February 23, 2010

Dear President Obama,

A contingent of Peace Groups and Activists will be setting up a Peace Camp across the street from your house on the lawn of the Washington Monument called, Camp OUT NOW.

After over one year of your presidency, it’s become crystal clear to even many of those who supported you, that your foreign policy is as much of a disaster as was George Bush’s.

On Sunday, 33 civilians were killed in a bombing raid on a caravan in Afghanistan, and no matter how many times you or your generals say, “Sorry,” innocent civilians will always be killed in these insane wars of profit and occupation. Since, by your regime’s own admission, civilian slaughter “can’t be avoided,” these wars must come to an immediate end.

It’s also quite tragic that your war in Afghanistan has victimized more of our troops than when Bush was president, and more of our returning vets are committing suicide with most of their needs still going unmet.

For all intents and purposes, Mr. Obama, you have had a blank-check from the U.S. anti-war movement since you were elected. Certainly being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize gave these wars some international legitimacy, but those days of your free pass to carry out and magnify the Bush regime’s crimes against humanity are over.

Even though there have been those of us in the anti-war movement who never dropped the ball, or passed it to the Democratic Party, many of the ones who supported you are also starting to awaken to the harsh reality that you are only keeping your campaign promises and they don’t like that.

Mr. Obama, your anti-war base is an awakening giant that you will have to deal with in this election year. People are fleeing your party with the same regularity that they fled the other party when Bush was president. This waking giant is also realizing that with a Democratic majority everywhere, your failure in proceeding with a progressive agenda is abysmal.

Every time you are “contemplating” sending more troops to Afghanistan, you have countless meetings with what you have called your “War Council.” The very name implies a foregone conclusion that you will send more troops and that other, more rational, more humane, and more peaceful solutions are never even considered.

In 2005, I asked for a meeting with President Bush that was never granted, and as you know, Camp Casey in Crawford became the spark that lit a prairie fire of anti-war sentiment that swept you and your cohorts in the Democratic Party back into power and now we are coming to collect the spoils of that victory–which is not more war–but more Peace. You Democrats owe much to your anti-war base–and we will not be quiet nor be ignored as we were in the previous administration. It’s time for you to pay the Peace-piper, Mr. Obama.

Our demands are profound, yet simple for you to perform: troops out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (where three soldiers were just killed); no more drone bombings anywhere; close the permanent bases and torture prisons; and bring the mercenary soldiers home, too. We will not be closing up Camp, or the movement, until positive progress in the direction of Peace is noted.

The first week of Camp (March 13-20), we are asking for a meeting with you to discuss setting up a Peace Council that you will regularly meet with that will have a seat at the table when decisions that will kill, maim, displace, or harm our troops or civilians in any way are being discussed. We also demand that this Peace Council be comprised of grassroots members of the Peace Movement and not rubber-stamp status quo worshippers, or other “Peace” Prize laureates like Henry Kissinger, who already, reportedly, has your ear.

If you do not meet with representatives from Camp OUT NOW, we will be a thorn in the side of the War Machine, and we will not go away without a struggle. If you do meet with us and agree to a Peace Council, we will pack up our tents, but we will still be a thorn in the side of the War Machine until Peace is finally achieved–the only difference is that we won’t be camped across the street from your home.

During your campaign, you often quoted Roosevelt as saying that if the voters wanted him to do the right thing, they would have to “make him.” Well, Mr. Obama, we are the bosses of you–not your corporate masters–and we will be in DC to “make you” do the right thing.

I can be reached at anytime through my email:

Cindy@PeaceoftheAction.org

In struggle until there is finally Peace,

Cindy Sheehan
Mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was murdered on 04 April, 2004, by the U.S. War Machine.

And the Peace of the Action Coalition
www.PeaceoftheAction.org

MONDAY, MARCH 15: KEVIN ZEESE (NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF VOTERS FOR PEACE) AND DR. MARGARET FLOWERS (SINGLE-PAYER ACTIVIST) SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS LINKING THE U.S. WAR ECONOMY TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE REST OF THE ECONOMY AND HOW WE NEED TO END THE WARS TO HAVE POSITIVE SOCIAL PROGRAMS HERE AT HOME.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16: EX-CIA AGENT, RAY MCGOVERN, TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING RACHEL CORRIE’S DREAM ALIVE ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HER MURDER WHILE TRYING TO PROTECT PALESTINIAN’S HOMES FROM DESTRUCTION.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17: DAVID SWANSON (AFTER DOWNING STREET) AND DEBRA SWEET (NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF WORLD CAN’T WAIT) SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLDING U.S. WAR CRIMINALS ACCOUNTABLE–FROM THE TOP DOWN. ENTERTAINMENT BY BANJER DAN.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18: CINDY SHEEHAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RAMPING UP THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT TO PERFORM COURAGEOUS AND COMMITTED ACTS OF CIVIL RESISTANCE.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19: SOME OF US WILL BE LEAVING CAMP TO GO DOWN TO CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA TO PROTEST WAR CRIMINAL, JOHN YOO, WHO IS SPEAKING AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (FROM: 1PM TO 6PM) AND WE WILL BE MAKING SIGNS AND GETTING READY FOR THE MARCH ON DC SPONSORED BY ANSWER.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20: MARCH ON DC—MEET AT CAMP AT 10AM AND WE WILL BE GOING TOGETHER TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE MARCH—AFTER THE MARCH, OUR FRIEND, CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, WILL BE VISITING US AT CAMP.

SUNDAY, MARCH 21: POTA DAY OFF: ON OUR “DAY OFF” WE WILL BE PROTESTING AT THE AIPAC (AMERICAN-ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE) CONVENTION AT THE DC CONVENTION CENTER FROM 8AM TO ABOUT 8PM. WAR CRIMINALS, TONY BLAIR AND BENJAMIN NETANYAHU WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE.

MONDAY, MARCH 22, OUR ACTIONS BEGIN (STEALTH–INFO WILL BE GIVEN AT CAMP).

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE EMAIL:

JOSH@PEACEOFTHEACTION.ORG
ROBBY@PEACEOFTHEACTION.ORG
OR
CINDY@PEACEOFTHEACTION.ORG

I was born in the U.S. in 1957.

I was born a subject of the world’s most lethal Empire.

When did the U.S. become an Empire? Ask our indigenous people that question.

I was also born in a Myth-ocracy, where we are propagandized from Day One about how we live in the “Greatest Nation in History” and that our neighbors in Latin America are lucky to have the U.S. so close in proximity so we can “save” the people from their “dictators.” Also, here in The Empire, many people believe that the “commons” that exist in Latin America are not really for the people in that region, but for the U.S.—and we will be happy to “liberate” the resources and land from our poorer and less intelligent Latin brothers and sisters. These myths need to be dispelled—and very quickly.

If you asked me even five years ago what I thought I would be doing today, one of those things would not have been writing a weekly column for a newspaper in Venezuela!

Of course, after Casey was killed and after I started to school myself on the true nature of the U.S.—Venezuela and her outspoken leader started to enter my circle of concern.

Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela is universally known for his justified criticism of former (p)resident George W. Bush. However, now under the new U.S. regime, it appears to me that The Empire is trying hard to provoke Venezuela into a war.

Venezuela does have a large reserve of oil and the Venezuelan people have an “un-American” mis-perception that their oil belongs to them and not Exxon or the Rockefellers. The Obama regime has signed a new pact with Colombia to put bases (ostensibly to fight the drug war and left-wing opposition groups—yeah, right—The Empire is a drug lord) there and recently, drones and fighter jets have been spotted flying over Venezuelan air space. The Empire never outright rejected the coup in Honduras and, in fact, probably supported it.

In response to the deadly earthquake in Haiti, the Obama administration sent thousands of troops, ships and secured the airport—look on a map and check out how close Haiti is to Venezuela.

I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to educate my fellow USAians about the true nature of the Bolivaran Revolution in Venezuela and its implications for the Americas and the world. Don’t form an opinion before you learn the truth—and trust me—the U.S. “news” media DOES NOT give you a non-biased reporting of events on any issue, really.

Obviously, Venezuela’s continuing successes in empowering the poor are spreading to the rest of Central and South America. U.S. corporations and the crimes of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are being regularly rejected, populist leaders are being elected, and the grass-roots struggle is very inspiring to those of us trying to stimulate a popular uprising here in The Empire.

The U.S. must stop meddling in South American affairs and must stop treating that region like it is our pathetic neighbor and start treating it with respect and fairness.

Unfortunately, one day I was on the Sean Hannity show on Fox News and Sean told me that President Chavez was “anti-American.” I said, “but Sean, he is an American”—Hannity was non-plussed and looked like he may have a hemorrhagic event–But, Venezuela is populated with our American brothers and sisters and understanding each other is the key imperative to guarantee peace between our nations.

I hope my new column Postcards from The Empire will help build a pan-Americanism that recognizes and celebrates our differences and our similarities and will help foster tolerance and respect for each other.

My column will appear weekly in: Correo del Orinoco International (English language) and Correo del Orinoco (Spanish language).

Click here to download the PDF of this week’s edition.

My column is on Page 7.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON CINDY’S LATEST BOOK

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Casey Sheehan who was killed in Iraq on 4 April 2004. She is the author of five books, the host of her radio show: Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox and weekly columnist for Correo del Orinoco. Cindy is the Executive Director of Peace of the Action. Her favorite role is being the Gigi of Jonah and Jovie—and making the world a better place for all the children.

Cindy Sheehan
1/20/2010

I went to a performance of the musical, Hair, last night in New York City. I wonder how I would have reacted to the show before Casey was killed—before the insanity of war became my “new normal?”

The original production of Hair debuted in 1967 when the Vietnam War was increasing in carnage and the counter-culture opposing it was also growing. I was 10.

I remember hearing The Age of Aquarius covered by the 5th Dimension for the first time and not even knowing my Zodiac sign—I quickly discovered that I am a Cancer and everything that meant. The Beatles had already mainstreamed long hair, so when the Cowsills sang the main song from the musical, it appeared cute and funny and only because some of the more provocative lyrics were left out.

Probably my favorite song at the time was Three Dog Night’s cover of Easy to be Hard. As a 10 year old girl living in a predominantly working class, but white suburb of L.A., I never could have imagined how significant these lyrics would become in my own life 40 years later: “Especially people who care about strangers, who care about evil and social injustice; do you only care about the bleeding crowd; how about a needing friend, I need a friend.”

Like I said, I was 10. I was interested in The Beatles, The Monkees, softball and my elementary school crush, Tommy Enders. I sympathized with the anti-war movement at the time without really understanding it, but I knew it was seriously cool. The hype about Hair was the open drug use, open love and full-frontal nudity.

But 42 years later, I went to the program last night knowing that Hair was also about the counter-culture that rejected the establishment and war. I knew that a main character gets killed in Vietnam at the end. I was fully prepared for that. Almost six years after Casey was needlessly murdered in Iraq by his country’s corrupt foreign policy, I can sometimes get through entire days without crying, even though the pain of his loss is constantly with me.

At the end of the musical, Claude Bukowsky dies and the cast sings, “Let the Sunshine,” with anger and sorrow on their faces—not the joy that such a happy sounding song would seem to elicit. The cast leaves the stage singing, Claude is lying on the stage in his dress uniform, and I heard a few sniffles in the audience, although tears were streaming down my face. Then, in true American fashion, the cast comes back—cut to happiness—Claude is alive and dancing—and we are all supposed to go on the stage and dance and pretend like everything is okay.

I was sad up to that point, but in a poignant way. The performance truly captured how fucked-up war really is—but when the cast and audience started dancing with joyful abandon, I began to panic and had to leave the theater. I shocked myself in the lobby when I stopped to look in a mirror to put my hat and scarf on—and staring back at me was a “normal” Cindy—there was not one hint on my face of my shock and horror and that’s when I burst out sobbing. How can it be possible to be so broken inside and look so calm on the outside?

One thing we have learned since 1967—wait a second—there is NOT ONE THING we have learned since 1967.

War is still the most fucked-up, mentally deficient and morally bankrupt activity that was ever developed by mankind, and most Americans don’t even think about that fact for even a few seconds everyday. And if they do, don’t worry—dancing is right around the corner.

In the 42 years since Hair debuted, the Sunshine is growing dimmer and We the People must take some responsibility for allowing the War Machine and its War Parties to pull black hoods over our heads and accept, as normal, activities that are so fundamentally disordered they make Napoleon look sane.

Hair is also about a “Tribe.” Websters Dictionary defines “tribe” as: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest.

To survive as the Tribe of the Human Race, our common interest must be peace and the collective rejection of the establishment’s wars. Is this a futile endeavor, or do we have a real chance this time?

But first, we must recognize the fact that we are all in the same Tribe.

I give the production, cast, message and performances an “A+,” I give our nation an “F-.”

For more information about the show, go here:

http://www.hairbroadway.com/about