michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Apr 21, 2006 17:57:36 GMT 4
THE ONLY KIND OF MILITARY PERSONNEL I WANT TO HANG WITHI was cleaning out my e-mail box when I came across these pictures, sent nearly a month ago. I'm sorry I didn't post them after the demonstrations last month; nonetheless, here they are, before they fade away. These pics deserve a spot at the FountainHead Forum; I've been posting so much about the "Rich and Infamous" here, it's time I gave due credit to the some of the people who are true patriots in our country. If you scan the faces in these pictures, you get a realistic representation of the many faces of the United States.....Michelle WALKIN' to NEW ORLEANS photos of Iraq Vets, Survivors, 'Nam VetsCourtesy of Diane Greene Lent dianelent.com/vets1.htm dianelent.com/vets2.htm
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Apr 24, 2006 16:04:15 GMT 4
Peace Activists Acquitted in Federal Court of Protesting Against Iraq War4/23/2006 5:00:00 PM To: National Desk Contact: Paul Kawika Martin of Peace Action Education Fund, 301-565-4050 ext. 316, 951-217-7285 (cell), pmartin@peace-action.org WASHINGTON, April 23 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On April 19, four defendants, arrested at the White House while protesting the Iraq war by engaging in a die-in on Oct. 26, 2005, had their charges dismissed in federal court in Washington, D.C. Judge Deborah Robinson ruled in favor of the defense motion for a judgment of acquittal and stated that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against Gary Ashbeck and Lynn Robinson, from Baltimore, and Paul Kawika Martin and Eve Tetaz, from Washington, D.C. Activists -- including Cindy Sheehan -- were charged with demonstrating without a permit, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $500 fine. After the prosecution rested its case, Ashbeck with advice of attorney advisor, Mark Goldstone, made a motion for a judgment of acquittal which Judge Robinson accepted. "Today's tremendous victory for free political speech will only be eclipsed when we bring all of the troops home from Iraq and help the Iraqi people rebuild their country," exclaimed Paul Kawika Martin, political director for Peace Action Education Fund, who is 36 years old. "We received due process and were acquitted. Now if the prisoners in Guantanamo could also receive due process, we may recognize this country as a democracy," stated Gary Ashbeck. "I am obliged to invoke my right under the constitution to petition my government for a redress of grievances and say that the country I pledge allegiance to cannot be permitted to commit these acts of war in my name," proclaimed Eve Tetaz. "The prosecutors outlined lots of ways that we could work to end the carnage in Iraq without risking arrest. We have tried these ways, and continue to try them. But we cannot wait for politicians to end this war. We, the people, must end this carnage. And we must do so by any peaceful means necessary," remarked Lynn Robinson. The Peace Action Education Fund is the sister organization of the nearly 50 year-old Peace Action, the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 30 states and works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage a foreign policy that embodies respect for human rights. www.Peace- Action.org
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Apr 28, 2006 15:48:34 GMT 4
Join Us on Saturday, April 29, in New York CityEnd the war in Iraq -- Bring all our troops home now! No war on Iran!Stand up for immigrant and women's rights! Assemble: 22nd Street and Broadway, 10:30AM onward March: At noon down Broadway to Foley Square Grassroots action festival: 1:00-6:00PM, Foley Square Maps and details | Contingent assembly areas Watch and listen to a message from Rev. Jesse Jackson on the importance of marching together on April 29! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU CAN HELP MAKE THE MARCH FOR PEACE, JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY A GREAT SUCCESS!Make a donation to support the mobilization. Your contributions are urgently needed. Please give generously. Volunteer to help with preparations and on the day of the march. Spread the word about April 29. Sign up to distribute leaflets at busy spots and events around NYC. Find/offer transportation or housing. Find an April 29 solidarity event in a city near you.Endorse the mobilization. Sign up for April 29 email updates. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006NEW YORK CITY Unite for change -- let's turn our country around! Too much is too wrong in this country. We have a foreign policy that is foreign to our core values, and domestic policies wreaking havoc at home. The times are urgent and we must act!No more never-ending oil wars! Protect our civil liberties & immigrant rights. End illegal spying, government corruption and the subversion of our democracy. Rebuild our communities, starting with the Gulf Coast. Stop corporate subsidies and tax cuts for the wealthy while ignoring our basic needs. Act quickly to address the climate crisis and the accelerating destruction of our environment. Our message to the White House and to Congress is clear: Either stand with us or stand aside! We are coming together to march, to vote, to speak out and to turn our country around! Go to: April29.orgFROM THE WORLD CAN"T WAIT Snip:Open Letter to the Anti-War Movement From the National Steering Committee of the World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime! As all the latest polls show (even amongst soldiers), this country now stands increasingly opposed to the war on Iraq. This is a testament to the work of the anti war-movement, as well as the real difficulties the Bush Administration is having in prosecuting the war, and the desire of the people of Iraq and the surrounding region to end the occupation. In this context, World Can’t Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime! is mobilizing for and joining others in making the urgent demand to end the war now at protests across the country. At the same time, in order to effectively oppose the war, it has to be understood and acted on as part of the whole direction the Bush Regime is taking society and the world. We are calling on both ANSWER and United For Peace & Justice (UFPJ) to bring their efforts to bear on driving this hated regime from office – without which, our actions will not be commensurate with the enormity of the situation we face. READ MORE: worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1434&Itemid=61It is time for the people to rise up, in huge numbers. It is time to reclaim our power; we've never really lost it, we've just forgotten why we are here in these times. Will we wake-up? I wish people would stop waiting for a "Messiah" to rescue us. We are who we've been waiting for!
I'm not ready to say who this message is from, because so many are confused as to his real mission and identity, but we all know his name, and I think, his advice is very good indeed:
Note: I posted the above and below at the FountainHead site as a comment. I considered rewriting the following statement in my own words, but decided not to and to give credit where it is due. The following is a recent message from ONE of my spiritual teachers, Sananda, one of the Ascended Masters. Most of you know him by his past life name, Jesus. He was and is a warrior for the Light of Truth and I am proud to say that this is the way I see and know him. It is your choice/judgement as to whether I speak the truth or not; frankly, it makes no difference to me. I know what I know and I've been in this game far too long to hide the knowledge that the heavens and all the great prophets from all religions are behind us, worldwide as one in brotherhood, with their support. Here is Sananda's message....... Yours in the Light, Michelle8th April: We are observing very recent consternation by way of the government decisions to keep your American troops in Iraq. This could mean the beginning of an uprising of the people. Those of you who have family in the war or have suffered loss due to the war are prime candidates to initiate a rising up against your leaders. Change happens in great numbers and if you could observe what we do, from our perspective you have already won the battle so to speak. You have all risen up against all odds to procure truth and have succeeded. We say this to you to assure you that now is the time to march forward and take back the control of your country. You can move forward in confidence now as the leaders of your nation are so shaken that they will crumble at the mere threat of anarchy.
Do you see now that you actually ARE in power? You have the upper hand now and it is up to you to use it. Gather your peers and march for freedom. Call on your brothers and sisters of faith and take down any remaining obstacles to your sovereignty. It is up to you to prevail against tyranny and to abolish the laws made from lies. Your rights as citizens are far more superior to the rights of your leaders. They are outnumbered by those in the Light and know this. Their weaknesses have been exposed and they are expecting their own demise. It is up to you to carry the legions of Lightworkers to the fore and apprehend your corrupt leaders and allow no untruth to rule over you again.
We say this to you with urgency, we call to you now to stand tall and proud, you are the warriors of the new ways. Your fiery determination to do what's right is unstoppable for it is written in your coding. You, who have surpassed the ignorance of Man have a responsibility now to put action where your knowledge wanes and to take your first step forward armed with the truth. It is up to you to awaken humanity and deep down you know your role in this. We ask of you not to force your ideas unto others with words, but to take your part in the plan now with action. Your action will determine the strength of your will and we see your will as honorable.
What can you do, you ask? We have said to gather in numbers for your strength increases with each new member of truth. Use this power and strength of numbers to raise the morale so high that you are an army of will. This army of Light can take on thousands even millions in the dark. Your displays of truth will inspire those of indecision to finally get off of the proverbial fence. It will give the warriors of Light a foundation to work from and a home base to energize. This mentality is not a foreign concept, it is the same work of those who fight for your country in ignorance. Those souls who know not of the corruption they face will to do the will of their superiors, for the sake of your supposed freedom.
You who gather in the Light need no superiors, only the group power of intention. This is where freedom reigns, in the individual's choice to gather for the purpose of change, not he who is forced to do the will of another. This is how change happens, when two or more of you gather in the name of God. We have stated many times that this power supercedes all others and that is how your freedom will be returned, when you take it back. Now is not the time to meander, now is the time to choose and to act. My dear brothers and sisters we urge you to gather in the streets, in the alleyways, on the countryside and in the valleys, in the Capitol and in every community now. We urge you to make your voices heard and to shout it from the mountain tops.
Organize these groups in sects and allow for all to join. Advertise your intent to take your freedom back with protests and show no mercy on your leaders until they succumb to your power. It is truly up to you to gain the attention of the media and give a voice to the silent ones who know truth. This time of great upheaval must begin with your strength of will but you will see that many will become your followers if they know you will lead them to the truth. This is the time and you are all prepared. We can only support your efforts but you must maintain the integrity of your will.
The waiting is over, now you march. For those who have long awaited the outcome, we say wait no more. Waiting does not initiate change, change is a choice, an active choice. And choice is freedom, SO choose to act now, act the will of God for ultimately you are the will of God. As you take this next step to your inevitable freedom, know that many march with you in the unseen. We are before you, with you and ultimately behind you all the way. We have done much to prepare you for this time in your evolution, now it is the time of your choosing. SO what will you choose? Will you choose complacency as so many have done before you? Will you choose world dominance and corruption by passive participation? Will you empower those to control with ill intentions? Or will you gather in millions and make demands? Will you allow for no unjust law to be placed before you? Will you allow your rights to be restored and live freely in abundance? The choice is yours, you can make the choice to set yourselves free. I stand before you in great anticipation of your power, knowing your true capabilities.
You who read this know the truth of why you came and you will soon share this truth with all who will listen. Be not bashful of this truth, you will be amazed at how many are waiting for you to stand up. Your supporters are vast and when you stand, they will flock to you like sheep in a herd. Forward you will march and fearlessly you will command your honor. Be not afraid, for there is only fear in the ignorance of dark, never in the light of truth.WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY TO OUR PLANET RIGHT NOW?
HE WOULD SAY:
THE TIME HAS COME TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER,
EVEN AS I HAVE LOVED YOU!
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jun 22, 2006 8:27:48 GMT 4
This is such a cool story!....MThree arrested after protest at missile siloBLAKE NICHOLSON Associated Press Posted on Tue, Jun. 20, 2006 GARRISON, N.D. - A peace activist group says a Roman Catholic priest and two military veterans infiltrated a Minuteman III missile silo site in northwestern North Dakota, using sledgehammers and hammers to gain access.The Wisconsin-based group Nukewatch, in a statement, said the men were able to break a lock and enter the silo site Tuesday morning, paint the word "disarm" on the silo lid and pour some of their blood on the lid. Minot Air Force Base confirmed that three people "unlawfully entered" the missile site west of Garrison but said they were quickly detained by Air Force security and turned over to local law enforcement officers, who took them to the McLean County jail. A dispatcher at the McLean County sheriff's office Tuesday night said no officers were available to answer questions. A statement from Nukewatch said the men were arrested for criminal trespass and criminal mischief. The base said security at the missile site was not breached. "The 91st Space Wing has the ability to respond to situations like this at a moment's notice," Col. Sandy Finan, the wing commander, said in a statement. "At no time was the safety and security of the site in question." The 91st Space Wing at Minot Air Force Base oversees 150 Minuteman III missiles, buried in silos across 8,500 square miles of northwest and north central North Dakota. Nukewatch identified the men involved in Tuesday's protest as Greg Boertje-Obed, 51, and Michael Walli, 57, both military veterans from Duluth, Minn.; and Carl Kabat, 72, a priest from St. Louis. "We have chosen to start the process of transformation and disarmament by hammering on and pouring our blood on components of the Minuteman III nuclear missile system," the men said in a statement posted on the Internet. "We believe that the concrete that goes into making missile silos would be better used for building homes."Photographs posted online show the men in [glow=red,2,300] clown[/glow] costumes. "We dress as clowns to show that humor and laughter are key elements in the struggle to transform the structures of destruction and death," they said.ON THE NET Nukewatch: www.nukewatch.comStatement of protesters: www.jonahhouse.orgMinot Air Force Base: www.minot.af.mil/Source: tinyurl.com/n96fs
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jul 15, 2006 17:47:59 GMT 4
VETER ANS FOR PEACE Veterans Working Together for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace! Please hurry to beat the late registration fee to the VFP Convention! After July 19th all registration fees, including the workshop only tickets, will be an addition $25. Dear Veterans For Peace Members, Supporters, and everyone who works for peace: It's not too late to register for the 2006 VFP National Convention that will be held in Seattle, WA from August 10-13th. (See the bottom of this email to register). Workshop only tickets are now available: $75 for Thursday, Aug. 10th & $100 for Friday, Aug. 11th. (Workshop Schedule listed below). VFP National Convention 2006"Sow Justice, Reap Peace: Strategies For Moving Beyond War." Convention Speakers John Perkins, Cindy Sheehan, and Dahr Jamail head an All-Star cast of speakers to the 2006 Veterans For Peace National Convention. And that's not all. This is shaping up to be an incredible list of speakers, ... and it doesn't even include the musicians!: John Perkins, Cindy Sheehan, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright, Ray McGovern, Brian Willson, Jennifer Harbury, Elliott Adams, Stacy Bannerman, Antonia Juhasz, Pablo Paredes, Malik Rahim, Bruce Gagnon, Diane Benson, Monica Benderman, Camilo Mejia, Majorie Cohn, Diane Rejman, Simona Sharoni, Diane Wilson, Anthony Arnove, Bridgett Cantrell, David Cline, Michael McPhearson, Gerry Condon, Eli Painted Crow, Mike Ferner, Vivian Felts, Ellen Finklestein, Lynn Fitzhugh, Jennifer Harbury, Ed Heim, Andy Heims, Evan Kanter, Dan Kenner, John Kim, Kathleen McFerran, Alene Morris, Steve Morse, Paul William Roberts, David Swanson, Bob Wing, Todd Boyle and more... You will not get a recital of old, familiar material. You will get the state of the art, the leading edge of thinking. You will be in a conference room with Ray McGovern or Brian Willson or Dahr Jamail, in a discussion with other leading activists. This will be the biggest convention of the year for any serious student of nonviolent political change. Everyone in this struggle is welcome. Please join us! Convention Workshops Veterans for Peace Convention August 10 - 13, 2006 Workshop ScheduleThursday, August 10, 20062:30 - 3:45 Chapter Organization/Innovations: Spreading the Peace/Anti-war Movement: Why is it so White and Middle-class? (Michael McPhearson and Bob Wing) Communication: Hearts and Minds: Spiritual Activism in a Time of War (Stacy Bannerman) Environment and Culture: A World of Hurt or Hope: The National Security Implications of Global Warming and Abrupt Climate Change, (John Seebeth) Human Effects of War: Finding the Way Back Home: Readjustment and Traumatic Stress (Drs. Bridgett Cantrell, Scott Michael,and Evan Kanter) Veteran Support: Vets4Vets, Peer Support and Empowerment Groups for Iraq-era Veterans (Jim Driscoll. Kelly Dougherty, Garett Reppenhagen) Issues of War: War profiteering and U.S. Strategic Goals in the Middle East (Dahr Jamail) 4:00 - 5:15 Chapter Organization/Innovations: Walking to New Orleans (Malik Rahim, Vivian Felts, Ward Reilly, Michael McPhearson et al) Communication: Creating Safety Through Connection: Nonviolent Communication (Kathleen Macferran) Environment and Culture: Agents of Destruction: DU and Agent Orange (David Cline et al) Human Effects of War: Writing About War by Live video feed from Toronto (Paul William Roberts) Veteran Support: International Panel (Frank Houde et al) Issues of War: Nuclear weapons (Carol Reilley Urner) Friday, August 11, 20069:45 - 11:00 Chapter Organization/Innovations: Counter recruitment Communication: How to Speak the Truth in Difficult Times (Alene Moris) Environment and Culture: The Peace Movement, Knowing What to do Next (Elliot Adams) Human Effects of War: Health Consequences of War: Challenges Beyond the Battlefield (Drs. Gene Bolles and Evan Kanter) Veteran Support: An American Peace Veteran in Vietnam (Diane Rejman) Issues of War: The Politics of Obedience: Breaking the Habit of Voluntary Servitude (Brian Willson) 11:15 - 12:30 Chapter Organization/Innovations: Waging Peace Workshops, an Overview (Elliot Adams) Communication: Voices of Women Veterans - (Ann Wright, Eli Painted Crow) Environment: How Can We Avert the Converging Catastrophes of Global Climate Change, Global Oil Depletion, and the U.S. War Response to Oil?, (Roland James) Culture: Creating a Culture of Peace (Ellen Finkelstein) Veteran Support: Alternative Medicine Breakthroughs and PTSD and PTSD and EMDR - the End of the Nightmares (Lynn Fitz-Hugh and Dan Kenner) Issues of War: Structural Causes of War, Todd Boyle, Antonia Juhasz 2:00 - 3:15 Chapter Organization/Innovations: Chapter Building (Patrick McCann) Communication: Practicing Nonviolent Communication (Bob Hendricks) International Issues: Israel/Palestine (Souliman al Khatib and Assaf Oron) Issues of War: Lies, Secrecy and Lawlessness - How to Stop the Coming Police State and Protect Yourself Along the Way (Ray McGovern and Ed Hein) Veteran Support: Resisting in the US and Canada (Gerry Condon and Pablo Paredes) Issues of War: Impeachment (David Swanson and Mike Ferner) 3:45 - 5:00 Innovations: Passing the Torch: Training Youth to be Peace Activists (Youth panel from FOR) Communication: Media (Virginia Rodino) Culture: Unity Beyond War Time (Andy Himes) Human Effects of War: Torture (Jennifer Harbury) Veteran Support: GI Rights and GI Advocacy (Steve Morse) Issues of War: Axis of Evil v. Great Satan (John Amidon, John Kim and Keith Leitich) We really hope you can join us. It promises to be an exciting event. Last year's convention in Dallas kicked off Camp Casey, the Bring Them Home Now Tour, and the Katrina Relief Effort in the Gulf. There is no telling what kind of momentum we'll generate this year. Come to Seattle and be a part of history! For more information and to register please see the following links:Convention Website:www.vfpnationalconvention.org Convention Flyer:www.veteransforpeace.org/convention_flyer.pdf Registration Page:www.seattletech.com/registration/index.php?confno=815&stguniv=212&PAYMENTS=TRUE Register By Mail Form:hfs.washington.edu/uploadedFiles/Conferences/For_Attendees/VetsforPeace.pdf Register By Phone: 206-543-7634 Thank you, VFP National Office 216 S. Meramec Ave. St. Louis, MO 63105 314-725-6005
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Aug 30, 2006 15:14:28 GMT 4
WED.,AUGUST 30, 2006 Camp Democracy Is Less Than One Week AwayIf you're feeling helpless about the state of affairs in the U.S., here's an opportunity to EMPOWER YOURSELF and to restore our freedom and constitutional rights. Can't make it you say, don't have the cash to go? YES, YOU CAN; there are free rides and rooms available. And if you are one of the more fortunate among us, consider donating so ALL may join this historic concerted movement against continued abuse of our citizens and the rest of the world......MichelleAt long last, Americans are preparing to say "Enough is enough" on September 5th when Camp Democracy begins on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Can we count on you to help make it happen? Sign Up to stay informed and volunteer to participate.
Beginning September 5th, we will launch a non-partisan camp for peace, democracy, and the restoration of the rule of law. Camp Casey will move from Crawford, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to create a larger camp focused not only on ending the war but also on righting injustices here at home and on holding accountable the Bush Administration and Congress.Tents will provide activist activities, trainings, workshops, and entertainment on these themes: End War: Peace, nonviolence, accountability, and impeachment | Human Rights: Civil Rights, Immigrants Rights, Workers Rights, Women's Rights, Voting Rights, Katrina | End Corporate Welfare, Meet Human Needs: Healthcare/ Energy/ Education/ Environment | Communications and Creativity: Hands-on Media and Arts Training.You can visit Spaceshare to offer a ride or to ask for one, or if you have or need a room in the Washington, D.C., area. Camp Democracy is a grassroots effort and will only succeed with the help of many, many people. Can you help us? Make a donation to Camp Democracy.Camp Democracy Unites Progressives at National Press ClubWe held a press conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce Camp Democracy:www.campdemocracy.orgIt aired on C-Span and C-Span2:www.c-span.orgThe Associated Press wrote an article:campdemocracy.org/node/179PoliticsTV.com filmed the event, and has posted the one-hour video. It loads quickly:www.politicstv.com/blog/?p=1061The advisory that we sent to the media prior to the event has more information:campdemocracy.org/node/162___________ Camp Democracy Is Less Than One Week Away Camp Democracy opens on Tuesday, September 5thWe still need volunteers. Please ask everyone you know to sign up atvolunteerforchange.org/e/117?refcode=o52 We still need money. We knew from the start we'd need at least $50,000. We've only raised $46,000. We need at least $4,000 more, and we need it fast! Every dime we've raised or spent is listed publicly on the website, modeling transparent governance in case anyone in Washington is watching:campdemocracy.org/sponsor Tabling only costs $25 per day. Why not set up a table with your information:campdemocracy.org/organization Here are free rooms and rides:www.spaceshare.com/campdemocracy If you can send a bus and need help paying for it, ask us:david@davidswanson.org If you need help filling it, post it on the board:www.spaceshare.com/campdemocracy You can help spread the word about Camp Democracy with the tools found on this page, including a local event guide, a sample press release, Email announcements, flyers, posters, web banners, audio of a public service announcement, a student activism kit, and a short blurb for newsletters:campdemocracy.org/spread Dress for success. You cannot buy shirts at Camp Democracy, but you can buy them beforehand:campdemocracy.org/store Please make an appointment with your Congress Member in Washington on September 19th and join us for a day of lobbying, preceded by a day of training on September 18th.campdemocracy.org/spread/appointmentHere are more things you can do to get involved locally:campdemocracy.org/spread/local
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 6, 2006 8:55:41 GMT 4
Anti-War Movement Deserves Some Credit Some Call It Marginal, But Organized Push Swayed World OpinionBy Tom Hayden * San Francisco Chronicle www.sfgate.com/November 28, 2006 Although rarely credited, the anti-war movement has been a major factor in mobilizing a majority of the American public to oppose the occupation and killing in Iraq. To many observers, the movement seems feckless and marginal, its rallies an incoherent bazaar of radical sloganeering. Yet according to Gallup surveys, a majority of Americans came to view Iraq as a mistake more rapidly than they came to oppose the Vietnam War more than three decades ago. So how could there be a peace majority without a peace movement? Foreign Affairs, the journal of the foreign policy establishment, wondered about this riddle in a 2005 essay by John Mueller reporting a precipitous decline in public support for the war even though "there has not been much" of a peace movement. In January, when congressional opinion was shifting against the war, a Washington Post analysis made eight references to "public opinion," as if it were a magical floating balloon, without any mention of organized lobbying, petitioning, protests or marches. That was consistent with a pattern beginning before the invasion, when both the New York Times and National Public Radio reported that few people attended an October 2002 rally in Washington, only to admit a week later that 100,000 had been in the streets.
It is not in the nature of elites to acknowledge people in the streets. Foreign policy is seen as the reserve of the privileged and sophisticated, protected from populist influence. But if anti-war sentiment is truly unimportant, why has there been so much government secrecy and domestic spying?Two years ago, San Francisco voters supported withdrawal from Iraq by a large margin. Last year many activists sought an anti-war candidate to run against Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Shortly afterward, she shifted from a vague centrism to support for Rep. John Murtha's call for withdrawal. When Sen. Hillary Clinton was booed at a liberal pre-election rally recently, it wasn't accidental that she chose to begin supporting Sen. Carl Levin's proposal to start a phased withdrawal by year's end. Understandably, she didn't want booing throughout her presidential campaign. Little reported in this month's electoral upheaval were the referendums demanding immediate withdrawal that passed in Chicago and several Illinois suburbs. One year ago, anti-war resolutions passed in 49 of 57 cities in Vermont. Perhaps these events go largely unnoticed because of a false paradigm that anti-war protesters must be isolated, howling, fringe figures. That doesn't fit Cindy Sheehan or the military families who have turned against the war. Even defined as a street phenomenon, the anti-war movement has commanded significant numbers. The global movement surely succeeded in pressuring foreign governments against supporting the U.S. invasion in 2003. The February 2003 protests were the largest turnouts in history before a war began. The August 2004 demonstrations at the Republican convention in New York were unprecedented in convention history, including the 1,800 arrests (approximately three times the number arrested in Chicago in 1968.) It is true there have been periodic lapses in street protests since 2003, but these can be explained by the surge of activists into anti-war presidential campaigns like that of Howard Dean. Not only were thousands involved, but MoveOn.org's voter fund raised $17 million in 2004, most of it from 160,000 contributors averaging $69 donations. In this year's election, MoveOn activists made 1 million calls to their elected officials, and poured thousands of dollars and volunteers into campaigns. New Hampshire elected to Congress Carol Shea-Porter, a woman previously known for pulling up her outer garment to display an anti-war slogan. To disregard forces such as these in the definition of the anti-war movement is a sleight-of-hand, something like eliminating Eugene McCarthy's New Hampshire campaign in March 1968 from the history of the anti-Vietnam movement. The phenomena of the Netroots and indymedia, new since 1999, have opened up vistas of dialogue, resistance and confrontation far beyond the streets and teach-ins of college towns. This resistance is more remarkable when one considers the establishment's post-Vietnam strategies to terminate the spread of the Vietnam Syndrome, which supposedly had weakened the nation's resolve for war. The 18-year-old vote was delivered along with the end of the military draft by a White House bent on domestic pacification. But now, as Foreign Affairs warns, the inoculation has failed and an Iraq Syndrome is replacing the Vietnam Syndrome. Based on a disease-control model, this Iraq Syndrome will cause Americans to question the supposed benefits of having the largest military budget in the world, an imperial presidency or policies of policing the world, according to Foreign Affairs. But it seems healthy, not a sign of sickness, for the citizens of a democratic state to question government secrecy or the use of their taxes for torture. An irreverence toward power, too, is a healthy sign, in a country showered with fear-inducing propaganda, where not a single mainstream media organ has called for bringing our troops home either now or within a year. If history is any guide, the recommendations of the elite Iraq Study Group may well be designed to placate, or divide, the anti-war sentiment that was a driving force in the Nov. 7 election. Alongside a military crackdown in Baghdad and possibly a strongman government, there will be talk of beginning a "partial withdrawal" in several months, depending of course on "conditions on the ground." There may be an attempt to carve up Iraq (politely known as "partition"), but none of these plans is likely to stop the insurgency. If ever consulted, anti-war voices might propose the following:First, seek a dialogue with anti-occupation forces in Iraq, from politicians to insurgents, to work toward a cease-fire and a longer-term conflict resolution process. Second, announce the withdrawal timetable that about 80 percent of Iraqi people and 60 percent of the American people want. Third, initiate a diplomatic offensive, beginning with Iran, to seek regional global assistance in dealing with security, reconciliation and reconstruction issues. Because the anti-war movement remains voiceless in the coming debates, the only recourse is to prepare widespread demonstrations and ground organizing in the key presidential primary states, to make it impossible for any candidate to become president in 2008 without pledging to end the war and occupation. If there is no peace movement, there will be no peace.About the Author: Tom Hayden, a former state senator, was a leader of the anti-Vietnam war movement. He teaches at Pitzer College in Claremont (Los Angeles County). Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jan 26, 2007 21:52:14 GMT 4
THIS LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO BE A REALLY MASSIVE PEACE MARCH AND IS A HISTORIC EVENT IN THE MAKING!Protesters Will Urge Congress to Stand Up to Busht r u t h o u t | Press Release , from: United For Peace and Justice (UFPJ) January 20, 2007 Peace march expected to be among largest since war began.New York, New York - Americans angered by Bush's plans to escalate the Iraq war will flood the streets of Washington on Saturday, January 27, in a massive national peace march organized by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). Marchers will call on Congress to listen to the voters, not Bush, by using its power to end Bush's war and bring the troops home. The last three national marches organized by UFPJ each attracted between 300,000 and 500,000 people. MoveOn.org has called upon its 3.2 million members to join UFPJ, describing the march as potentially a "turning point for the war" comparable to how "Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington in 1963 was a turning point in the fight for equality and civil rights." The National Organization for Women (NOW) is mobilizing its chapters to participate. Local anti-war groups in cities and towns across the nation are mobilizing. On Monday, United for Peace and Justice's web site received more than 700,000 hits. District Council 37 in NYC, AFSCME's largest district council, and New York's United Federation of Teachers, the largest teachers union local in the country, are sending busloads of their members to Washington. Car caravans and peace trains are heading to Washington, DC, from all over the East Coast, Midwest and Southeast. Buses and vans are coming from more than 30 states and 111 cities, including from as far away as Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Judith LeBlanc, UFPJ Co-Chairperson, said, "Bush's announcement of plans to escalate the war has backfired. Every day people call or send email to say they will be marching in Washington with United for Peace and Justice on January 27th to call for an end to this war. They are demanding that Congress stand up to Bush. There is no doubt: This is the right action at the right time." Among those slated to speak at the pre-march rally are Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, who last year led an anti-war march of thousands, the largest protest in Salt Lake City history; Reverend Jesse Jackson Jr.; Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio); Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.); Bob Watada, father of Lt. Watada, the first military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq and currently facing court-martial; and active-duty service people. On Monday, January 29th, UFPJ is sponsoring a Grassroots Lobby Day, in which hundreds will press the case for withdrawal from Iraq directly with their Congressional representatives and senators. The weekend's activities will include a Saturday morning interfaith peace service and organizing workshops on Sunday. On Thursday, January 11, United for Peace and Justice member groups and allies staged more than 1,000 local protests of Bush's escalation of the Iraq war. UFPJ's March on Washington is the next step in the anti-war movement's national surge of opposition to Bush's escalation of the war. Source: www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012007Y.shtmlMuch more on this through: www.unitedforpeace.org/RELATED EMAIL:Date: 23 Jan 2007 From: "Ricken Patel - CeasefireCampaign.org" team@ceasefirecampaign.org"> Subject: Join Saturday's Global Peace March...Without Leaving Your HouseThis Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will march on WashingtonDC to demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East. We can be there too, raising a global voice of solidarity -- through our own worldwide virtual march. Time is short, so add your voice and join the march today! www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.phpAvaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and placards at the US demonstration - showing how many internet marchers from all round the world are joining in. We will carry the flag of each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers, so tell your friends! With American opposition to this war mounting, 45,000 of us from over 100 countries have already joined the call to oppose Bush's military escalation and demand a real plan to end this war. Can we get 75,000 - even 100,000 people from round the world to join the march before Saturday? Click here to join the march: www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.phpThis could signal the rebirth of the US peace movement. We need to show them the world is on their side. Let's bring our call for peace to the streets of power in Washington. Join the global peace march and tell your friends today! With hope, Ricken, Paul, Tom, Rachel, Galit, Lee-Sean and the rest of the Ceasefire Campaign (now Avaaz.org! ) Team Check also www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/now.php--- Related articles:Five Reasons Why I'll March on January 27www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012307D.shtmlSaif Rahman writes: "Even if you, like most Americans, oppose this war, why march? Why protest? Why hold up signs in the middle of winter and walk around in a big circle? And how is that going to end the war? For me, a protest is not only one of the various means that activists can use to achieve a political end. It's also is something deeply and sincerely personal." ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activistswww.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.htmlThe American Civil Liberties Union today released a new report revealing that the Pentagon monitored at least 186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.
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michelle
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Post by michelle on Jan 28, 2007 3:12:28 GMT 4
Tens of thousands in D.C. protest against Iraq war27 Jan 2007 20:09:49 GMT Source: Reuters (Corrects paragraph 10 to show that 21,500 additional troops are headed to Iraq, not 12,500)By Deborah Charles WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Chanting "bring our troops home," tens of thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday to pressure the government to get out of Iraq. Veterans and military families joined some lawmakers, peace groups and actors including Vietnam war protester Jane Fonda to urge Congress and President George W. Bush to stop funding the war and pull troops from Iraq. "When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent," said Iraq war veteran Garett Reppenhagen. "We need to put pressure on our elected government and force them to ... bring the troops home," said the former sniper to cheers from the crowd at a rally held on the National Mall. Tens of thousands of people attended the rally, according to a park police officer. For more than two hours, speakers criticized Bush and the U.S. presence in Iraq before protesters marched around the Capitol. A group of families of soldiers killed in Iraq stood holding pictures of their loved ones, including one photo of a soldier in full dress uniform lying in a coffin. More than 3,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The protest was one of several expected around the country, including a large march scheduled in Los Angeles. Protesters planned coordinated efforts during the week to lobby lawmakers to take action against the war. Bush's approval rating has dropped to some of the weakest of his presidency and polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of President George W. Bush's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq. But Bush said he has no intention of backing off his plan. Asked about the protests, White House national security adviser spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush "understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the war in Iraq and the new strategy is designed to do just that." The demonstrations come amid growing efforts by lawmakers to protest Bush's plans in Iraq. The Senate Foreign Relations committee passed a resolution on Wednesday opposing the plan to send more troops to Iraq. Protesters said they hoped to send Bush and Congress a message that Americans did not support the war. "I'm convinced this is Bush's war. He has his own agenda there," said Anne Chay, holding a sign with a picture of her 19-year-old son, John, who is serving in Iraq. "We're serving no purpose there." Chay said her son, who has been in Baghdad since last July, said he was proud of her for traveling from Andover, Massachusetts, to take part in the anti-war rally. Fonda, who was criticized for her opposition to the Vietnam war, drew huge cheers when she addressed the crowd. She noted that she had not spoken at an anti-war rally in 34 years. "Silence is no longer an option," she said. "I'm so sad we have to do this -- that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam war." Democratic Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Nov. 7 election -- which gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress -- showed Americans want change. "It takes the ... outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing," he said. "We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message -- Out if Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go."(additional reporting by Timothy Ryan) Source: www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27405190.htm
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DT1
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Post by DT1 on Jan 28, 2007 6:33:09 GMT 4
I keep seeing the estimated attendance of this historic demonstration stated as"tens of thousands"in the Matrix Media. Actually, it is in the hundreds of thousands,perhaps half a million.... DC Marchers Challenge Congress to End War thenation.com Actor Sean Penn summed up the new energy -- and the new focus -- of the anti-war movement Saturday, when he turned George Bush's own words against the president. Just hours after the president had again reasserted his false claim to authority to pursue a war that is not wanted by the American people or the Congress, Penn told anti-war demonstrators gathered in Washington that Bush would be wise to review the Constitution. "In a democracy," the actor told the cheering crowd, which organizers said numbered in the hundreds of thousands, "we are the deciders." Saturday's anti-war demostrations, which filled the streets of cities from San Francisco to Washington, marked a return to form for an anti-war movement that had trouble building momentum during the three years that followed Bush's decision to launch a preemptive war against a country that posed no serious threat to the United States or its allies. During the period from 2OO3 to 2OO6, Bush's Republican Party had complete control of the machinery of government, and his allies were successful in assuring that Congress would not serve as any kind of check or balance on the presidency. Though polls showed that most Americans thought Bush had been wrong to take the country to war, and that they disapproved of his handling of the conflict, demonstrations seemed fruitless because the president held all the cards. Many opponents of the war poured their energies into electoral politics, hoping to restore at least a measure of balance to the federal government by putting opposition Democrats in charge of at least one house of Congress. On November 7, the work paid off, with the election of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. So it was that one of the most popular signs at Saturday's rally in Washington read: "I Voted for Peace." An equally popular sign, distributed by United for Peace and Justice, the group that played a central role in organizing the demonstrations, read: "Congress: Stand Up to Bush!" Both signs were necessary messages on Saturday because, while there is no question that Americans voted November 7 for peace, there is still a great deal of uncertainty about whether the Congress that was elected will, in fact, tell the president that it is time to bring the troops home. Some members of Congress do get it. Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey, D-California, addressed the Washington rally, urging activists to lobby the House on behalf of comprehensive legislation she has sponsored to withdraw Congressional approval for the war and implement a rapid yet orderly withdrawal of U.S. soldiers and civilian contractors from Iraq. The second most senior member of the House, Michigan Democrat John Conyers, was there as well, telling the crowd that: "George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing," said Conyers, who then looked out at the crowd and shouted: "He can't fire you." "He can't fire us," added the House Judiciary Committee chair, referencing the Congress that he said should block funding for Bush's plans to maintain his war. "The founders of our country gave our Congress the power of the purse because they envisioned a scenario exactly like we find ourselves in today. Not only is it in our power, it is our obligation to stop Bush." While Bush and Vice President Cheney continue to peddle the fantasy they have the power to wage war as they choose, Congressman Dennis Kucinich corrected the latest lie from the White House. "It is time for George Bush to understand that Congress is a coequal branch of government," the Ohio Democrat said. "Congress has the power to end this war." Kucinich is right on both counts. But he might have added a footnote: There are still a lot of representatives and senators who do not fully accept the responsibility that goes with being members of a coequal branch of government. Until they are reminded of that fact by their constituents, a cautious approach to Constitutionally-mandated duties will prevent Congress from ending the war -- or even seriously curtailing it. Sean Penn's message was, indeed, the appropriate one: Those who marched on Saturday can and should be the deciders in a democracy. But in order to claim that title from a dubiously-selected president, the people will have to do more than march. Only by delivering the message that was on their signs -- "Congress: Stand Up to Bush!" -- directly to their elected representatives will the people convince House and Senate majorities to act to end a war that should never have begun. The lobbying starts Monday. It should not stop until the troops are home -- and until those who sent them into the quagmire are held fully to account. While ending the war was the first priority for those who marched in Washington, San Francisco and dozens of other cities across the country Saturday, the demand for accountability was high on the agenda. "This past November the American people sent a resounding signal to Washington, D.C., and the world. We want change. We want this war to end. And how did Bush respond? Twenty-one thousand, five hundred more will risk their lives for his misguided war," declared actor Tim Robbins, as he addressed the tens of thousands who had gathered on the National Mall. "Is impeachment still off the table? Let's get him out of office." The crowd roared, "Impeach Bush! Impeach Bush. Impeach Bush!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- John Nichols' new book, THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT: The Founders' Cure for Royalism has been hailed by authors and historians Gore Vidal, Studs Terkel and Howard Zinn for its meticulous research into the intentions of the founders and embraced by activists for its groundbreaking arguments on behalf of presidential accountability. After reviewing recent books on impeachment, Rolling Stone political writer Tim Dickinson, writes in the latest issue of Mother Jones, "John Nichols' nervy, acerbic, passionately argued history-cum-polemic, The Genius of Impeachment, stands apart. It concerns itself far less with the particulars of the legal case against Bush and Cheney, and instead combines a rich examination of the parliamentary roots and past use of the "heroic medicine" that is impeachment with a call for Democratic leaders to 'reclaim and reuse the most vital tool handed to us by the founders for the defense of our most basic liberties.'"
The Genius of Impeachment can be found at independent bookstores and at www.amazon.com
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michelle
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Post by michelle on Jan 29, 2007 19:01:48 GMT 4
Below, an e-mail from another of my heros in Congress, Democratic Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who said at this weekend's Peace March:
"George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing," [Conyers] said, looking out at the masses. "He can't fire you." Referring to Congress, the Michigan Democrat added: "He can't fire us."
"It takes the ... outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing" We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message -- Out of Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go."
Following is an article from his blog.... Michelle Whose Slurring Who? The Bush Administration Needs to Get Their Facts Straight about IraqDear Michelle, On Saturday, I was thrilled to join hundreds of thousands of protesters in Washington, D.C., including my good friends at Progressive Democrats of America and Code Pink, in protesting the Iraq War and demanding a cut-off in funds to the immoral war in Iraq. As one who has been part of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements in the 60’s, I can say that the energy and enthusiasm I saw today is entirely comparable. One of the points I made in my speech was that "George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing." The White House wasted no time in responding, with spokesman Trey Bohn claiming that that Conyers "needs to learn the difference between fact and fable, between a soundbite and a slur, [Conyers'] assertion that the president fires generals with whom he disagrees is flat wrong."If Bohn had bothered to read my Constitution In Crisis Report, he would know the facts are on my side. If you don't believe me, just ask former General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff of the United States Army who, in February 2003, warned that the Defense Department's troop estimate for occupying Iraq was too low and that "something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would be needed. In revenge for his comments, Defense Department officials leaked the name of Shinseki's replacement 14 months before his retirement, rendering him a lame duck commander. The New York Times concluded, Shinseki "dared to say publicly that several hundred thousand troops would be needed to occupy Iraq [and] was ridiculed by the administration and his career was brought to a close." Or ask Major General John Riggs. Major General Riggs complained that the Army would need additional troops because it was stretched too thin between Iraq and Afghanistan. Riggs was subsequently taken to task by the Army brass and denied his full rank in retirement. Or ask Army Spc. Thomas Wilson, a 31-year-old member of a Tennessee National Guard unit who had the temerity to ask Donald Rumsfeld why vehicle armor was still scarce nearly two years after the start of the war. Mr. Wilson was trashed by Administration allies as an insubordinate plant of the "liberal media." There was more truth spoken at the rally on Saturday in three hours than we have received from the Administration in three years. Nearly 3,000 deaths after the start of this war, and the Administration still can't get their facts straight.Your Friend, John Conyers, Jr. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Peace Movement Strong On The Washington MallSubmitted by JC on January 27, 2007-8:50pm Cross-posted at Huffington Post I appeared today at the peace rally in Washington and want to report to you that there is tremendous energy out there. Celebrities joined many activists and Members of Congress to call for an end to the fighting now. There was a very big crowd on the mall and most media coverage has been pretty positive. Jane Fonda returned to the peace movement, calling upon Americans not to forget the lessons of Vietnam. I had a chance to speak to Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, who have also used their celebrity as movie stars to bring the media focus to the growing anti-war movement. PDA, Code Pink and the Institute of Policy Studies all made significant contributions to the events today. But perhaps the most powerful voices heard today were those from military families, grieving for lost loved ones. Their personal stories cut at your heart like nothing else. I spoke with some filmmakers doing a piece for the Huffington Post today so I am hoping that you may get to hear directly from some of these military families on the pages here later. So, as we take stock of our efforts today, I wanted to sum up the myriad of challenges that lay before us and the opportunities we have to make things right again in this country. The Bush Administration has given us:* Voter Intimidation and suppression and worse costing us two presidential elections. * The Downing Street Minutes, manipulation of intelligence, and going to war under false pretenses. * Outing a CIA agent as an act of political revenge. * Warrantless wiretapping, outside of the law and the Constitution, and creating an unauthorized data base of millions of innocent Americans. * Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, waterboarding, and other forms of illegal torture. * Racial Profiling, Rendition, and Secret Prisons. * An imperial president who takes it upon himself to issue signing statements which change the law to take away our rights. * Intimidating the press, and firing government whistleblowers. * Operating a government in secret, above the law and outside of court or congressional scrutiny. * More than 3,000 Americans dead, scores of thousands of Iraqi's dead, hundreds of thousands wounded, and a cost of more than one trillion dollars. * And now a massive escalation, disguised as a "surge," with no end in sight. Today, and every day, we need to let this President know and let the Congress know that we have had enough.Source: johnconyers.com/node/91Also posted at:www.huffingtonpost.com/john-conyers/peace-movement-strong-on-_b_39797.html
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michelle
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Post by michelle on Mar 20, 2007 13:21:08 GMT 4
Remembering the War, the Iraq War Anniversary Vigil
Last night, my son and I attended a local vigil - Remembering the War, the Iraq War Anniversary Vigil. The host of a local group that I have demonstrated with since childhood had coordinated with MoveOn.org efforts across the united States. It was a somber experience as we mourned the loss of life this illegal and immoral war has caused. We met to publicly proclaim our opposition to the occupation and say: "Enough!"
We held signs, spoke to our local newspaper, and read the names of military personnel who have died, including statements from their friends and families. It wasn't a spectacularly large group of us who gathered together in pouring rain and ankle deep mud....there were 20 of us.
At first I was disappointed that such a small group from my area choose to show up. But as I spoke with the various individuals, my spirits lifted. For one thing, there were actually some people younger than myself in attendance; one young man being of high school age, and of course my pre-teen son. And, it was a joy to be able to assemble with like minded members of my own community.
There was also a significant number of Catholics, including a priest and one ex-priest, both very vocal locally and nationally. I was pleased to see the Catholic Father in attendance, as I mourn the loss of this type of leadership within the Catholic Church. As a child, my Catholic upbringing and those whose writings I was exposed to and came in contact within the Church had a great influence on my life mission. I grew up in parishes during the Vietnam War attending Saturday night folk masses, singing anti-war songs and messages of universal brotherhood. As an adult, I have missed the likes of the Dorthy Day of the Catholic Worker movement, the Berrigan brothers, both priests who went to jail for their anti-war and anti-draft efforts, and I have missed the American Catholic circles composed of priests, monks, nuns, and lay people who were voices for militant pacifism within the Church.
At one point, the priest called for any testimonies of confession. Now unlike many critics of the sacrament of penance, I always admired this ritual of faith. It calls for one to search the heart for any personal stumblings and to confess publicly or privately to your priest for which you receive absolution. Many complain that a priest cannot impart remission of sin, that only God can. I say they miss the whole point....that it is a humbling act to admit and confess one's sins, and that it is not the priest or even God who pardons us [we are always loved and accepted for who we are by the Creator] but rather, it is we who forgive ourselves.
Anyway, I was deeply moved by a woman who made a 'public confession' admitting regret and sorrow for voting based on a single issue [pro-life]. During the last two presidential elections I would have had a serious problem with her. But last night, me an apostate and she a religious faithful, stood side by side in solidarity with the global community. This made my heart glad and gave me renewed hope that our country can and will pull together, regardless of individual differences of opinion. One might miss that type of connection in a larger crowd.
This is another reason to move toward more local community involvement. I have attended huge demonstrations and marches in our larger cities and feel that one can get 'lost in the crowd.' I believe it is most important to foster more local community gatherings because our smaller populations tend to lack the awareness one gains from exposure to the various organizations and publications larger cities have to offer. With this in mind, I vowed to lend support for any future local activities our vigil host cares to muster. Our world will change one person at a time. So where else can one find a better place to start than your own neighborhood?
If any readers here attended recent marches/vigils I encourage you to share your stories with us all.
Yours in the Light, Michelle
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DT1
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Post by DT1 on Jul 1, 2007 8:49:37 GMT 4
Just had to lift this from huffingtonpost.com: John Seery Protesting Bush: If Not Now, When?Posted June 29, 2007 The Presidency of George W. Bush will go down in history not just as a disappointment, not just as an embarrassment, not just as a failure, not just as a fiasco. His will be seen, above all else, as having been an administration fraught with corruption and criminality. Surely the eventual verdict, bathed in the coolly discerning light of hindsight, will be devastatingly damning. But we already know this. We need not wait for the Owl of Minerva to take flight in order to pass considered judgment on this administration. Bush and Company's record of gross incompetence is, by now, long and well documented. Their lawlessness is also, by now, a matter of public record. Their official agents have admitted, defiantly so, to several glaring violations of congressional law and of the Constitution. Very little of this unconstitutional behavior can be fully mitigated, let alone excused, by national security concerns or by originally good intentions thereto. Bush's policies have, in fact, fueled and exacerbated terrorist outrage at the United States rather than effectively combating, countering, and diffusing it. Worst of all, this Commander-in-Chief sent our men and women of the armed services into combat under false pretenses. Whatever the original conglomeration of ulterior reasons for that fateful decision to go to war, it has blown up in our faces. The human cost has been high, and we need not wait for a veritable day of reckoning to insist that those responsible be held accountable. Pick your outrage: the Iraq War; Abu Graib; Guantánamo; torture; extraordinary renditions; signing statements; Enron; Halliburton; NSA domestic spying; Abramoff-gate; Plame-gate; Katrina-gate; Gonzales-gate; anti-environmentalism; spiraling deficits; the Supreme Court; etcetera. Bush, almost single-handedly, has poisoned the image of America the world over: We are seen as imperialists and hypocrites, not as democratic do-gooders and law-abiding freedom-lovers. Do we have any formidable allies left in the world who believe unshakably in the moral leadership of the United States? We have sunk so low that we're losing a global propaganda war against an underground network of killers who want the entire world to conform to some stone-age fantasy of theirs. How did this happen? And, more important, why do we put up with it? I have been wondering for some time why we haven't seen the domestic outbreak of mass demonstrations and civil protests against the Bush regime. I well understand some of the reasons why such coordinated protests haven't yet emerged: Many folks gave Bush the benefit of the doubt for a long time after 9/11, and they especially didn't want to appear divisive at home while troops overseas were in harm's way. Others have pointed out that with the lack of a draft, and with limited media exposure to battlefield deaths and funerals, widespread indignation over this war has been slow in coming. Others have pinned their hopes on incremental and insider reforms: elections to change Congress, and then resolutions and investigations, and maybe eventually some tipping point will be tipped leading to impeachment. But the votes aren't yet there, the pundits counsel, so don't overplay your hand, and trust that the Madisonian system will be self-correcting in the long run, more or less. Yet it's becoming painfully obvious that Congressional Democrats don't have the collective spine to give this administration its due rebuke and to set the country on a dramatically better course, sooner rather than later. Were I a betting man, I'd wager that the administration's strategy of stonewalling and delaying--while staying in office--will win out, and they will successfully kick the can of problems and the can of responsibility down the road for the next administration to pick up. Favorable polls don't seem to give the Democrats enough confidence to push the throttle forward. I should think they, along with some rebellious Republicans, need extracurricular cover and some pressure-group pressure. In short, people need to get out from behind their computer keyboards and take to the streets. The point of a demonstration is to demonstrate: A group of concerned citizens steps forth into a public arena, physically exercising their inalienable freedoms of speech and assembly, and proclaims in effect, Take note of us. Realize that a significant number of us take strong exception to the current state of affairs. We want to register our convictions with an extraordinary display. We feel a sense of urgency. Conventional channels have in some way proved insufficient to the task at hand as we see it. Here we are: Even if you won't listen to us, you must heed our presence. As a countervailing body of principled democratic consent, we are laying claim to nothing less than our country's tacit Lockean charter. Something has gone dreadfully wrong, and we are taking the trouble to go outside our private homes and businesses, as we enter into the town commons in order to draw greater attention to what we see as a terrible injustice. Civil protest is not the same as mob rule, and it has a longstanding and distinguished tradition from the very beginning of the American polity. It is not to be conflated with civil disobedience, though that, too, has a rather illustrious history in our republic. Old-fashioned organized protest--outdoors, shoulder-to-shoulder, face-to-face--does something more, I want to suggest, than can all the sound and fury that emanates from the digitized and mediated forms of communication that characterize our internet epoch. In fact, I want to submit that the current era of political blogging, for all of its salutary contributions to facilitating political discourse and information exchange under terms of mass democracy, has perhaps served as an unwitting impediment to certain old-school forms of political mobilization. The virtual world tends to preempt the non-virtual world, as if to obviate the latter. You rant and rave on your blog post about some affront to humanity, and sympathetic responders might agree wholeheartedly--and some spiritual transaction seems to have been effected between the parties involved. And then, maybe a web site pops up in order to generate signatures, which are then sent to Congress, and this accelerating activity is all very exciting, as indicated on Technorati.com, and one gains the sense that one has been in some way politically efficacious. But then I reflect back on the hard truth, maybe a mere coincidence but a troubling one nonetheless, that the worst Presidency in history has coincided precisely with the period of the greatest flourishing of blogging commentary heretofore, along with the fewest street demonstrations that we've seen in the last half century. Methinks that we bloggers might be overestimating our real-world influence. We become distracted and dazzled by the whiz-bang wizardry of it all, and so we continue diverting our energies into on-line activities, but we don't tend to take to the streets. Meanwhile, the administration gets away with murder, as it were, despite our scathing exposés. But maybe we've also been, in a way, asleep at the switch. Marx's famous eleventh thesis on Feuerbach goes, "Philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it." Perhaps a similar critique, a comparable insistence on the difference between mere commentary versus effective action, could be updated and applied to contemporary on-line punditry: "Bloggers have only bloviated about the world, in various ways; the point is to change it." What sayeth you? And what are we going to do about it? If not now, when?
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michelle
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Post by michelle on Oct 26, 2007 8:48:48 GMT 4
GET UP!!! TAKE A STAND!!! GET OUT THERE!!! WATCH THE VIDEO!!! I'm tired of talking; I'm tired of other people talking; DO SOMETHING, PEOPLE!!! MichelleDear activists, colleagues and friends, It has been over 4 and a half years since the invasion of Iraq. 3,835 U.S. soldiers and over 1 million Iraqi citizens have lost their lives. U.S. taxpayers have spent over $600 billion on this war with no end in sight. This Saturday, October 27th, you can take a stand. United for Peace and Justice is coordinating over 150 peace groups across the country for demonstrations in 11 cities. Boston, Chicago, Jonesborough Tennessee, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle. There are also events in Fairbanks, Tucson, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Denver, Kapaa Hawaii, Des Moines, Smithfield NC, and Oklahoma City. [and other places...check for this]We made a video to help get the word out. Watch it here and recruit your friends to come: bravenewfilms.org/blog/16736-october-27th-mobilization-to-end-the-war?play=1&utm_source=rgemail Please come! Four years ago this month we documented the lies that led us into this war in "Uncovered: The War on Iraq," and last year we took on the mercenaries, cost-plus contracts, Blackwater and Halliburton in "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers." Both of these stories are now widely known in the broader media thanks to your efforts in screening the films and organizing with them. This new video is about getting people into the streets and DOING SOMETHING.
See you on Saturday! Robert Greenwald, Jim Miller, and the Brave New Foundation team P.S. Click that forward button!
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Oct 28, 2007 16:49:49 GMT 4
Thousands march against the war in S.F., across the countryJim Doyle,Susan Sward, Chronicle Staff Writers Sunday, October 28, 2007 (10-27) 17:17 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- On cue from a bullhorn's blast, thousands of protesters fell to the pavement on Market Street in a symbolic "die-in" Saturday as part of a coordinated protest staged in cities across the country against the war in Iraq. For three minutes the demonstrators lay on the pavement, representing what organizers said were more than 1 million Iraqis killed since the war began in 2003. The protesters then resumed their march from San Francisco's Civic Center to Dolores Park. March organizers put their number at 30,000 - old, young, workers, students, religious leaders. Police declined to give a formal estimate, but onlookers said the demonstrators definitely numbered more than 10,000. They filled up Market Street for several blocks, shouting that U.S. troops should be brought home and carrying banners decrying the war. At the head of the marchers was a band of Native American drummers who pounded a steady beat as protesters chanted, "No more war!" Before the march began, demonstrators gathered in front of City Hall to hear speakers berate the Bush administration and call on Americans to stand up against the war. Organizers said part of the reason for staging this protest was to mark that it is now five years since Congress voted to authorize the use of U.S. force in Iraq. "Silence shows compliance," Nicole Davis, a leader of the Campus Anti-War Network group, told the crowd at the San Francisco event, which was organized by the Oct. 27th Coalition of several groups, including ANSWER - Act Now To Stop War and End Racism. "If you disagree with this war," she added, "it is your duty to stand up and let the world know." Sarah Sloan, an ANSWER spokeswoman, said her group estimated the size of the crowd "based on the number of blocks - about seven - that the march takes up and the density of the crowd." In New York, thousands demonstrated in the rain, marching to Foley Square. In Chicago, thousands of protesters gathered at Union Park and marched to the Federal Plaza. Organizers said anti-war rallies, sponsored nationally by a coalition of groups headed by United for Peace & Justice, also took place in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Jonesborough, Tenn., Philadelphia, Orlando, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Boston and other cities around the country. "It would be one thing if it were just San Francisco, but it's not," Jim Haber, a Bay Area chapter representative of United for Peace & Justice, told The Chronicle. "We've helped organizers mobilize their communities in places like Jonesborough, Tenn., and Salt Lake City, which you don't typically associate with anti-war demonstrations. This underscores the broad opposition to the war in Iraq." At Dolores Park, hundreds of black boots were placed in rows on a hillside in memory of the U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq. A tag bearing the name of a dead soldier was attached to each pair of boots, and many of the boots had daisies and other flowers placed in them. At the park, demonstrators listened to an array of speakers, including American Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks and anti-war activist and congressional candidate Cindy Sheehan. She asked people to vote for her instead of her opponent, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in 2008. Banks told his audience: "As I look out over this crowd, I see many young people. That gives me great hope." He recalled that it was the young - many of them students - during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s who took to the streets to pressure the United States to end that war. Anne Roesler, of the group Military Families Speak Out, said her son was a U.S. soldier who had been deployed to Iraq three times and returned with post-traumatic stress disorder. "This is Congress' war," she said. "They have the blood of this war on their hands - they are building their political careers with the blood of our loved ones and Iraqis." Clarence Thomas, past secretary-treasurer of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10, said, "We have to take a lesson from the civil rights movement. We have to wake up and understand we are all in this together." In the throng of San Francisco demonstrators was a trio of Code Pink members, including one attired as the Statue of Liberty, who belted out, "I am going to sing until the world is free, down by the riverside." One group, the Raging Grannies, entertained the crowd with protest lyrics sung to classic songs such as "Anchors Away." Labor groups made a special effort to get their members to turn out, with hundreds of workers showing up - among them sign installers, teachers, roofers, nurses, security guards and communication workers. Sharon Cornu, secretary-treasurer Central Labor Council of Alameda County, said it would be the first time that seven Bay Area labor councils - San Francisco, Monterey Bay, North Bay, South Bay, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda - worked together to urge members to attend the protest. Although Bay Area labor groups have been involved in earlier protests against the war, Cornu said, this was the biggest effort yet. "More and more union members are seeing the war's impact on our schools, transportation and health care systems because money is being spent abroad that could be spent at home," Cornu added. "We are working people - we make things in this country, and we want to be heard," said Oakland roofer Leroy Cisneros, echoing Cornu's words about the pressing need for expenditures on education and health care. Wendy Bloom, a nurse from Children's Hospital in Oakland, said, "Our priorities are distorted. We are spending billions on an unnecessary war instead of health care." In the days before the protest, organizers used anti-war videos on the Internet to encourage participation in the rallies across the country. One video was a two-minute short by the Brave New Foundation in Culver City that invited viewers to be part of something "huge and meaningful." Another two-minute video, "Confront the War President," featured a series of wrenching images of the Iraq war's dead and dying, grieving relatives and the wounded. It included film clips of President Bush in interviews - one in 2006 saying, "To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong," and another in 2004 stating: "I am a war president. I make policy decisions here in the Oval Office on foreign policy matters with war on my mind." Chronicle news services contributed to this report. E-mail the writers at jdoyle@sfchronicle.com and ssward@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco ChronicleSource:www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/28/BAJHT0ULT.DTL&tsp=1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE INSPIRATION FOR A GENERATION OF PEACE ACTIVISTS!Video for The U.S. vs. John Lennon (trailer) - GO TO:www.imdb.com/title/tt0478049/trailers-screenplay-E30967-10-2
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