President Bush's quick reaction time and skillful ducking kept him from getting hit after Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zeidi launched both his shoes right at the president's face, while yelling, "This is a farewell kiss, dog!" Bush's response? A classy, "All I can report is it is a size 10."
Good work, Bush. I'm actually proud of you, for once.
Hear former U.S. Marine Liam Madden speak on behalf of Iraq Veterans Against the War, this Sunday at the Church of the Holy Trinity:
Date: Sunday, September 21stLiam Madden will report back on the veterans protest activities at the Democratic and Republican conventions and will promote the New England Soldier Support Network here in CT.
Sponsored By:
CT United for Peace http://www.ctup.8k.com
Contact:
Christine Gauvreau
chris_gauvreau@comcast.net
860 478 5300
SEWI is hosting the Statewide Anti-War Student Conference and Rally in Exley early next month:
Students from across the state will be converging on Wesleyan University for the first C[onnecticut] O[pposes the] W[ar] Student Conference. The purpose of the conference is to train students with the tools they need to help End the War in Iraq and Bring the Troops Home.Date: Saturday, Apr. 12
The conference will contain a keynote speaker, followed by workshops dealing with issues ranging from Organizing 101 (i.e. running an effective meeting, media outreach, how to recruit new members, etc) to statewide campaigns (i.e. Campus Divestment, Truth in Recruitment, the Iraq Refugee Crisis, Iraq Veterans Against the War).
After the workshops are completed there will be a rally and march to cap a wonderful day of movement building.
The conference is the beginning of a vibrant student lead antiwar movement in CT. Student groups from dozens of colleges and high schools will come together for this historic event.
The art show "Experiencing the War in Iraq" in Pawtucket, RI will be featuring a photograph by Max Krafft '09. More info here, and facebook event here.
For those interested, here are the facts:
What: Experiencing the War in Iraq: a multi-media installation
When: Opening March 7th @ 6 pm, running through March 30th
Where: Machines with Magnets/Pawtucket Armory, Pawtucket, RI
Who: artists and musicians, soldiers and civilians, including Max
Teach-In!
This Saturday, 2-4 p.m.
Olin Library, Smith Reading Room
Come hear two powerful speakers to inspire action to end the war in Iraq:
Matt Nestler '10's views on Iraq Withdrawal
Excerpt (click on the link to read the whole thing):
"There exists a segment of the global Muslim community that hates the idea of America; they hate the fact that we are free, that we can freely dissent, and that we enjoy vast freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution...The lesson we must take from all this is that we cannot abandon our commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have already seen what would happen if we just packed up and left. The Islamic extremists would most certainly gain control of the country and Iraq would be overrun as a training camp for Islamic terrorism."No comment.
Ashley Casale '10's peace march is picking up the closer she gets to Washington:
Ashley Casale, 19, and Michael Israel, 18, began walking across the country in a journey they hoped would mobilize the nation and inspire thousands to join their 3,000-mile trek from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to protest the war in Iraq. But for weeks they walked alone -- crossing the Nevada desert, then climbing the Rocky Mountains and finally pushing on through the Great Plains.Check out the video of Casale and Israel here.
As the days passed and the miles rolled by, more people began to gather by the road to see the two teenagers. About 100 people turned out to rally around them in Lincoln, Neb.; 200 people joined a peace demonstration in Omaha, and about 90 people gathered in Iowa City. As word spread, someone volunteered to drive a support car to carry the marchers' gear. More people joined them for daylong walks.
Now the lonely peace marchers -- once a movement of just two -- include six people, all committed to walking the remaining 800 miles to Washington, where they plan to hold a rally Sept. 11.
"I do feel heartened," said Casale, walking along a road lined with corn and soybean fields, alongside her small but growing band of marchers. "It's energizing to have a lot of people -- at least more than before. I think it's building. I think people are paying attention."
On Monday, Casale and Israel -- looking lean and tanned from weeks on the road -- walked into Normal among a group of nearly 20 supporters, many of whom drove from the Chicago area to march for the day. Two people carried huge rainbow flags that read "PEACE." Another woman held a sign that read "War is not the answer."
Julie Haverty, 68, and her husband, Jim, 69, of Frankfort, brought the marchers new shoes: a pair of size 9.5 Birkenstocks for Casale -- who had worn large holes in her sandals -- and a pair of size 9 New Balance sneakers for Israel.
Bernie Kopera, 62, of Orland Park postponed a vacation so he could meet the marchers in Bloomington. "Meeting the kids was a priority," he said. "I don't want them to lose their hope and idealism."
...
On Monday night, the marchers reached the campus of Illinois State University, where a crowd waited to meet them. A whoop went up as the marchers walked onto a concrete patio area. Cameras clicked, and a radio reporter held up a microphone for an interview. Nearly three dozen people held signs that read "Bring the troops home."
The marchers still have a month and many miles to go, but some in the crowd felt optimistic.
Tom Swanborn, 41, came the night before with his wife, Erin, 35, and their 4-year old daughter. He bought the marchers a pizza and paid for a hotel room for them. That gave the marchers -- who have been mostly camping -- a rare opportunity to shower, do laundry and enjoy some air conditioning. The Swanborn family had been following the progress of the marchers on the Internet and had worried about them out on the road.
"When I met them in person, they were hot and sweaty but super-optimistic," Tom Swanborn said. "I just thought, 'They're going to make it.'" He paused for a moment, then added: "I hope I'm right."
Ashley Casale '10 has been marching across the country (literally) to protest the Iraq War:
The idea for the march came to Casale last autumn. A freshman at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., she had attended war protests but thought that a cross-country march could attract more attention. She established a Web site, www.marchforpeace.info, sent out hundreds of fliers to other college campuses and contacted peace groups around the country. Israel, about to graduate a home-school high school program in Jackson, Calif., spotted a notice online. Though dozens of people showed interest, in the end, only Israel and another woman agreed to walk.
They set off from San Francisco on May 21, carrying 40-pound packs. By the end of the first week, the third marcher dropped out. Another activist told them they would never make it to Washington by their target date, Sept. 11. But they pressed on, crossing into Nevada and making their way across the desert in two weeks. Then on to Utah and Colorado.
Their determination has endeared them to many. After seeing the holes in Casale's shoes, a man in Sacramento bought her a new pair of sandals. An elderly man in Colorado drove their packs ahead for two days and called his friends who lived along the route to arrange for shelter.
"I read about them in the paper yesterday and thought, 'Oh my God, we have to help them,'" said Bobbi Benson, 48, of Boulder, who helped drive the packs forward through Colorado. "They just have such courage."
'This is the whole point'
On July 4, Casale and Israel walked the 20 miles from Loveland to Greeley, two towns in a solidly Republican corner of Colorado. As they trudged along the roadside, the Rocky Mountains dominated the horizon behind them. And before them, fields of wheat and corn stretched for miles.
"People who see us today might see us as un-American or unpatriotic," said Casale, about to dart across an expressway ramp. "But I think this is the whole point of this country and July 4: People taking an active role, and speaking out."
They walked for hours under the hot sun. When they finally made it to Greeley, someone yelled an obscenity out a car window. A few minutes later, a man in a Cadillac waved dismissively at them. But others honked support, signaling with a thumbs up or a peace sign.
And when they ducked inside a restaurant, one customer, Carla DeVries, 51, cheered them on. With perfectly coiffed blond hair and wearing a bright pink sweater, DeVries said she is a Republican and supports the war but said, "It's refreshing to see anyone do anything that takes adversity." She smiled at Casale and said: "You stick to your guns."
Twelve hours after they began walking, the sun going down on Greeley and the rat-a-tat-tat of celebratory firecrackers echoing in the distance, the two marchers arrived at a beige split-level house, where someone had offered them a place to sleep. A gray-haired woman rushed to the screen door. "Welcome! Welcome!" called Jean Taylor-Smith, 74, embracing them on the doorstep. "We didn't think you'd ever make it!"
Nearly halfway to goal
The two marchers were exhausted, but they also were nearly halfway to Washington. On Sunday they were near Gothenburg, Neb. A peace group has arranged a rally in Omaha, where they hope to draw large crowds.
"If I could have it my way, I would have hundreds of people out here. The more people the better. But I still don't believe it's insignificant that two people are marching," said Casale, sitting on a couch drinking a tall glass of ice water, her list of contacts spread on her lap. "What we're doing can be significant on a national level. But it's also the individuals we meet. Everywhere we go, there's someone we can meet and talk to."
Taylor-Smith, standing in the kitchen, beamed with pride.
"One person can change the world," she said, rushing to fill everyone's water glasses, asking what the marchers wanted to eat. "These two will plant the seeds, and the movement will grow."
