Civil Rights Leader Boosts War Protesters - Easter at Camp Casey

Civil Rights Leader Boosts War Protesters

By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press

The Rev. Joseph Lowery on Sunday urged war protesters camping near President Bush's ranch to keep working for peace.

Lowery, 84, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke at a sunrise interfaith Easter Sunday service.

Lowery said after the service that he sees many parallels between the civil rights movement and the peace movement, and so he decided to miss a traditional Easter church service for the first time.

"Being out here in nature with people struggling for peace and justice, in the shadow of the president's ranch, what better place could there be to celebrate Easter?" he said. "Hope is alive in this place."

Lowery spoke on the last day of the group's third protest in less than a year near Bush's ranch. Bush spent the holiday at Camp David, his first Easter away from the ranch since he was elected.

Cindy Sheehan, whose soldier son, Casey, died in Iraq in 2004, started protesting in ditches off the two-lane road leading to Bush's ranch in August during his working vacation.

The vigil attracted thousands of fellow demonstrators and grew to a second, larger camp on a private lot where the group returned for a Thanksgiving week protest and the Easter week activities.

The peace vigil also drew scores of counter protests by Bush supporters who said Sheehan was disgracing fallen soldiers and hurting troop morale.

But Sheehan, who plans to return to Crawford in August, said she believes the anti-war demonstrations have made a difference.

"I feel we have come so far, and everything that's happened is validating what we started in August," she said Sunday. "But we can't rest."

Uniting for Peace and Justice
By Scott Galindez

Sunday 16 April 2006

As Easter at Camp Casey comes to a close, the overarching theme is Unity. The lesson learned at Camp Casey this week is that policies of the Bush Administration effect more than just the soldiers and their families. Of course, they are feeling more than their share of the pain.

As Dr. Lowery told the faithful at Camp Casey, "The war supporters are the same people who are racist, sexist, anti-environment, and homophobic." He went on to say that our movements cannot be fragmented. Together we can redeem the "Soul of America."

The buzz around camp yesterday was a July 4th take-our-country-back march on Washington. It is too early to know for sure what will happen, but we will let you know the details as soon as we get a clearer picture.

I'm off to the Anniversary celebration at the Crawford Peace House ... more video of the past few days will be coming online over the next few days.

VIDEO

Dr. Joseph Lowery: The Soul of America A Film by Scott Galindez Dr. Joseph Lowery co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Lowery is concerned about the "Soul of America." He told those gathered at Camp Casey that they were the "Salt of the Earth" and they would be the ones to redeem America.

Carly Sheehan visits her Mom in Crawford

Carly Sheehan, left, begins to read a poem as her mother, Cindy Sheehan, looks on near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, April 15, 2006. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Sheehan's daughter visits Crawford war protest camp

CRAWFORD, Texas -- Cindy Sheehan's oldest daughter joined her Saturday for the first time at a war protest near President Bush's ranch.

Carly Sheehan, a college student in California, read a poem she wrote after her older brother Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004."Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave? They say that he died so the flag will continue to wave. But I believe he died because they had oil to save," she read to the crowd of more than 300 people under a large tent on a private one-acre lot.Bush was spending Easter at Camp David.Cindy Sheehan said Casey's death has been hard on her three surviving children."That's too much to ask of anybody to adjust to that," Cindy Sheehan said. "But now, they have to adjust to the fact that their mom is always gone. But they know that they are sacrificing and we are sacrificing to bring the troops home and to make sure it never happens again."Sheehan started the protest near Bush's ranch in August, drawing thousands, and returned for another vigil the week of Thanksgiving. Bush was at his ranch both of those times, and protesters returned this week because Bush has spent every Easter since he was elected at the ranch except this one.Earlier Saturday, the rally was briefly interrupted by about 100 Bush supporters driving by on motorcycles, including one carrying a lifesize cardboard cutout of Bush, and seven people on horseback holding American and Texas flags."Peace ain't free," Bob McDonald, whose horse had the message "Cindy go home" written on its hindquarters," angrily told about a dozen of the protesters who stood at the edge of the camp, holding their fingers in the "V" peace symbol. "I stand up for what I believe. I don't like war, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."Some returned to a pro-Bush camp set up in downtown Crawford by a souvenir shop. Other Bush supporters and their children also gathered at a park and had an Easter egg roll similar to one at the White House.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, left, greets Cindy Sheehan after he spoke at a war protest near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, April 15, 2006. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Camp Casey News and A Phone Call

I, like a lot of people, waited until the last minute to go out and buy what the Easter Bunny will be leaving for my kids. While I was trying to decide how much money I was going to spend on the crap they were offering to sell me - my phone rang. It was Carlos Arredondo calling me from Camp Casey. He sounded very excited to be there. He was calling me to tell me he gave Cindy the book of well wishes I had people sign to her.

I started the book at my Camp Casey on Hollywood beach while she was in Crawford last August. I took the book with me to DC for the September protest. I walked around for hours having people sign. It was wonderful to talk to so many people, all different kinds, but all the same. I knew I would never see Cindy to give her the book. Carlos was on the bus tour With Cindy so when I ran into him I had asked him to give it to her. He never saw her to give it to her. They had seen each other several times but the well wishes never made it to her. I'm very happy Cindy receive all of the thoughts people put in the book for her at Camp Casey. There are so many good people out there. It gives me hope. But it takes 10 peaceful souls to undo all the hate that has been put out there..and continues to be released.

I spoke with Cindy for a few minutes. She sounded very happy to be back with all the peaceful warriors at Camp Casey. Her and Carlos had an energy about them, a feeling we should all experience and carry with us. An energy of love, of togetherness. I wish I was there but receiving the phone call brought me there, if only for a few minutes. Thanks for the call Carlos (big hugs)

And now for the Camp Casey news: I don't understand how people can be pro-war and so willing to kill. I really don't understand how people think they are fighting for our freedom and it really pisses me off when they use 9/11 to justify going to Iraq. The truth will set us all free.....

Fed-up war widow confronts Sheehan
Flies to Texas to crash activist's Crawford protest

After deciding she'd had enough of critics, a war widow from New York state flew to Texas to confront activist Cindy Sheehan, who had launched her third protest near President Bush's residence in Crawford.

Pregnant at the time, Laura Youngblood lost her husband Travis July 21 to wounds from an improvised explosive device outside Fallujah, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.

Before dying, however, Travis Youngblood sent a letter home asking his wife to take care of his fellow soldiers in Iraq.

Laura Youngblood arrived in Waco from South Hempstead, N.Y., Wednesday.

"I heard that Cindy was coming down again to protest, and I had enough," Youngblood said.

You can read more if you like

AND THERES MORE NEWS FROM THE PEACEFUL WARRIORS

14 are arrested in Crawford
Anti-war group challenges camping ban near Bush's ranch, gathers on private lot

CRAWFORD - Taking turns climbing into small tents, 14 war protesters were arrested Friday near President Bush's ranch, once again challenging a county roadside camping ban.

Eleven of them were among the 12 arrested in November in the same ditches where the makeshift anti-war campsite sprung up in August off the winding, two-lane road leading to the ranch.

Commissioners enacted the ordinance — and another banning some roadside parking — a month later after neighbors complained of traffic congestion from the monthlong rally that drew thousands to the 700-resident town.

Misdemeanor charges still have not been filed against the demonstrators arrested five months ago during the Thanksgiving week protest. McLennan County District Attorney John Segrest has refused to comment on whether their cases will proceed.

"If they keep arresting us without charging us, then they are doing nothing other than restricting our freedom of speech," said Daniel Ellsberg, who was arrested both times. "This needs to be challenged, and if we're arrested again, we'll have a stronger case."

Ellsberg is a former high-level Pentagon analyst who in 1969 copied and leaked the Pentagon Papers — the 7,000-page study of U.S. decision-making in Vietnam — to Congress and the media.

Cindy Sheehan, the fallen soldier's mother who started the August protest, was not at the roadside campsite at the planned "civil disobedience" events and was not arrested either time.

Sheehan and about 100 protesters so far have returned to the larger campsite on a private lot for another peace vigil through this weekend, although Bush is spending Easter at Camp David.

The 14 remained jailed Friday afternoon, awaiting a judge to set bail.

They were expected to be released on personal recognizance bonds Friday evening on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and obstructing a highway passageway.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

War protestor Cindy Sheehan carries a cross on the road leading to President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Friday, April 14, 2006. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

War protestor Cindy Sheehan, left, comfronts Tammara Rosenleaf as she talks on her cell phone to her husband serving in U.S. Army in Iraq before the women march toward President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Friday, April 14, 2006. At right is Geoffrey Millard.

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

Truthout has Video of Arrest

‘Prairie Dog 12’ Want Day In Court

P FOR PROTEST — A man in a mask resembling Vice President Dick Cheney who would only identify himself as “V” — a reference to the film V for Vendetta was a part of a 30 person peace demonstration outside the Waco Hilton where the vice president appeared Monday at a fund-raiser for a GOP candidate running for office in U.S. District 17. — Staff Photo By Nathan Diebenow

CINDY SHEEHAN, the mother of a slain soldier in Iraq, on Thursday at the county courthouse threw her support behind the Prairie Dog 12, a group of peace activists who were arrested for apparently violated a new McLennan County ordinance prohibiting camping along country roads. Sheehan has returned to the Crawford area for Easter weekend for several anti-war events and rallies organized in part by the Crawford Peace House. — Staff Photo By Nathan Diebenow

By Nathan Diebenow
Associate Editor WACO — About 50 demonstrators Thursday urged the McLennan County District Attorney to immediately charge and try 12 peace activists for violating a county ordinance prohibiting camping alongside county roads.
The peace activists, including Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked documents that caused President Richard Nixon to resign from office, were arrested during a Thanksgiving protest near President Bush’s vacation ranch in the Prairie Chapel community.
“We want our day in court because we feel this is a very unconstitutional ordinance. It needs to be challenged in the courts not only for us who are here for legitimate peaceful protests against government policies but also for the citizens of this county here because it restricts their ability to live in their own county,” said Ann Wright, one of the organizers of the demonstration on the steps of the McLennan County Courthouse.
The trial of the so-called “Prairie Dog 12” could decide the fate of a new county ordinance that limits freedom of speech for the sake of safety on county roads.
“As American citizens it is our right to petition our government for redress of wrongs, and what’s going on in Iraq is wrong on anybody’s standard. You know, some things are black and white, and an illegal and immoral war is wrong. We have the right to be out here. We peacefully assemble,” said Cindy Sheehan, who arrived in Central Texas yesterday. “Out of three weeks and over 12,000 people, we had not one incident. We keep people safe. We keep them secure. It’s our right to be doing what we are doing.”
Ellsberg said that the county has not yet filed any charges against the 12 activists because “they clearly don’t want to test [the new ordinance] in court. They so clearly violate the Constitution.”
The demonstrators — who were comprised of a number of anti-war groups such as Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against War, and CodePink — carried signs that read, “Trial?,” “Let the Jury Decide,” “In America We Expect Due Process,” and “A Speedy Trial Is 60 Days, Not 6 Months.”
As the demonstrators prepared to confront McLennan County Criminal District Attorney John W. Segrest in his office, they were angrily confronted themselves by a handful of supporters of the wife of a U.S. Navy corpsman who died in Iraq.
Laura Youngblood of New York explained that all she wanted from the group of demonstrators was more outward signs of support for the troops.




READ MORE HERE

The InterviewPeace Mom's Easter Stand

Cindy Sheehan on the meaning of Easter in Crawford, and New York's lousy jails
by Sarah Ferguson

Cindy Sheehan and her supporters are back in Crawford, Texas, for Easter, pitching their tents outside Bush's ranch to demand, once again: For what noble cause are our troops fighting and dying in Iraq? It doesn't matter to them that Bush and his family are spending the holiday at Camp David this year. In fact, Sheehan takes credit for driving them away.

Still, she insists she doesn't hate the man who took her son to war. She just wants answers. And a withdrawal date. Sheehan will be back in New York on April 26 for her arrest trial, then speaking out at the big antiwar demo on April 29.

Easter is the time for forgiveness. Can you forgive the president for sending your son to Iraq? I already have forgiven him. I learned a long time ago that you don't get anywhere holding on to hate because that just hurts the person who hates. So I don't hate him; I want justice. I just want him to be held accountable for what he's done, and to get the troops out of Iraq. Peace and love are the things that motivate me.

Is there a larger meaning in Casey's death? I hope so. He was killed on Palm Sunday, and it was also the day that Martin Luther King was killed. Casey sacrificed his life. He went into battle to save his buddies' lives, and he died doing that. There's not many people who die saving the lives of anybody, and I think that's really sacred. I think by his sacrifice we will all benefit by realizing we need to bring the troops home, so that no one else needs to die for a war without just cause. That's what I'm trying to do, to make his death count for peace.

If Bush is not there, what do you accomplish by being in Crawford? We promised we'd be here every time he comes on a vacation. Since he took office, that's been every Thanksgiving, Easter, and in August. This is the first time he's not coming. But for everyone who comes to [Camp Casey], it's important we be here. We feel like this is our home away from home. It's like celebrating the holiday with my family.

Susan Sarandon is slated to play you in a movie. Do you ever feel like there's too much attention placed on you as a personality? No, it's a story that needs to be told, to make sure we never go to war like this again. But I try to keep the focus on the issue. It's almost like I'm a brand name. No matter what, when you hear the name Cindy Sheehan, you know that stands for antiwar and pro-peace.

Conservative pundit Cal Thomas called the notion of a movie about you "liberal porn." I buried my son, and I can't think of anything that can be worse than that. Them calling me names or whatever doesn't bother me. I think it says more about where they're at.

Scott Ritter, the former U.N. weapons inspector turned Bush critic, says the antiwar movement is on the verge of collapse. Do you believe that? Absolutely not. It's been a catalyst for change. When we were here last August, 53 percent of the American public was questioning the war in Iraq. Now it's two thirds opposed to the war, and Bush's approval ratings are way down. You've got more people calling for Rumsfeld's resignation, and now senior Pentagon officials are saying that if we attack Iran [with nuclear weapons], they'll resign. And there's more people in Congress like John Kerry and Jack Murtha who are calling for the troops to come home. So I think we're being very effective.

What does the antiwar movement need to do now? I think we need nonviolent resistance on a massive scale. I think it has to be millions of us shutting down D.C., shutting down the war machine. It has to be done on a Ghandi-like scale.

Are people really up for that? We know that two thirds of the country is with us, but they are not out protesting with us. You look at all these immigrants out on the streets. They're out there because they have a personal stake in it. We just have to convince everybody in America that we all have a personal stake in what our country is doing in Iraq. We have palpable stakes, like the deficit and George Bush making our country less secure. But also the longer it goes on, the more it hurts our humanity and our souls.

The last time you were in New York you spent the night in jail. What was that like? There were 20 of us in one cell with three mats to sleep on that were filthy, and hard, tiny narrow benches. It was freezing because they leave the window open. They said it was for germs, so the germs can't live. There were feces on the toilet. But I don't regret it, not at all. Before my son was killed, I never broke a law in my whole life. I was never arrested. And then to see how it is—Most of the women were in there for just petty theft. They think that their only recourse to survive is to break the law. And then to see how they get treated—It's wrong, it's just wrong. Our system needs to be changed.

You were arrested for trying to deliver a petition to U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. State Department officials said they didn't let you in because you insisted on bringing a media crew. That was a bunch of bullshit. We even said, just take this piece of paper and we'll leave. We said come on, we have events in D.C. that we need to be at tonight, we don't want to be arrested. Just anybody, take the paper and we'll go, and they wouldn't even take the paper. I think that's one reason I was kept in jail. So they could lie about it. It was the same thing with [my arrest] at the State of the Union Address. They said that I unfurled a banner, that I refused to leave, that I was being loud. It was just all bullshit, and then I was in jail so I couldn't say no, that's not right.

Are you willing to be arrested again? If they try to violate my rights, then, yes. But I'm not really into these planned arrests any more. You know, you have your permit zone here and then you step out of it, get a slap on the wrist and then get let out—I don't know how much good that does. But if they want to arrest me for exercising my freedom of speech, I'll do it over and over again.

GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work

Sent to me in an email:

  This was originally sent by a retired Coca Cola
  executive It came from one of his engineer buddies
  who retired from Halliburton. It's worth your
  consideration.

  Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit
  close to $ 4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might
  go higher!!  Want gasoline prices to come down?  We
  need to take some intelligent, united action.

  Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea. This makes
  MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain
  day" campaign that was going around last April or May!
  The oil companies just laughed at that because they
  knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by
  refusing to buy gas.  It was more of an inconvenience
  to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever
  thought of this idea, has come up with a plan t hat can
  really work. Please read on and join with us!

  By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at
  about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently
  $2.79 for regular unleaded in my town.  Now that the
  oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us
  to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at
  $1.50 - $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to
  teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace..not
  sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each
  day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we
  are going to see the price of gas come down is if we
  hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their
  gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves.
  How?

  Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop
  buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if
  we all act together to force a price war.

  Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, DON'T
  purchase ANY gasoline from t he two biggest companies
  (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL.  If they are not
  selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their
  prices. If they reduce their prices, the other
  companies will have to follow suit. But to have an
  impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon
  and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now,
  don't wimp out on me at this point...keep reading and
  I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of
  people!!

  I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us
  send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) ... and
  those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 =
  3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches
  the sixth group of people, we will have reached over
  THREE MILLION consumers.

  If those three million get excited and pass this on to
  ten friends each, then 30 million people will have
  been contacted!  If it goes one level further, you
  guessed it..... THREE HUND RED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

  Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people.
  That's all!
  (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million
  and all you have to do is send this to 10 people....
  Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician.
  But I am so trust me on this one.) :-)

  How long would all that take? If each of us sends

  this
  e-mail out to ten more people within one day of
  receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be
  contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you
  didn't think you and I had that much potential, did
  you! Acting together we can make a difference.

  If this makes sense to you, please pass this message
  on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL  UNTIL
  THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP
  THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK

Camp Casey Back in Crawford for Easter

Go to Original

Sheehan Returns to Protest Near Bush Ranch
By The Associated Press

Wednesday 12 April 2006

Crawford, Texas - Peace activist Cindy Sheehan returned to Texas on Wednesday for another war protest near President Bush's ranch, although he was to spend the weekend at Camp David.

The anti-war demonstrators accused Bush, who has spent every Easter at his Crawford ranch since he was elected, of running from them and their message to bring the U.S. troops home from Iraq immediately.

"We chased him away from his ranch," said Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004. "We protest all over the country without him being in attendance, so I don't think it takes away (from this vigil) a bit because he never met with us anyway. It wasn't even like we ever sat down and had sweet tea together."

But the White House said Bush's plans had nothing to do with the protesters and that he often spends holidays at Camp David with his family.

"The president looks forward to returning to Crawford whenever possible," said a White House spokesman, Blair Jones. "It's the right of the American people to peacefully express their views. The president welcomes the opinions of all Americans."

The group's third Crawford protest in less than a year includes candlelight vigils, a rally and a march. The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr., is to speak at a sunrise Easter Sunday service.

"We're going to do what we do all the time: gather together in peace," Sheehan said. "We're going to call for George Bush and the neo-cons not to invade Iran. That would be a mistake even worse than Iraq. Our children are sitting ducks in the Middle East; the people of Iran and Iraq would be sitting ducks. And I'm not even sure that this invasion won't lead to World War III. So it's something that we have to stop before it starts."

The U.N. Security Council has ordered Iran to stop enriching uranium by April 28, and the chief nuclear inspector heads to Iran for talks Friday to try to resolve the international standoff. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on the Security Council to consider "strong steps" against Iran. The U.S. wants sanctions because it fears Iran aims for nuclear weapons.

Sheehan came to the one-stoplight, 700-resident town of Crawford Aug. 6 after speaking at a Veterans for Peace convention in Dallas.

Sheehan and about 50 others marched toward Bush's ranch and a few camped out in ditches, vowing to remain until he answered her questions about the war with Iraq. Two of his top aides met with Sheehan that first day, but Bush never did during his monthlong working vacation.

Her 26-day vigil drew some 10,000 protesters and grew to two camps, including a larger, one-acre lot donated by a sympathetic landowner.

The protest also upset locals who complained of traffic congestion on the winding, two-lane road. It also drew thousands of Bush supporters who set up a counter camp and said Sheehan was hurting troop morale.

Sheehan and a few hundred anti-war demonstrators returned to Crawford for a second war protest during Thanksgiving week while Bush was again at his ranch.

We voted for it, they don't want to give it to us. SIGN PETITION smaller class sizes

Dear Friends,

The Florida Legislature, at the urging of Governor Jeb Bush is trying to repeal or change the class size reduction amendment that Florida voters passed four years ago. Florida's public schools have struggled with overcrowded classes for years and finally, class sizes are coming down, due to the class size reduction amendment. The people accomplished what the Legislature wouldn't.

Please sign the attached petition and submit it, so that we can tell the Florida Legislature that voters meant what they said when they voted to put smaller class size in the Florida Constitution. Voters don't need to be asked the same question repeatedly when our legislative leaders don't like the answer!

http://www.floridawantssmallerclasses.org/petition.html

Thanks,

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

http://www.house.gov/schultz/index.shtm

Everything goes up except salaries

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-zbudgetcrunch12apr12,0,4086685.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

S. Floridians face cash crunch as everything goes up -- except for salaries

By Harriet Johnson Brackey
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dianne King recently moved to an apartment closer to her workplace because of the high price of gasoline. Those twice-weekly fill-ups were eating into her budget as she drove from her father's home in Boynton Beach to her job at a laboratory in Lauderhill.

But King says she is still concerned about gas prices this summer. She knows what a spike in costs will mean to her lifestyle. "You have to give and take somehow," she said of her personal budget. "I mean, if you want more entertainment, you sometimes just have to watch what's on TV."

Gasoline prices will be about 25 cents a gallon higher this summer than last summer, according to the U.S. Energy Department price outlook that was released Tuesday.

Gregory Miller, SunTrust Banks' chief economist, predicts $3 a gallon gasoline will arrive this summer. Yet gasoline prices are just the latest direct hit to the wallet for South Floridians.

This is turning into the year of the personal budget crunch. Homeowners insurance has spiked. South Florida's electricity bills jumped 19 percent on average in January. Property taxes went up. And plenty of people are still paying for repairs for hurricane damage from last year.

All this comes on top of the biggest jump in consumer prices in South Florida in a quarter-century. Early this year, the cost of clothes, housing and medical care in South Florida zoomed ahead of price increases for the rest of the nation.

Just ask Jeremy and Martha Pearson, who live in a three-bedroom, two-bath home in Miramar, about the cost of insurance.

Their homeowner's insurance bill, excluding federal flood insurance, from Poe Financial was $1,267 in 2003. It was $1,638 in 2004. It was $1,784 in 2005.

That's a 40.8 percent increase in three years.

This year, it's likely to go up about 8 percent more, based on a rate increase that the state has approved. That would mean a $1,926 annual bill before any surcharges that the state might impose to cover the cost of last year's storms.

How do you manage your personal finances in a situation like this? "You can't," Jeremy Pearson said.

The Pearsons' story is being repeated over and over. Consider the 77 percent average jump in rates that insurer Florida Peninsula is proposing for its customers. One is Dyan Quesada, who owns a two-bedroom condo in Fort Lauderdale. "It was a good rate to start with," she said. "But I guess that's the end of that."

Interestingly, this budget crunch has developed on a consumer level, even though the national, state and local economy are generally humming along. Nationwide, economists say gross domestic product has rebounded from its slump at the end of last year. Corporate profits, up 21.3 percent in the past year, have certainly been strong. In Florida, jobs are plentiful, too.

But the weakest part of the big picture is salaries.

Wages nationwide aren't keeping pace with inflation. The Economic Policy Institute says weekly wages have been flat or declining for 20 of the past 23 months when adjusted for inflation.

Inflation nationwide, which is running at a 3.6 annual rate through February, is higher than the average annual increase of 2.7 percent since the year 2000.

But that's a minor discrepancy compared to the increasing consumer prices in South Florida.

In the 12 months ended February, the South Florida metropolitan area experienced the largest jump in consumer prices in 25 years, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The South Florida Consumer Price Index is growing at a 6.1 percent annual rate, practically double the national rate.

One big reason is the cost of electricity. Florida Power & Light Co. levied an average 19 percent surcharge on the average homeowner's bill starting in January to cover its own rising costs of fuel used to run its plants.

However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted a bigger jump than that. It said there was a 22.5 percent rise in the cost of electricity in South Florida in the first two months of this year.

The price increases are across the board. In South Florida, housing rose 8.5 percent over the last 12 months ending in February, more than twice the nationwide 4 percent increase. Apparel costs rose 5.3 percent in South Florida, but clothing costs fell 1.8 percent nationwide.

Move on to the bigger bills in the basic homeowners' budget and you're bumping up against property taxes.

Chuck Murawski of Fort Lauderdale is a retiree who owns a rental property. The property taxes on his rental building used to be $2,800 annually. Now they are about $5,000. "It's a little duplex, and I use the rental income. But with my cash flow now, what do I do with my tenants? I can't just keep raising the rents more and more," he said. "They have to live, too."

Others are bracing for more fallout from last year's hurricane season. Adam Cohen, a South Broward High School teacher whose subject is American Government, is already facing a maintenance fee of $3,700 from his Oakland Park condo association for concrete repairs. That's on top of a $3,400 assessment the year before to fix an elevator system. He's still waiting for the bill to complete repairs from Hurricane Wilma last year.

Cohen says he can't see where the $3,700 is coming from or how to find money for the additional assessment he's expecting for Wilma repairs.

Miller, the economist, says there are growing signs that consumers simply can't take much more. Savings rates have fallen below zero. And he notes a slowdown in the volume of home equity loans that consumers are taking out.

"All this suggests we're getting near the point when people will be tapped out," he said. "Then they'll have no choice but to pull back on their spending."

Business Writer Kathy Bushouse contributed to this report, which also used information from Bloomberg News.

Living In LaLa Land

If there is anything I've learned, we all look at the same event and walk away with different views of what we all just witnessed. I will never be proud of what we did in Iraq! Divided we are...

Iraq War is a huge, overall success to be proud of

April 12th, 2006

Tim Edson, regular columnist

This Sunday, Iraqis celebrated Iraqi Freedom Day, marking the third anniversary of multinational forces liberating Iraq and toppling the maniacal, murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. 25 million Iraqis have been liberated, Saddam’s torture chambers are closed, the ethnic cleansing has ceased and now, democracy is flourishing in Iraq as American and Iraqi forces work together to quell the senseless murder and mayhem that still exist in a very small portion of the country.

Iraqis and Americans are working together to build a better future and a legacy of liberty, peace and prosperity for future generations. The forces of retreat, defeat, moral relativism and so-called humanitarianism rally in the United States, doing their best to undermine all that has been accomplished in the last three years. It’s about time we take a look at the balance sheet to remind us of all that’s been accomplished and just what brave young Americans are fighting for. Good is prevailing in Iraq. Keep in mind that the same critics who currently endeavor to see U.S. defeat in Iraq predicted catastrophe when the war began. Saddam Hussein’s regime collapsed after just a few weeks. There was no intense urban fighting in achieving victory. The Iraqi oil fields were not destroyed. No environmental disaster occurred. U.S. forces did not suffer heavy losses. Civil war did not break out and there was no refugee crisis. None of these brash, overzealous predictions came to pass, much to the disappointment of those eager for failure.

So much has been achieved in Iraq. Two national elections, numerous provincial elections and a constitutional referendum have been held in Iraq since January 2005. More than 70 percent of registered voters participated in the December 2005 election. Many critics point to the Iraqis inability to form a new governing coalition as a sign of failure but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Democracies aren’t created overnight. It took the U.S. years to adopt our Constitution. European nations are faced with the prospect of building new governing coalitions after each election.

Iraq’s economy is making great strides. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the Iraqi economy grew by 2.6 percent in 2005 and will grow by 10.4 percent in 2006. A new central bank has been established and the currency remains stable. Inflation, though still high, is under control. Over 80 percent of foreign debt from Saddam’s era has been forgiven. Nearly 90 companies trade publicly on a stock market established just two years ago. There are now nearly 5 million cell phones subscribers, 2000 Internet cafes, and thousands more satellite dishes. In a Dec. 12, 2005 ABC News poll, 70 percent of Iraqis rated their economic situation as positive.

Oil production has increased over pre-war levels to 2.8 million barrels per day. Iraq oil production capacities are being modernized and increased. Nineteen water treatment plants have been refurbished, providing over 2 million Iraqis with clean, safe drinking water. Electricity supply has passed pre-war levels and is more evenly distributed than before Iraq was liberated, with reconstruction efforts adding nearly 1500 mega watts of capacity.

Fantastic advances have been made in education. Nearly 3,000 schools have been renovated since 2003. 20 million new textbooks have been distributed and thousands of teachers have been certified. Primary school enrollment is up 19 percent from pre-war levels. From the economy, to education, to public health, Iraqis and multinational forces are making real, verifiable progress. To get a more complete picture of the successes in Iraq visit USAID’s website at http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/.

On the military side of the mission, American forces are making great strides in training the Iraqi armed forces and defeating Islamic fascists. More than 250,000 Iraqi soldiers and policeman have been trained. Currently, coalition officials hope to have trained 75,000 more by December. Iraqi security forces are now leading 30 percent of missions. Attacks on coalition forces have been greatly reduced in the last several months. Twelve of Iraq’s 18 provinces are almost free of violence. Terrorists are choosing not to clash with Iraqi and American forces as they are soundly defeated in every engagement.

While the media and the left obsess over bumper sticker slogans like “Impeach Bush,” “No War for Oil,” and “Bush is the World’s Biggest Terrorist,” freedom is on the march in Iraq. These people refuse to acknowledge successes and compulsively harp on mistakes. They aim to turn public opinion against our noble effort in Iraq, and if they are successful in compelling the withdrawal of American troops, tyranny and genocide like that witnessed in Cambodia after the last great success of the humanitarian left will overspread Iraq. Americans cannot permit another tragedy of that degree, in the process handing the forces of evil another triumph.

Having failed militarily as well as in their efforts to stop elections, Islamic fascists are making a last ditch effort, turning their ire on the Iraqi civilian population, indiscriminately murdering innocent men, women and children. Just ask the soldiers that are coming home. While the media is busy praising so-called freedom fighters slaughtering Iraqi children or fawning over mentally deranged Cindy Sheehan, they ignore that the vast majority of military personnel and military families staunchly support the mission, because they know it is worthwhile. The Iraqis, Americans and our coalition partners are forging an enduring bond of friendship while winning decisively.

Students for Academic Freedom is sponsoring Support Our Troops and Their Mission Day at Virginia Tech today. The goal is to raise awareness of the courage and sacrifice of the U.S. service members around the world in past and present missions. Find a booth at either the Drillfield, McBryde Hall, Major Williams Hall or Squires 232, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and write a letter of support to a soldier, make a donation, drop off a care package item or collect a free support ribbon.

Also, please attend the Honoring Military Service candle light vigil on the Drillfield at 7:30 p.m. Show the troops that we remember and support them and their mission.

A Markerless Grave in Vacaville

By Cindy Sheehan
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Tuesday 11 April 2006

I am so tired of the Rovian, heartless, and ignorant smear machine attacking me and my family at every turn of my back.

The latest abomination in their scrutiny of my life is the fact that Casey has no "tombstone." As if it were anybody's business but Casey's family. I am sure every last person who has a problem with this has buried a child and they know what we are going through.

I am being smeared because I have a new car and I have "blown" through "$250,000.00" dollars of Casey's insurance money. I am sure that they have ready access to my bank accounts, too. I know I am writing this to compassionate people who would rather focus on an administration who lies, tortures, kills innocent people using conventional and chemical weapons, spies on its citizens without due process, and is treacherous in outing a CIA operative for petty high school-like revenge, thereby endangering her, her family, and her fellow CIA agents. If it weren't for these criminals, my son wouldn't need a tombstone.

I will tell the world why Casey has no marker yet. In the first place, does anyone who is attacking me know how Casey was brought home from Iraq? We picked him up in the United loading dock in a cardboard box and he was off-loaded into a hearse without one honor guard. We had to wait for about a half hour on a curb near the United freight area for his one escort, who rode from Dover Air Force Base in a seat, while Casey was treated as an over-sized piece of luggage. Has anybody held her other sobbing children who are sitting on a curb in San Francisco, waiting for the remains of their big brother to be carried over to the dock by a forklift?

Our so-called, illegitimate president has never attended a funeral, nor can families see the pictures of their loved ones as they are hauled like freight with flags on them from an immoral war zone. WE don't see them because Mama Bush doesn't want to "bother her pretty mind" with the images. America doesn't want to be bothered, either. We had a Casualty Officer who abandoned us when our mortuary refused to pay the cemetery and told us that the "government sent the money to the mortuary, so now it is your problem. You may have to sue the mortuary." Our government discards and dishonors its own.

My Casey wasn't always a soldier. He was a son and brother whose murder has left an aching hole in our lives worse than an amputation. Sooner or later, amputations heal and quit throbbing; this hole never will, or can, heal.

For the first year after Casey was killed, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to place a TOMBstone on my son's grave. I didn't want one more marble proof that my son was dead. I couldn't even call where he was buried a "cemetery," I had to call it "Casey's Park." I placed fresh flowers in the cup every week and journaled there almost on a daily basis, and often laid on it and fell asleep and dreamed of my needlessly killed son. Have any of these people who claim that I am pissing on my son's grave even visited him? Have they visited the grave of any soldier needlessly or senselessly killed in George's war of choice for oil and profit? Have they sobbed uncontrollably for my first born who shouldn't even need a gravestone? No, all they want to do is attack a mother who wants to prevent other people from having to bury their own child. They want to perpetuate a war that has already killed many thousands of our fellow human beings for absolutely nothing.

Casey's shell is buried in Vacaville, California, not his spirit. He lives with me and he is constantly with me as I travel the world so other families, Iraqi or American, do not have to bury their children. Casey lives in the hearts of everyone who wants peace and works for peace. He will never truly die.

There are many people whom the Bush regime has killed, either directly or indirectly, by their murderous policies: there are people buried under rubble of Iraq and who were buried under the rubble of the World Trade Towers, and if their families were lucky they could find small parts to bury, before their remains were carted away in the enormous trucks and barges; there are people still unaccounted-for in the swamps of New Orleans and in refrigerated trucks in Mississippi that will never even have graves, let alone gravestones. The Bush regime is good for business, all right; especially the funeral business.

I know these people are searching for proof that I am a horrible person, and it must be evidence that I didn't love Casey if he doesn't have a marker. I know that they can't support a criminal regime that is slipping into fascism, so they have to attack a mom for the "crime" of being broken-hearted and trying to save lives.

What they don't know is that they can't stop me from trying to save lives. No matter what they cook up next.

It is too important. No more needless gravestones. No more wasted lives.

Former diplomat speaks to more than 50 in Terre Haute

By Joanne Hammer
The Tribune-Star

On her way to Camp Casey in Texas, retired Col. Ann Wright stopped in Terre Haute to share her military experiences and explain why she opposes the war in Iraq.

“It is our responsibility as citizens to stand up and say the government is wrong,” said Wright, who spoke Sunday to more than 50 people in the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Wright was one of three U.S. diplomats who resigned in March 2003, shortly before President Bush announced the invasion of Iraq. At the time, she was serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia.

“At age 56, I finally made a stand of consciousness,” Wright said. “I found something totally appropriate to resign over.”

Among her reasons for resignation was her inability to represent U.S. policy with regards to Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, North Korea and the curtailment of civil liberties in America, she wrote in her resignation letter to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

“With every administration, there are things to be concerned about,” Wright said. “It is our right to dissent, critique and criticize but do it with knowledge. I understand some of the rationale and I respectfully dissent.”

Since the 1990s, the international community had Saddam Hussein and Iraq in its sights, she said. Despite some speculation weapons of mass destruction were in the Iraq, none turned up after investigations in 2002 and other sources confirmed they were not in existence.

“Was there a need to go to war in March 2003?” asked Wright. “I’m not dissenting against the use of military. They haven’t done anything wrong — they’ve followed orders and were sent to a war I believe is illegal, a war of aggression, which by international law is a crime.”

Instead, she said the U.S. should have used non-military action and allowed the United Nations an opportunity for diplomacy.

Before entering the Foreign Service in 1987, Wright served in the Army and Army Reserve for 29 years. She has master’s degrees from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. and a master’s degree and a law degree from the University of Arkansas.

After entering the Foreign Service, Wright served in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada and Nicaragua. She was the first in the state department to go to Kabul, Afghanistan and in 2001 she helped re-open the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

When the current administration decided to invade Iraq without United Nations’ approval, America acted like a “bully,” Wright said.

Under international law, when a country invades and occupies another country, it must protect infrastructure and museums.

Wright and others figured for one annexed area in Iraq about 150,000 soldiers would be needed to protect infrastructure and comply with international law. Instead, top officials decided that was too many people and did not comply with regulations — leaving the museum in Baghdad unprotected, she said.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are Democratic or Republican, it’s whether or not you want your country to be known as the biggest bully, going after smaller counties, and we sit back and let it all happen,” Wright said. “We’ve got a situation we’ve got to resolve. We are the perpetrators and recipients of violence. So long as we are there, the violence will escalate. We might as well paint a bull’s-eye on every American diplomat, soldier and Iraqi who cooperates with us.”

Wright recommends soldiers be withdrawn from Iraq and allow the United Nations, who are ready to help, work with Iraq, she said.

Although the military does positive things such as operate clinics, “the overall policy of why we’re in there undermines those small acts of kindness they are able to do in specific areas,” she said. “It’s just plain violence. The only way to end it is to get out of it.”

Next Sunday, Wright plans to join Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas for a vigil and protest against the war. Sheehan’s son was killed two years ago in Iraq.

Cathy McGuire, founder of Terre Haute Stop War on Iraq, also met Wright at camp Casey, never dreaming she would one day come to Terre Haute.

“She is an extremely informed person because of the kind of work she’s done,” McGuire said.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to hear what I think is the truth and what a lot of us saw from the very beginning,” said Suzanne Carter of Terre Haute.

The talk was sponsored by the Indiana Peace and Justice Network, Terre Haute Stop War on Iraq and the Unitarian Universalist Social Action Committee.

Don't attack Iran - Sign Petition

FROM:

Gold Star Families for Peace, CODE PINK: Women for Peace, Progressive Democrats of America, Democrats.com, After Downing Street,

Please Sign Petition Opposing Attack on Iran

Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney, We urge you not to attack the nation of Iran. In so doing, we hope to make clear to the world that public opinion is strongly opposed to such criminal behavior. We urge you to respect international law and the right of sovereign nations not to be attacked.

Temporary Link:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/iran

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

From a Seymour Hersch article that was posted at www.truthout.org

In recent weeks, the President has quietly initiated a series of talks on plans for Iran with a few key senators and members of Congress, including at least one Democrat. A senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, who did not take part in the meetings but has discussed their content with his colleagues, told me that there had been "no formal briefings," because "they're reluctant to brief the minority. They're doing the Senate, somewhat selectively."

The House member said that no one in the meetings "is really objecting" to the talk of war. "The people they're briefing are the same ones who led the charge on Iraq. At most, questions are raised: How are you going to hit all the sites at once? How are you going to get deep enough?" (Iran is building facilities underground.) "There's no pressure from Congress" not to take military action, the House member added. "The only political pressure is from the guys who want to do it." Speaking of President Bush, the House member said, "The most worrisome thing is that this guy has a messianic vision."

The peace movement has to get cracking on this. Truly, George Bush is obviously out of control and he and the neocons need to be stopped.

We will make Camp Casey, Easter, next week all about not invading Iran.

It should be so simple: GeorgeCo lied through their collective asses about Iraq and now they are doing so about Iran. I don't have to convince you all that this would be a major disaster and could lead to World War (insert your number here) and it would be an enormous disaster for the people of Iran, Iraq, and for our troops in harm's way there.

We at Gold Star Families for Peace would like to put out a full page add highlighting the lies that got us into the mess we are already in and call for collective action. First of all, pounding our Congress people to oppose this huge mistake. Secondly, we need a walk out day that would dwarf the immigration protests.

We must convince America to act on this horrible impending disaster.

We need money for the ad, also. Please donate

Let's go, this one can be stopped.

Love and peace soon,

Cindy

When will we learn the lesson?

Last week Cindy Sheehan wrote an article about the peace movement. In it she spoke about being young, living through the 1960's. So many events are connected. So many of the same lessons are put in front of us. When will we learn our lesson?

Cindy Sheehan and I lived through the Vietnam War. My children are living in George Bush's war. I told my husband last night how we haven't learned our lesson. It's exactly the same war, only a different time. And then I think this is much worse. The hate we are breading world wide will come to haunt us in our future. Much worse than we put out when I was a child.

War is mass murder. What makes people think its OK to kill thousands of other humans just like themselves? What gives them the right to say their life is better than the next? Because people live in fear. Fear they imagine. Why can't they only imagine peace? Why can't they imagine loving one another than the hate they feel inside for the "enemy."

I'm listening to John Kerry on MTP with Tiny Tim. His words sound strong, but I don't believe him. I did trust him, once. But no longer. He will always be to me "the one who gave up." He say's he made mistakes but actions mean more than words.

Kerry spoke about his visit to the wall last night. He talked about walking down the path of the wall, how big the wall gets at one point. So many names we added after they knew the war was going wrong. Kerry talked about how he was not going to let the Iraq wall get as big as the Vietnam wall. He and all others need to put their words into action. With all their energy they need to end George and Dick's money making, people killing war.

I was overtaken on my visit to the wall while I was in DC for the September 2005 protest. The bottom is so deep, the wall is so high, filled with small little lettering of so many names. It's more than a peaceful soul can take. How much can your soul take? When will we learn our lesson?

May Peace be inside all of us,
Cindy