Report from the weekend in DC

From: Gary Allison
Date: January 28, 2007 10:54:24 PM CST
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
Subject: Saturday's Peace March in Washington, D.C.


Sunday, January 28, 10:00 PM

Dear Just Progress Members

Barbara and I just returned from Washington, D.C., where we participated in Saturday's march for peace. This event was both exciting and sobering.

It was exciting because in my humble opinion there were at least 500,000 people there from all parts of the nation, from all walks of life, and from every age group imaginable. I was so impressed by the many young people I spoke with, many of whom had driven hundreds of miles all through the night to reach the march just as it started. Adding to the excitement were the great speakers. It was, of course, very thrilling to hear the eloquent words of Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Jane Fonda, and Tim Robbins. But, it was just as inspirational, if not more so, to hear speakers representing Gold Star Families--families who have lost loved ones fighting in Irag and Afghanistan--organized labor, NOW and many other frontline Progressive organizations. Of all the words we heard, the one's that had the most effect on me were Tim Robbins' when he said that:

"Richard Nixon talked to walls, but George Bush is talking to God. The God Bush is talking to is not a God I recognize. This God seems to be giving Bush a pass on many of the Ten Commandments. Among the Commandments he is getting a pass on are 'Thou shalt not bear false witness' [here Robbins recited a long list of Bush lies and exaggerations], 'honor thy father' [here Robbins noted that Bush I had given Bush II advice not to go to Iraq], and, most importantly, 'THOU SHALT NOT KILL!'" He closed his speech by asking why so many of the Democrats who campaigned against these transgressions now are saying that impeachment is off the table.

The march was sobering because everything you could see and hear in Washington, at the March, from knowledgeable people who live there, from the Conservative Summit that was being held in our hotel, is that Bush has no intention on honoring the election demands given him by Voters last November 7. This is all the more sobering when you hear speech after speech from people on the front line of this war detailing how poorly it has gone, how many of our civil rights have been taken away, and how much criminal behavior (torture) has been done in the name of our security. As one speaker, whose name I cannot remember, shouted to the crowd: We are all responsible for allowing these horrible things to happen, for until very recently there has not been any significant mass protest demanding that these horrors committed in our name be stopped and redressed.

As just one example, the morning of the March, the Washington Post reported that the young arab-Canadian that we kidnapped and sent incognito to Syria to be interrogated by torture has received an apology and $9 million dollars in recompense from Canada for its role in cooperating with the United States to send this young man away. The Prime Minister of Canada demanded that the United States apologize and restore this young man's right to travel through and within our borders. In reply, the Bush Administration made it clear that it had no intention of apologizing to this victim and stated that he would remain on our Terrorist watch lists, including our No Fly List.

Along the same lines, we heard from Jesselyn Radack, who was an attorney in the Justice Department's Professional Responsibility Advisory Office during the John Walker Lindh case. She raised legal and ethical objections over the questioning of Lindh without his lawyer and revealed misconduct by Department of Justice officials. As a result, Radack was pushed out of her job at the Justice Department, fired from her next job, put under criminal investigation and put on the no-fly list (where she remains as of Saturday).

Most sobering to me, however, was the shameful fact that only a handful of Democrats in public office accepted invitations to speak at this March. Among those running for President, only Dennis Kucinich showed up. No Democrats in the Senate appeared. Only a handful of Democrats in the House appeared, including John Conyers, Maxine Waters, Lynne Woolsey, and Jerry Nadler. Perhaps the best speech by a Democrat in public office came from Salt Lake City mayor "Rocky" Anderson. If a politician from a red state such as Utah has the courage to come to this peace March, it speaks volumes about those who would presume to head our ticket in 2008 that only Congressman Kucinich would be seen at this event.

My disappointment in our putative leaders will not, however, eclipse my pride and my joy in our fellow American citizens who came to the March and were with us in spirit. As I was leaving my room this morning, a door to another room opened and a young woman and her two very small children appeared. The woman bent down and picked up the copy of the Sunday Washington Post that was provided each guest. She glanced at the front page and then started calling to her husband: "My God, Michael, they put it on the front page. This is so important. She hugged her children. I asked "were you at the March." Her reply: "Yes, and I could never have believed that a middle of the road soccer mom like me would have ever done such a thing. I was so impressed with how respectful everyone was and how the overwhelming majority are just everyday citizens like me trying to get by. I expected to be in a band of wild radicals."

Hearing this young soccer mom makes me believe the tide is turning if we all just kick it up a notch. Impeachment should not be off the table. We should not resign ourselves to Bush having his way with our young military men and women for two more years. We should do all we can to see that he does not get a chance to get us in another war, this time in Iran.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I truly believe our time is at hand if we will only seize the moments now given to us to make a difference.

Your friend in the War for Peace

Gary

PS:

Best sign I saw not related to the War:

No Child Left Behind with a Dime.

Peace House Tulsa

Sent by a Muslim friend of Peace House

Why Can’t Americans See it?
By Paul Craig Roberts
“Within weeks from now, we will see the informational warfare machine start
working. The public opinion is already under pressure. There will be a
growing anti-Iranian militaristic hysteria, new information leaks,
disinformation, etc. . . . The probability of a US aggression against Iran
is extremely high"
01/27/07 "ICHBlog " -- - The American public and the
US Congress are getting their backs up about the Bush Regime’s determination
to escalate the war in Iraq. A Massive protest demonstration is occurring in
Washington DC today, and Congress is expressing its disagreement with Bush’s
decision to intensify the war in Iraq.

This is all to the good. However, it misses the real issue--the Bush Regime’
s looming attack on Iran.

Rather than winding down one war, Bush is starting another. The entire world
knows this and is discussing Bush’s planned attack on Iran in many forums.
It is only Americans who haven’t caught on. A few senators have said that
Bush must not attack Iran without the approval of Congress, and postings on
the Internet demonstrate world wide awareness that Iran is in the Bush
Regime’s cross hairs. But Congress and the Media--and the demonstration in
Washington--are focused on Iraq.

What can be done to bring American awareness up to the standard of the rest
of the world?

In Davos, Switzerland, the meeting of the World Economic Forum, a conference
where economic globalism issues are discussed, opened January 24 with a
discussion of Bush’s planned attack on Iran. The Secretary General of the
League of Arab States and bankers and businessmen from such US allies as
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates all warned of the coming attack and its
catastrophic consequences for the MIddle East and the world.

Writing for Global Research (January 24), General Leonid Ivashov, vice
president of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs and former Joint Chief of
Staff of the Russian Armies, forecast an American nuclear attack on Iran by
the end of April. General Ivashov presented the neoconservative reasoning
that is the basis for the attack and concluded that the world’s protests
cannot stop the US attack on Iran.

There will be shock and indignation, General Ivashov concludes, but the US
will get away with it. He writes:

“Within weeks from now, we will see the informational warfare machine start
working. The public opinion is already under pressure. There will be a
growing anti-Iranian militaristic hysteria, new information leaks,
disinformation, etc. . . . The probability of a US aggression against Iran
is extremely high. It does remain unclear, though, whether the US Congress
is going to authorize the war. It may take a provocation to eliminate this
obstacle (an attack on Israel or the US targets including military bases).
The scale of the provocation may be comparable to the 9-11 attack in NY.
Then the Congress will certainly say “Yes” to the US President.”

The Bush Regime has made it clear that it is convinced that Bush already has
the authority to attack Iran. The Regime argues that the authority is part
of Bush’s commander-in-chief powers. Congress has authorized the war in
Iraq, and Bush’s recent public statements have shifted the responsibility
for the Iraqi insurgency from al-Qaeda to Iran. Iran, Bush has declared, is
killing US troops in Iraq. Thus, Iran is covered under the authorization for
the war in Iraq.

Both Bush and Cheney have made it clear in public statements that they will
ignore any congressional opposition to their war plans. For example, CBS
News reported (Jan. 25) that Cheney said that a congressional resolution
against escalating the war in Iraq “won’t stop us.” According to the
Associated Press and Yahoo News, Bush dismissed congressional disapproval
with his statement, “I’m the decision-maker.”

Everything is in place for an attack on Iran. Two aircraft carrier attack
forces are deployed to the Persian Gulf, US attack aircraft have been moved
to Turkey and other countries on Iran’s borders, Patriot anti-missile
defense systems are being moved to the Middle East to protect oil facilities
and US bases from retaliation from Iranian missiles, and growing reams of
disinformation alleging Iran’s responsibility for the insurgency in Iraq are
being fed to the gullible US Media.

General Ivashof and everyone in the Middle East and at the Davos
globalization conference in Europe understands the Bush Regime’s agenda.

Why cannot Americans understand?

Why hasn’t Congress told Bush and Cheney that they will both be instantly
impeached if they initiate a wider war?

"The people whom Allah loves most are those who are always ready to help
others in any way they can..."

Peace House Tulsa

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o239/deminva/012707Protest/DSCF0228.jpg
Here's a picture of Harry Allison at the demonstration in DC this past weekend.

RALLY SATURDAY AT CAPITOL

Peace House - Tulsa
306 S. Phoenix Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74127
918-231-2514
peacehousetulsa.org


LET'S MAKE SURE TULSA IS REPRESENTED!
Carpools gathering at Peace House-Tulsa at 9:00 AM SAT.
Departing by 9:30 AM TO ARRIVE IN TIME FOR THE RALLY

Please Forward / Invite / and Come
Our OKC Event is growing as we work

No Escalation! End the War! Troops Home Now!
A NATIONAL CALL: SATURDAY, JANUARY 27:
Thousands are going to Washington, DC, to
demonstrate
where Congress - the Seat of Government - is in
Session.
******************
IN OKLAHOMA CITY, COME DEMONSTRATE FOR PEACE
at OUR Seat of Government: Our State Capitol
State Capitol RALLY FOR PEACE IN IRAQ
Noon to 1 pm, South Plaza at the Capitol
Music / Speakers / Tables / Booths
Speaking: Rev.Dr. Robin Meyers,
Iraq Vet / Opinion Leaders
Bring signs, Banners, Friends and family.
Nonviolent Call to End the War.
-- 1 pm Peace Walk from Capitol to Follow --
Tables and Information Sponsored by
The Peace House, Spiritual Walk For Peace, Veterans
For Peace,
CodePink, Dept.of Peace Campaign, OCCO, DFA,
Anti-War Fair Coalition
Endorsements Invited

POETRY FOR PEACE

Joni asked for this poem to be posted on the blog.
Inspiring!!!
I trust that it will be OK for the poet to have it posted.
peace,
Valerie

"Wish List"
--Lori Perdue

I want to have a poet's uprising on the White House lawn.

I want to have heartfelt, sometimes tearful talks with people that care
about human rights.

I mourn for America still.

I want to listen to people who don't think World Peace is a radical idea.

I want to learn how to return this country to the roots of respectability.

I want Dick, George and Donald to face their Butcher's Bill.

I want to march in the streets of D.C. and raise my voice with others
putting out the call.

I want to stomp my feet demanding peace and have the vibrations soak into
the soil of the National Mall.

I want to stop bitching about the Mainstream Media and lead others to
abandon it, replace it with truth. Render its sales techniques obsolete.
Because my red white and blue, freedom-loving, All-American soul is not a
part of any marketable demographic.

I defy definition and I want to combat the popular opinion

That any Grassroots movement in America is either quaint or run by a bunch
of hippies.

I want to help my people realize that Global Catastrophe, in whatever form
it takes.

Pandemic Illness, Nuclear Winter, Global Warming or Massive Meteor Strike
(which to be honest, would be my personal choice for it's brainless and
blameless instantaneous decimation of life.) .

None can be considered quaint nor do you have to be high to see that it's
high time we did something about the three preventable possibilities of the
Earth's demise.

I want all the votes to count.

I want our Senators and Representatives to take a walk up the Hill and act
on behalf of the People.

I want our Justices to take the Bench and uphold the Rule of Law.

And I want every single American who has taken an oath to protect and defend

the Constitution of the United States to actually do so.

But I'd settle right now for rhyme making a way for reason.

And there's probably a contingent out there that would accuse me of treason,

but.

I want to have a Poet's Uprising on the White House Lawn.

I want peace poets, past their anger, to infuse the positive and reinforce
reason with flowing prose like the winds of change.

I want academic poets to remind us of the past and the dangers of it's
repetition; Repetition of the facts from every angle like acid rain.

A Poet's Uprising on the White House Lawn.

I want hip-hop wordsmiths to spit phrases crying out against all -Isms,
resurrecting the resistance that faced fire hoses.

I want slam Poets hurling free verse, solid, like Anarchist bricks through
Starbucks windows.

I want Sonnets flung like service medals from the hands of veterans trying
to spare the soldiers of tomorrow.

A Poet's Uprising on the White House Lawn.

I want rapid-fire couplets filled with apple pie anguish.

And tortured triplets soaked in yellow ribbon tears.

I want silky quatrains whispering how we can change this.

And gritty limericks like sand in the war machine's gears.

I want a Haiku that can restore Democracy in 17 syllables.

I want a Poet's Uprising on the White House lawn.

I want the Poets who refused Laura's invitation

To read - as an act of demonstration -

Something they have written in the last five years.

A Poet's Uprising on the White House lawn.

Stanzas excising Spin from Law.

A Poet's Uprising

Freedom of Speech without fear.

A Poet's Uprising

Because Truth and Poetry

Belong in the People's ears.

WEDNESDAYS @ PEACE HOUSE

9:30 - 11:00 AM COORDINATING COUNCIL MEETING: Open to all who want to shape the activities of Peace House.
5:30 - 6:30 PM HAPPINESS HOUR: Drop by to learn more about Peace House-Tulsa.
6:30 - 8:00 PM DINING AND DISCUSSION: Share something for a potluck dinner and open your heart and mind to other peace-makers. Through open sharing of your ideas, concerns and hopes build strong community for changing the culture of war and greed to a culture of peace and compassion.

PEACE HOUSE-TULSA MISSION STATEMENT

We pursue justice through education and nonviolent action, practicing kindness and compassion for all beings, so that peace may prevail on earth.

Moderation, unfortunately necessary

As the person responsible for this blog, I have come to the sad conclusion that posting to this list must be moderated, meaning I will be able to delete inappropriate posts. I will make every effort to delete very judiciously and only when truly necessary.
May I remind all readers of the Peace House-Tulsa blog that this blog exists for communication to and among SUPPORTERS of the aims of Peace House. Those wishing to hold discussions on other topics can find many other places to have those discussions.
There is so much work to be done to bring about justice. We have no time for distractions from the necessary and important work before us.
Please be reminded that all posts to this blog need to be signed with a real name within the text if your screen name doesn't reveal that information.
THANK YOU,
Rev. Valerie Mapstone Ackerman, director of Peace House-Tulsa

Grand Opening was...GRAND!

Thanks to all who prepared the space and spread the word and played music and shared poetry and attended and donated and bought stuff and ate delicious food! A REALLY BIG thank you to Terry Aziere for being the recruiter, booking agent, tech person and MC! WOW!
I think Cater 2 U sold every morsel of food they brought: red beans & rice, jambalaya, veggie pasta, hot dogs with all the fixins. AND they supplied a Jupiter Jump to keep the little ones happy. We are so happy to support young entrepeneurs who care about justice. Next time you need entertainment and authentic Louisiana food, book Stefanie and Lavelle Cole. (I'll post their number at a later date--after getting permission).
Thanks to the door prize donors (mostly recruited by the incomparable Nancy Moran): Dwelling Spaces for a donated framed print and Veterans for Peace for the movie poster of Sir, No Sir and the cuban art gallery's Che Guevara poster, and three beautiful Japanese calligraphies of "peace" by Nancy's exchange student and a Camp Casey T-shirt donated by Diane Bostic and the sweet little handmade gift baskets from Janet Hutto's collection of crafts made by her late mother. And gosh, who donated that "I 'heart' Tulsa" T-shirt?
Poets Mary McAnally and Deborah Hunter kept the crowd spellbound and inspired. And there was a surprise appearance by Bill Zischang who shared a 3-page poem he wrote for the occasion: "How to End War Forever (in one sentence)" (I hope to post that later too.)
The music was awesome! Deborah Hord, Susan Herndon, Brian Parton, Mothers Brothers & Others, Lon Bartlett, Tiphany, Mike C., Terry Aziere, JT Gentry, Jonas Adrian, Timbre Wolf and oh no I'm forgetting names!!! Non-stop music from 1:00 to 8:00---our own little Woodstock of wonderfulness.
Several neighbors stopped by, their curiosity finally satisfied as they got a chance to check us out. And the Tulsa PD cruised by slowly more than once. Fox 23 showed up, but I don't think we got any airtime. Channel 6 came and filmed but had too many pro-military stories to air--including a truly nonsensical one about an OK quartermaster company (#172) retiring their flag and adopting a new number (#165?) with lots of shots of men in fatigues. And there was another OK funeral for yet another dead soldier--airtime none of us would be-grudge as we who love peace mourn along with the families of the dead. Peace-making just isn't as important as a military unit getting a new flag to carry into battle--or maybe it was something I said. Perhaps we need a different spokesperson. (NOTE: KOTV-6 did air a short piece about PH opening late on Sunday and early on Monday.) Urban Tulsa reporter Holly interviewed some of us earlier in the week and sent a photographer to snap some pictures of two of the old lady founders---Jeremy trying really hard to make us look not quite as frumpy as we really are in real life---we'll see how it all turns out.
AND we rescued a small poodle which had escaped from his human companion's truck early in the afternoon---all in a day in the life of peace-makers.
Whew! Now the real work commences: building the culture of peace.
Those of you who signed up for classes, activities actions, etc. will be hearing from us soon!