has worked at a neighborhood health center in the Dorchester section of Boston, the Upham's Corner Health Center. She has a master's in public health and does the work of three people because of staff layoffs and funding cutbacks.

"We take care of the poor," she points out. "We had 250,000 patient visits last year in this one clinic. We'll have even more this year. We have staff people who speak Vietnamese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and English. Many of the people we see are uninsured. The costs are enormous. That's why I'm a fiscal conservative. Working here, I have to be."

She is behind a desk on the second floor of a three-story brick building located on a busy boulevard filled with those who measure the future by a wristwatch. She is surrounded by the heartache of those who show up grappling with the oldest of maladies: no money. The work helps push her own sadness, etched permanently in her eyes, off the screen for a few hours each day.

Two days ago, returning home in darkness, she discovered a letter from the President. She and her husband had written twice to the White House, upset about the prospect of increased casualties.

"Thank you for writing me," Barack Obama wrote. "Every day, we are humbled by the legacy of our men and women in uniform who sacrificed their lives for our country."

Mélida Arredondo paused after that first paragraph. She thought of Alex and her husband Carlos and her nephew at Fort Hood. She thought about the long parade of the poor who arrive each day at her work seeking care, and she thought about the fact that she was a member of a Gold Star family.

"Wars cost a lot," she says.

Two Dads of the Dead

2009-03-04T09:11:00.001-05:00

Arriving at the Mountain Top

2009-01-20T09:08:00.004-05:00

I can't let this day go by without saying....
I feel like I'm awaiting the birth of a new child. Not knowing what the birth will bring. Only knowing our lives will be changing with this birth and knowing in my heart, like a new parent, there will be hard work to be done but the joy of the birth is indescribable.

And the change will only come when all of us "we the people" do our jobs by staying involved with our government - like good parents do with their children.

ENJOY YOUR MOMENTS TODAY!

We have arrived at the Mountain Top

Carlos on this anniversary authorizing the Iraq invasion

2008-10-12T09:49:00.001-04:00

Antiwar activists gather on Common
Mark anniversary of vote authorizing the Iraq invasion

Carlos Arredondo has traveled across 20 states with his portable memorial to his son, a Marine who died in Iraq during his second tour of duty in 2004. But yesterday, Arredondo was home in Boston, where he shared his memorial of hundreds of scrap-wood crosses, combat boots, synthetic flowers, and photographs of Alexander Arredondo at an antiwar rally.

Hundreds of protesters, some carrying "war is terrorism" posters, others wearing fluorescent yellow "stop the war" stickers, gathered on Boston Common for a National Day of Action Against the War rally, on the sixth anniversary of the congressional vote that authorized the invasion of Iraq. Veterans, student activists, and politicians were among those who spoke against the war.

"As a father it is my responsibility to honor my son, to let people know how I feel about it," Arredondo, 48, of Roslindale, said as he gazed at his son's 20-year-old face staring out from poster-size photographs hanging at his booth. "That's how wonderful the democracy in this country [is] - why we are all here today."

READ MORE

A video of what tomorrow will bring if McCain becomes President

2008-09-09T15:09:00.004-04:00

This is what will happen if you don't vote.
We the people hold the power

You should be very afraid. If you think things are bad now...they could get a lot worse. McCain wants more war. As Scott said in the video "pick a city that you want gone because another war will be the end of us here in the US.

RIP Alex KIA in Iraq - His death brings action

2008-08-25T06:41:00.001-04:00

August 25, 2004

Lance Corporal Arredondo served as Fire Team Leader during the Battalion's attack into the old cith of Najaf. As the Platoon attacked to clear a four-story hotel, it was heavily engaged by enemy machine gun and sniper fire from three different directions. Lance Corporal Arredondo returned fire exposing himself to great risk to ensure the members of his team were safe. After fearlessly exchanging fire with the enemy snipers for more than three hours, Lance Corporal Arredondo fell mortally wounded as he moved through the rooms to inspect the Marines' defensive position.

4 years ago my friends Carlos and Melida Arredondo received the news that their son, Alex who was 20 yrs old, had died while serving his second tour in Iraq. It was Carlos birthday, it is his birthday today.

Happy Birthday my friend. Life is a precious gift with moments that should be enjoyed. I’m sorry the joy of your birth will always remind me of the death of your child. A young man I never met but who has changed my life in so very many ways.

A death of a child can make parents do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. Alex’s death caused me deep pain for all who were being killed in my name. If this action has destroyed me this way - its hard to imagine how much we are going to have to do to overcome to begin the healing, to live together in peace - if we can't imagine peace and hold it inside or ourselves, we will never have peace.

His death, to me, was the straw that broke the camels back. It’s when my thoughts turned to action. I found, the way you use your time is important. We all have the same 24 hours in the day. Our greatest asset is time. We all have our job’s to do to become better humans for our survival of our children. There are so many things that need to be accomplished for the good of the people. The to do list is endless of things that need to be accomplished from making sure every vote is counted, getting people to the polls to taking care of our Vet’s when they come home and their families when of their family members died for this country. My roll in making it better for you and me is to talk about Alex and what a brave, funny, intelligent kid he was. He died a man but he was a kid to me. I talk about Alex to make people think - to educate them into paying attention what goes on other than their own lives. As I talk about Alex and hand them a copy of the first letter he sent home I ask them to please vote. I talk about Alex to most who cross my path. This country belongs to we the people and if we don’t vote we are letting others make decisions for us. Decisions that kill our children like Alex.

With Alex’s death came action for a better tomorrow.....Alex lives on through me, through his family and people who love him ....daily. He is with me often, smiling that he is being remembered. He wanted to make it better for you and me. He was a wonderful person that should have had more moments to share his beautiful smile with us.

Alex joined when he was 17 because he wanted to go to school and he knew his parents couldn’t afford to send him. Alex parents have set up scholarship fund to help other kids who have the same story as Alex. Doing this helps keeps other kids alive by giving them choices for their future.

The Alexander Arredondo Memorial Scholarship Fund
Blue Hills Regional Technical School
Joseph A. Ciccolo, Superintendent-Director

Please send donations to:
Blue Hills Regional Technical School
800 Randolph Street
Canton, MA 02021
Attn: Arredondo Scholarship Fund
Telephone (781) 828-5800
Email: bluehills@bluehills.org

I love you Alex, may your death bring us peace....

It begins with all of us doing our jobs to bring peace inside first before we can have it amongst us...

With tears once more...remembering Dondo
His first letter home

Mom & Dad,

Today is Sunday, January 19, 2003. I've been out at sea for three days now and I'm starting to feel better. The first two days I was completely sick from seasickness and some virus. So far everyday I come outside the skin of the ship and write letters, whale watch, (which isn't that great cause I haven't seen any but there are plenty of dolphins that swim along side the ship), watch the horizon and sunset, etc. This seams so unreal to me. I've never seen water this BLUE before, I've never looked 360 degrees around me and seen nothing but water, clouds, the sun and a Fleet of Battleships surrounding me. Tomorrow is one of my many , many training days on ship to prepare me for my mission. I will also be training a short time in Kuwait. This is hard for me to comprehend. It seems like my whole life changed in an instant. Yesterday I was in a classroom learning about trigonometry and history. I graduated, went to boot camp, went to school, graduated as a GRUNT. I was sent across the country to train. Now I'm being sent across the world to fight. Today I am in a classroom learning about Tactical Urban Combat and Nuclear, Biological and chemical warfare. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on my way to experience 1st hand what I am learning about. I am not afraid of dying. I am more afraid of what will happen to all the ones that I love if something happens to me. Soon enough I will be in the desert, outside in the city of Bagdad, in full combat gear, ready to carry out my mission. Wondering how this all happened so fast, Wishing I was back home going to school, dating Shelia, taking care of my family. Although I think this way now I am almost certain that if I didn't walk this path I would be wondering to myself "why didn't I make the other decision. Why didn't I walk the path of a proud warrior, a marine." Just because I wonder "what if" doesn't mean I'm not proud, it doesn't mean I feel like I made the wrong decision. It doesn't mean I have any regrets. I'm still proud to be fighting for mycountry. I feel like, If I'm not helping one way I should still do all that I can to help (OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM). I'm on a time back now. I need to send this letter in the next hour for it to get to you by Tuesday or Wednesday. I love you both very much and I wish I could keep writing but I got to go. LOVE YOU. PFC ARREDONDO/ UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

A note to Brian his brother:

WHATS UP BRIAN, I feel so lucky to be blessed with the chance to defend my country 6 months after I joined the military. Some Marines have been in for over 20 years and still haven't seen combat. I'm also lucky to have such a wonderful family. I know how much you love me and support me and that keeps me going along with a few other things. Is Jeanette babysitting for Mom? LOVE YOU BROTHER Your Big Brother - Private First Class Arredondo USMC

The last photo of Alex. His parents found his camera with this picture in it....

Imagine Peace inside for Alex....

Alex did his job with the time give him.

Are you doing your job in the 24 hours given to you? Report the news, voting, watch the polls, counting the votes, run for office, taking care of the next person, teaching the children that we are all the same - humans, helping a kid go to school in Alex's name on this day of his death ... are you doing your job? There is much to do, we all have a job to achieve what is needed for our survival as a society in this 24 hours given to us...to achieve peace and the ultimate gift of love for all. No one person can do it alone but together... Oh my God... do you know what we have? The power is in doing your job ... today, each one of us. And when we do our jobs we have change...

Without action we cannot keep Alex and his friends, our children alive...
and with this I am Keeping Alex alive....

With much love to my friend Carlos
Happy Birthday!

And the wars go on … by Mélida Arredondo

2008-08-10T16:48:00.003-04:00

I used to think we were all the same. I really did, naively. What this war and the past 8 years have taught me is how different we really are...on so many different levels. Still can't believe people agree with what's going on and will vote for the same. How people really do see race and color (mostly the older ones) I really use to think we all wanted best for all of us. This isn't true...when I learn this my heart really was broke, still is.

Another thing I've learned about the past 8 years and the differences between us and how to accept for my own sanity the choices of others. Life is a very precious gift that is to be lived in the moment. within those moments we all make our own choices. choices are all different and I accept the ones others have made. Since I have no control over other people's choices and only my own, my hopes are that my actions and words will make another person think about their choices. which is why i talk about Alex so much to others and try to get people to vote....and make them think what a precious gift life is and to enjoy their moments. there are bad things happening to all of us all around. how we choose to look at it in each moment will decide what kind of life each of us have.... use these bad things to make us stronger so the bad moments don't repeat themselves and we learn the lessons being taught to us....that life is a precious gift from God with moments that should be enjoyed....and loved.

And the wars go on … by Mélida Arredondo

First of all, I’m tired of labels, labels, labels: Gold star, blue star, military family. We’re a Hispanic, Latino, white, immigrant family who had one child killed in Iraq, have another son considering the military and a nephew currently fighting in Afghanistan. Who cares what the terms or definitions are? Any way a person looks at it, the military will forever be a part of my life. Life will never been the same. Peace is not just a quiet moment to me. Peace has so much meaning and has become so elusive. War and deployments are something that I hate. Those words mean less sleep to me, a deep hole in my heart caused by losing Alex and the reality that others in my family now share the same fears I’ve experienced.

My nephew Randel is 23 years old and will be 24 in September. He’s a month younger than Alex who was killed in 2004. He never met his cousin but still knows all about him. He had just entered the service around the same time that his cousin was killed. He would tell me that he would be ok. Alex had said the same thing: “don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Randel was first deployed to Korea in 2005. This is where he met his beautiful wife Mae. They married in Korea and soon after had a son born premature at five months and less than two pounds. He’s a beautiful boy named Robert.

I had the opportunity to visit South Florida this past weekend where my family resides. I spent lots of quality time with Robert and his baby sister Katia. She was born ten days after her daddy was deployed to Afghanistan and was two months premature. However, she weighed in at over five pounds.

Dad has only seen pictures and a web broadcast of his baby girl. Mae told me she had to stop watching her husband because he was crying and that made her very sad. Mae knows about how my husband Carlos and I have grieved greatly since Alex was killed in 2004. She worries that something should happen to Randel. Mae is just recuperating from childbirth so I encourage her to relax and remember all the blessings she has. She is still bleeding despite giving birth almost two weeks ago and visiting the doctor regularly. She’s now on iron pills (that are the hugest I’ve ever seen) due to the blood loss.

Now while Randel is deployed in Afghanistan, Mae and her two children have moved in with my brother, his wife and my nephew. They live in a small three bedroom with two baths. There are dishes in the sink, laundry in the hamper and baby stuff everywhere (i.e. cribs, high chairs, formula bottles, breast pads).

My brother is considered disabled due to Parkinson’s disease. His wife works full time and very long hours at a pre-school. She’s tired and wishes she could be home to help Mae out during these early days after Katia’s birth. My nephew is in the police academy and is gone pretty much Monday – Friday. On weekends and during off time, he is working out or asleep. He loves to play with the babies and is a great uncle but doesn’t have much time to help with baby-duty.

So many changes have happened to this small part of my family in the past month. I ask Mae about the medical insurance for the baby. The baby is not on

military tri-care yet. She has to figure out how to get little Katia on the plan as a dependent. This is a challenge for Mae whose first language is not English but Togoli due to being born in the Philippines. She’s learning Spanish, which my family speaks, and English simultaneously. She’s doing a great job. However, she still has many challenges to face while her US-born husband is away on deployment in Afghanistan. It was somewhat easier for her to learn at Fort Hood, Texas where Robert, Randel and she lived until recently. Also, there was a support group for military wives and lots of places close by to ask questions. She stays in touch with the support group via email and calls Fort Hood regularly with questions.

There are two cars to share among the four adults. My nephew takes his car to get to and from the police academy. The other three adults depend on each other to share cars and get chauffeured back and forth to work, doctor’s appointments or the market for groceries. Florida these days are in the 90s and humid. The central air conditioning has already broken down once this summer. There’s a lot of dependence on the ceiling fans. Mae walks the babies on occasion in the double stroller around the neighborhood. The summer heat and sun require for her to be cautious that she and the kids don’t overdo it.

I feel so much over having experienced this time with my niece, grandniece and grandnephew this weekend. I feel apprehensive at all they are facing. I worry over Randel in a war zone where four of his company were killed a few days past. I feel concern over his beautiful family and all they are surviving. I pray and pray for God to take care of them all.

May peace be inside all of us..

Carlos protesting Bush in Maine

2008-08-05T09:55:00.002-04:00

Anti-war protesters target Bush in Maine

By David Sharp / Associated Press

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — The scene played out Saturday for what could be the last time: a sitting president visited Walker's Point, tourists held out hope of getting a glimpse of the president, and a group of noisy protesters paraded through the heart of town.

President Bush kept a low profile as 50 to 60 anti-war demonstrators marched to a police checkpoint less than a half-mile from his parents' seaside home. The group chanted "Hands off Iran!" and "Jail to the Chief!" as tourists in this seaside community paused to gawk.

Within sight of Walker's Point, peace activist Laurie Dobson called for a moment of silence "for all the people this man has killed in his two terms in office." Then Carlos Arredondo spoke of the loss of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo, who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 25, 2004.

Then the group turned away.

For his part, Bush was making preparations for a wedding. A white tent was set up on the Walker's Point property for the reception for two White House staffers, one of them a distant Bush cousin. Offshore, a Coast Guard cutter and several smaller patrol boats stood watch.

The number of demonstrators who set out on the 2-mile march under overcast skies was far fewer than the 1,700 who gathered last summer when Bush met with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The noisy march was organized by the Kennebunks Peace Department and coincided with a series of "Hands Off Iran" demonstrations over the weekend.

Heading up the parade was a "Hands Off Iran" banner and a giant dove made from white bed sheets that was held aloft by demonstrators. Arredondo drove a pickup truck with a coffin in the back. Behind the truck, in a trailer, were empty boots, crutches and a walker in a nod to wounded veterans.

Some motorists honked their horns in support, but others honked their horns in frustration as the group made its way down Ocean Avenue past stores and inns.

Mike McKinley, a Texan who was in town for the wedding, said the family should be able to enjoy the day without the interference of protesters. "They should be able to enjoy their privacy and enjoy the celebration," he said as the protesters marched nearby.

Others, like Harold Beelte and Britta Hildebrand, visiting from Germany, enjoyed the opportunity to see U.S.-style democracy in action.

"You can call it a bonus," said Beelte as the two stopped their bikes to snap a photo of the demonstrators making their way down Ocean Avenue.

While in Kennebunkport, Bush usually goes fishing with his father but the weather wasn't cooperating over the weekend. He did get in at least one mountain bike ride, though.

There's talk that this could be Bush's last visit before he leaves office in January. But a White House spokeswoman said she wasn't certain.

Some Kennebunkport residents will he happy to see the circus-style atmosphere surrounding presidential visits come to an end. But most people don't mind. The former president, George H.W. Bush, and his wife Barbara, are well liked and freely go about their business.

Their three-story, stone-and-shingle home overlooking the ocean at Walker's Point has been in the family since the turn of the century.

Dawn Patten, who runs Patten's Berry Farm, behind the Cape Arundel Golf Club, said she's happy to see the younger Bush visiting his parents.

She didn't have kind words for the protesters, though.

"It's outrageous. He comes to town for two or three days and people harass him while he's here. I don't think it's right," Patten said.

Robert Fischer, owner of Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant, which was along the parade route, said he supports both the president and people's right to gather.

"I'm glad that they can protest. I don't expect everyone to agree on every issue. Luckily, in this country, everyone has the right to protest," said Fischer, who serves up an occasional coffee-flavored ice cream cone to the former President Bush.

PHOTOS

Will They Steal Another Election?

2008-07-30T10:22:00.003-04:00

My goal is to get as many people registered to vote so they can't steal another election from us. I talk to a lot of people about voting. The more people who show up to vote the less chances they have to switch the votes.

There are many different ways elections are stolen.
Watch this movie - Hacking Democracy which happened right here in Florida
And OPOL has a great diary and discussion on the subject.
It is up to all of us to make sure our vote is counted. This is a country of "We the People". We must be involved with our country. We must VOTE!

HACKING DEMOCRACY
Hacking Democracy Home | Synopsis | Filmmaker Interview
| Producer Interview | Schedule
Electronic voting machines count about 87% of the votes cast in America today. But are they reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. And if the voting process is not secure, neither is America's democracy. The timely, cautionary documentary HACKING DEMOCRACY exposes gaping holes in the security of America's electronic voting system.

In the 2000 presidential election, an electronic voting machine recorded minus 16,022 votes for Al Gore in Volusia County, Fla. While fraud was never proven, the faulty tally alerted computer scientists, politicians and everyday citizens to the very real possibility of computer hacking during elections.

In 2002, Seattle grandmother and writer Bev Harris asked officials in her county why they had acquired electronic touch screen systems for their elections. Unsatisfied with their explanation, she set out to learn about electronic voting machines on her own. In the course of her research, which unearthed hundreds of reported incidents of mishandled voting information, Harris stumbled across an "online library" of the Diebold Corporation, discovering a treasure trove of information about the inner-workings of the company's voting system.

Harris brought this proprietary "secret" information to computer security expert Dr. Avi Rubin of Johns Hopkins University, who determined that the software lacked the necessary security features to prevent tampering. Her subsequent investigation took her from the trash cans of Texas to the secretary of state of California and finally to Florida, where a "mini-election" to test the vulnerability of the memory cards used in electronic voting produced alarming results.

As the scope of her mission grew, Harris drew on the expertise of other computer- science experts, politicians and activists, among them: Andy Stephenson, candidate for secretary of state in Washington state; Susan Bernecker, Republican candidate in New Orleans; Kathleen Wynne, an activist from Cleveland; Dr. Herbert Thompson, chief security strategist, Security Innovation, Inc.; Ion Sancho, supervisor of elections for Leon County, Fla.; and Harri Hursti, a computer-security analyst. Academics, public officials and others seen in interview footage include: Deanie Lowe, supervisor of elections, Volusia County, Fla.; Mark Radke, marketing director of Diebold; David Cobb, presidential candidate, Green Party; and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio.

Diebold software, or other software like it, is installed in thousands of counties across 32 states. David Dill, professor of computer science at Stanford, says the problem is that there are "lots of people involved in writing the software, and lots of people who could have touched the software before it went into that machine. If one of those people put something malicious in the software and it's distributed to all the machines, then that one person could be responsible for changing tens of thousands of votes, maybe even hundreds of thousands, across the country."

In Florida, Leon County supervisor of elections Ion Sancho presided over a trial "mini-election" to see if the vote could be hacked without being detected. Before votes were actually cast, computer analyst Harri Hursti "stuffed the ballot box" by entering votes on the computer's memory card. Then, after votes were cast, the results displayed when the same memory card was entered in the central tabulating program indicated that fraud was indeed possible. In other words, by accessing a memory card before an election, someone could change the results - a claim Diebold had denied was possible.

Ultimately, Bev Harris' research proved that the top-secret computerized systems counting the votes in America's public elections are not only fallible, but also vulnerable to undetectable hacking, from local school board contests to the presidential race. With the electronic voting machines of three companies - Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia - collectively responsible for around 80 percent of America's votes today, the stakes for democracy are high.

One of the executive producers of HACKING DEMOCRACY is Sarah Teale, whose previous HBO credits include "Dealing Dogs" and "Bellevue: Inside Out."

HACKING DEMOCRACY was directed by Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels; produced by Simon Ardizzone, Robert Carrillo Cohen and Russell Michaels; executive producers, Earl Katz, Sarah Teale and Sian Edwards; edited by Sasha Zik. For HBO: supervising producer, John Hoffman; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

Can you feel the respect returning?

2008-07-24T18:23:00.005-04:00

I drove around in 2004 with the saying
Restore World Respect - Vote Bush Out!
on the back of my car....

Today I feel the respect returning with our next president Germany.
Look at what this man is doing.
Look at the faces of the other people
You can see the hope of change for better things to come
For the world....

Peace Inside, Love Out...

George was a very smart man

2008-07-06T21:34:00.005-04:00

George on war....

gonna miss ya George....
Wish more of us thought like you.

Peace inside ~ love out...

How a Gold Star Family Spends Memorial day

2008-05-30T07:46:00.001-04:00

We remember - Family Honors the Dead for Third year in Boston

by Melida Arredondo

It's a family effort. Brian, Carlos, and I this year dedicated ourselves on both Sunday May 25th and Monday 26th of 2008 to remember those who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We highlighted eight men from Boston who have died by placing their names on white crosses with their birthdates, the neighborhood they lived in and the country where they died. Hundreds of people stopped to pay their respect, thank us for the display and ask questions. Very few people realized that eight local men had died from the City of Boston. Their names are Kyran Kennedy, David Connolly, Alberto Montraud, Joan Duran, Daniel Londano, Edgardo Zayas, Gregroy Wright and our beloved Alex Arredondo. Many people did not realize that these men represented not just the US in their service but that their backgrounds were Dominican, Colombian, Costa Rican, Jamaican, Irish, Polish and Cape Verdean.

We then painstakingly placed the names and pictures of all of the Massachusetts servicemen and women who had been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan around the one block monument - with flags, flowers, pictures and artwork. We also included the often forgotten. A red cross was placed for Jeff Lucey from Belchertown, Massachusetts who committed suicide after returning from Iraq. (We had the good fortune of having his parents visit the memorial to him.) A blue cross with the POW/MIA flag was placed for Alex Jimenez from Lawrence, Massachusetts with has been missing in Iraq since May of 2007.

Carlos could not forget the Iraqis and placed plain wooden crosses with a variety of shoes at the monument to honor the innocents caught in the cross fire of warfare. He also placed symbols with Gold Stars hanging from trees to remember the grief of the families of those who had died.

My husband began this tradition Memorial Day of 2006. As a family we had collected so much of Alex's personal effects and honors that he decided it was wrong not to share with the public on Memorial Day - the day we all are to remember.

As a child, the revolutionary war monument located at the corner of South and Centre was a place he would visit or pass daily. Across the street, Alex would run and swim with his Dad and brother Brian at Curtis Hall, a couple blocks away he would take Capoeira lessons at the fire house and in the fall, the world's fair would begin at the monument. For this part of Boston, the JP monument was and continues to be a focus point to this neighborhood.

Brian, Alex's younger brother, greeted many people this weekend as they approached, offered a handshake and answered questions about the display. Now at 21, I watched him be himself - a gentleman who honors his brother by sharing stories about Alex with strangers who he knows as neighbors. My husband did the same and also shared information he knew about the many other troops that were commemorated.

Many other military families, veterans and Boston neighbors would stop to decorate, leave flowers, provide memoribilia or help when it came time to take everything down. My husband's actions have turned into a true community experience that is now a dynamic and interactive tradition.

http://www.bostonherald.com/search/?topic=+Arredondo&searchSite=recent&x=9&y=12

Photo by Angela Rowlings from the Boston Herald

Remembering: Melida Arredondo and her husband, Carlos (not pictured), of Roslindale make a large memorial to Carlos’ son, Alexander, and other casualties of the Iraq war, at The Monument in Jamaica Plain yesterday.

What they teach us Memorial Day

2008-05-25T08:59:00.003-04:00

Everyone is on another path than the one we should be on. So many I feel have forgotten the path we should be on this weekend. We should be remembering the ones who were so brave they were willing to die for us. We should be remembering they did die for us. It's the least we can do for such a gift given to us....remembering them. Please take time to remember them.... They have much to teach us. We need to learn the lessons of their death.

We are consumed with this election. I do know we need to pay attention on what goes on so we can do better for ourselves in our future. Today I want to talk about our roller coaster ride were on and how we have the choice to do better for all of us so we don't have to live through this again. So we can stop killing people, killing ourselves.

It's all up to us - we the people - we have the power

*****************************

I could get really deep about things. I just want you to think so I'm going to try to keep it simple. We have the power to change. To stop making so many we remember on Memorial Day.

I tell my children all the time they have choices with their actions. When I have to punish them for doing wrong I tell them "you do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad" so they know it's the choices they make in life that decide what they will receive, good or bad. We have choices on a personal level and also as a human race. Lately we have been given the choices we have made. We've been given a whole lot of bad. It's our choice to change things, to make them better.

Life is a roller coaster ride. There are always ups and downs. The ups are what life is really about. This gift we have been given (life) is meant to learn from our past, our downs -our lows, so that we can stay on the top of the roller coaster as much as possible.

We haven't learn our lessons of the past. I am living the same in my adult life as I did in the days of my youth. We are in a so called war killing people. We all let this happen. We together have the power to stop this from happening but we haven't learn our lessons of the past thus they are repeating themselves. I hope this time we can learn our lessons so we keep these young kids who we hear about every day with us.

We have the power when we do the right thing. When we pay attention and get involved with those who make the decisions. We have the power in using the precious time given to us to action. I believe we are awaking the nation because there are more of us putting their time to action.

We've hit the low part of the roller coaster. We are on the ride back up. Depending on us will decide how long we stay on top. When we make the right choices good things will happen - for all of us.

This part isn't about the election but what we are doing together - as a people. What we can do when we come together and do the right thing. It's not about OB being our next President. It's about us getting involved. Knowing in our hearts we are doing the right thing for all of us. It's about the power of the people. Thousands are showing up to OB's events. They aren't showing up for OB - he's just a person. They are showing up because they know the power we have together. We are starved to make things better.

This is the lesson we will learn this time. Linking OB to JFK - Iraq war to Nam. We can learn our lessons of the past.

We can learn from their death. We are walking down this path again. We the people together can do great things. We can stay on top of the roller coaster as long as we want. We don't have to hit the bottom so hard in our future.

When we remember them they live on
They joined the military to make things better for us
Honor them by keeping them alive, by being their voices

It's our choice to learn the lessons of their death....their gift to us

I pray for peace in all humans that the love is so strong between us so we don't have the desire to kill one another....

Enjoy your moments - for them. Life is precious.

Be thankful you have your family with you and don't have to spend your Memorial Day like this.

2008-04-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

Dear friends,

In the next couple of weeks, Congress will vote on whether to provide the Bush administration with more than a hundred billion dollars MORE for the war. Five years is five years too many and the projected three TRILLION dollar price tag for the war in Iraq is three trillion dollars too much! If you agree, please join me, countless other Americans, United for Peace and Justice, the Win Without War coalition and allies in telling Congress to stop funding the military occupation of Iraq.

Click here to sign the letter: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/openletter

The signatures on this petition will be forwarded to Congress on Monday, April 21, so please sign today! And spread the word!

5 years is long enough - A letter from Congressman Wexler

2008-03-19T21:25:00.003-04:00

5 years of this invasion is enough. We must honor those who would give their life for our country by bringing them home to their families.

May we start thinking of ourselves as people who live on earth with others just like ourselves and not rulers of the planet.

May peace be inside all of us!

Dear **,

This evening will mark 5 years since President Bush officially launched his ill-conceived preemptive invasion of Iraq. (To watch my new video on the 5 Year Anniversary click here.)

At the beginning of this war, whether we agreed with it or not, Congress and the American people saluted the brave service of the men and women of our military.

Today, five years later, it is well past time that we truly honor this service by bringing all American troops home from Iraq. This war has affected the lives of so many American families. The stories we hear from our friends, family members, and co-workers are truly heartbreaking – from the tragic losses of life and devastating injuries, to those who have returned but still suffer mental trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Many of us personally know one of the 4,000 soldiers who have died or one of nearly 40,000 Americans who have been wounded.

Many of us have a friend or family member who has had to suffer repeated 15-month tours – separated from family and often with little break in between assignments.

Beyond the personal losses that so many have endured, now all Americans are feeling the financial effects of the war, as the fruits of our economy (nearly $500 billion to date) are drained into this never-ending engagement. Just imagine the investments that could have been made if this money was spent here at home, rather than fueling this massive war machine half a world away.

This tragedy extends to innocent Iraqis as well. From children to their teachers, shopkeepers to waiters – even the low estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths are near 90,000. Some estimate the death toll to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Americans will sacrifice a great deal to protect our national security and to bring peace to troubled regions of the world. But what have we gained for all of our sacrifices in Iraq? Today, we are more vulnerable then ever with a rebuilding Al Qaeda, a resurgent Iran, and a totally destabilized Iraq.

Even worse, President Bush and Vice-President Cheney brought us into this calamity in Iraq based on deliberate lies and misdirection. The Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people with false claims of Iraqi nuclear weapons, Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and Iraqi relations with Al Qaeda. These lies were fed with great enthusiasm by those who stood to benefit financially and politically from this war.

We must renew our call for a dramatic change of course. Last week in Congress, I introduced a resolution that condemns the Bush Administration for this unnecessary war and calls for an immediate redeployment of troops. (Click here to read the resolution.) Please contact your Member of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor this important resolution.

It is time to confront the stark reality of our situation.

First, the so-called "success of the surge" is as big a lie as the falsehoods that began the war itself. This is confirmed by General Petraeus' own conclusion earlier this week that political reconciliation has not occurred in Iraq.

Second, our economy can no longer sustain the cost of this war. Remember, no previous war has been waged while simultaneously offering tax cuts to the wealthy.

And finally, to date, we have still not held the Administration accountable for the countless lies that led to the war itself. As you know, I have aggressively advocated for impeachment hearings for Vice President Cheney to hold him accountable for his numerous misdeeds in relation to this war.

Please know that I hear your voices loud and clear. I strongly urge you to continue your vital activism on these issues and together we can bring about change.

Sincerely,

Congressman Robert Wexler

DONATE

Alex Arredondo's First Letter Home

2007-11-10T08:13:00.001-05:00

There have been many families who have members in the military. Few have members taking away from them.

I wish we would only use our military when they are needed. Not for the use for power and money. I wish these kids would be used in this way - they give their life to us.

Thank you to all how have given their life to protect our country.

Thank you Alex.....

Mom & Dad,

Today is Sunday, January 19, 2003. I've been out at sea for three days now and I'm starting to feel better. The first two days I was completely sick from seasickness and some virus. So far everyday I come outside the skin of the ship and write letters, whale watch, (which isn't that great cause I haven't seen any but there are plenty of dolphins that swim along side the ship), watch the horizon and sunset, etc. This seams so unreal to me. I've never seen water this BLUE before, I've never looked 360 degrees around me and seen nothing but water, clouds, the sun and a Fleet of Battleships surrounding me. Tomorrow is one of my many , many training days on ship to prepare me for my mission. I will also be training a short time in Kuwait. This is hard for me to comprehend. It seems like my whole life changed in an instant. Yesterday I was in a classroom learning about trigonometry and history. I graduated, went to boot camp, went to school, graduated as a GRUNT. I was sent across the country to train. Now I'm being sent across the world to fight. Today I am in a classroom learning about Tactical Urban Combat and Nuclear, Biological and chemical warfare. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on my way to experience 1st hand what I am learning about. I am not afraid of dying. I am more afraid of what will happen to all the ones that I love if something happens to me. Soon enough I will be in the desert, outside in the city of Bagdad, in full combat gear, ready to carry out my mission. Wondering how this all happened so fast, Wishing I was back home going to school, dating Shelia, taking care of my family. Although I think this way now I am almost certain that if I didn't walk this path I would be wondering to myself "why didn't I make the other decision. Why didn't I walk the path of a proud warrior, a marine." Just because I wonder "what if" doesn't mean I'm not proud, it doesn't mean I feel like I made the wrong decision. It doesn't mean I have any regrets. I'm still proud to be fighting for mycountry. I feel like, If I'm not helping one way I should still do all that I can to help (OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM). I'm on a time back now. I need to send this letter in the next hour for it to get to you by Tuesday or Wednesday. I love you both very much and I wish I could keep writing but I got to go. LOVE YOU. PFC ARREDONDO/ UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
A note to Brian his brother:
WHATS UP BRIAN, I feel so lucky to be blessed with the chance to defend my country 6 months after I joined the military. Some Marines have been in for over 20 years and still haven't seen combat. I'm also lucky to have such a wonderful family. I know how much you love me and support me and that keeps me going along with a few other things. Is Jeanette babysitting for Mom? LOVE YOU BROTHER Your Big Brother - Private First Class Arredondo USMC
August 25, 2004
Lance Corporal Arredondo served as Fire Team Leader during the Battalion's attack into the old cith of Najaf. As the Platoon attacked to clear a four-story hotel, it was heavily engaged by enemy machine gun and sniper fire from three different directions. Lance Corporal Arredondo returned fire exposing himself to great risk to ensure the members of his team were safe. After fearlessly exchanging fire with the enemy snipers for more than three hours, Lance Corporal Arredondo fell mortally wounded as he moved through the rooms to inspect the Marines' defensive position.

Remember Us - Documentary tells of war families' pain

2007-11-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

By John R. Ellement Globe Staff / November 10, 2007
Carlos Arrendondo's pain and the life and death of his Marine son, Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, are not part of a new documentary about families from New England that lost loved ones in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
But Arrendondo was at Northeastern University in Boston last night, watching a preview of the 90-minute New England Cable News documentary. He came at the invitation of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who had invited dozens of others like Arredondo.
"It's important for the community to see and remember all of our sons and daughters who paid the ultimate sacrifice," said Arredondo, of Roslindale.
"No matter what their position is on the war, we have the same pain," he said.
The documentary, produced by NECN executive editor Iris Adler and titled, "Remember Us," will be broadcast tomorrow night at 7 in honor of Veteran's Day, said Philip S. Balboni, founder of NECN.
In opening remarks, Balboni said he is a Vietnam-era veteran and wished that "I could say all of our fellow citizens remember our sacrifice, but I think we know the honest answer is many do not," he said. "And that is what motivated us at NECN to produce 'Remember Us,' so we can honor and remember those who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
The state's senior senator, accompanied by his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, met privately with the dozens of family members who came from across New England.
The survivors and deployed military families are invited to Gillette Stadium on Dec. 10 for an event supported by the New England Patriots and the Jeffrey Coombs Memorial Foundation, named after an Abington man killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. More information is available at jeffcoombsfund.org.

READ MORE

Carlos Arredondo Beat up at the DC protest by the pro war/pro killing people

2007-09-17T16:33:00.000-04:00

This was just sent to me by Melida:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=919

Carlos Arredondo, 47 year old father of two sons, arrived in the nation's capitol on Monday, 09/10/07 to share a memorial he has made to honor for his eldest son, Alex. Carlos has visited thirty of the United States with the traveling memorial to his son Alexander. Lcpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, USMC was killed on 08/25/04. He was 20 years and 20 days old. The memorial consists of a casket, poster- size photographs of Alex when he graduated from boot camp, before his second tour in Iraq, lying in state at his wake, and a photo of Alex with his younger brother Brian.

Saturday, September 15, 2007 consisted of first a rally, a march towards the capitol and then a die-in. Carlos pulled the memorial along the march route approaching the rotunda near the capitol building. Several of the marchers requested for him to speak about the memorial where a crowd gathered around him. After finishing, several people walked with Carlos as he pulled the memorial. Several pictures of Alex dressed in his blues were attached to the display.

As Carlos passed counter protesters, one man ripped a picture of Alex from the memorial. Carlos leaped on the man to retrieve the picture. It was at that point that approximately five others all began to attack Carlos by kicking him in the head, legs, stomach and back.

The Capitol police bicycle patrol then appeared to break up the fight. Several officers including a female officer were engaged in breaking up the fight and were able to stop any further injuries from occurring. Hannah Jones who was walking with Carlos was also assaulted.

A bystander named Ramesh witnessed the whole encounter and also retrieved the picture of Alex for Carlos. He was quite distressed at how he watched the men yelling epithets follow Carlos as he pulled the memorial, and eventually take Alex's photograph. Soon, an ambulance showed up as well as many concerned activists. The paramedics provided first aid to Carlos but he did not seek further medical attention. Carlos sustained bloody cuts on his shins. He also reported bruises all over his torso and head where he was kicked.

I will send updates on Carlos and his work in DC as I am able.

Viedo of Carlos Arredondo and why he shares Alex with you

2007-09-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Video I found of my neighbor Carlos. He talks about the day he set fire to the van. A day I will never forget. You can still see the burn marks in our road.
May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Carlos Arredondo at DC antiwar protest yesterday

2007-09-16T09:32:00.000-04:00

CARLOS ARREDONDO walking with his son Alex in the end the war march on DC September 15, 2007. I can only imagine what the other side of the divide had to say to him when they saw his him carrying his flag upside down. I had my flag on my house upside down for a long time ~ a few people left me nasty messages in my mail box.
The other side of the divide wants to keep killing people for no good reason. I think these people would follow George Bush off a cliff just because he is their "President".

May peace be inside all of us - May we support our troops by saving their lives and bringing them home to their families. The other side of the divide has no problems killing our troops for their own security. If they don't kill our troops they will kill us....right other side of the divide?

Thousands march in D.C. war protest

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer

Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested.

The group marched from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war. Their numbers stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue, and they held banners and signs and chanted, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.

"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq. "We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.

The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they called a "die in" — with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.

Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested at a protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked onto a bridge that had been closed off to accommodate the demonstration, then refused to leave. And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.

The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other groups.

Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people attended the rally and march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own estimate. A permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER Coalition had projected 10,000.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.

"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she said. "It's time to shut this city down."

About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters gathered near the Washington Monument, frequently erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving American flags.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, speaking from a stage to crowds clad in camouflage, American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson jackets, said he wanted to send three messages.

"Congress, quit playing games with our troops. Terrorists, we will find you and kill you," he said. "And to our troops, we're here for you, and we support you."

MORE PHOTOS HERE

The other side of the divide

The people who have to kill for their own security

UPDATE:
They think they are better then any other. You have to read their words. If you aren't like them your not and American, your not supporting our troops. They way I see it is they could care less about our troops our they wouldn't let them be used the way they are - for the love of power and money, mostly money. Again, these people would follow Bush off the cliff to their death and take all of us with them because of their own lack of knowledge of compassion for other humans.

Blogs from the other side of the divide read their word. See for yourself.
They think they are the best humans on this earth
Man these people are twisted. They twist things. First of all from all the stories I've read there were only 150 pro war/pro killing people with 10-15,000 who stand of the side of peace. For years there has been the 30-32% who want to kill and torture people. These people will never change no matter how many freedoms and rights you take away from there. There are 72-78% of our country who know the truth and will never vote for more killing. More than half this country wants to Impeach the war criminals.
And, I knew someone would say something about the upside down flag. Our country is in distress which is why Carlos carries it upside down. I feel Alex is very proud of his father for his actions. Alex was asking questions at the time of his death. He knew what they were being asked to do was wrong. Carlos is expressing Alex from the grave. He doesn't want anyone to forget Alex. He has the freedom to express his and Alex's views any way he wants. After all, he is his parent. Who knows you better than your parents?

The 30% pro war meets the 70% against the war. Video of the mean and nasty people

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Carlos Arredondo in DC with the mean and nasty people called Gathering of Eagles

2007-09-13T08:06:00.000-04:00

There's a big march on DC again this weekend to end the war. Carlos Arredondo and Cindy Sheehan and all the peace people are there along with the other side of the divide.

You have to read the article from these mean and nasty people. Listen to the words used by them. These people are selfish and full of fear wanting to kill the next person just because they are different than them. It is really unbelievable to me the way these people think. All the damage done to our country and these people eat up all the propaganda sold to them.

Our country can only be destroyed from within. With all the freedoms taken from us, there are those who say it has to be done for their security. Their misguided security.

I was in DC 2 years ago along with 300,000 who wanted to end the war and here we are 2 years later with so many more lives gone. We kill others because the very small group called Gathering of the Eagles live in fear and spew their hate.

If you can get to DC this weekend do it. It will be an experience that will energize you for a long time. If you see Carlos go talk to him about Alex.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Press Conference

As one of the many media representatives at today’s press conference said, prefacing a question to Cindy Sheehan: “This is Petraeus Week in Washington; this is a hard sell.” He was referring to the September 15 “Mass March and Die-In” the A.N.S.W.E.R. * Coalition was announcing in the Murrow Room of the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Cindy Sheehan and Carlos Arredondo of Gold Star Families for Peace, and Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition.

Carlos Arredondo, whose son Alex, a Marine, died in Iraq in 2004, had brought his US passport to emphasise that the words on the inside cover say “We the People” and that “we the people have a tremendous responsibility to the rest of the world,” a sentiment echoed later by Cindy Sheehan, who said that “If America is healthy, if America truly practises democracy, then the whole world will benefit.”

Carlos Arredondo

Two other themes stood out. One was that the forceful arrest of Rev. Lennox Yearwood on Monday when he was trying to get into the Petraeus-Crocker hearing on Capitol Hill is being looked at by the antiwar movement as a seminal moment that will help drive support for this Saturday’s March and Die-in. Yearwood was physically supported by two fellow Iraq Veterans Against the War when he spoke at the conference, his leg having been broken in Monday’s fracas. A video of his arrest is posted on YouTube.

Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO and President of the Hip Hop Caucus

The second strong theme was the significance of the Die-In, which will be a mass act of civil disobedience. Prompted by a question from Fox News, Brian Becker--the event coordinator--said a thousand people have so far signed up to take part in the Die-In and he expects that number to double or triple over the next few days. “We hope to trigger in the country a new model of protest,” Becker stated.

A Cybercast News Service journalist asked what kind of impact A.N.S.W.E.R. thinks the likely mass arrests of the Die-In participants will have on middle Americans who are at best only lukewarm towards the protest movement. Tina Richards, of Grassroots America, said that she’s from a little tiny town in the Ozarks and has found no trouble in gaining the support of people from middle America. She noted that it’s often the rank and file membership of organizations such as labour unions who show their support first, with organizational support coming later.

Tina Richards, whose experience of fighting against her son’s reactivation and deployment to Iraq for a third time led her to create Grassroots America.

* Note: A.N.S.W.E.R. is the abbreviation for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.

--ENDS--

Week of Antiwar Events To Start With a 'Die-In'
Protesters Advocate Civil Disobedience

By Michelle Boorstein and Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan wipes away a tear as Adam Kokesh, left at podium, and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. speak at a news conference. (By Gerald Herbert -- Associated Press)

A week of events meant to crank up a national demonstration against the war in Iraq is set to begin Saturday, with a 1,000-person "die-in" at the U.S. Capitol led by current and former American troops and accompanied by taps and a mock 21-gun salute.

The die-in will be the culmination of a march and rally. Organizers hope the event will spur people in the antiwar movement to move from protesting to performing acts of civil disobedience that "get in the way of the war machine," said Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, at a news conference yesterday at the National Press Club.

The group's permit with the U.S. Park Police is for 10,000 people, a source said, but ANSWER, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, expects tens of thousands, Becker said. More than 1,000 people had signed up on the group's Web site as of yesterday to lie down at the die-in, he said, which is meant to represent Americans, Iraqis and others who have died in the war. Organizers expect the number to double or triple by Saturday.

Daily antiwar events are planned from Saturday through Friday. War opponents are scheduled to go to Washington area military recruitment centers Monday to try to shut them down. On Wednesday, "Pentagon Outreach Day," Iraq veterans plan to walk through the Pentagon wearing antiwar T-shirts and talking about the conflict.

Some of the Sept. 12 press conference participants

Across the country, war opponents are being encouraged to visit their congressional representatives' hometown offices and not leave until someone "gives them an explanation about the war," Becker said.

Protesters are to start gathering about 10 a.m. Saturday along the north side of the White House, in Lafayette Square. The official rally will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Demonstrators will march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, where the die-in is to take place. Police said there will be rolling street closures along Pennsylvania Avenue.

The route will cross the jurisdictions of the U.S. Park Police, D.C. police and Capitol Police, which said they are beefing up patrols in preparation for arrests.

Two counterprotest groups, the Gathering of Eagles, made up of Vietnam veterans, and the D.C. chapter of the conservative group Free Republic, also have permits. They plan to rally at 9:30 a.m. on the Mall at Seventh Street NW and later line Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Seventh and 10th streets.

At a news conference Monday, Gathering of Eagles spokesman Kristinn Taylor said the group's purpose is "to not allow this generation of America's servicemen and women to be betrayed on the battlefield and at home, as happened during and after the Vietnam War."

But at the ANSWER news conference yesterday, Carlos Arredondo, whose son Alex was killed in Iraq in 2004, said, "My passport says 'We the people,' and we the people are responsible for stopping this madness." Arredondo held a folded U.S. flag in one hand and his open passport in the other.

Other speakers included antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan and Adam Kokesh, co-chairman of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

The antiwar movement "is far from where Bush would like you to think we are, that we are the fringe. They are the fringe. We are the mainstream," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation, which encourages Muslim civic participation.

War opponents have carried out acts of civil disobedience since the war began, but Becker said the die-in will be different because it was conceived by and will be led by Iraq war veterans and their families.

*******************************************************

AND NOW THE FULL OF HATE PRO WAR TOM KNOTT

It's Gathering of Eagles vs. nitwit marchers

Tom Knott
September 13, 2007

The Cindy Sheehan-inspired dingbats descending on the city this weekend are infinitely more outraged by a pair of panties being placed on the head of a virgin-seeking terrorist than by a virgin-seeking terrorist placing a steak knife to the neck of an infidel, while chanting, "Praise be to Allah."

This passes as a thoughtful position on the part of the losers, nut jobs, socialists, communists and revolutionaries aligned with ANSWER, Code Pink and the loony left of Hollywood.

All they are saying is give a suicide bomber a chance. These wackos live with a conundrum. As much as they hate America, they refuse to leave it. By the way, Alec Baldwin's private jet is still parked on the tarmac. He apparently is too busy cussing out his daughter to make good on his long-ago vow to leave the United States in the event of George Bush taking up residence in the White House. Mr. Baldwin no doubt is carbon-neutral, not unlike every other fuel-guzzling phony on the left. Plant a tree. Cop a ride on a private jet.

This should be taken as a warning to the innocents who live in the region and the unlucky tourists who planned a vacation at the same time the nitwits of the nation planned a celebration of their insanity. Stay away from the downtown part of the city if it is at all possible. The start of the Million Nitwit March is Saturday.

Fortunately, the nitwits will be blunted in part by the pro-America, pro-soldier, pro-victory group known as the Gathering of Eagles. It is a shame that we live in an upside-down time, when it is necessary to have a group pointing out that we live in the best nation in the world, period, and that millions of poor souls want to come here and nowhere else. The legal immigration numbers tabulated around the globe each year are not even close. What does that tell you about our concededly imperfect nation?

It tells you we are so fat, so soft, so intellectually inept that too many of us do not even understand how good we have it.

Sorry. Forgot. That view is, like, so not hip in Hollywood. It is far more enlightening and patriotic to make movies that ridicule our troops.

No word on whether Tim Robbins will show up to lend his expertise on the number of Iraqi civilians who have died in the war. Wonder if Mr. Robbins starts heaving and sobbing whenever he sees the black-and-white footage of Dresden after we employed our version of urban renewal on it in World War II.

THERES MORE BUT THIS IS ENOUGH OF TOM KNOTT'S HATE

Remembering Dondo: Alexander Scott Arredondo KIA Iraq 8/25/04

2007-08-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

AN EVENING OF REFLECTION:

Remembering Dondo

Alexander Arredondo was born 08/05/84 and killed at 10:35 Iraq time (3:35 pm EST) on 08/25/04. Carlos Arredondo has traveled the US as means of grieving openly, memoralizing his son and honoring all those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He will speak about Alex and his family, the journey of healing and his experiences meeting other grieving families. This event will be held at the River Green.

Also part of the program:

ZEMYA will sing. Poetry by Pat Frisella.

As dusk nears we will light candles in rememberance of the lives lost in war. Augustin Aguayo will play Flamencan Guitar music and his wife Helga will speak. Origins of Flamenco reflect suffering and loss.

Please scroll down for quotes about or for Alex that fellow troops have listed on www.fallenheroesmemorial.com as well as directions from Boston.

"Arredondo was a stand up Marine. He was one of the few that understood the reality of war. His understanding of the Iraqi people changed my view of the war. He helped me understand the difference between the Iraqi civilian and the enemy. I miss you Dondo. You will never be forgotten." Gabriel Prado of Corvallis Oregon

"Alex, I'm sorry I always gave you a hard time because you were junior to me in the marine corps. I know that it wasn't easy for you to go straight from SOI to OIF1 and I didn't make that time any easier for you. I never told you this when you were alive but I have a lot of respect for you. As a man and as a marine. You never complained when all the rest of us were crying like girls about some BS work that had to get done. I always noticed and respected that. So man, forgive me for being a mean drunk of a senior marine because I'm going to give you a hug when I see you in the afterlife. I love ya, man." Anonymous of Anytown, USA

"Alex, The best memory of you I have is when we were on top of the cliffs at red beach and I was afraid to repel down. You talked me into it. Man all the Raiders miss you and we will NEVER forget you. You were a great guy. Rest in peace Alex. Raider for life and beyond." john of woodlawn, arkansas

"Alex, Where do I begin? As all the Raiders that have been on here before me have said, I miss you Dondo, more than words can describe. I can go back to so many fond memories of us. From climbing school, where we really first got to know each other... where our fears of heights were forgotten and our bonds were formed. We would place pro and jump down like 15 feet to test it to show the others that it was safe. How we ended up driving, what 2 hours to snowboad in Brogdons car... and i broke my tail bone and had to ride back on my stomach in the passenger seat. Then always saying "Bomber" LOL that was the word. Then Iraq came and i have fond memories of you being on my left flank as we all went through the cemetary. You just had an attitude about you that made me smile in the hardest of times... we climbed those T-Barriers in FOB Baker, where we had like 7 people on them.. you climbed up it upside down LOL how great.. always talking about getting back and boarding... TOE SLIDE...HEEL SLIDE!!! And then i had to listen on the radio as all our brothers started falling, and found out that you weren't coming back. It was the first time i had lost someone extremely close to me, it is indescribable. Now, im out, im back home, living safely under our free skies, and theres not a day goes by that i don't think about you Alex, i could go on and on and on about how much i thank you for everything you taught me, everything we shared... but i'm just going to say it like this. I Love You Alex, Forever... until I see you at the gates of heaven.. "WE FEW, WE HAPPY FEW, WE BAND OF BROTHERS, HE WHO SHEDS HIS BLOOD WITH ME, SHALL FOR EVER BE MY BROTHER"" James Reed of Battle Creek, MI

"Dondo, I didn't know you as well as many others did but we are still brothers. Everyone from 1/4 seems to have a story about you and what a great person you were. I remember always trying to find your lane during the boat raid cliff assaults. RAIDER FOR LIFE!!!!" dsmith_raider@yahoo.com of Akron, OH

"Alex, Hey brother, it's me Mendoza. I'm sorry that i've taken so long to do this. Ayup, Pineda, Medina, Bagby, Enrique, Velazquez and I were all hanging out last night and we remembered you. I told 'em about how close those damn hellfires landed in front of us in the cemetary and how you would give me and Velazquez a hard time about smoking. I told 'em about how you would cover me when we were clearing those goddam tombs in the cementery. It's funny to think that i never would have gotten to know you better if you hadn't been on that far right flank of your platoon and me on the far left of mine. I remember you, velazquez, anspach and me fighting for every inch of that cementery. My friend, mostly I remember carrying you down the stairs of that building and hoping to god that the tracks would hurry and come get you. doc soto did everything that he could while we prayed. sadly, the good lord decided that you were due up in heaven. I hope that God gives your family the strength that they need day to day. I can't pretend to know what they are going through, but I hope that they read this and know that you have a whole company of brothers who would do anything for them. my friend, i want you to know that your picture is framed at my house and that my son knows your name. From now until the day i die, i will remember you and make sure that my son tells our embellished stories to his children. From now until the end of time, we shall be remembered. we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. SEMPER FI RAIDERS FOR LIFE DOZA" Carlos E. Mendoza of San Bernardino, CA

"Hey bro. Its me Ayup, I dont even know were to begin, its so hard for me everyday to go on with out you. I talk to crespo and Ssgt. Sandoval somtimes and we talk about how much we miss you bro.And hear I am crying like a little girl right now thinking about what happend that day on the roof.And when I held you in my arms befor they took you away. I relive that moment every day in my head. And just thinking that you were standing right were I was, it kills me bro. It hurts so bad. I love you so much man and miss you more then ever. your brother!!!! Cpl. Michael Ayup 1st BN 4th MAR Alpha co. Raiders Wpns platoon Raider for Life!!!!!" Cpl Michael Ayup of Camp Pendlton CA.

"Well ive been out for about a month and i really cant move on wit my life, yet i havent said goodbye to all thoose i needed to and i def havent said what i needed tosay to you and your fam but i will soon i havent finished what i started writting but im workin on it man, i just want your family to know that you arent forgoten not for a sec" adam of chicago il

"Hey Dondo, it's been two years next week since the worst day in many of our lives. I've thought about that rooftop every day and every night for the past two years. It took a while to understand why it was you and not someone else. Why Dondo? He didn't ever do anything wrong, never hurt anybody. Why? I struggled with this question for a long time and as we come to the anniversary of that fateful day once again I remember why. You were stronger in your faith and your character than anyone I've ever known. The good Lord knew where you were going and He needed more time to work on lost souls like mine. Thank you for being the rock that I can stand on. Thank you for reminding me what life is about and who to live it for. I love you buddy. You are sorely missed and forever will be. "From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother" Raider For Life. Semper Fi." Warren Glas of Union Grove, Wisconsin

"Dondo, sorry it has taken so long for me to say good-bye...i have been kinda thinking about this for the past couple of years...now im out of the Marine Corps and all it does it make me look back on everything....I was standing right next to you when it happened...I wish with everything in me there was something i could do...but by going to your families website and reading the letters you sent home it made me realize you were far more braver than any man I have ever known...I am proud to have fought next to you and proud to have been your brother "RAIDER FOR LIFE"....I will see you soon...with all my love..Semper Fi" Cpl Jarred Dorhauer of College Station, TX

"You were a great leader and a great friend Alex. Firm but fair, and always with a smile on your face. You are gone but never forgotten, and I am proud to have known you and called you friend. Raider 4 Life and Semper Fi." Cpl Adam Tresidder of Kuwait

"You'll always be in our hearts Love ya Bro" Lcpl Castor of Grand rapids MI

"To Carlos you pain like so many parents is so great that words could never be able to explain all you gone through and still are going through. Remember your son is now walking with God he is in heaven protecting us. When he was here on earth he wanted to protect his family and his country and now he has a bigger task because now he is helping all of us to reach heaven like he did. Our country would never be as wonderful as it is if it wasn't for men and women that are in the military protecting us always so no one but no take that freedom away from us. Thank you for being into this world a man of honor and courage. God bless you and your family and know we are always praying for you. If you know of others that still have not recieved their quilt please contact me at debeniel@ncn.net and let me know also check my website which is www.freedomquilts.net" Betty Nielsen (Freedom Quilts Inc) of Fonda, IA

"Dondo, I will never forget those long cold boat rides with you during the 11th MEU SOC work up. I will always remember how no matter how bad it got, you always had that smile that made everything seem alright no matter how shitty things were. The company has been up to the 1st Marines Memorial 4 times since your death, and I go up there at least twice a month. I will always remember what your death has taught me, and I will never forget what you sacrificed. Your fellow Raiders will always remember you." 1st Lt Richard Zjawin of A Co 1st BN, 4th Marines

"Mr and Mrs Arredondo, your son was on my Amtrac in OIF I. I was the vehicle commander and watched your son fight bravely during the war. He was a fine young man who had a great sense of humor and had lots of friend. I still have an Iraqi flag hanging in my room with his signature and comments on it. It was a pleasure to serve with him and I am very sorry that he is no longer with us. My thoughts and prayers are with you." Ssgt Kirkland of Jacksonville, Fl

"It saddens me every day when I look into the ranks of First Platoon Raiders and I neither see Lcpl. Arredondo or PFC Skinner. Alex was one of my best and a fine young man. I miss him every day along with Nicholas and I wish I could have them both back. But because I served with great men like Alex, It is his memory that keeps me going strong every day to be the best in what ever I am doing. I have decided to stay in the Marine Corps for as long as the Corps will keep me. I dedicate my time and service to my fallen Warriors. For the rest of my life, I will always be proud to have been that platoon Sgt of Alex and Nicholas. Semper Fi and I will see you again. Respctfully Simon L. Sandoval SSgt USMC Alpha Company Raider 1st Platoon" Simon L. Sandoval of Oceanside Califronia

"I was with him when God took him to a better place and I will say that he is and was one of a kind. He definitely watched out for his fellow Marines on countless missions before the last. I have so much admiration for him eventhough I am much older. To the families.....LCpl Arrendondo was truly a hero to remember everyday of our lives....I will never forget him and Skinner for as long as I live. May God bless you all." SSgt Johns 1/4 Alpha Company of Camp Pendleton, California

"I had Alex in my Company for OIF1 and OIF2, all my young Marines are like sons to me. LCpl Arredondo will, and is still truly missed by his fellow Hero's. His spirit will forever be in Alpha Company, Alpha Raider for life, we love you! "SOME GAVE ALL, ALL GAVE SOME." AN NAJAF, IRAQ AUGUST 2004" 1stSgt Synovec of San DIego, Ca.

"ALEX WAS A GOOD MAN AND I AM SURE HE WAS A EVEN BETTER SOLDIER, WISH I GOT TO KNOW YA BETTER. U WILL BE MISSED DEARLY" SPC JOHN BALIS, US ARMY of FORT SHAFTER HAWAII

"dondo you were my team leader, brother and my friend. i will guide my marines like u guided me. i will never forget you. i love u bro" Lcpl Brittner Eric 1st plt 3rd sqd 3rd team of FOB Duke

"This young man would have been a great leader - they say there is only one born per century - we were short changed. Rest in peace Lance Corporal Arredondo - you affected many lives in a positive manner." T of Iraq

"Rest in peace Raider. You are truly missed." 1stSgt Young, Alpha Raider of FOB Echo Iraq

"Dondo, you're of the greatest guys I ever knew. I've never met anyone that I could joke around with for hours and we'd still make each other laugh. It took an original mind to come up with some of the antics you and I performed, and thats probably one of the biggest things I'll miss about you. You and I were a lot alike, and I'll never forget the times we shared last year in Iraq. Those were some of the best times in my life, and that was largely due to you, and your company. I hope you watch over me and allow yourself to laugh at me now and again, like old times. I love you man, and I'll always have the pictures to remember you." Brent Mills, SS Plt, 1/4 of Conroe, TX

Traveling from the South
Take I-95 North into Maine & go to Exit 25 Kennebunk. Go thru Toll Booth and at Stop Sign Turn Left onto Rt. 35 South to Kennebunk. Go Approx 1 Mile to K’Bunk High School & Turn Left into School Driveway and Park in Parking Lot. Shuttle Buses will then take People to the Rally Site.

Further information on weekend of activities at www.kportprotest.org

Mélida Arredondo,
Remembering Alex Arredondo
who died too young in honor of the Iraqi people
and his own nation, the USA,
and protecting his buddies always
08/05/84 - 08/25/04

Cheery pick the truth - His testimony was omitted from the 9/11 Commission

2007-07-31T07:56:00.000-04:00

The last man out of the World Trade Center will share his harrowing story of courage, strength and hope on Friday, August 17th at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Actor Ed Asner along with 'Peace Mom' Cindy Sheehan are scheduled to appear.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 31, 2007 -- Declared a hero for saving numerous lives at Ground Zero, William Rodriguez was the janitor on duty the morning of 9/11 who heard and felt explosions rock the basement sub-levels of the north tower just seconds before the jetliner struck the top floors. His testimony, which was omitted from the 9/11 Commission, destroys the government's official story because it means there is a possibility explosives were placed in the buildings. Several eyewitnesses also claim they heard multiple explosions before the buildings collapsed.

At great risk to his own life, William re-entered the Towers three times after the first, North Tower impact and is believed to be the last person to exit the North Tower alive, surviving the building's collapse by diving beneath a fire truck. After receiving medical attention at the site for his injuries, he then spent the rest of the day a volunteer in the rescue efforts, and at dawn the following morning, was back continuing his heroic efforts.

In addition to being a spokesperson for the New York City first responders (leading the cause for compensation issues and rights) William is also active in the movement for immigrant rights. When Latino survivors and relatives of victims of the attacks were not receiving adequate attention from support groups or relief programs, he helped form a group just for them. He was also a major force behind the campaign to encourage non-documented survivors and relatives of victims to come forward for help without fear of deportation. The group raised funds for scholarships for children of immigrants killed or maimed in the attacks.

William believes that now is the time for all people to stand up for truth, even if it means personal sacrifice. In addition to testifying in front of the 9/11 Commission, he is also the lead plaintiff in a federal RICO lawsuit filed against President Bush and others, alleging conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes in the deaths of more than 3,000 people at the WTC.

William Rodriguez tells his story live Friday August 17, 2007 at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church located at 3300 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles. The program begins at 7pm and there will be a donation request of $10. To view the trailer from William's new film The Last Man Out visit http://youtube.com/watch?v=0DEUzuzqSLQ

For more info or media inquiries please call Good Karma PR at 805-653-1588 or email GoodKarma @ GoodKarmaPR.com. You can also visit http://www.GoodKarmaPR.com.

Sponsored By: The Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA) -- Physics Professor Steven Jones of Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice -- 911Truth.org -- 911WeKnow.com -- 911ShareTheTruth.com-- LooseChange911.com -- Professor James Fetzer of Scholars for 9/11 Truth -- 911TruthLA.us -- San Diegans for 9/11 Truth -- Pilots for 9/11 Truth --The Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance -- Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth -- TruthAction.org -- WeAreChange.org -- H2Om Water

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The Arredondo's whose son died in Iraq , criticize military recruitment

2007-07-29T07:26:00.000-04:00

Conference at UR on immigrant solidarity

Parents whose son died in Iraq attend, criticize military recruitment

By MARGARET MATRAY

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Carlos Arredondo's son, Alexander Scott Arredondo, was 14 the first time he was approached by a military recruiter.

Alex joined the Marines when he was 17.

And he died in Iraq in 2004 when he was 20.

Arredondo travels the country to tell his story and warn parents about what he says are methods recruiters use to enlist young people and "seduce the immigrants."

Arredondo and his wife, Melida, were among a group of about 75 immigrant, labor and human-rights activists that gathered yesterday at the University of Richmond as part of a three-day conference hosted by the National Immigrant Solidarity Network.

The grass-roots conference was meant to create an open dialogue about immigration issues and link different activist groups to form a unified movement, said Lee Siu Hin, coordinator for the network, to the crowd inside the university's law school building.

The Arredondos, who are from Roslindale, Mass., said they believe certain military recruiting campaigns target young immigrants and Latino families. Recruiters appeal to the audience by saying that enlisting can help immigrants reach the "American dream," Melida Arredondo said.

She said she remembers finding gifts -- CDs, knapsacks, cigarettes and lighters -- in her son's room when she was tidying up one day before he was deployed. Alex also was given $10,000 as a sign-up bonus when he enlisted.

"I'm speaking out as much as I can," Carlos Arredondo said. Arredondo wore his son's dogtags around his neck and a black T-shirt that read: "No nos quedaremos callados -- We will not be silent." Arredondo received national attention after his son's death when he doused a government van with gasoline, climbed inside and set it on fire.

The speeches and meetings yesterday were peaceful. Hin said he was told by UR police officers that demonstrators might show up to protest the conference, but the hallways of the law school were quiet throughout the day.

In the late morning, activists and Virginia activist organizations met to talk about a state-wide solidarity movement. The activists discussed possibly starting a Dreams Across America Tour specific to Virginia. Dreams Across America sends immigrants throughout the U.S. to tell their stories and help dispel myths about immigration.

Cristina Rebeil, an attorney with Virginia Poverty Law Center, said putting a face on the immigrant population is vital.

"We need to work cross-culturally. Nothing is going to change until we share our stories," she said. "We need to come together and tell people who we all are."

Richmond resident Ben Ragsdale attended the conference because he was "appalled at the way we're treating the immigrant issue." Ragsdale was an activist in the civil-rights and anti-war movements more than 40 years ago, and said he thinks people are trying to "demonize" immigrants today.

"I'm glad to see some diverse groups come together," he said. "We need to be much more immigrant-friendly."

**********************************************

llegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

Latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants are being recruited into the military with false promises.

By Deborah Davis July 25, 2007

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3271/illegal_immigrants_uncle_sam_wants_you/

Richmond, Virginia - Counter recruitment activists require tools. Carlos and Mélida Arredondo know this. It is far more difficult to find tools pertaining to how the US military has launched a full blown recruitment campaign on Latino immigrants in an effort to maintain troop numbers during the war on terrorism.

This is why both are so grateful that Deborah Davis has written the recently published article "Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You".

According to Mélida Arredondo, the article includes important information on the "Army's marketing campaign, created by Cartel Impacto, a cutting-edge firm from San Antonio, uses the firm's proprietary "barrio anthropology" and grassroots "viral and guerilla marketing" techniques to "go deep into the neighborhoods and barrios" ".

"Immigrants and specifically Latinos do not realize how calculated the techniques are that the military uses to get recruits. Deborah Davis provides important insights into the situation." states Arredondo.

Deborah Davis is a journalist who has published articles in the New York Times, Village Voice and Ramparts. In 1979 Davis published a book about Katharine Graham (Katharine the Great). The book also looked at the connections between Philip Graham and the Central Intelligence Agency. According to Davis the owner of the Washington Post was a key figure in Operation Mockingbird, a CIA program to influence the American media. According to Davis, Cord Meyer was Mockingbird's "principal operative".

When the book was originally published in 1979 Katharine Graham (probably under instructions from the CIA) persuaded the publishers William Jovanovich, to pulp 20,000 copies of the book. Davis filed a breach-of- contract and damage-to-reputation suit against Jovanovich, who settled out of court with her in 1983.

Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

Latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants are being recruited into the military with false promises.

By Deborah Davis

July 25, 2007

In 1996, Jesus Alberto Suarez del Solar was a 13-year-old boy, up from Tijuana on a family shopping trip, when he stopped at a Marine Corps recruiting table at an open-air mall in Chula Vista, Calif.

Jesus had been an easy mark for the recruiter--a boy who fantasized that by joining the powerful, heroic U.S. Marines, he could help his own country fight drug lords. He gave the recruiter his address and phone number in Mexico, and the recruiter called him twice a week for the next two years, until he had talked Jesus into convincing his parents to move to California. Fernando and Rose Suarez sold their home and their laundry business and immigrated with their children to Escondido, where Jesus enrolled at a high school known for academic achievement. But the recruiter wanted him to transfer to a school for problem teenagers, since its requirements for graduation were lower and Jesus would be able to finish sooner. He was 17 and a half when he graduated from that school, still too young to enlist on his own, so his father co-signed the enlistment form, as the military requires for underage recruits.

Three years later, at the age of 20, his body was torn apart in Iraq by an American-made fragmentation grenade during the first week of the invasion. In the Pentagon's official Iraq casualty database, his death is number 74.

Now Jesus is in a cemetery in Escondido, and his parents, who blame each other for his death, are painfully and bitterly divorced. While his mother bears her loss as a private tragedy, Fernando, who has dual Mexican and American citizenship, is working tirelessly to protect other young immigrants from being manipulated by U.S. military recruiters--the way he wishes he had protected his son.

In the Iraq war, citizenship is being used as a recruiting tool aimed specifically at young immigrants, who are told that by enlisting, they will be able to quickly get citizenship for themselves (sometimes true, depending on what the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of the Department of Homeland Security finds) and their entire families (not true; each family member has to go through a separate application process). Nevertheless, with the political pressures on Latino families growing daily under this administration, many young Latinos are unable to resist the offer, which immigrants' rights activists see as blatant exploitation of a vulnerable population.

From African American to Latino

Jesus, like the large majority of new military recruits, was signed up through the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), which operates in high schools, GED programs and home-schooling networks across the nation. The well-crafted messages on the DEP website have been in development ever since the draft ended and the all-volunteer military was initiated after Vietnam. The DEP's persuasion campaigns originally targeted black teenagers with the message that military service equaled jobs that promised equal treatment regardless of race. DEP recruiters were able to easily meet their quotas until the early '80s, when enlistment rates of young African Americans began to decline and the rates for Latinos began to rise for reasons the military did not understand. A 1995 article in Marketing Science, "The Navy Enlistment Marketing Experiment," noted that "a surprising development was the emergence of the Hispanic population as an important variable contributing to the pool of ... contracts. Further investigation of the phenomenon is warranted."

Over the next decade, the military commissioned a number of studies on the relationship between race and ethnicity and the "propensity to enlist." For example, the Youth Attitude Tracking Survey, conducted between 1975 and 1999 and published by the Defense Technical Information Center, found a correlation between the rising educational achievement of blacks and lower enlistment rates; and between the low educational achievement of Latinos (particularly if their first language was not English) and rising enlistment rates. As Latinos became a more important source of recruits, the Pentagon hired market research firms to design advertising campaigns that addressed the issues they cared most about--pride in family, children in school and citizenship.

Today, the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force recruitment campaigns focus largely on education and benefits to families. The Army's campaign, created by Cartel Impacto, a cutting-edge firm from San Antonio, uses the firm's proprietary "barrio anthropology" and grassroots "viral and guerilla marketing" techniques to "go deep into the neighborhoods and barrios" in order to tell Latino families how the military can help them have the kind of life they want in America. "We address the core issues of why they left their country in the first place," says a Cartel Impacto spokesperson, who did not want her name published. "You have to conduct your outreach carefully," she says, "using PTAs as an entry point," as well as "local Hispanic groups that the newly arrived would look to."

Recruit friends, earn bucks

These marketing campaigns support the work of recruiters who--as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act--must have free access to students in every one of the country's public schools. Recruiters operating in high schools try to get children as young as 14 to sign up for the military's DEP, which allows them to finish high school before going on active duty. Under the program, these young "men and women," as recruiters are trained to call them, are targeted, tested, gifted, video-gamed, recruitment-faired and career-counseled into enlisting before they turn 18. They are also paid $2,000 for every friend they talk into signing up with them, and, until recently, were paid $50 for every name they brought in to a recruiter. The DEP website provides tips on how students can assist recruiters in signing up their friends. The student can:

· Provide your recruiter with names and numbers of anyone you know who is considering joining the military.
· Obtain the names and numbers of people who work with you or attend places you frequent and the best time to talk to them.
· Obtain the names and numbers of friends or acquaintances who sit with you in classes.
· Help your recruiter by screening his/her lists.
· Accompany your recruiter to places your friends normally hang out and make introductions.

In addition to cash, students who help recruiters to enlist their friends are promoted to a higher military rank, from Private E-1 to Private E-2, even before they are out of high school. The rewards are commensurate with the quality of the friends they recruit, as measured by their friends' ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) scores. "You will get promoted to Private E-2," promises the DEP website, if your referrals lead to the enlistment of "one soldier who scores 50 or higher on the ASVAB," or "two soldiers who score 31-49." Private E-1s are paid $1,301 a month, while E-2s earn $1,458 per month. Further, getting a second high-scoring friend or two more low-scoring friends to enlist earns the student another promotion, to Private E-3, and kicks the entry pay up to $1,534 per month.

Another way DEPs can earn extra money is to volunteer for hazardous duty. Students who sign up to be in a combat unit, or to dismantle explosives, or to handle toxic chemicals, get an additional $150 per month on top of their basic pay. Volunteering for hazardous duty, however, is a relative concept. Since DEP recruits do not, by definition, have a college education, there are few other military occupations open to them, except if their ASVAB scores are high enough for them to qualify for advanced training. But with the greatest need in this war being combat soldiers--so much so that even highly trained Air Force personnel are being sent to work with Army ground troop units--the chances of any DEP recruit getting out of combat duty and its attendant hazards are slim. The ASVAB is also administered only in English; and any job requiring even a security clearance cannot be held by a non-citizen. The implications of these conditions for young immigrants can be deadly.

The Department of Defense's casualty database (http://icasualties.org) doesn't publicly break down the dead and injured by ethnic group, but a tally of Latino surnames found that between January 10 when the surge began and July 1, 20 percent of the 174 young people (aged 18-21) who died were likely to have been Latino (the military does not keep public data on the race or ethnicity of casualties). With the intensification of DEP recruiting efforts in largely Latino high schools since the invasion began, this is no surprise.

Legal illegals vs. illegal illegals

How many of these young Latino recruits are illegal immigrants? "Nobody knows," says Flavia Jimenez, an immigration policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza. "But what we do know is that recruiters may not be up to speed on everybody's legal status. ... We also know that a significant number of [illegals] have died in Iraq." The recruitment of illegal immigrants is particularly intense in Los Angeles, where 75 percent of the high school students are Latino. "A lot of our students are undocumented," says Arlene Inouye, a teacher at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, "and it's common knowledge that recruiters offer green cards." Inouye is the coordinator and founder of the Coalition Against Militarism in Our Schools (CAMS), a counter-recruitment organization that educates teenagers about deceptive recruiting practices. "The practice is pretty widespread all over the nation," she says, "especially in California and Texas. ... The recruiters tell them, 'you'll be helping your family.' "

Inouye referred me to Salvador Garcia, a student whose father had been deported, and who had been approached by a recruiter when he was a freshman at Garfield (He is now a senior). Garcia says the recruiter told him: "If you need papers, come and fight for us and we can get you some, and then you'll never have to mess with immigration." When he told the recruiter that he was born in this country, the recruiter responded, "Do you have anybody in your family that needs a green card, needs papers?" Salvador told him that his father, who had entered the country illegally from Mexico, had recently been deported. "If you join the military you can get your father back," the recruiter said. "It's not a problem, we can get him his papers and nobody will ever bother him again." Salvador almost signed the enlistment form right then, but says he was stopped by the realization of "how it's all connected--the war and Mexico and immigration." He is now active in the counter-recruitment movement.

Recruiters in other parts of the country are making the same promises. In Chicago, for example, Jorge, whose entire family was illegal, joined the military because a high school recruiter promised that he and every member of his family would get a green card. Jorge actually did get a green card while he was in Iraq, but he became so angry and disillusioned when the military did nothing for his family that he went AWOL.

He is now back in Chicago, where a counter-recruitment activist named Juan Torres, whose only son was killed in Afghanistan, is working on getting him discharged from the military. Torres works with a number of counter-recruitment groups, including Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out, but mostly he works on his own, speaking at churches and schools around the country. He estimates that in the past year, close to 200 students have told him that they have been offered green cards for enlisting, and he says he personally knows of "five or six illegal families who have kids without papers in Iraq." Torres talked one teenage girl into changing her mind just as she was about the sign the enlistment papers. He says that the recruiter told her, "Now you're in trouble, you and your family, you will have to leave." And Torres says he once asked a recruiter, the son of one of his friends, "How can you lie to the kids like that?" The recruiter told him, "Sorry, it's my job, and I don't want to go back to Iraq."

Despite the mounting evidence of these recruitment practices, the Pentagon denies that illegal immigrants are in the military. "If there are any," says Pentagon spokesman Joseph Burlas, "then they have fraudulently enlisted, and when they're caught, they are discharged."

That is what happened to Army Pvt Juan Escalante, whose illegal status was discovered while he was serving in Iraq. He was discharged and shipped home, and ICE began deportation proceedings against him and his parents, who had smuggled him into the United States from Mexico when he was four years old. However, Escalante's unit commander wrote a letter on his behalf, saying he had served with distinction, so ICE reversed its decision and accepted his citizenship application. The deportation case against his parents, who also have two U.S.-born children, is still pending.

Another illegal immigrant serving in Iraq, Jose Gutierrez, was not so lucky. He was one of the first members of the U.S. armed forces to die during the invasion. Gutierrez had made his way to this country from Guatemala in 1996, at the age of 15, to escape the violence perpetrated by the death squads, only to be killed in Iraq by friendly fire. When the Pentagon announced his death, it came in the form of a carefully managed PR campaign that included a posthumous award of citizenship for Gutierrez, presumably to show that if an illegal immigrant manages to enlist and make it to Iraq, he will be rewarded. However, Gutierrez remains the only illegal alien on the U.S. casualty rolls whose real hometown is listed, while others who die are reported to be from Boston or Los Angeles, or wherever a recruiter finds them. In New York City, according to counter-recruitment activist Melida Arredondo, whose young stepson was killed in Iraq, DEP recruiters instruct illegal immigrants to write "New York City" as their "home of record address" on the enlistment form, and to write "pending" for their Social Security number.

Non-citizen soldiers

Why is all of this happening, when the enlistment and expedited naturalization of illegal immigrants serving in the armed forces is specifically authorized in U.S. law? An Executive Order signed by President Bush on July 3, 2002, provided for the "expedited naturalization for aliens and noncitizen nationals serving in an active-duty status in the Armed Forces of the United States during the period of the war against terrorists of global reach." Under this order, any noncitizen in the military can apply for expedited citizenship on his first day of active duty. Not only is this order still in effect, but it has been codified in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2006, that authorizes the enlistment of (1) nationals of the United States; (2) aliens who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (green card); (3) residents of several former U.S. territories; and (4) any other person "if the Secretary of Defense determines that such enlistment is vital to the national interest."

With the law so clear on this issue, the treatment of illegal immigrants in the military, both by the Pentagon and by ICE, is difficult to understand. "Apparently," says Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, a nationally known immigration attorney and professor of military law at West Point, "nobody at the Pentagon reviewed the [regulations] on immigrants when the war started." She adds, "If the Pentagon has any immigration attorneys, I haven't met them."

Stock speculates that if the Pentagon is aware of the law, it might be "afraid there would be a political backlash" if the use of immigrant labor for the war were discussed openly. In a later e-mail, she added, "And by the way, the Pentagon has ALWAYS had the authority to recruit foreigners in wartime. ... The only thing that changed in January 2006 [when Bush signed the NDAA] was that Congress made it HARDER for the Pentagon to recruit foreigners who are not Lawful Permanent Residents. It used to be that ANYONE could join the military in wartime--even undocumented immigrants--but now the Service Secretaries have to find that an undocumented person's enlistment is 'in the vital interest' of the United States."

To illustrate her point, Stock noted that a section of the 2006 Immigration and Nationalization Law locates the naturalization of immigrants serving in Iraq firmly in the tradition of naturalizations "during World War I, World War II, Korean hostilities, Vietnam hostilities, [and] other periods of military hostilities." During these wars, citizenship was granted solely on the basis of three years of honorable service or honorable separation from service (discharge), whether or not the person ever lived in the United States."

"Recruiters trying to fill slots have historically pressed vulnerable people into service," says Dan Kesselbrenner, director of the National Immigration Project, a program of the National Lawyers Guild. "But for some people it's the only way they are ever going to get citizenship."

What recruiters do not tell their targets, however, is that the military itself has no authority to grant citizenship. It forwards their citizenship applications to ICE, which will then scrutinize them and their entire families for up to a year. Created under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as the successor to the law enforcement arms of both the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Customs Service, ICE has been tasked "to more effectively enforce our immigration and customs laws and protect the United States against terrorist attacks." ICE does this, as its website explains, "by targeting illegal immigrants: the people, money and materials that support terrorism and other criminal activities."

Recruiters also do not tell their targets that citizenship can be denied for the very same past criminal offenses that the military may have overlooked when admitting them--such as being in the country illegally. Nor do they tell recruits that citizenship can be denied for any kind of dishonorable behavior, which includes refusing to participate in combat. The immigrant law that provides for the naturalization of illegal immigrants in the military clearly states, "No person who ... was a conscientious objector who performed no military, air, or naval duty ... or refused to wear the uniform, shall be regarded as having served honorably or having been separated under honorable conditions." This means, according to Stock and other military law experts, that while applying for conscientious objector status is not, by itself, grounds for a dishonorable discharge, attempting to act on one's beliefs by refusing to fight, wear a uniform or carry a weapon, constitutes disobeying an order, which is dishonorable behavior.

As the war in Iraq drags on and recruiters step up their efforts to enlist high school students--even demanding the right to come into classrooms--teachers, parents, and students themselves are doing what they can to slow the rate of enlistment of young immigrants who believe that military service is their path to citizenship. But as long as American citizenship remains a kind of salvation myth for the Latino community, military recruiters will be able to exploit their longing for it.

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill (S 1639), which failed to pass the Senate in June, proposed to give legal permanent residency to any "alien who has served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, has received an honorable discharge." In other words, illegal immigrants have been in the military all along, and the government was getting ready to admit it. Now, with the bill's defeat, they will be forced to remain hidden, and the sacrifices they have made for this country will continue to go unacknowledged.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to thank Melida Arredondo for her assistance to this article.

What life is like in Iraq - Video

2007-07-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

And here we fight to bring them home
GOD, may we find peace!
Bring them home now damnit!

IMPEACH THE WHITE HOUSE FOR WAR CRIMES

What life is like in Iraq video

Carlos Arredondo joins Cindy Sheehan on her walk

2007-07-18T21:49:00.000-04:00

"Give War a Chance" ...by Cindy Sheehan

Journey for Humanity and Accountability - Day 9

Being in the deep south has been a very interesting experience. As George's approval numbers hover down somewhere in Congress's range and approval for their war is shrinking, we have encountered very little opposition to our message, but the opposition we have encountered has been vile, abusive and potentially dangerous.

In Houston, one of the more active kingdoms of war profiteering, we encountered no protest. As a matter of fact, while we were stationed on a bridge over I-10 holding our "Impeach Bush and Cheney" and "Troops home now" signs, we had almost 100% approval. People were actually stopping their cars to applaud us and in some cases, join us.

Our next stop was New Orleans where the policies of BushCo are still harming our brothers and sisters. The various governments are gobbling up land in poor, but hard-working class areas to be used for upscale housing and/or casinos. We met with several grass-roots organizations who are feeding people, helping them find homes and jobs. There was also not one peep of opposition to our message because the people of New Orleans intimately understand the reasons that BushCo should be impeached.

The fun started, however when we got to Montgomery, AL where right off the bat, the Secretary of the Montgomery Repugs confronted me and displayed his ignorance by stating that he loves George Bush and that George had "nothing" to do with the war in Iraq. When some Veterans for Peace confronted him and asked him why he didn't enlist to go to Iraq if he was such a strong supporter of the mayhem, he let us know that he was "courageously" supporting the war effort by staying in America, working and "paying his taxes." Now that the encounter with this brave patriot has been shown all over cable news, every pipsqueak repug with a bad toupe will be confronting me to get his 15 minutes of fame.

In Montgomery, our Caravan met with many nice folks who were on the side of impeachment and ending the war with us, but we also ran into a couple of people who were upset with BushCo for different reasons. On a beautiful, magnolia tree lined street where our group was hosted for a pot-luck, a home had the sign: "Give War a Chance." The homeowner and father of five told us that George Bush "is a pu**y" and that if he were President, he would "wipe out" the entire Middle East with nukes. He has a service age daughter whom he said he would be proud for her to go to Iraq and he would be thrilled if she got some "confirmed kills." Another gentleman driving down the street didn't know why we were so upset because America had a "civil war" so why can't Iraq "have one?" We all needed to be decontaminated on that visit!

At the School of the Assassins in Columbus, GA and in Charlotte, NC, we ran into similar problems: police presence that seemed to be there to foster violence At both places the neo-Nazi, pro-war fascist group "Gathering of Eagles" came out to mostly try to intimidate us from our mission. At Ft. Benning, after we complained, the police kept them separate from us, but in Charlotte, the police refused saying that the Eagles had their rights to "freedom of speech." But the Eagles' freedom of speech has included physical threats against me and actual physical force against kids and women. When the Charlotte police were told this, they said that they couldn't keep them apart from our group until the Eagles actually did something. So I chose to stay away from the rally then go and perhaps cause them to hurt someone else because of my presence. Freedom of speech is one thing, but I don't believe that the First Amendment protects violent speech, especially if it is one of the neocons or their media supporters calling for increased violence in the Middle East. Nothing about our movement promotes or calls for violence and it would be swell if the CPD protected everyone's First Amendment rights, not just people whom they agree with. Gold Star Father, Carlos Arredondo, joined us in Charlotte with his display about the personal cost of war which doesn't affect the "Gathering of Chickenhawks" at all, in fact we believe that they are the ones who disgrace our children's memories and the memories of the fallen in Vietnam by supporting another 'Nam like quagmire.

It is my belief that for all human history, we have been giving "war a chance" and it has never worked. There has never been a "war to end all wars." No matter how much BushCo blather, peace cannot be spread by the use of force and democracy cannot be forced on a people at the end of a M-16. Congressional Democrats are busy throwing up smokescreens...or bones...to their "anti-war" left by their meaningless bills after they gave George 120 billion more dollars to wage these wars of aggression and potentially invade Iran.

As one of my peace idols, John Lennon said let's "give peace a chance."

For more information about the Journey for Humanity and Accountability, or to donate to help defray expenses, please go to www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org.

IMPEACH THE WHITE HOUSE

2007-07-17T07:27:00.000-04:00

I haven't had time to blog. Believe me I've seen enough out there to share it plenty of times but never had the time to sit down and do a blog. If there was one thing I would want would be to have more hours in a day. Day's go by like hours.

Cindy Sheehan has returned to the fight for our freedom. There are so many people who stand up for our rights, our freedom here by standing up to the people who took over our government. The other side of the divide is afraid what will happen if there are more Cindy Sheehans - thats why they dog her so much. To try and make others who want to do what she is doing to shut up and go home. I am thankful for the people who are able to give of themselves to us here at home. We all have a role to play. Some have bigger parts than others. Cindy is playing a very big role. The Arredondo's give of themselves as much as Cindy but don't get the attention. They want to dog Cindy :)

We have laws. Most of us live by the laws set up for us to survive in society. When laws are broken society will run a muck. No one is above the law. We are at a tipping point. If we don't hold this White House accountable for their actions there really isn't any hope for my children's future. We must stand up and fight for what we have.

IMPEACH

You do good - you get good. You do bad - you get bad. In one way or another these people who have do so much wrong to other people will be getting their bad.....in one way or another.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Sheehan's anti-war crusade picks the wrong target

By DeWayne Wickham

As bad ideas go, this one is a real loser.

Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war mom of an American soldier who was killed in Iraq, is threatening to challenge the re-election of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sheehan says she'll mount a third party campaign to unseat the California Democrat if Pelosi doesn't move quickly to impeach President Bush.

(Photo -- Sheehan: Has set July 23 as deadline for Pelosi. / AP)

"I really am challenging Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party to be different," Sheehan said last week during a call-in to the MSNBC show Morning Joe, which is hosted by former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough. "If she hasn't put impeachment on the table by July 23, then I will run against her."

Like Pelosi — and just about every other Democrat in the House of Representatives — Sheehan wants Bush to withdraw American forces from the sectarian quagmire that rages in Iraq. But unlike Pelosi, Sheehan doesn't seem to understand the politics of impeachment.

While Democrats have the simple majority that is needed to adopt articles of impeachment against Bush, assuming the vast majority of House Democrats would support such a move, the 49 Senate Democrats and the two independents who are aligned with them fall far short of the 67 votes needed in that body to convict Bush of an impeachable offense. In fact, not a single Republican senator has shown any willingness to support a move to impeach Bush, the GOP's titular head.

If Pelosi did push the House to impeach the president, Congress would plunge into an even deeper partisan divide and there would be little hope of a significant withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq before the president's fate is decided.

Remember Clinton mess?

The Republican effort to impeach President Clinton dragged on for four months from October 1998 to February 1999 — a time during which much of Congress' other business virtually came to a halt.

So why should Pelosi lead House Democrats into that political bog?

If Sheehan's goal is to end the war, and not just drag Bush into an impeachment process that he would likely win, she should set her sights on the House and Senate Republicans who are thwarting the efforts of Democrats to enact legislation that would force the president to accept a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq.

If it's an election fight she wants, Sheehan and her supporters should take on those Republicans. But, instead, Sheehan threatens to rain friendly fire down upon Pelosi, a leader of the anti-war forces on Capitol Hill.

That doesn't make sense.

Long shot candidate

Of course, Sheehan doesn't have a chance of unseating Pelosi. Two years ago, the San Francisco Democrat scored a landslide victory for an 11th term in Congress. She got 80% of the vote in that contest, which pitted her against a Republican and two third-party challengers.

But while Sheehan has no chance of beating the House speaker, she might be able to inflict some serious damage on the Democratic Party. As the leading voice of a nationwide anti-war movement, Sheehan has become a darling of more than a few left-wing liberals — a core voting bloc for Democrats. If she takes on Pelosi, Sheehan could cause a splintering among party liberals that might spread across the nation.

Impeachment should be treated as a serious matter — and not a means of settling political scores. It shouldn't be used to resolve a policy dispute. As misguided as I think the president was in ordering an invasion of Iraq — and as wrong as I think he is to keep U.S. troops immersed in Iraq's civil war — I don't think his bad acts rise to the level of an impeachable offense.

The war in Iraq has caused this nation enough needless suffering. Trying to impeach Bush, with what we currently know about his actions, would be an unnecessary act of national self-flagellation.

If she wants to be a serious actor in the effort to end the Iraq war, Cindy Sheehan has to do a better job of picking her targets — and focusing her rage.

DeWayne Wickham writes on Tuesdays for USA TODAY.

omegis13 wrote: 6h 21m ago

Settling political scores!? You would actually think that impeachment of Bush would simply be done in retaliation for impeaching Clinton!? And your article was actually posted in a serious, national news journal? What planet are you from, honestly? Trying to compare the reasons behind Clinton's impeachment and the reasons Bush should be impeached are like comparing apples and oranges. One was based on the idea that the personal (and sexual) life of the POUSA was of any concern to the American people, while the other stands accused of lying to the country and fabricating evidence to rally support for an aggressive war (and yes, pre-emptive defense is aggression, no matter who it is applied to), trampling the Bill of Rights, and cronyism that has not only been obsurd, but has actually cost people their lives. The grounds for investigation (which is all that impeachment really ammounts to) into Bush's "possible" wrong-doing's are a matter of national concern, unlike wondering what the definition of sex is. Even if Bush was not removed from office by impeachment, impeaching him is EXACTLY what needs to happen! It is the way the process was designed to proceed! Even if he isn't removed from office, the process must be allowed to work as designed! The Constitution was not intended to create a system for parties to act based on what would gain popularity in the next elections. It was designed to function in the present. If our commander in chief stands accused of such blatant and inflamitory acts of corruption and warmongering from a considerable number of people from all parts of the country, I do believe investigation is meritted, even if only to satisfy the curiousity of the nation.

GH

us constitution wrote: 6h 11m ago

Wow. Mr. Wickham must have been sleeping in civics class when they talked about the constitution and most days today. I am against the war, but asserting the constitution is much more important in my opinion. Pelosi and every other member in congress took an oath to the constitution, not political expediency and gamesmanship.

By remaining silent, Pelosi and others accept the unitary executive theory, the right for the president to determine what is torture and when it can be used (read the recent interview with Gen. Taguba please Mr. Wickham), the right of the president to abduct and hold people in secret prisons with no accountability, the right of the president's counsel to refuse a congressional subpeona (Nixon wouldn't even do this--remember John Dean--you might have to google that episode Mr. Wickham) etc. etc. According to the constitution NO PRESIDENT has those rights. As someone who served in the military took and administered an oath to the constitution many times and someone who typically votes GOP more than any other party, I applaud Cindy Sheehan and hope others like her come forward and challenge the mindless political/media cabal that is destroying our country and repeating the fall of Rome.

SJB325 wrote: 1h 45m ago

It seem's that those who support Bill Clinton forget that lying under oath is a crime just a reminder. As for Sheehan let her run , let her push for impeachment, let the Dem's debate each other.My feeling is this the more liberal's show their true self the better for the country, as more people will relize that these people want nothing less than total control ,free speech out freedom of religon out , and any other personal choice that they don't agree with so let her run and show the people these things so we will know who the enemies of freedom and it's allies are Sgt Steven Boucher Iraq

Cindy Sheehan's March from Texas to Arrive in D.C. on July 23

Cindy Sheehan is leading a march/drive from Crawford, Texas, to New York City. Participants in this Journey for Humanity share the goals of ending the occupation of Iraq, impeaching Cheney and Bush, restoring New Orleans, and funding human needs at home and in Iraq and Afghanistan. The march has already made big news in several states. Watch this video of a heated discussion between Cindy and an Alabama chickenhawk.

The march will include stops at the district offices of House Judiciary Committee Members Mel Watt, Howard Coble, and Bobby Scott along the way, before arriving in Washington, D.C., on July 23rd. Below is the route and a link for more information and to get involved.

July 17 Charlotte NC noon rally at Rep. Watt's office, 5 p.m. at Bryant Park
July 18 Greensboro NC 2:30 p.m. at Rep. Watt's office, 3:30 p.m. at Rep. Coble's office, 6 p.m. at Bennett College
July 19 Lynchburg VA 6 p.m. meet downtown at base of Monument Terrace, march to Riverfront Park
July 20 Charlottesville VA rally at 6 p.m. at Downtown Mall
July 21 Richmond VA
July 22 Arlington VA
July 23 Washington D.C. 10 a.m. at Arlington Cemetery, march to U.S. Capitol
July 24 Philadelphia PA
July 25 Allentown PA
July 26 New York NY
July 27 United Nations Action
July 29 Gathering of Hearts Fest, location to be announced
http://www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org

The Orange Revolution Begins July 23

On July 23, 2002, the head of British intelligence reported that Bush and Cheney were intent on invading Iraq and planned to "fix the intelligence and facts around the policy". Five years later a million people have died in Iraq as a direct result of these lies with no end in sight. Torture has been institutionalized, habeas corpus eviscerated, and illegal spying made routine. New Orleans lies devastated along with the Constitution and the rule of law. And Bush and Cheney are making a mockery of the Democrats' feeble gestures towards accountability.

Enough is enough, and this July 23rd we will launch a new phase in the movement for peace and justice. We call it the Orange Revolution because starting that day wearing orange will signify that you want Congress to START IMPEACHMENT and STOP THE WAR. The majority of Americans, who want to see Bush and Cheney impeached and want an immediate end to this war, are made effectively invisible by a complicit media. Wearing orange will be our signal to each other, and to the world, about where we stand. Anything orange will do: a t-shirt, a wristband, your shoelaces. Get creative and send us your ideas. Here are a couple of great items you can wear designed specifically for the Orange Revolution:

Orange "Drive out the Bush Regime" bandanas.

Orange "Impeach Bush and Cheney" t-shirts:

http://www.beachblogger.net/barbara

The Orange Revolution will be launched with acts of civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere to show Congress that we are serious.

In Washington, D.C. on July 23, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Ann Wright, Debra Sweet, Dave Lindorff, David Swanson, Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin, Kevin Zeese, Tina Richards, and others will march from Arlington National Cemetery to the office of Congressman John Conyers. They will sit in Conyers' office reciting the U.S. Constitution until they are either arrested or he agrees to start impeachment. You can also come and choose not to risk arrest. Meet at 10 a.m. outside the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/sit

Similiar actions will take place the same day in the offices of Rep. Howard Berman in California and Rep. Pete Visclosky in Indiana, and at Rep. Conyers' district offices in Detroit. If you are willing to go to jail for justice, you are encouraged to come to Washington to participate in the civil disobedience, or to stage a sit-in at your congress member's district office, either on the 23rd or another day. Using our new tool, you can pledge to take part only if 20 others do the same: http://www.democrats.com/sit

If you cannot join in on the 23rd, please wear orange in solidarity, and please phone Congressman Conyers' office that day asking him to please move forward on impeachment: (202) 225-5126.

_______________

Get Presidential

Also on July 23rd, the Democratic presidential candidates will take part in an evening debate run by CNN, Google, and Youtube. People are submitting their own questions through Youtube, and currently the fourth most popular topic is impeachment. You can submit questions and vote on them here:
http://www.communitycounts.us/cgi/demdebateVIEW.cgi

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Cheney Is Pushing Bush to Attack Iran

The latest disturbing news on the Vice President's push for another aggressive war is here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/taxonomy/term/51

The third article of impeachment against Cheney contained in H. Res. 333 charges him with threatening an aggressive war on Iran. Impeachment can prevent Cheney from acting on his threat. Watch Robert Greenwald's video and sign the petition:
http://www.impeachcheney.org

Learn more about this bill and what you can do to impeach Dick Cheney:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/cheney

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Join People of Iraq in Opposing Theft of Oil

Today, July 16, Iraqis took to the streets of Basra, Iraq, in opposition to the Oil Law that the US government is pressuring the Iraqi Parliament to pass. See video. Led by the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), this demonstration charged that the proposed Oil Law surrenders Iraq’s economic sovereignty to multinational oil companies and demanded that the Iraqi Parliament reject it.

The people of Iraq are united in opposition to the Oil Law, but the Iraqi Parliament continues to face intense pressure from the Bush Administration. The law would open two thirds of Iraq’s oil to foreign control through contracts that could last as long as 30 years. Originally written with the assistance of US officials and contractors, the law is also one the benchmarks imposed by the US that the Iraqis must meet in order to receive continued reconstruction aid.

Drop the Benchmark! Take action in solidarity with the people of Iraq!

If you live in the United States, please call or write to your elected officials today and tell them to drop the oil law benchmark and cease all U.S. pressure on the Iraqis to pass the Oil Law. Tell them it is unacceptable that the US has any role in determining the future of Iraq’s oil industry, especially when it is being written to primarily benefit US companies. Use this link to email your members of Congress, or reach your members by calling the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for your member’s office.

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Bill Moyers Airs One-Hour Impeachment Special on PBS

On Friday, PBS aired a one-hour special on impeachment featuring Bruce Fein, Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan and well-known Republican, and John Nichols, author of "The Genius of Impeachment" and well-known Democrat, both arguing for impeachment. Watch it here.

Use this and other videos to organize events in your town or your house:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/eventresources

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Cities for Peace Day and Concert for Impeachment

July 31, 2007, is Cities for Peace Day in Washington DC! Come, March, Hold Your City's Sign! Cities for Peace is a campaign that has helped people all over the country persuade 255 city and state governments to pass resolutions calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq.

AfterDowningStreet.org and Democrats.com ask you to help us speed up the end of the Iraq occupation by participating on July 31 in DC. Please come and hold Cities for Peace signs for your community or your neighbors' community! We will march to the White House and deliver resolutions, petitions, and referenda. And we will accompany locally-elected officials to Capitol Hill where they will give testimony on the Local Costs of the Iraq War.

We are endorsing, promoting and participating in this exciting event and we need your participation as well: http://www.citiesforpeace.org

The day's events will be followed by a concert for impeachment at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

When war breaks you~Cindy Sheehan and Mark Twain

2007-06-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

I haven't felt like posting much on my blog. Sometimes the events of the day of which I have no control over wear at my being. It's hard to take day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. I read, I speak to others about the events but sometimes you have to decide where your going to put your energy in the 24 hours given to you each day. There are only very few days of breath in a life time.

How we choose to spend our time determines what kind of life we will have. My days are long gone standing in the streets holding up a sign in protest of the war . It doesn't help to end the killing. All you get are people either shooting you a bird with their middle finger or honks for peace from cars driving by. Your either on one side of the divide or the other. If your for killing people and this invasion your not going to change your mind at this point. I'd much rather be giving my time to my children, to my family, to my business because the power elite doesn't care if your in their free speech zone. Their going to keep killing people so they can make more money.

I was kinda shocked when I found out Cindy Sheehan was going home. Just the day before I had emailed her to tell her I was thinking of her and Casey. I told her a gift from Casey to her was for her to be good to herself. I was very happy for her when she decided to go home because I've been telling her for a long time that this is her life and she needs to spend her time with what brings her the most joy. Life is precious. We must use the gift the best we can. For someone who loves her children so much to do what Cindy did for Casey, I knew for her to have the most joy in her life was to spend time with her children. Almost 3 years Cindy gave her time - her life to us. I am so thankful for what she did for our country and my children's future. She didn't have to give 3 years of her life to us but she did. She has learned like I did a while ago that standing in the streets doesn't get you anywhere in todays society. They just don't care. This country isn't about "we the people" any longer. We have no control what they do to us ~ no choice what is being done ~ we only can control our on actions and reactions.

So, I've been giving my time to myself. Trying to give my energy to positive things and not to the negative. What you feed grows. I don't want to give in to the death and destruction anymore. I choose to celebrate life by spending my short time given to me by sharing love and life. Honoring those who's death I had no control over but never wanted to happen. This is why I say enjoy your moments ~ it's all we have are our moments.

From a great article I read this morning. I never read Mark Twain but I think I'm going to have to after reading what Ramzy Baroud wrote:

When I resorted to Mark Twain’s writings I attempted to escape, at least temporarily from my often distressing readings on war, politics and terror. But his “The Mysterious Stranger,” although published 1916, still left me with an eerie feel. The imaginative story calls into question beliefs that we hold as a “matter of course” -- a favorite phrase of his. It summons the awful tendencies of “our race”: our irrational drive for violence, be it burning ‘witches’ at the stake or engaging in wars that only serve the “little monarchs and the nobilities.”

As the Iraq war rages on, Twain's words ring truer by the day. "The loud little handful will shout for war ... Then the handful will shout louder. A few fair men on the other side will argue and reason against the war with speech and pen, and at first will have hearing and be applauded; but it will not last long; those others will out shout them and presently the anti-war audiences will thin and lose popularity. Before long you will see the most curious thing: the speakers stoned from the platform, and free speech strangled by hordes of furious men. And now the whole nation will take up the war-cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open.

"Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after the process of grotesque self-deception."

READ MORE

Thank you Ramzy for writing this and sharing with all of us. Our lessons will keep repeating themselves until we learn what is being taught to us.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY - enjoy your moments with your children. Moments so many fathers no longer have with their children.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Secret Service tries to run interference for Bush from Pro Peace Rally ~ Carlos and Melida speaking

2007-05-21T21:21:00.000-04:00

Go listen to Carlos and Melida Arredondo speak New London, CT - Wed, May 23 - Be at Tampa & Mohegan Ave. by 9:00 am! Show King George who owns this country. Bush tries to hide from the citizens of his own nation. The are trying to shut down our voice from being heard but the masses grow. Each and every year more understand what has been done to us and done in our name.

I wish I could be with my friends. Survival in today's society doesn't allow me that option. I hope many show up, hold up signs and tell the King his days are numbered.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Turn up the Heat Campaign

George Bush can't hide from anti-war protests
Secret Service tries to run interference for Bush
New London, CT - Wed, May 23 - Be at Tampa & Mohegan Ave. by 9:00 am!

Background

Momentum is building for the Wednesday, May 23 Protest Bush Rally at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where President Bush is the commencement speaker. People will be gathering at 9:00 am at the main gate at Tampa and Mohegan Ave.

Contingents are coming from Hartford, New Haven, New York City, Willimantic, Mystic, Boston, Cape Cod, New Paltz, NY, Portland, ME, and many other cities and towns. Iraq war veterans, military & family members, other veterans, the Arab American & Muslim community, students & youth, and many others will be speaking at the rally (see below for a partial speakers list).

Today (Monday), the ImpeachBush.org movement led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark ran an ad in the Hartford Courant announcing that the impeachment and anti-war movements have joined forces for the May 23 Protest Bush Rally. The Courant is read by more than 200,000 people throughout Connecticut and New England.

This has been a tremendous mobilization. We couldn't have done it without your help. If you cannot attend but can help by making a financial contribution, click this link to make a tax-deductible donation or learn how to send a check.

Knowing full well that opposition to the war is increasing and that many organizations and communities are coming to New London, Connecticut on May 23, the Bush administration is hoping to sanitize the area so that anti-Bush, anti-war and pro-impeachment signs are not visible. The Secret Service is functioning as the private political security for the Bush administration and using "national security" as the pretext once again to attempt to banish dissent from the USCGA.

We have seen the Bush administration use this tactic before. During the 2004 election campaign, security was used as a pretext to evict anyone with anti-Bush buttons, t-shirts or signs from campaign rallies. At the Republican National Convention in August 2004, the government attempted to banish mass protest from midtown Manhattan. And then at the inauguration in January 2005, the Bush administration tried to keep dissent off of the inaugural route.

But on all of these occasions we challenged violations of our First Amendment rights, and we succeeded. Protests were held along the campaign trail, right outside of the RNC and on the inaugural route. In every instance, "security" is used to cover the reality: Bush is afraid of the political embarrassment of anti-war protesters being everywhere that he is because he knows that opposition to the war only continues to grow.

Now, the government is attempting to use national security as a pretext to avoid the political embarrassment of large numbers of people holding up antiwar signs and banners directly in front of the Coast Guard Academy grounds. On Friday, the Secret Service decided that the area that has a direct view of the USCGA would be off limits to anti-war demonstrators. They also announced that roads throughout the area - including the I-95 Gold Star bridge used to travel into New London from the north and the I-95 north route over the bridge - will be shut down mid-morning, thus trying to limit people's ability to access the other permitted area by car and possibly by foot.

The government would happily give people a permit to be anywhere other than right outside of the USCGA. We must not be diverted. We can defeat their attempt to banish visible dissent because we know their tactic well.

The best way to do that is to be at Tampa and Mohegan Ave. at 9:00 am with your friends, family, co-workers and fellow students. We have a permit for this area. This is where the local, national and international media will be. This is where anti-war activists from throughout Connecticut, New England and the Mid-Atlantic will be. If you come directly to the main gate of the USCGA by 9:00 am you will be able to access it before roads are closed.

This week, we will be waging a challenge that asserts the right of the people to rally in all of the areas in front of the USCGA. The street in front of the Coast Guard Academy is not the exclusive, private property of Bush administration or government officials.

We want to make it clear to everyone that we have obtained permitted space on the side of the USCGA along Mohegan Ave. between Tampa and Williams. You have the lawful right to come to Coast Guard Academy to make your views known, seen and heard. We will continue to fight restrictions on the other permitted areas - and work to ensure that everyone can access the areas for which we definitely have permits.

Please make sure you spread the message far and wide that anyone who wants to protest Bush and show the world that the people of the U.S. are against this war should come right to the USCGA by 9:00 am on Wednesday to ensure that you don't miss this important event and that you are right there when he gives his commencement address.

Rally speakers

Speakers at the 9:00 am rally at the main gate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Tampa and Mohegan Ave.) will include military families who have lost children in Iraq, veterans, anti-war and student movement leaders and more.

Speakers will include:

Carlos and Melida Arredondo, whose son, a U.S. marine, was killed in Iraq in 2004
Elliot Adams, President of Veterans for Peace
Ted Goodnight, US Army veteran of the Afghanistan war who served in 2003 and 2004
The College Faculty, organizer of a large contingent of Connecticut college faculty mobilizing for the protest
Representatives of Veterans for Peace chapters from throughout the region
Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition
Eugene Puryear, National Organizer of Youth and Student ANSWER
Connecticut Student Movement leaders
Statements from Iraq Veterans Against the War and active duty soldiers organizing for withdrawal of American forces and bases from Iraq.

Logistics

New London, CT - Wed, May 23
Be at Tampa & Mohegan Ave. by 9:00 am!

Logistical information: maps, directions & more.

Transportation Information

Honor the "right kind" of military on Memorial Day

2007-05-20T08:15:00.000-04:00

I shake my head all the time when I come across the other side of the divide. Here I am sipping on my coffee - reading - and I come across this letter to the editor from Poughkeepse Journal.com

Take the time to honor the heroes in military

Memorial Day is a celebration of those who have sacrificed for us and a show of appreciation to their families

People like Cindy Sheehan and the self-serving politicians are always with us. They are self-absorbed attention seekers. How would Sheehan’s son feel to see his mother dishonor his memory?

We firmly believe if these heroes had not volunteered to serve our country, another tragedy bigger than 9/11 would have already been delivered. We probably cannot escape the madness of those who want to destroy us. That we have escaped so far is due to the efforts of these heroes.

A death by friendly fire is a wartime risk and, sad as it is, it is an honorable sacrifice.
Patriotism is a blessing; take time to think of and pray for our military personnel. Let their families know they are appreciated and remembered always.

Tobi & Marion Cantwell
Poughkeepsie

WOW, I just can't believe I just read that. Honor some military families but not the ones who don't believe like you. And if we aren't fighting them over there they will come here to kill us. The only thing Tobi & Marion Cantwell got right was patriotism is a blessing. Except our all volunteer military are being asked to do things they shouldn't be doing. They are giving up their lives for false freedom. And once they join the military there is no way they are getting out.

I listened to "The Ring of Fire" yesterday.

The U.S. military is redeploying seriously injured soldiers to fight in Iraq. Mark Benjamin of Salon.com relates what he witnessed at the Army's Third Infantry division in Fort Benning, Georgia.

They were talking about all the soldiers who are being sent back on thier second, third and sometimes fourth tour of duty and many who have physical injurys, head injuries, breathing problems. Many of these "kids" don't want to return. - we should be fighting them there so we don't fight them here - BULL SHIT! I say - I'll take my chances. Bring our troops home now!

The other side of the divide always uses fear and 9/11 to control. Right there is where they start off by being wrong. Nine eleven and Iraq have NOTHING to do with one another. The lies that have been told about that day are crazy and that people still use 9/11 and Iraq in the same breath are insane. If the other side of the divide would just look at the evidence of that day they will see who they should fear and it's not the Iraqi people. And I wish someone would show me the plane that hit the pentagon.

Just show me one plane part - just one!

Tobi & Marion Cantwell, stop living in fear and we can bring our troops home. And Cindy Sheehan is doing more for fighting for our freedoms than our military are doing in Iraq. But you don't like her and want her to go away. She is fighting them here so we don't have to fight them there. I wonder how much killing is ok with you. As long as it isn't your death, right?

YES, do take time to honor our fallen heros on Memorial Day. Many have died for our freedom. Many more have died because of the love of power and money. Still, they give their lives for ours. They are HERO's!

May PEACE be inside ALL of us so we don't add to the numbers on Memorial Day,
Cindy

Soldier’s wife censored
Elizabeth Verbich-Britton doesn’t think for a minute that her opinion on the Iraq war is any more valuable than any other American’s. But because her husband is a soldier in Iraq, it’s a bit more personal for her.

So, when her landlord forced her to remove her “U.S. Out of Iraq Now!” poster from her bedroom window, she was incensed.

“The sign was up for about a month,” she said during an interview at her apartment on East 10th Street. “I heard nothing from anyone about it, and then all of a sudden I got a letter from Woodbridge management saying I had to take the sign out of my window. And of course I was angry right away.”

From an Angry Soldier

2007-05-18T21:32:00.000-04:00

I just saw this on craigslist.org. Thought I would share with you.
Peace inside,
Cindy

From an Angry Soldier

Date: 2007-04-10, 1:00PM PDT

I'm having the worst damn week of my whole damn life so I'm going to write this while I'm pissed off enough to do it right.

I am SICK of all this bullshit people are writing about the Iraq war. I am abso-fucking-lutely sick to death of it. What the fuck do most of you know about it? You watch it on TV and read the commentaries in the newspaper or Newsweek or whatever god damn yuppie news rag you subscribe to and think you're all such fucking experts that you can scream at each other like five year old about whether you're right or not. Let me tell you something: unless you've been there, you don't know a god damn thing about it. It you haven't been shot at in that fucking hell hole, SHUT THE FUCK UP!

How do I dare say this to you moronic war supporters who are "Supporting our Troops" and waving the flag and all that happy horse shit? I'll tell you why. I'm a Marine and I served my tour in Iraq. My husband, also a Marine, served several. I left the service six months ago because I got pregnant while he was home on leave and three days ago I get a visit from two men in uniform who hand me a letter and tell me my husband died in that fucking festering sand-pit. He should have been home a month ago but they extended his tour and now he's coming home in a box.

You fuckers and that god-damn lying sack of shit they call a president are the reason my husband will never see his baby and my kid will never meet his dad.

And you know what the most fucked up thing about this Iraq shit is? They don't want us there. They're not happy we came and they want us out NOW. We fucked up their lives even worse than they already were and they're pissed off. We didn't help them and we're not helping them now. That's what our soldiers are dying for.

Oh while I'm good and worked up, the government doesn't even have the decency to help out the soldiers whos lives they ruined. If you really believe the military and the government had no idea the veterans' hospitals were so fucked up, you are a god-damn retard. They don't care about us. We're disposable. We're numbers on a page and they'd rather forget we exist so they don't have to be reminded about the families and lives they ruined while they're sipping their cocktails at another fund raiser dinner. If they were really concerned about supporting the troops, they'd bring them home so their families wouldn't have to cry at a graveside and explain to their children why mommy or daddy isn't coming home. Because you can't explain it. We're not fighting for our country, we're not fighting for the good of Iraq's people, we're fighting for Bush's personal agenda. Patriotism my ass. You know what? My dad served in Vietnam and NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

So I'm pissed. I'm beyond pissed. And I'm going to go to my husband funeral and recieve that flag and hang it up on the wall for my baby to see when he's older. But I'm not going to tell him that his father died for the stupidty of the American government. I'm going to tell him that his father was a hero and the best man I ever met and that he loved his country enough to die for it, because that's all true and nothing will be solved by telling my son that his father was sent to die by people who didn't care about him at all.

Fuck you, war supporters, George W. Bush, and all the god damn mother fuckers who made the war possible. I hope you burn in hell.

Morgan and Move America Forward are no better than the KKK

2007-05-18T07:28:00.000-04:00

Melanie Morgan is one of the biggest drum beaters for the other side of the divide. Her and the group she belongs to, Move America Forward, are some of the most hate filled selfish people in our country. They believe they come first before any other. If you don't believe as they do your not being an American. They are the true Americans in their eyes.

This "award winning" (as she calls herself) reporter, Morgan, can write about so much hate. I'm amazed all the time what she spews. You have to read her latest.

Despite Sen. Harry Reid's determination that the United States has lost the war in Iraq, our troops are still dug in like there's real hope. What are these guys thinking? Do they believe America, the world's only super power, has a real chance to beat a rag-tag group of terrorists who hide in caves and use cell-phone batteries and children's toys in their high-tech war on the West?
......

Many pro-troop, pro-American and pro-defense groups are still very much alive and thriving, but the liberal media are largely ignoring our efforts. They pretend our voices don't matter because the polls say we are in the minority. Despite their phony claims of giving voice to minority opinions, the media have turned their backs on any idea that doesn't fit their template of this "lost" war.

A reporter from the UK wanted to do an article about both sides of the divide. It was hard for him to find a group who supports the PNAC and their invasion in Iraq. As Morgan states in her article, there aren't many people that think like them. After the reporter found out about Morgan and her group his choice was not to include some of their statements in his article. Because he did this Morgan is calling him "liberal media" and whining how she can't get her message out to the masses.

Being American is having freedoms of all kinds. Freedom and choices within the society we live in at the time. Everyone get's to have their voice heard. All walks of life are allowed to exist here. Just because someone doesn't think like you doesn't mean they don't have a right to exist as your neighbor or that they aren't an American. I may not like anything about the KKK but I do accept their right to exist. I only hope they stay small as a group. Most people realize hating someone because of the color of their skin is so wrong. Still there are a few who do. Most people realize what we have done in Iraq is wrong. When you do something wrong you try to make it right. Most Americans realize this except a very few who want to use fear to control masses. Iraq can not be won because we were wrong to invade the country in the first place. This was not done because of 9/11. It was done by the PNAC who wanted to control that part of the world and their oil. They wanted to make grand oil profits and they have.

We can no longer be a presence in Iraq. The longer we stay, the more hate we breed in their youth. The youth who have to live with death and destruction daily. Imagine if our kids had to live they way the Iraqi kids are growing up with. Imagine the hate our kids would have with the people doing this to them. Morgan and her group do not understand this. They only understand "there going to kill us if we don't kill them". Don't kill them and they won't want to come kill you. Our actions have reactions. Since the 1950's we have been doing wrong in the middle east. Now we are receiving the reactions to those actions many years ago. How much worst does Morgan and her crowd want this to get for our children in their future. Does she want to create so much hate we destroy the world?

Good job Mr Benson, reporter from the UK, for not spewing the crap Morgan and her group Move America Forward put out. They can try all they want to get their hate message out, just like the KKK. We have a choice how long and far we'll let their message travel. But, just like the KKK when you start hearing these people speak you realize how crazy they are.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us ~ for our children and their future,
Cindy

Mahablog has more and video of Morgan spewing her crap on PBS. She's won't be invited back. Actions have reactions Ms. Morgan.

VoteVets.org is winning over prowar Move America Forward

2007-05-17T08:22:00.000-04:00

This is a very good article about both sides of the divide.

Here in Broward County less then half of the people who live here are registered to vote. Out of those half maybe 30% show up to vote. If people did get involved with their freedom, I believe you would find there are more people who don't support this war as apposed to those who do. I believe it would be more like 10% of our population agree with the White House instead of the 35% they always talk about. The sleeping nation is waking up. We need to make them stand up and "fight for their freedom" by voting.

It's all about "We the People". The other side of the divide is a small group.

Enjoy your moments and think about those who live in fear.
May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Anti-War coalition winning fight
By: Jeanne Cummings
A group of former military leaders who have lost faith in President Bush's war leadership launched their second round of television advertisements this week targeting House and Senate Republicans whose 2008 reelections could hinge on the public's view of Iraq.

To fight back, a pro-war group plans to post an Internet ad on Thursday accusing Democratic leaders of abandoning the war on terrorism. If they can raise enough money on the Internet, the ad could air on television later.

The striking imbalance of power between the competing Iraq advocacy teams offers a stark illustration of how isolated President Bush and his White House team have become on the signature issue of his administration.

Bush's weakened position explains why Congress has been willing to repeatedly challenge the White House on paying for the war.

In previous showdowns with Democrats, the White House could count on a united Republican caucus to rally around its position, deep-pocketed allies to finance attacks against critics and closely coordinated grass-roots lobbying efforts with friendly outside organizations.

Now divisions over future Iraq policy and distraction caused by the early start of the 2008 presidential campaign appear to have broken what once was the Bush White House juggernaut.

The president is on defense, trying to avoid making major concessions to an undaunted Democratic Congress. The White House's most effective communicator on Capitol Hill hails from the Pentagon, not the West Wing.

The formidable network of talk show hosts and conservative grass-roots organizations that once could bully opponents into silence are now either no-shows or not effective. And the party's congressional campaign committees charged with protecting House and Senate incumbents are either too badly in debt or too pressed to save campaign cash to put up a defense.

The upshot is an extraordinarily uneven competition for public opinion that has put Republican members of Congress on the run and boosted Democratic hopes of broadening their majorities in the House and Senate and capturing the White House in 2008.

According to a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, 64 percent of Americans disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war while just 33 percent approve of it. The president's overall job approval rating, meanwhile, hovers around 35 percent in a variety of polls.

"We are creating a toxic environment for Republicans and the war. They can choose between ending the war and political extinction," said Tom Matzzie, Washington director for the liberal online group MoveOn.org, who is now helping to coordinate the anti-war coalition's tactical efforts.

Certainly, the president is not without his own weapons -- most notably the veto pen. And despite growing misgivings among Republicans on Capitol Hill, the majority of the party's base remains supportive of the war effort.

But a close look at the tactics each side is using to press their case on the supplemental spending bill highlights the lopsided nature of the Iraq lobbying campaign that would define the debate for the 2008 elections.

In the White House's corner is Move America Forward, a California-based organization formed in 2004 by Republican political consultant Sal Russo and former Republican state Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, both of whom were key players in the 2003 recall of former Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat.

According to Robert Dixon, the organization's executive director, Move America has an e-mail list of slightly fewer than a million people and counts "a few hundred thousand" small donors. Internal Revenue Service records show that the organization raised $647,000 in 2006.

The group fought against the distribution of Michael Moore's anti-war film "Fahrenheit 9/11" and launched the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!" campaign countering the war protests of Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq.
Recently, Move America Forward sponsored a pro-war, cross-country caravan that ended with a modest rally in Washington. On Thursday, it plans to launch its second Internet ad, which criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for holding up funding for the war.

It's also calling on members to send white feathers to the Democratic leaders and for protesters carrying white flags to gather outside their offices in California and Nevada, respectively.

Dixon said the West Coast organization is developing its projects without guidance from the White House. For its first round of advertising, the group managed to collect enough money to put a commercial on cable stations.

"It's very rare when we hear from anybody in the White House," he said. "They've been largely silent." As for his adversaries, he concedes: "They are a tightly knit group that seems to have their act together."

In addition to Move America Forward, established veterans' organizations and several groups founded by military families are also trying to rally support for the president's war policies.

But those groups are tiny and have mostly a symbolic impact. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio recently touted receipt of a petition from a new group called Appeal for Courage that was signed by about 3,000 pro-Bush soldiers, most serving in Iraq; MoveOn.org needed just a week to gather 167,000 signatures on a petition opposing the president.

About 14 anti-war groups have organized as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq and raised $7 million toward their budget of $12 million. Combined, they represent millions of activists, including the 3.3 million members of MoveOn.org, nearly 2 million labor union members and thousands of clergy, veterans, students and even musicians who have joined the movement.

They've held hundreds of rallies and candlelight vigils protesting the war at virtually every stage. Since the November elections, in which anti-war candidates scored surprising upsets over incumbent Republicans, they've sharpened their attacks to target specific Republicans.

VoteVets.org, a group of retired military leaders who oppose the war, aired its first ad a week ago in the home states of Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

The commercial, fueled with a half-million dollars' worth of ad time, also was broadcast in the districts of House Reps. Jim Walsh of New York, Mary Bono of California, Mike Castle of Delaware, Phil English of Pennsylvania and many others. VoteVets' second commercial began airing this week. It accuses the president of refusing to listen to his military commanders and urges Congress to stand tough.

The anti-war coalition is also running national ads. MoveOn paid for the cable news airing of one produced by Oliver Stone.

It also has tapped labor's vast telephone banking resources, calling tens of thousands of constituents in targeted districts and informing them of how their representative voted on war issues. When they reach a receptive listener, they can patch the local voter straight through to the member's office to register a complaint.

The tactics have rattled the entire GOP caucus and help explain why about a dozen House moderates recently told Bush that his Iraq policy was damaging the Republican Party and threatening any possible comeback in 2008. Among the early-warning crew in the White House meeting were four targets of the VoteVets ad campaigns.

Our military "Fighting for Freedom" and getting NONE/ Making Friends

2007-05-15T07:57:00.000-04:00

The White House is breaking the military. They are now taking away their online freedom. I guess their afraid of the truth getting out so they have to shut down the truth. Distort the facts so others will kill for you.

We as a nation - 78% are against the invasion in Iraq and want our aggression to stop. You do bad, you get bad. You do good, you get good. We have choices. We've done a lot of bad in the past which is why others want to destroy us. We have to start doing good, get out of Iraq, and we will start walking down the path of peace. We must not retreat back to our world largest embassy and military bases- we must retreat out of the country.

How can we expect not to get our asses kicked when we go around kicking world asses? It's all in our choice...

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Defense Department blocks some Web sites
By Robert Weller / Associated Press

DENVER - Soldiers serving overseas will lose some of their online links to friends and loved ones back home under a Department of Defense policy that a high-ranking Army official said would take effect Monday.

The Defense Department will begin blocking access "worldwide" to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular Web sites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

The policy is being implemented to protect information and reduce drag on the department's networks, according to Bell.

"This recreational traffic impacts our official DoD network and bandwidth ability, while posing a significant operational security challenge," the memo said.

The armed services have long barred members of the military from sharing information that could jeopardize their missions or safety, whether electronically or by other means.

The new policy is different because it creates a blanket ban on several sites used by military personnel to exchange messages, pictures, video and audio with family and friends.

Members of the military can still access the sites on their own computers and networks, but Defense Department computers and networks are the only ones available to many soldiers and sailors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraqi insurgents or their supporters have been posting videos on YouTube at least since last fall. The Army recently began posting videos on YouTube showing soldiers defeating insurgents and befriending Iraqis.

But the new rules mean many military personnel won't be able to watch those achievements — at least not on military computers.

If the restrictions are intended to prevent soldiers from giving or receiving bad news, they could also prevent them from providing positive reports from the field, said Noah Shachtman, who runs a national security blog for Wired Magazine.

"This is as much an information war as it is bombs and bullets," he said. "And they are muzzling their best voices."

The sites covered by the ban are the video-sharing sites YouTube, Metacafe, IFilm, StupidVideos, and FileCabi, the social networking sites MySpace, BlackPlanet and Hi5, music sites Pandora, MTV, and 1.fm, and live365, and the photo-sharing site Photobucket.

Several companies have instituted similar bans, saying recreational sites drain productivity.

Iran lawmakers seek U.S. friendship

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press

Iranian deputies were gathering signatures to try and form an Iranian-U.S. friendship committee in parliament to hold contacts with the U.S. Congress, legislators involved in the effort said Tuesday.

It was the first effort organized by parliament to find a way to bridge nearly three decades of estrangement between the U.S. and Iran. It comes days after the governments of the two countries agreed to hold direct talks on one of the main issues dividing them — the conflict in Iraq.

Darioush Ghanbari, one of at least 10 deputies who has signed the document calling for the establishment of the committee, said Iranian parliamentarians were seeking to reduce tensions with America and "explain Iran's realities to the U.S. Congress."

The document had signatures from both conservatives and reformists and more signatures from the 290-member legislature were expected by the end of the day, Ghanbari said.

"In the absence of formal diplomatic relations, we seek to establish a parliamentary relationship with the U.S. Congress and fill the existing gap of contacts between the two nations," Ghanbari, a pro-reform lawmaker, told The Associated Press.

No specific number of deputies is required to form such a committee. The document signed by lawmakers will be presented to the parliament's speaker, who has the right to accept or reject it.

It was unclear what he would do. The speaker is Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a close associate of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds final say in all matters in Iran. Haddad Adel is considered a relative moderate among the conservatives and hard-liners who make up Iran's top leadership, and it is likely he would consult with Khamenei before taking any decision.

Washington severed diplomatic ties with Tehran after Iranian militant students stormed its embassy in Tehran in 1979, to protest America's refusal to hand over Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for trial.

Ever since, talk of ties with the United States has long been a taboo among Iran's hard-line clerical leadership. Hard-liners stymied cautious efforts by reformists in the late 1990s to open up contacts with Americans — though the leadership has condoned occasional talks on specific issues with Washington.

One hard-line lawmaker, Saeed Aboutaleb, denounced the effort to create the friendship committee, saying Tuesday, "the nation will strike the mouth of these lawmakers."

Khamenei's stance on the committee was not known. But Iran's acceptance of ambassador-level talks with the U.S. on improving Iraq's security could be a sign the supreme leader sees the need for contact with the United States amid the two countries' escalating tensions.

The United States accuses Iran of fueling Iraq's violence by backing militants there, a charge Iran denies. Tehran, in turn, says the U.S. troop presence in Iraq is the cause of the country's turmoil. Washington and its allies also accuse Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons — a charge Iran also denies — and the United Nations has imposed limited sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.

The Iraqi government — which is backed by the United States but also close to Iran — has pushed for the two countries to end their disputes.

Proponents of the friendship committee said it could help avert anti-Iranian legislation by the U.S. Congress.

"If (Iranian) government officials are reconciling with Americans, why can't the Iranian nation reconcile with the American people?" said Jalal Hosseini, another Iranian reformist lawmaker who signed the petition.

"We are seeking to form this friendship committee to undermine anti-Iran policies of the Bush administration and show our good will and our peace-loving spirits," he said.

Cindy Sheehan on Kent State and Bill O'Reilly

2007-05-06T09:58:00.000-04:00

'Kent State 37 Years Later' ...by Cindy Sheehan

This is the keynote address Cindy gave on May 04, 2007, at the commemoration of the Kent State Massacre.

First of all, I would just like to say that I am not only in favor of impeaching George Bush and Dick Cheney, but of trying them for war crimes and locking them both up in Guantánamo for the rest of their lives! I also agree with Tom (Hayden) that an "anti-war" movement is basically a self-destructive movement, because when our objectives are achieved, the movement is over. That is why we must call ourselves a "peace" movement so our movement will never end. There will always be a need for people who commit their lives to peace as strenuously as they commit their lives to the anti-war movement.

I can't begin to tell you how honored I am to have been invited here to speak on this historic occasion with the other speakers who have also felt the sting of war and the pain of loss and lingering regrets. I am indescribably moved to be adopted into the Kent State family and invite you all down to Camp Casey in Crawford this August to join our family!

Before the program started I took the chance to climb the hill and spend time at the places where Allison Krauss, Jeff Miller, Bill Schroeder and Sandy Scheuer each fell and I would like to share some thoughts that I had up there with you.

My first thought was of the randomness of violence. The four students who were killed that day just happened to occupy the same space as a National Guard bullet at the same time. Unlike those wounded, some pretty badly, those that perished that awful day were struck by the bullets in vitally important parts of their bodies. The places where the four fell, never to get up again, are marked in memoriam to the stupidity and permanence of violence. One day, I hope to travel to Sadr City, Baghdad to see and stand in the spot where my son, Casey's, brain collided with an insurgent's bullet, taking his life by the same shapeless and dark entity that stole the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, on the same day: April 04.

This same entity took the lives of the young people here thirty-seven years ago, and at: Jackson State a few days later, Virginia Tech, Columbine High School, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the myriad of South American countries that the USA has violently intruded in over the years. This thing, this force is hatred fueled by ignorance; hatred exploited by the corporate war machine and hatred perpetuated by the corporate prostitutes that run our government. Hatred that is systemic and endemic in our society because we don't see the other side as human—or we see our "enemies" as less human than ourselves. Kent State is not the first place that bottles, sticks, and rocks have been met with bullets and tear gas---it happens still notably to our Palestinian brothers and sisters and before in Northern Ireland among other places where people are oppressed.

I am sure when the students at Kent State were met with the Ohio National Guard many years ago they only saw riot gear and the faces of "the man." I just hung up the phone with a Vietnam combat veteran who at the time had just returned from a tour of duty in 'Nam. He recalled being ashamed and disgusted that he wore the same uniform as the National Guard who slaughtered the students. Soldiers do have hearts and souls and especially during the Vietnam quagmire many of them understood that their government was, as Martin Luther King Jr had said three years and one month before the slaughter here, "the biggest perpetrator of violence."

I am also equally sure that the National Guard troops did not see the students who were their age, their color, their nationality, as their brothers and sisters. Being so far away they could not look in the eyes of the young people they were about to murder and see the heart-light there that matched their own.

Just as in My Lai, Haditha, Fallujah, etc, no one was ever punished for the crimes against humanity that were perpetrated here on this sacred ground thirty-seven years ago today. If there is one lesson we failed to learn in 1970 that we must learn today, it's that wearing a uniform, badge, or a five-thousand dollar suit does not give a person the right or authority to kill another human being.

1970 was a very turbulent time for this nation and our world, but people, especially you young people, you need to realize that in this age of corporate control of the media and the corporate fascism that rules America, it is more urgent than ever that we put warm bodies on the streets to stop BushCo and the war machine.

I was 12 years old thirty-seven years ago today. I was aware of the news, but I was probably more concerned about my softball batting average and eagerly awaiting the end of another boring school year. Little did I know, suspect or even fear that I would give birth to a wonderful baby boy named Casey in nine years and 25 days. If I thought about it, I would hope that my children would grow up in a country that rejected war and violence---but not only did I not think of those things, I didn't plan for a future without war or violence. This is why it is so urgent to do it now for your children and my own unborn grandchildren that are already so precious to me.

I was honored with the opportunity to stand vigil in the spot where Allison Krauss fell. I thought of her mother and the pain she felt when she heard the news and her pain every day since May 04, 1970. I thought of another life uselessly, tragically, violently, randomly and stupidly cut short. I thought of the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis who do not have memorials to their Bush-wasted lives. I renewed my vow to work for peace for Allison for the rest of my life. Because in the great tradition of Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, St. Joan of Arc, Rachel Corrie and Marla Rudzicka, Allison stood her ground against injustice and for her sacrifice we will all be richer.

Before we can purge our country of the hatred that is fed by greed, we must purge our own hearts of the hatred that is fueled by bitterness. Let's stand peacefully, yet firmly and fearlessly in the face of the war machine that devours our children with their blood soaked hatred.

One speaker before me said that Jesus never started a war. Well Jesus never started a religion either, no matter what the Catholics or Baptists think; but what Jesus did start was a non-violent revolution that has been bastardized by the religious right. Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, but not your Christians, they are nothing like your Christ!" It was proved here and elsewhere during the Vietnam anti-war movement that we cannot fight wars using their tactics or methods: we don't have the firepower that they do and we have no soldiers or generals. Our country fights wars against drugs, poverty and terror and our struggle is technically a war against war but we are humans, as are the people we allow our government to kill in our names using our tax money. We need to forge a non-violent revolution for peace and struggle to see the heart-lights in the eyes of our enemies so eventually we will prevail.

Buddhists have a saying that people die twice: once when there bodies die and once when the last person who remembers them dies. We must not allow our nation to forget the sacrifices of Casey and Augie (Shroeder, KIA 08/03/06, whose mom, Rosemary Palmer spoke) and the lessons of Iraq and the criminal Bush regime as we apparently forgot the lessons of Kent State, Vietnam, and the criminal Nixon regime. However as long as there is one of us still standing, shining our heart-lights and working for peace: Allison, Jeff, Bill, Sandy, Augie and Casey will live forever!

Get Off it Bill O'Reilly

Cindy Sheehan

A recent Harris Poll indicated that only 22% of Americans support George's war of terror. I suspect that the less than one-fourth of our country who are still in favor of the hopeless mess BushCo has tragically involved the USA in get all of their "news" from Fox News.

I have mostly kept silent about Fox and their role as co-conspirators with the Bush Regime because I believe that the organization is too ridiculous to even waste ink or breath on. MSNBC, CNN and the networks are not much better, but they are not as openly pro-war or pro-BushCo as Fox. There are also fabulous internet sites (Media Matters and Sweet Jesus I Hate Bill O'Reilly) that do a great job of pointing out the errors and outright lies of Fox News. Robert Greenwald's Outfoxed and Al Frankens' Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them are great commentaries on the 'fair and balanced" network. O'Reilly is regularly Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" for his hateful and idiotic rhetoric.

I don't get a chance to watch TV very often, and when I do get a chance, I can give an almost 100% guarantee that I am not watching Fox News. When I broke my vow to never do Fox and went on Sean Hannity's show, he was amazed to find out that I never watch his program and wasn't nearly as pre-occupied with him as he seems to be with me. I hear things through the grapevine, but as my mom always said, I "consider the source."

However, saying all that, I have had enough of Bill O'Reilly's obsession with me and his unfair and unbalanced program. I almost wrote a piece called, "Oh Really, O'Reilly, " when the Bush Mob mouthpiece was on the David Letterman show and when Letterman stuck up for me, Bill said: "No one goes on my show and calls terrorists 'freedom fighters." He is one slimy operator because I am sure what he said was true…no one goes on his show and calls terrorists "freedom fighters," but the statement is so misleading because it leads one to believe that I have ever been on his show and have called terrorists "freedom fighters."

The only time I have watched O'Reilly's show was recently when my dear friend Col. Ann Wright, US Army, Ret. was on the program. She was ostensibly on to comment about the Geneva Conventions regarding prisoners of war during the time when Iran was holding some British Marines as prisoners. O'Reilly turned it into brouhaha about Ann being an "America hater." When Ann saliently pointed out the fact that she had served her country in the U.S. Army for 29 years and asked O'Reilly how many years he served, he had her mike cut. After that episode, I went back to working on my computer and a few minutes later O'Reilly was talking about me and how I had the "big money" of George Soros behind me and that's why he had to do his best to "expose" me every chance he gets. At that point, I looked up at my assistant who was sitting next to me and told her to get George Soros on the horn and tell him that his "big money" was about three years late and we really could use the funds. First of all, I don't know George Soros and secondly, what business is it of O'Reilly's what Soros does with his money? According to O'Reilly, George Soros funds every politician, political cause and wields huge influence over us. In my experience and travels I have never met one person who was reaping the fabled rewards of a Soros association!

So far, I have ignored this and stayed above the Fox news defamation of my character. It would not take a moral giant the equivalent of a Mother Teresa to stay above Fox News. They have no conscious or credibility. I can't think of many people lower than Fox News, their employees and frequent neo-con contributors as Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, William Kristol, etc. However when I recently received an email from a person with the email address of "G.I. Joe" who claimed to be an Iraq war vet accusing me of calling terrorists "freedom fighters" because he had just heard it on the "news," was when I decided The O'Reilly Factor had to go.

I know for a fact the evening G.I. Joe wrote me, O'Reilly brought that old lie back up. He can't think of anything new and he can't defend an indefensible criminal regime, so he has to rehash old lies and character assassinations of me and other "liberals" to keep his program afloat. I answered the soldier and explained carefully to him the distinction between a "terrorist" and an occupied person in a sovereign country who is fighting for his/her freedom from an oppressive foreign country. I tried to get G.I Joe to recall his lessons about the American Revolution when our founding fathers and mothers did the same thing. I mourn that G.I. Joe watches Fox News and is so abysmally misinformed and immorally manipulated.

The person who isn't misinformed though, is Mr. Bill O'Reilly. If he had a conscious, he should be ashamed of leading 22% of this country astray. The Jesus of Fox News thinks it is okay to kill innocent people for profit, but my Jesus said: "woe to he that causes one of the little ones to stumble. It would be better for that person to tie a millstone around his neck and be sunk in the depth of the sea." (Mt 18:6) O'Reilly and the rest of the bad shepherds at Fox News are thankfully seeing their flock decline, but they are abrogating their responsibility to inform their viewers properly and are making a mockery out of objective reporting.

There was a successful campaign led against BushCo and war critic, Don Imus, waged through his advertisers. He was taken off the air and I say it's about time that grass roots progressives pull the plug on Fox News beginning with the hate-filled rhetoric of Bill O'Reilly.

It is not because of his public libel of me, I have often found his weird attraction to me a little humorous and very sad, but because of G.I. Joe, I am calling for a boycott of every sponsor of Bill O'Reilly's show. When his empty spin zone is shut down, hopefully the rest of the purveyors of Bush propaganda will get the message.

We voters, activists, and grass roots peace and justice workers, are in the considerable majority and we are also consumers. It's about time we used the power of OUR purse strings to hold the "vast wasteland" of Fox News accountable. Then maybe, just maybe, we can get information from our mainstream news sources and not right-wing infotainment. This is something fairly easy to do, and besides a letter to Fox News telling them why you are not supporting O'Reilly and his sponsors, we can focus on what's important: ending the occupation of Iraq and holding Fox's best-friends, the Bush Administration, accountable.

Bill O'Reilly: get off your high horse and get off of our TV screens!

TO CALL FOX NEWS CHANNEL:

1-888-369-4762

TO E-MAIL GENERAL COMMENTS:

YourComments@foxnews.com

The 23% for the war will never change

2007-05-05T17:53:00.000-04:00

I get most articles written about Cindy Sheehan. I like to keep up with her and what she is doing. She is hated so much by the other side of the divide. These people are so nasty and vile with the things they spew out of their mouths. They are so filled with hate for anyone who isn't like themselves. They have no problem killing others who aren't like them.

Cindy was in Ohio for the Kent State anniversary last week. Check out the article and what words are used by the 23% who still support the war.

I really can't believe we have to live with these people. I wonder who they are while I am out and about. There's not many who think like these selfish people. Most have realized we were wrong by invading another country. Most people see the light. Most sane people. Still, there are these people who will never change. I am so happy I don't live in Ohio with these people! OMG, read what they write. No truth to their words but yet they still believe...and always will. There's no changing these people. At least they are only 23%. Read the article and what the other side of the divide said and you will see what I mean. Click on the page to read all the comments. They are so good at repeating the lies told to them.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Cindy Sheehan urges KSU crowd to 'a new revolution'

KENT - Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan would like to see today's college students become more active against the war in Iraq.

``I wish college students cared enough about what's going on in Iraq and our country to be as committed as the students were in 1970,'' Sheehan said in an interview an hour before she was to address a crowd at Kent State University on the 37th anniversary of the Kent State shootings.

Sheehan, 49, whose son Army Specialist Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq in 2004, said she does not wish for any protest to become violent, but she said, ``I think we need a new revolution.''

The annual event marks the killing of four students and wounding of nine others by Ohio National Guardsmen during an anti-war protest on the campus.

Student Kara Kear, 19 of Toledo, a freshman studied for finals as she waited for the program to begin.

``It's important to be involved with May 4th activities and to remember all the people whose lives were lost,'' she said.

She said she's sorry there aren't more members of her generation who would do what the students of 1970 did.
The Sheehan event drew a crowd of several hundred.
tired

Piqua, OH

|

Yea thats right listen to this bibbo who son volunteered to join and died. This womwn needs help!

KSUGrad13

Akron, OH

Sheehan needs to butt out. She needs to go home and shut up.

Truthsayer

Lake Milton, OH

|

Remember 1938. Impeachment is hippie for surrender.

Spirit of Reagan

Redwood City, CA

Cindy Sheehan is a pathetic person that hates the US. She went down and met with Hugo Chavez. She disgusts me.

Her son served with honor and would certainly be ashamed of her behavior

Mike Hix

Canton, OH

Please don't assume you know the intentions of her son better than she does. That's silly.

Sheehan is no Mom

Uniontown, OH

Cindy divorced her first husband and left her son with him to be raised while she became a political activist for the Democratic Party. She had very little to do with her son in his growing years. She remarried. The 1st husband remarried. The original father raised the son with his new wife. They miss their son and mourn the loss of his life. They have stated that they are very proud of their son and that they agree with the stance of America in Iraq and on terror. They said that their son was eager to serve and to go fight the terrorists in Iraq. Cindy didn't care about her son. She let another woman raise him. Cindy doesn't care about the other soldiers in Iraq. Cindy cares about her liberal, feminist agenda and about using the death of her son to lobby against Republicans and Bush. I am no Bush supporter, but I am a DAD and a veteran and a student at Kent State University. I am glad I was not there to hear the ramblings of a woman who turned her back on her son till he died.

Howard Beale Jr

“I'm as Mad as Hell...”

|Class of 68 wrote:

Things are only a threat if you are in the group being threatened.
To get college students to care more, just reinstate the draft, reestablish a draft lottery and make student deferrments difficult to maintain.
It worked in 1967 and it would work in 2007.

Probably need to confiscate their cellphones and iPods, too,'68. Now, THAT they would care about. Burn down buildings? At Akron, now they don't even care enough to burn a couch.

The draft. Now. At least it would clean out Firstone Park.

OH Dude 2007

Toledo, OH

Cindy Sheehan is still around? I thought she was locked up in an asylum somewhere in Timbucktoo.

jal

Nashville, OH

Sadam of Iraq, the Taliban and Al Qaeda(sp) would all be considered evil, America (aka the good folks) isn't sitting around doing nothing; therefore, evil shall not triumph. Thank you for the help arguing against your point.

As for Cindy Sheehan, her son knew the risk and the benefit of joining our military. He chose to join out of this analysis or pure pride of country. Either way, she is disgracing his service by her actions since his death by hanging her liberal campaign on his grave.

What a Grandstander

Uniontown, OH

Guess what, sadly the grave of Casey Sheehan still has no marker or grave stone. After more than two years, and a Dept. of Defense payment of $250,000 to the "Peace Mom", she has not had the time or bothered to have a headstone placed on this young hero's grave. And, she doesn't even have to pay for one. She can find time to protest on at least 3 continents, get arrested various times, go on vacation in Hawaii, have photo ops with the Marxists in Venezuela but can't seem to find the time to properly mark her son's grave. No please people, tell me if this is a woman who could utilize her uterus for birth but cares so little for the son she lost that a simple maker to honor his heroic act is too much to ask.

Satisfied

Akron, OH

Cindy Sheehan is amazing-- one of the only people who, from the get go was strong and brave enough to stand up against this god forsaken war and god forsaken excuse of a president. I am sure that her son would be rather proud that his mother is so willing to carry on and fight for what is best for this country.

Lucie Rueth-Flowers

Fort Lauderdale, FL

I agree that the kids of today are not as involved as they were in the late 60's & 70's
I wish I could have been in Ohio to be at Kent for the last few days. I still have great memories of being at the "Tent City" as a child, with my mom who was very involved with May 4th & protesting the building of the gym. I want my son to attend Kent State in a few years. We must all learn from May 4th 1970,& keep OUR goverment in check.

67 shots
13 seconds
4 dead
9 wounded

KSUGrad

Damascus, OH

If it wasn't for selfish anti-war radicals such as Sheehan, this tragic day at KSU wouldn't have happend. Oh and it's tough to compare Vietnam with Iraq. Vietnam was a civil war. Iraq is a war on terrorism or more specifically, the radical Muslim extremists. You know, the ones that successfully killed nearly 3,000 people in NYC within 20 minutes without a single gun shot? So the enemy here is like a termites. Difficult to find, extremely distructive, and hard to find the source. I don't know a lick about war strategy, but I trust that our Nation and our troops are trying their best to get the job done and to get the hell out. The only thing we are missing is the support of the American people.

Satisfied

Akron, OH

P.S. "Sheehan is no Mom"... have you not figured out yet that the war in Iraq is not about terrorism? And Iraq has NOTHING to do with terrorism and American soldiers and Iraqi civilians are dying for reasons that have yet to be explained. Please tell me you do not buy into that... seriously?

paid to come here

Akron, OH

Did Kent State pay her to speak? Is she cashing in on the death of her son?

Spirit of Reagan

Redwood City, CA

I still remember 9/11 and I understand the Islamic threat to our country. These people want to kill us. Running from Iraq will only embolden them.

Our Generals need the time to implement the plans they reviewed with the Senate before the Senate voted 97-0 to send them to Iraq. Early reports show progess and we are killing Al Qaeda terrorists every day in Iraq. In addition, some Sunni's have turned on Al Qaeda. This is all encouraging and that is why we need to do whatever it takes to win this fight.

Hey Hey Ho Ho

Akron, OH

Cindy Sheehan must go.

Sheehan is no Mom

Uniontown, OH

Hey Satisfied...we all know it is about politcal advancements and trying to finish what Daddy didn't, oh and the oh so needy oil reserves, but terrorism is a great way to rally American's around the campfire. We depend on our military to do what we here at home won't...thats their job and they do it willingly and with honor. Just think if ole GW had muslims climbing fences like the Mexicans do...wow!!! And if you don't already know...Barrack Obama is a Muslim...go figure

Class of 68

Akron, OH

KSUGrad - You must not have taken any logic or reading comprehension classes while at KSU.

The radical Muslim extremists of 9/11 had ZERO ties to Iraq, got ZERO funding from Iraq, were NOT active in Iraq (It was a secular dictatorship. Look it up) and did NOT include any Iraqi nationals. Iraq did NOT attack the United States nor did Iraq pose any danger at all to the United States. You have it backwards.

Viet Nam a civil war? Ohmigawd! Glad I'm an AkronU grad and got a REAL education.

Spirit of Reagan

Redwood City, CA

Class of 68 is obviously an America Hater suffering from a moderate case of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Class of 68 obviously thinks America and the military are the problem in the world. Wake up. America is the shining light in the world. Our military has done more good for the world than any other before it. It liberated hundreds of millions of people in the last century and millions this century.

Note to Laura Bush - Are You Kidding Me? By Amy Branham

2007-05-01T08:59:00.000-04:00

I wonder how many people here think about how many died today in Iraq as they go about their business. I think about them all the time. Over 100 died in April. 3350. Far more than died in the towers. How many have to die for oil? It's not even the oil. It's the money that the oil brings. Money is worth much more than human life isn't it? Bush and his family doesn't care about human life. It's all about the money - kill the poor so the rich have more room to play.

May Peace be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Are You Kidding Me?
By Amy Branham
Tuesday 01 May 2007
Laura Bush on "The Today Show" April 25, 2007: Ann Curry: Do you know the American people are suffering ... watching [Iraq]? Laura Bush: Oh, I know that very much, and, believe me, no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this. And certainly the commander-in-chief who has asked our military to go into harm's way. AC: What do you think the American people need to know ... LB: Well, I hope they do know the burden of worry that's on his shoulders every single day for our troops. And I think they do. I think if they don't, they're not seeing what the real responsibilities of our president are. AC: It must be hard for you to watch him in this. LB: It's hard. Of course, it's absolutely hard.

Believe me, Laura, there are many others who suffer more than you and your husband when they watch on TV the horrors of Iraq. I can name several people whom I know personally, myself included, who have suffered much more than you because of this war. You only have to watch it on TV when you choose to. You can turn it off and on at will and walk away from it. Thousands upon thousands of others, however, cannot.

Have you stayed up all night, walking the floors of your home, wondering about the last moments of your child's life? Have you had to sit back and watch as your daughters mourned their big brother, their only brother, who is now dead? Have you held and comforted your husband, whose heart has broken? Just tell me, how have you and the president suffered in all of this, tucked away safe and sound in your Ivory Tower?

What about the military families who send their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, moms and dads into battle over and over again? Have you suffered the way they have? Have you lost your job, your family? Have you or any member of your family come home maimed for life from the loss of limbs? Has any member of your family suffered from PTSD or suicidal thoughts? Have you sat up all night wondering if you will ever hear from your loved one again because you know they are in harm's way?

Let's talk about the soldiers who are not getting the supplies and equipment they need, but are doing their best every single day to do their jobs in an impossible situation - because your husband sent them to an ill-begotten, immoral and unjust war against a country and a people who did not attack us. They miss their homes, their families, their lives. And their lives will never be the same if they do come home unharmed. The men and women of our military have suffered much more than you and George.

Most of all, have you even given one ounce of thought to the people of Iraq? What about their suffering? How many tens of thousands of deaths have they suffered? How many of their homes have been destroyed? How many whole families have been killed?

I promise you, Laura, there is absolutely no way you and George have suffered even close to the suffering of the military families, the soldiers, the people of Iraq have suffered. You could not unless you sent one of your beloved children or other family members into the war. You are so far removed from it that I don't think you have the capacity for understanding what the true suffering of the war in Iraq is. Don't get me wrong; I believe that you, as a woman and a mother, probably do have some empathy for the suffering. But you do not understand. Not even close.

Please do not insult our intelligence and the sacrifice of the soldiers and their families or the people of Iraq with such comments again.

Pat Boone on the war side of the divide

2007-04-28T07:45:00.000-04:00

I remember my mom telling me years ago how she liked Pat Boone's music but she did not like him as a person. I can understand why she said that after reading this article he wrote.

First let me say WorldNetDaily puts out some of the craziest crap people write. They try so hard to pimp the war for their king. I'm always shaking my head when I read things on there. Doesn't surprise me they let Pat Boone put an article on their site.

How many times do we have to go over this? When you know you've done something bad, something wrong you try to make it right. We were wrong by going into Iraq. The only reason we are there is so the oil companies could make their record profits. We're not there to liberate the people. We knew they didn't have weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was our friend before we decided we wanted his oil. Any smart person with half a mind can put the pieces to the puzzle together and see how we are the bully in the playground and we're going to take what ever we want. If we don't get what we want then we'll just kick your ass and take it anyway.

I'm so tired of people using religion to get what they want. Religion is killing us all and it gives God a bad name.

Surely you heard Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announce sorrowfully in a press conference for all the world to see and hear, "… this war is lost." Just like that. Story ended. We're defeated; we can't win. Our enemies are too much for us, and we've got to tuck our tails between our legs and come home fast as we can. We're grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we are in their sight. This pronouncement contradicting the assessments of our own Caleb, Gen. Patraeus, and our other military leaders on the ground in Iraq, who are telling us that we can win, that over 3,000 young Americans have not died in a failed mission, that though a violent segment of Iraqis are indeed "devouring their own inhabitants," America and its allies are gradually securing the land for freedom and self-government. Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Cindy Sheehan and the other dissenters to the contrary, our Calebs and Joshuas are assuring us that American might and purpose will prevail! If we have the will. If we don't turn and run.

Mr. Pat Boone, don't you realize that your King has fired all the military leaders that don't agree with him. Many have told him the invasion (King Georges war) can never be won. If they don't agree with the king they are asked to leave.

No one can answer what they call winning. Is it when we've killed all the people and taken all the oil? Is that winning? What is the end game? When do you know we have won? When no one will join our military because they know they will be used at tools? What do you call winning? No one has ever answered this for me.

And if we still believe there is a mighty God who has historically taken an interest in America and our conflicts, and who has given us victory over all opponents when we were united in resolve and purpose. And most importantly, perhaps, when we openly and collectively declared our dependence on Him and sought His aid, not depending solely on our own judgment and abilities. Do you realize that, in our whole history, America has never been defeated – when we were united under God?

Using God to defend being a bully in the playground. God does not want us going around the world killing his people. These people on the other side of the divide really make me sick.

That's not claiming, presumptuously, that we've always been perfectly right in our various purposes and tactics – far from it – but by God's grace, when we have pulled together, supported our fighting forces with everything in us, praying publicly and believing God would grant us victory over our enemies, He has!
When we've been divided, we've lost. Not often, but history tells the truth: A house divided against itself cannot stand.

How do you think we got so divided? By doing the wrong thing. If we were doing the right thing then everyone in this country would be together as one. But sadly we aren't working together as one doing good for all men. We're not only divided here in this country but divided with the world, with the people whom we live with. We have lost our world respect having Pat Boone's King George in office.

At this moment in time, we are a house divided. Our president, our commander in chief, our military, and still a large percentage of the populace and our elected representatives believe in the urgency and rightness of our military presence in the Middle East. We're not just fighting to liberate another nation and establish democratic government in that part of the world; we're also serving notice to our demonically ruthless sworn enemies that we will not tolerate their coming into our midst to kill and demoralize us. Rather, we'll come looking for them, and we'll bring a superior force and face them in their own part of the world – not in our homeland.

Kill them there so they don't kill us us here. But we are killing ourselves here and the other side of the divide just doesn't get it living in their fear...
Our actions have reactions. Why do you think people want to hurt us? Because things we have done in the past. Stop doing these things and people won't want to come kill you. Keep doing these things and these people will teach their children to kill us too.

And though it's been unexpectedly difficult and costly, our troops – still the strongest and best equipped in the world – appear to believe overwhelmingly that we're accomplishing our goal, and want to finish the job, no matter what it costs.
To them, and many Americans, defeat and surrender is just not an option.

Over 75% of them want to come home. Their families want them home. Our military does not want to be in Iraq and have said that several times. Just like the people who still support their king- 23%, are just like the 23% who in the military who want to kill people and stay in Iraq. Most of them know what we are doing there is wrong and want to come home. When they do come home we don't take care of them. Most of our homeless living on the streets are vets.

But how do you think our enemies received Harry Reid's pronouncement?
I think they received it with shouts of glee, triumph and renewed purpose. I think it inspired them with new resolve to kill as many innocent Iraqis as possible and as many patrolling American soldiers as possible – and both as quickly as possible. After all, by Reid's own announcement and the urgings of Kennedy, Pelosi, et al., our own congressional leaders are admitting defeat and urging surrender. We're grasshoppers in our own eyes, therefore in the eyes of our enemies too!

If we did leave Iraq today the "terroriest" wouldn't have a place to train their kids to hate us. We would start healing needed to over come the damage done by us. But I keep saying this....for years now. It makes me sick to know I live with people like this. People who want to rule the world and its wealth.

Ya know, Mom always told me Pat Boone was an idiot. He proved that to me today by writting this article. There will be no peace with people like this controlling us on the other side of the divide, doing all their killing.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

The Divides Meet in Greensboro

2007-04-22T07:56:00.000-04:00

Both sides of the divide met in Greensboro yesterday and it went off without anyone getting hurt or arrested. That's a good start. All that happened was shouting back and forth. Still, it seams the other side of the divide thinks they are the best humans on the planet.

We don’t debate war. We don’t debate policy, ” said George Samek, 67, a retired police officer who lives in Shallotte. “We just support our troops.”

I am amazed all the time how peoples intelligence allow them to perceive things on such a different level. Some of these people, I don't think, could have a creative thought of their own. They have to be told how to be and how to act. When you can look at the puzzle and all its pieces you can see how screwed up our country has become. Some people (for the war) think its great what we are doing and don't want others (the peace people) to change anything...just go along, be told what to say and how to act. Anyone who doesn't say or act like them are hurting their cause and should just shut up or leave the country.

I love this country. The people, the land, the history. I do love my home. Because I love it so much I'm tired of seeing it get beat up on. Beaten down by a few people who for their hunger of greed and power over the world. People who only care about themselves - screw the rest of us. It's like the old "Dead Kennedy's" song. Kill - Kill - Kill. Kill the poor so the rich have more room to play.

Fighting for our rights. Our rights, our freedom given to us by people who founded this country. I get so tired of people telling me they fought for our freedom in Vietnam and now Iraq. My freedom was never in jeopardy when I was a child while Vietnam was going on and it sure as hell not in jeopardy of being taken by the Iraqi people. Cindy Sheehan, Carlos Arredondo and all the people who speak out against the injustices going on are the people fighting for our freedom. The past 30 years and more our military has not been fighting for our freedom. They have been used as tools for political gain of money and power. Our freedoms are taken away here at home by the power elite. So stop saying the military are fighting for our freedom because they are not.

Fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here is the most stupid talking point gobbled up by the other side of the divide. Oh please! We are killing ourselves with all our guns we are allowed to have in our homes. But I guess it matters if you get killed by an American or someone from another country. The ones from other places are the ones to be feared. Do you know how many people are killed by other people in this country? Everyday I watch the local news and hear of another murder. 9/11 brought King Bush much power of fear with the other side. What a good idea they had to have another pearl harbor. "Fight them over there so they won't get us here." as we kill ourselves and take away our own freedom at home.

Here is a couple more articles on the events of yesterday. The other side of the divide thought they would get at least 1000 people to show up. They got 150. It was said there was 300 people standing on the side of peace. And who defaced the American flag by putting it on their sign?

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Cindy Sheehan may cancel appearance tomorrow

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan may cancel her appearance tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral City Civic Center at 68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero.

Veterans for Peace President Tom Swann said this afternoon that Sheehan was scheduled to get on a plane this afternoon but had to cancel her flight due to an illness. Veterans for Peace is now waiting to hear from Sheehan to see if she will be able to get on a later flight.

"We have to see if she is feeling up to flying," said Swann.

Michelle Wilburn (left) and Megan Wilburn of Greensboro show their support for U.S. troops during a counterprotest opposite an anti-war rally that featured Cindy Sheehan in downtown Greensboro. (Journal photo by Bruce Chapman)

War at Home: Sheehan visit prompts protest from both sides of Iraq debate
About 200 people waited behind a police barricade yesterday for Cindy Sheehan to arrive at the Phil McDonald Government Plaza in downtown Greensboro. When she arrived, their chants roared over the leading megaphone.

“Hey, Cindy, go home!” they shouted.

Less than 50 yards away, Sheehan headed to a demonstration in the government plaza against the war in Iraq. A tent with a red banner and black letters said, “Revolution Books.” Musicians sang peace songs, and signs called for the impeachment of President Bush.

Police said that about 500 people were in the plaza at peak time.

Sheehan became a household name in August 2005, when she camped outside Bush’s ranch in Texas and demanded to meet with him for an explanation on the Iraq war. Sheehan lost her son in Iraq the year before.

She has since become synonymous with anti-war activism, and the focus of those who believe that she is undermining the country during a time of war.

The anti-war group chanted “The people rise up, Bush step down!” and “Shame on you, shame on you!”

For about three hours, there were dueling protests under a southern sun.

One side’s megaphone tried to outdo the other side’s loudspeakers. Streets were cordoned off. Police officers had plastic handcuffs dangling from their hips.

Each group said it supports the troops.

The side that opposes the war said it wanted to show its support by calling for troops to be pulled out of Iraq.

The other side had a different idea of how to show support.

“We don’t debate war. We don’t debate policy, ” said George Samek, 67, a retired police officer who lives in Shallotte. “We just support our troops.”

William Long, a World War II veteran, said he believes that the protesters in the plaza don’t appreciate their country.

“My generation fought for their freedom, and I think they’re abusing it,” said Long, 82. “We’re either going to fight over there, or we’re going to fight them here.”

Sheehan’s speech, about three hours into the demonstration, was the high point - or low point, depending on which side of the police barricade you were standing on.

“Standby for sinful Sheehan,” Alan Mullis shouted over the megaphone, though his volley turned into a blur by the time it landed in a plaza full of cheers.

Supporters gave Sheehan a standing ovation when she took the microphone. She told the crowd that Bush is “the biggest terrorist in the world.”

“It’s people like us that are going to stop him,” she said, adding that people who support the Iraq war are supporting “a war against humanity.”

“These people across the street need to know that America is not the center of the universe,” she said.

Off stage, Sheehan also told reporters that the people behind the barricades have as much right to protest as she does, a sentiment echoed by Julia Malanowski, who was behind the barricades.

Malanowski, 68, lives a few blocks away from the plaza. She doesn’t think of herself as an activist, but she supports having U.S. troops in Iraq.

“We’re not over there fighting for nothing,” she said. “I came to pray for peace. We need to reconcile these two sides.”

Protesters stay peaceful during anti-war rally
By Joe Killian and Sonja Elmquist
Staff Writers

"Traitor!" a man in a leather biker vest screamed into a megaphone Saturday afternoon on one side of Greene Street.

On the other side of the street, an anti-war demonstrator shouted back: "I have three Bronze Stars! How much combat have you seen?"

Two rows of crowd-control fence and three armed police officers kept the protesters apart at the anti-war rally featuring national activist Cindy Sheehan.

About 300 anti-war protesters filled Phill G. McDonald Plaza, and about half as many counterprotesters showed up to shout down the rally, organized by The World Can't Wait.

Passions on both sides ran high, but police and emergency workers controlled the crowds to prevent violence.

"When both parties stay on their sides and no one starts a confrontation, it's peaceful," said Captain G.A. Holder of the Greensboro Police Department. "That's what we're here for, to make sure everyone gets to say what they want to say peacefully."

No one was arrested at the rally, and there were no major incidents, said Capt. Robert Flynt, the commander of the Special Operations squad assigned to the event.

Police said they learned from similar events in other cities that a large, visible police presence would help keep problems to a minimum.

"Our planning for the event was a success largely due to the fact that we had open communication with both groups prior to the event," Flynt said. "Everybody came out understanding what we were going to expect."

The two groups of spectators were so far apart that counterprotesters said they could barely hear what was being said on the main stage.

"We would rather have been closer, but the cops did what they could to get us close and keep everyone safe," said Alan Mullis, 47, of Greensboro.

Mullis, who rides with the Patriot Guard, shouted into a megaphone at protesters as Sheehan arrived about 2 p.m. to cheers and taunts.

"Those people across the street need to know that America is not the center of the universe," Sheehan told the crowd. "The people of Iraq are our brothers and sisters. Every time one of them dies, we die."

Sheehan rose to international prominence after her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. She has since traveled the country to oppose the war, camping out in front of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2005.

"I love an America that does not invade a country for no reason, that does not torture our brothers and sisters, that isn't in the pocket of the war machine," Sheehan said. "That's not the America we live in under George W. Bush."

Opposing Sheehan's message were the veterans group Gathering of Eagles and some members of the patriotic motorcycle groups Rolling Thunder and the Patriot Guard.

"We didn't lose when I was in Vietnam. They didn't allow us to win," said James Sanders, 60, a disabled veteran from Greensboro. "Now people like Cindy Sheehan are trying to do the same thing to our troops in Iraq. I'm here to support those troops."

On his motorized scooter, Sanders had mounted a large sign with a photo of Casey Sheehan. On it was written: "Cindy — Your son would be ashamed of you."

But other veterans said they supported Sheehan and her message.

"I dropped many a bomb on Vietnam," said Cam McQuaid, 63, a retired Air Force pilot from Chapel Hill. "And I wake up crying about it now."

"I am truly here to support our troops by bringing them home now," said McQuaid, who also rides with Rolling Thunder.

Along with the speeches, an anti-war fair was held in the plaza Saturday, and groups such as the International Socialist Organization and Code Pink: Women for Peace had tables.

Drew McNaughton, a Green Party member from Greensboro, was one of several parade marshals tasked with keeping all the protesters civil.

Coaxing a fellow anti-war protester away from a screaming match between the two groups, McNaughton summed up the day's guiding ethic.

"We can't have a discussion by yelling at each other," he said.

Hundreds protest war in Iraq
By: Stephanie Stilwell

GREENSBORO, NC -- Hundreds of protestors from all over North Carolina took the streets in downtown Greensboro to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq. It started with a march and ended with a nationally known activist speaking to the crowd.

“My brother was a disabled American Vietnam vet and he died.. So it's kind of personal for me I don't want another family to go through what we did and watching him spend 30 years dying from the wounds that he emotionally received in Vietnam,” said protestor Renita Courts.

Organizers at the rally had a nationally known activist to help get their message across, Cindy Sheehan.

“You know it's illegal and immoral and our children are dying for no reason, the people of Iraq are being killed for no reason, their country is devastated and it's all based on lies. And to me we should have never been there, But now that we are there, we need to get our troops home as soon as possible,” said Sheehan.

Those against Sheehan’s calls for the end of the war say, “I don't believe in what she is trying to say, Killing is not nice but it's either over there or here” said Dan Wyatt, an anti-protestor.

These counter protestors said they remember when radical protestors affected policy in the '60s. They said that's not something they want to see again.

Larry Bailey was one of the many counter protestor holding signs while saying, “We are not here to support the commander-in-chief. We are here to let Cindy Sheehan and her supporters that we are watching them we are not going to give her a free pass like was given to the radicals in the '60s during the Vietnam War.”

Saturday’s protest became a scene of shouts of those for the war and those against it.

“By starting this unjust war and taking the priority off of funding for health care and education and all the important things that need to happen over in this country by starting a war in another country, against another sovereign country and I feel that is treasonous,” said protestor Sunny Yarborough.

Regardless of their view on the issue, both sides seemed to have the same goal in mind: To get Americans thinking and asking questions. The protests closed several roads in and around Government Plaza for several hours on Saturday

The other side of the divide can be mean and nasty people

2007-04-21T07:18:00.000-04:00

So, there's this rally going on in Greensboro today. The world can't wait is putting it on. Cindy Sheehan is speaking and these people "the eagles" do not like her or any of us pro peace people. They will come from all over today to do one thing....pimp the war for their King.

Read this article, Look at the difference in the words spoken from the people organizing the peace rally compared to the ones who like to kill and make wars.

Don't these people understand we can no longer be the bully around the world. Our many years of telling the others, whom we live with on this planet, how they must live is haunting us now. And the idiots controlling us now are causing more divide between us. In our future our children will bleed because of the idiots choices.

If you hit a child - that strike will stick with that child forever. You have to give 20 hugs before a child will remember how much they are loved. It takes so many hugs to undo the one strike on a child. We as a country don't give enough hugs that can be remembered. Because we don't hug our so many strikes, hits are felt that much more...thus....divided we stand and hate we breed.

Remember your mother telling you "if you didn't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all? I've been to many peace rally's. The nasty and mean people are always the ones pimping this war. The peace people are always filled with passion in a nice, hugging kind of way.

And about defacing the flag that the pro war people seam to think the peace people do. They are the ones who are always wearing the flag on their person or their "bikes".... watch and see.

Read the article and see what I mean about the words used on both sides. Hopefully I can find pictures of the event later today to show you who is using the American flag the wrong way.

Standing up and demanding your country stop killing people is American. Going along with the king is what people were running away from and how our country was formed. To speak your mind, to use your passion in action to change our country for the better is being a good American. To go along with the king is to be very unamerican.

May PEACE be inside ALL of us,
Cindy

Anti-war rally will face opposition

By Joe Killian
Staff Writer

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GREENSBORO — When national activist Cindy Sheehan arrives at Saturday's anti-war rally in downtown Greensboro, she will be met with a large number of counterprotesters, police said Thursday.

Members of the Greensboro Police Department's Special Operations Division said they have been working for weeks to prevent a violent confrontation.

"For their own safety and the safety of everybody, we don't want the two groups to intermingle," said Capt. Robert Flynt, the commander of the Special Operations squad assigned to the event.

Counterprotesters won't be allowed to demonstrate in Phill G. McDonald Plaza because they don't have a permit for the area, Flynt said. But there will be a nearby area for counterprotesters, and police will close down Greene Street during the rally.

The anti-war rally was organized by The World Can't Wait, a national group with ties to the Revolutionary Communist Party.

The bulk of the counterprotest ers are expected to be from Gathering of Eagles, a veterans group that opposed anti-war protest ers in Washington last month.

"We would like to outnumber the people there to support Sheehan," said Charles Gant, 58, of Greensboro. Gant is an Eagles member and a Vietnam War veteran.

He said he expects between 500 and 1,000 Eagles and supporters at the event, some from as far away as Georgia and Kentucky .

Gant said Rolling Thunder, a national biker group that opposes anti-war protests, also will be on hand.

"We want to be able to shout Sheehan down, so she can't be heard by anyone," Gant said. "She's anti-American, and she doesn't have anything worth saying."

Police have met with members of The World Can't Wait, Flynt said. The group said it will work with police to keep its members from becoming violent or confrontational.

"We're not interested in any kind of confrontation with these people," said Tim Hopkins, 61, of Greensboro, who is one of the rally's organizers.

"We have permits, and we've set up an event that will concentrate on speakers and getting our message out to the people of Greensboro and the world."

Rally organizers said they were concerned by posts about the rally on the Eagles' Web site.

One post by a retired Marine from Greenville read: "Eagles need to soar and gather! Notice is short, but the need to rally the troops and be 'in their face' is necessary."

The post signed off with: "ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK.... 'EAGLE UP.'"

Gant said that post wasn't about violence but enthusiasm for the rally in the language of a passionate war veteran.

Gant said his group plans to show a strong opposition Saturday, but a non violent opposition.

"We told the police no one from our group is going to do anything violent unless someone defaces an American flag," Gant said. "If that happens, I'm going to tackle them and they'll have to arrest me."

When does life begin?

2007-04-16T20:50:00.000-04:00

When do you think life begins? If you believe life begins when your parents have sex then why do we celebrate birthdays and not conception day? Thus, life begins at birth.

Not to the other side of the divide. They don't care about the breathing. Only the ones in the womb. How many died in Iraq as you went about today? But to the other side of the divide it's only about their control over a woman's freedom. It's OK to kill the breathing......

A recent quote from Cindy Sheehan appeared on the front page of the South Bend Tribune. The statement was made by Sheehan at a talk given at St. Mary's College, and it read, "When I started to speak out against George Bush, they started to disown me. They said, 'But Cindy, he's pro-life.' And I said, 'If he's pro-life, how come my son is dead?'" I can only hope that the men and women in attendance, possibly many of them still young and impressionable, are intellectually capable of drawing the distinction between the person who signs up for the military with the full understanding that he is potentially putting his life in harm's way, and a child in her mother's womb whose life is taken before she has a chance to take her first breath. May God bless the 3,222 soldiers killed (as of March 21, 2007) in Iraq since March 19, 2003, and may God also bless the 126,000 babies killed each day and the 46 million killed each year.

Ginger Krueger

South Bend, Ind.

April 13

May peace be inside all of us, Bless Virginia State today. So many die by the hand of one. Rest in peace.....
Cindy

Carlos Arredondo in Crawford Sharing Alex

2007-04-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Marine's Father Finds Healing In Telling Son's Story

Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo was a proud Marine with a proud father.

"He was always smiling," said Carlos Arredondo, Alexander's father. "My son, he believed in not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for the country. That's how he was raised."

While serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, the 20-year-old was shot and killed by insurgents on Aug. 25, 2004, his father's birthday.

On a day that was supposed to be one of celebration, Carlos saw the military van pull up to his driveway and thought his son was coming home.

"I see them coming up," Carlos said. "It was my birthday. I was happy. I thought it was a surprise."

Carlos had a nervous breakdown when he learned his oldest son was gone.

He's been using his truck as a vehicle to heal, traveling the country with a replica of his son's casket, pictures and medals.

"You don't see any political signs on my truck, it speaks for itself," Carlos said. "I don't preach to anyone on what they should think. I just put the pictures and the memorial and people can take away what they want."

After traveling tens of thousands of miles, Crawford was his latest stop Thursday.

He will be in another town Friday, but no matter where Carlos goes, he always finds himself somewhere between joy and grief.

"I'm so proud of him," Carlos said. "I miss him a lot, so much. If he were looking down on me, which he already is looking down on me, he'd say, 'That's my dad!'"

Cindy and Melida last week in Boston

2007-04-05T16:57:00.000-04:00

This is an interview of Cindy Sheehan and Melida Arredondo from last week in Boston

A Hero Died On This Day....RIP Casey Sheehan

2007-04-04T14:15:00.000-04:00

Shortly after Carlos set fire to the van that brought the news of Alex death I was sent an email forwarded from a friend. It was about Carlos and what to do if anyone wanted to help with his medical bills. At that time Carlos and Melida had moved back to Boston. I wanted to help them but didn't know how. This email came...I could now help this family who I lost contact with. The person who wrote the email was named Cindy.

I wrote to her thanking her for writing the email. She wrote back and told me her son Casey was killed in Iraq too. Then she told me the date.... 04/04/04 I thought it unreal that he could have died on that date. I thought it to be a special date, of someone who was very special was taken from us on that day. I didn't know at the time how special Casey was. I didn't know how his death would effect so many of us. I only knew how devasated his mother was. No words could help her pain.

Her pain grew, festered. Her pain turned into action...her actions brought reactions, most good, some bad. Casey's death will bring us closer to being better humans. I truly believe as devastating as it is not having Casey in our lives, in his death will come much greatness. Casey in his death is making it a much better place for all of us to live, through his mom.

I never knew Casey or Alex. I know their parents. I wish I would have known these brave young heros who would give their lives up for mine. I wish more than anything Carlos and Cindy could hug their kids again. I wish there wasn't so much death being done in my name. With each death in Iraq a little more of my soul dies. And yet there are so many who don't pay attention what is happening. I asked someone who crossed my path today if she knew of Cindy Sheehan and that today is the day Casey died...she knew nothing about it but she does now.

RIP CASEY! Your family misses you so very much. You are missed by so many. Even those who didn't know you in person.....

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007
'Three Years Ago Today' ...by Cindy Sheehan

Three years ago today I was a "normal" American mother with four children, a marriage of almost 27 years and a boring 8 to 5 job. On April 3, 2004, I went to a nearby mall and bought a new outfit for work and two CDs: Evanescence and White Stripes. I was dreadfully worried about Casey, but I didn't know that my world was about to be turned upside down.

Three years ago today, my oldest son was deployed to a war zone in a conflict that never should have happened and because of the illegal invasion and immoral occupation, was soon to be killed. My oldest daughter, Carly, was excited about transferring to university soon; my 2nd son, Andy, was doing well as a surveyor's apprentice; and my youngest daughter, Janey, was on spring break in her senior year of high school.

Three years ago today, if I thought about my marriage at all, being so distracted by my worry for Casey, I would have imagined Pat and I growing old(er) together with a passel of grandchildren we could spoil surrounding us. I always dreamed of 2 daughters-in-law and 2 sons-in-law to increase our happy family. Unfortunately, our marriage was a victim of King George's war of terror. I never understood why marriages break up after the death of a child, until I experienced it. After surviving so many other stressors, Casey's death was the proverbial straw that broke our marriage's back.

Three years ago today, the light green spring suit that I bought for work became the suit I wore on the sunny-surreal day that we buried Casey. The men looked so handsome in their new dark suits and the girls also looked beautiful in their new outfits which part of the "death benefit" purchased. Casey looked so peaceful in his dress greens; lying in his coffin like he was asleep. He was asleep---asleep forever at the age of 24 before he could marry that daughter-in-law for us or have those grandchildren. Asleep forever before he could finish college and become an elementary school teacher. Asleep forever before he could become a permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church. Unnaturally asleep forever before three of his grandparents and his mother and father.

Three years ago today, I disagreed with the occupation of Iraq and with King George, but I never raised my voice; wrote a letter; or marched in protest. I didn't believe that my voice could have one slight bit of effect on the discourse in this country. After all, King George had called millions of people around the world who marched in protest of the impending invasion, a focus group. What would he call one more voice? A flea? I bought into the propaganda that one person can't make a difference and spent my entire adult life protecting my own family and circling the wagons around my own children and our comfort. Three years ago today, I didn't know that my tunnel vision was going to cost Casey his life and my family our comfort and would end up tearing us apart.

Three years ago today, I didn't know that the term "broken heart" wasn't figurative, but literal. I didn't know that the pain of child-birth was a cakewalk compared to the pain of child-death. I didn't know that a person could scream so long and so loud without having a heart attack or stroke. I didn't know that a person could even survive such psychic shock. I didn't know that a person could actually become a stronger person after such a debilitating pain; a pain that just becomes a constant dull agonizing ache.

Three years ago today, Casey was alive and didn't know that it was his last day on this earth. Casey and seven of his buddies, including Mike Mitchell whose family has become intertwined with ours in grief and resolve to end this devastating war, were unaware that Bloody King George had numbered their days and their numbers were soon to be up.

To me, three years ago today is a lifetime away, but yet seems so close. To me, the world was a vastly different place three years ago today. Today is another beautiful Northern California day. Sun shining, birds singing, neighbors living their lives not even aware that the paradigm shifted for the Sheehans on April 04, 2004. But today, the air is less sweet and even though the birds still sing as though Casey were alive, their songs don't sound the same to me.

How many families in Iraq and America will be affected by George's war of terror today or tomorrow? How many are in a state of shock, disbelief and pain today because of yesterday? How long are we the people going to allow Congress and King George off the hook for this unremitting and unrelenting pain and destruction?

Today, tomorrow, yesterday, and forever, I will miss and mourn Casey.

My son, my friend, and my hero.

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.

She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and The Camp Casey Peace Institute.

Many Rally For Peace This Weekend Marking 4 Years Of War

2007-03-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

This weekend markes the 4th anniversary of the US invasion on Iraq. Many showed up in protest of this war to show how much we care for human life. The other side of the divide showed up to this march on DC too. Only they were nasty vile people who tore up signs and spat on the people walking for peace. The people who support this war are friggin nuts IMO. These people only care about themselves. They are kings in their world. Everyone who disagrees with them, they feel, don't belong in this country. Their mean nasty people whom we have to live with. They are the ones bringing down our country.

The peace bag you see in this picture was made by me for Melida. She carries it with here all the time. I made one like it for Cindy Sheehan and her sister Dee Dee too. Mel uses hers, Thanks Mel! (I made one for myself too) I also made Carlos a gold star flag he carries around with him.

May peace be inside all of us so we don't have to do this for year 5,
Cindy

The mean and nasty people

With Big Brother ready to take us all down

There are less and less on the other side of the divide these days. More and more people are supporting the troops by wanting to save their lives and bring them home to their families

Four years since this mess began...My memories of Alex....By Melica Arredondo

2007-03-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

tired Piqua, OH	\| Yea thats right listen to this bibbo who son volunteered to join and died. This womwn needs help!
KSUGrad13 Akron, OH	Sheehan needs to butt out. She needs to go home and shut up.
Truthsayer Lake Milton, OH	\| Remember 1938. Impeachment is hippie for surrender.
Spirit of Reagan Redwood City, CA	Cindy Sheehan is a pathetic person that hates the US. She went down and met with Hugo Chavez. She disgusts me. Her son served with honor and would certainly be ashamed of her behavior
Mike Hix Canton, OH	Please don't assume you know the intentions of her son better than she does. That's silly.
Sheehan is no Mom Uniontown, OH	Cindy divorced her first husband and left her son with him to be raised while she became a political activist for the Democratic Party. She had very little to do with her son in his growing years. She remarried. The 1st husband remarried. The original father raised the son with his new wife. They miss their son and mourn the loss of his life. They have stated that they are very proud of their son and that they agree with the stance of America in Iraq and on terror. They said that their son was eager to serve and to go fight the terrorists in Iraq. Cindy didn't care about her son. She let another woman raise him. Cindy doesn't care about the other soldiers in Iraq. Cindy cares about her liberal, feminist agenda and about using the death of her son to lobby against Republicans and Bush. I am no Bush supporter, but I am a DAD and a veteran and a student at Kent State University. I am glad I was not there to hear the ramblings of a woman who turned her back on her son till he died.
Howard Beale Jr “I'm as Mad as Hell...”	\|Class of 68 wrote: Things are only a threat if you are in the group being threatened. To get college students to care more, just reinstate the draft, reestablish a draft lottery and make student deferrments difficult to maintain. It worked in 1967 and it would work in 2007. Probably need to confiscate their cellphones and iPods, too,'68. Now, THAT they would care about. Burn down buildings? At Akron, now they don't even care enough to burn a couch. The draft. Now. At least it would clean out Firstone Park.
OH Dude 2007 Toledo, OH	Cindy Sheehan is still around? I thought she was locked up in an asylum somewhere in Timbucktoo.
jal Nashville, OH	Sadam of Iraq, the Taliban and Al Qaeda(sp) would all be considered evil, America (aka the good folks) isn't sitting around doing nothing; therefore, evil shall not triumph. Thank you for the help arguing against your point. As for Cindy Sheehan, her son knew the risk and the benefit of joining our military. He chose to join out of this analysis or pure pride of country. Either way, she is disgracing his service by her actions since his death by hanging her liberal campaign on his grave.
What a Grandstander Uniontown, OH	Guess what, sadly the grave of Casey Sheehan still has no marker or grave stone. After more than two years, and a Dept. of Defense payment of $250,000 to the "Peace Mom", she has not had the time or bothered to have a headstone placed on this young hero's grave. And, she doesn't even have to pay for one. She can find time to protest on at least 3 continents, get arrested various times, go on vacation in Hawaii, have photo ops with the Marxists in Venezuela but can't seem to find the time to properly mark her son's grave. No please people, tell me if this is a woman who could utilize her uterus for birth but cares so little for the son she lost that a simple maker to honor his heroic act is too much to ask.
Satisfied Akron, OH	Cindy Sheehan is amazing-- one of the only people who, from the get go was strong and brave enough to stand up against this god forsaken war and god forsaken excuse of a president. I am sure that her son would be rather proud that his mother is so willing to carry on and fight for what is best for this country.
Lucie Rueth-Flowers Fort Lauderdale, FL	I agree that the kids of today are not as involved as they were in the late 60's & 70's I wish I could have been in Ohio to be at Kent for the last few days. I still have great memories of being at the "Tent City" as a child, with my mom who was very involved with May 4th & protesting the building of the gym. I want my son to attend Kent State in a few years. We must all learn from May 4th 1970,& keep OUR goverment in check. 67 shots 13 seconds 4 dead 9 wounded
KSUGrad Damascus, OH	If it wasn't for selfish anti-war radicals such as Sheehan, this tragic day at KSU wouldn't have happend. Oh and it's tough to compare Vietnam with Iraq. Vietnam was a civil war. Iraq is a war on terrorism or more specifically, the radical Muslim extremists. You know, the ones that successfully killed nearly 3,000 people in NYC within 20 minutes without a single gun shot? So the enemy here is like a termites. Difficult to find, extremely distructive, and hard to find the source. I don't know a lick about war strategy, but I trust that our Nation and our troops are trying their best to get the job done and to get the hell out. The only thing we are missing is the support of the American people.
Satisfied Akron, OH	P.S. "Sheehan is no Mom"... have you not figured out yet that the war in Iraq is not about terrorism? And Iraq has NOTHING to do with terrorism and American soldiers and Iraqi civilians are dying for reasons that have yet to be explained. Please tell me you do not buy into that... seriously?

Sheehan is no Mom Uniontown, OH	Hey Satisfied...we all know it is about politcal advancements and trying to finish what Daddy didn't, oh and the oh so needy oil reserves, but terrorism is a great way to rally American's around the campfire. We depend on our military to do what we here at home won't...thats their job and they do it willingly and with honor. Just think if ole GW had muslims climbing fences like the Mexicans do...wow!!! And if you don't already know...Barrack Obama is a Muslim...go figure
Class of 68 Akron, OH	KSUGrad - You must not have taken any logic or reading comprehension classes while at KSU. The radical Muslim extremists of 9/11 had ZERO ties to Iraq, got ZERO funding from Iraq, were NOT active in Iraq (It was a secular dictatorship. Look it up) and did NOT include any Iraqi nationals. Iraq did NOT attack the United States nor did Iraq pose any danger at all to the United States. You have it backwards. Viet Nam a civil war? Ohmigawd! Glad I'm an AkronU grad and got a REAL education.
Spirit of Reagan Redwood City, CA	Class of 68 is obviously an America Hater suffering from a moderate case of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Class of 68 obviously thinks America and the military are the problem in the world. Wake up. America is the shining light in the world. Our military has done more good for the world than any other before it. It liberated hundreds of millions of people in the last century and millions this century.

DIVIDED WE STAND

When both your children die because of war

Brian Luis Arredondo

Melida in Time Magazine

Two Dads of the Dead

Arriving at the Mountain Top

Carlos on this anniversary authorizing the Iraq invasion

A video of what tomorrow will bring if McCain becomes President

RIP Alex KIA in Iraq - His death brings action

And the wars go on … by Mélida Arredondo

And the wars go on … by Mélida Arredondo

Carlos protesting Bush in Maine

Will They Steal Another Election?

Can you feel the respect returning?

George was a very smart man

How a Gold Star Family Spends Memorial day

What they teach us Memorial Day

5 years is long enough - A letter from Congressman Wexler

Alex Arredondo's First Letter Home

Remember Us - Documentary tells of war families' pain

Carlos Arredondo Beat up at the DC protest by the pro war/pro killing people

Viedo of Carlos Arredondo and why he shares Alex with you

Carlos Arredondo at DC antiwar protest yesterday

Thousands march in D.C. war protest

Carlos Arredondo in DC with the mean and nasty people called Gathering of Eagles

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Press Conference

It's Gathering of Eagles vs. nitwit marchers

Remembering Dondo: Alexander Scott Arredondo KIA Iraq 8/25/04

Cheery pick the truth - His testimony was omitted from the 9/11 Commission

The Arredondo's whose son died in Iraq , criticize military recruitment

llegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

Latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants are being recruited into the military with false promises.

IN THESE TIMES

Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

Latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants are being recruited into the military with false promises.

From African American to Latino

Recruit friends, earn bucks

Legal illegals vs. illegal illegals

Non-citizen soldiers

What life is like in Iraq - Video

Carlos Arredondo joins Cindy Sheehan on her walk

IMPEACH THE WHITE HOUSE

Sheehan's anti-war crusade picks the wrong target

When war breaks you~Cindy Sheehan and Mark Twain

Secret Service tries to run interference for Bush from Pro Peace Rally ~ Carlos and Melida speaking

Honor the "right kind" of military on Memorial Day

From an Angry Soldier

From an Angry Soldier

Morgan and Move America Forward are no better than the KKK

VoteVets.org is winning over prowar Move America Forward

Our military "Fighting for Freedom" and getting NONE/ Making Friends

Iran lawmakers seek U.S. friendship

Cindy Sheehan on Kent State and Bill O'Reilly

The 23% for the war will never change

Cindy Sheehan urges KSU crowd to 'a new revolution'

Note to Laura Bush - Are You Kidding Me? By Amy Branham

Pat Boone on the war side of the divide

The Divides Meet in Greensboro

The other side of the divide can be mean and nasty people

Anti-war rally will face opposition

When does life begin?

Carlos Arredondo in Crawford Sharing Alex

Cindy and Melida last week in Boston

A Hero Died On This Day....RIP Casey Sheehan

Many Rally For Peace This Weekend Marking 4 Years Of War

Four years since this mess began...My memories of Alex....By Melica Arredondo