ACTIONS
July 23, 2005 Inglewood California GSFP members Jane Bright and Fernando Suarez speak at the Out of Iraq Caucus Downing Street Memo Teach In. The Teach In was hosted by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D)California. Pictured, Right-Jane Bright Below left-Fernando Suarez Del Solar Below right-Vicky Castro speaking with Rep. Waters  
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Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) In Washington, DC 15 June, 2005Demand Resolution of Inquiry into Downing Street Memo Members of Gold Star Families for Peace will be meeting with members of Congress on 15 June, 2005 to demand that each individual member act in accordance with his/her conscience, integrity, courage and duty as employees of America sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and abide by its contents. GSFP believes that the so-called Downing Street Memo is the "smoking gun" proof that is a validation of the fact that the invasion/occupation of Iraq is based on deceit and prefabricated intelligence. We believe that lying to Congress and the American people is traitorous and constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors" and are impeachable offenses. We will be calling on members of the House of Representatives to begin a Resolution of Inquiry into the memo as first step to introducing Articles of Impeachment against George Bush, Dick Cheney and everyone in the Cabinet who also lied. It is not only the House's obligation and duty as sworn elected officials to do so, it is also their responsibilities as members of humanity. GSFP members have had valuable, loved and indispensable loved ones murdered for the deceits of this Executive Branch of our government. GSFP believes that our loved ones have died needlessly, senselessly, and avoidably in the aggression against Iraq. We would like to see someone held accountable for the irresponsible deaths of American forces as well as tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens. GSFP will be holding a press-conference before we visit Congress in the morning on June 15th. Time and place TBA. Pleace call contact for more info.
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My Testimony for the Downing Street Memo Hearings
Congressman Conyers and all, it is an honor to be here to testify about the effect that the revelations of the Downing Street Memo has had on me and my family. It is an honor that I wish never had to happen. I believe that not any of us should be gathered here today for this reason: as the result of an invasion/occupation that never should have occured. My son, Spc Casey Austin Sheehan, was KIA in Sadr City Baghdad on 04/04/04. He was in Iraq for only 2 weeks before L. Paul Bremer inflamed the Shi’ite Militia into a rebellion which resulted in the deaths of Casey and 6 other brave soldiers who were tragically killed in an ambush. Bill Mitchell, the father of Sgt. Mike Mitchell who was one of the other soldiers killed that awful day is with us here. This is a picture of Casey when he was 7 months old. It's an enlargement of a picture he carried in his wallet until the day he was killed. He loved this picture of himself. It was returned to us with his personal effects from Iraq. He always sucked on those two fingers. When he was born, he had a flat face from passing through the birth canal and we called him "Edward G" short for Edward G. Robinson. How many of you have seen your child in his/her premature coffin? It is a shocking and very painful sight. The most heartbreaking aspect of seeing Casey lying in his casket for me, was that his face was flat again because he had no muscle tone. He looked like he did when he was a baby laying in his bassinette. The most tragic irony is that if the Downing Street Memo proves to be true, Casey and thousands of people should still be alive. I believed before our leaders invaded Iraq in March, 2003, and I am even more convinced now, that this aggression on Iraq was based on a lie of historic proportions and was blatantly unnecessary. The so-called Downing Street Memo dated 23 July, 2003 only confirms what I already suspected: the leadership of this country rushed us into an illegal invasion of another sovereign country on prefabricated and cherry picked intelligence. Iraq was no threat to the United States of America and the devastating sanctions and bombing raids against Iraq were working. As a matter of fact, in interviews in 1999 with respected journalist, and long time Bush family friend, David Herskowitz, then Governor George Bush stated: ‘One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief. My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it. If I have a chance to invade….if I had that much capital, I’m not going to waste it. I’m going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I’m going to have a successful presidency.” It looks like George Bush was ready to lead this country into an avoidable war even before he became president. From the expose of the Downing Street Memo and the conversations with George Bush from 1999, it seems like the invasion of Iraq and the deaths of so many innocent people were preordained. It appears that my boy Casey was given a death sentence even before he joined the Army in May of 2000. When a President lies to Congress and the American people, it is a serious offense. If the Downing Street Memo proves to be true, then it would appear that the president, vice president and many members of the cabinet deceived the world before the invasion of Iraq. As the result of this alleged lie, over 1700 brave young Americans who were only trying to do their duties have come home in flag draped coffins: images, as if they were ashamed of our children, our leaders won’t even let the American people see; thousands upon thousands of Iraqis who were guilty only of the crime of living in Iraq are dead; thousands of our young people will go through the rest of their lives missing one or more limbs, and too many will come home missing parts of their souls and humanity. Kevin Lucey who found his Marine son, Jeffrey, who was recently home from Iraq, hanging dead from a garden hose in his basement wrote to me: We ask daily where was the urgency; where was the necessity of rushing in. Can anyone explain to us, his mother and to his father as to why he felt that he had to die by his own hand. Why are the ones in position of power so afraid to ask people like us to discuss what happened to Jeff? Jeff can teach us so much. This war was so misguided and had so many other agendas which had nothing to do with the country. Kevin, who cradled his son when he was his sweet baby boy, cradled Jeff's lifeless body for the last time in his arms after he cut him down from the hose. The Jeff that the Lucey's saw march off to a wreckless war was not the one who limped home. The Jeff his family knew died in Iraq, murdered by the inhumanity of gratutitous war. The deceptions and betrayals that led to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq cost my family a price too dear to pay and almost too much to bear: the precious and young life of Casey. Casey was a good soldier who loved his family, his community, his country, and his God. He was trustworthy and trusting and the leadership of his country seemingly betrayed him. He was an indispensable part of our family. An obedient, sweet, funny, and loving son to myself and his father, Pat, and an adored big brother to his sisters, Carly and Jane, and his brother Andy. And the beloved nephew to my sister, Auntie, who is here with me today. Our family has been devastated and torn asunder by his murder. I believe that the reasons that we citizens of the United States of America were given for the invasion of Iraq have unequivocally been proven to be false. I also believe that Casey and his buddies have been killed to line the pockets of already wealthy people and to feed the insatiable war machine that has always devoured our young. Casey died saving his buddies and I know so many of our brave young soldiers died doing the same thing: but he and his fellow members of the military should never have been sent to Iraq. I know the family of Sgt. Sherwood Baker, who was killed guarding a team that was looking for the mythic WMD's in Baghdad. The same WMD's that were the justification for invading Iraq as outlined in the Downing Street Memo. Sherwood's brother, Dante Zappala, and his dad, Al Zappala are here with us today. I believe the Downing Street Memo proves that our leaders betrayed too many innocents into an early grave. The lives of the ones left behind are shattered almost beyond repair. I also believe an investigation into the Downing Street Memo is completely warranted and the necessary first step into righting the wrong that is Iraq and holding someone accountable for the needless, senseless, and avoidable deaths of many thousands. As far as I am concerned, it doesn’t matter if one is a Democrat or a Republican, a full investigation into the veracity of the Downing Street Memo must be initiated immediately. Casey was not asked his political affiliation before he was sent to die in Iraq. The innocent people who are having their blood shed by the bucketsful in Iraq don’t even know or care what American partisan politicking is all about. Every minute that we waste in gathering signatures on petitions, or arguing about partisan politics, more blood is being spilled in Iraq. How many more families here in America are going to get the visit from the Grim Reaper dressed in a US military uniform while we are trying to get our Congressional Leadership to do their duties to the Constitution and to the people of America? I believe that Congress expediently abrogated their Constitutional responsibility to declare war when they passed the War Power's Act, and they bear at least some responsibility for the needless heartache wrought on this world by our government. I believe that supporting a full investigation into the Downing Street Memo is a good beginning for Congress to redeem itself for abandoning the Constitution and the American people. There are too many stories of heartache and loss to tell at a hearing like this. I have brought testimonies of other families who have been devastated by the war. Their soldiers' names are: Sgt. Sherwood Baker, KIA 04/26/04; 1st Lt. Neil Santoriello, KIA 08/13/04; Sgt Mike Mitchell, KIA 04/04/04; Spc Casey Sheehan, also KIA 04/04/04; Lt. Jeff Kaylor, KIA 04/07/03; Spc Kevin S.K. Wessell, KIA 04/19/05; Spc. Jonathan Castro, KIA 12/21/04; PFC William Prichard, KIA 02/11/04; Spc Joseph Blickenstaff, KIA 12/08/03, and 1st Lt Kenneth Ballard, KIA 05/30/04. I would like to have the testimonies put into the record and recorded for all to read the words of boundless love, bottomless loss, and deep despair. There are a few people around the US and a couple of my fellow witnesses who were a little justifiably worried that in my anger and anguish over Casey's premeditated death, I would use some swear words, as I have been known to do on occasion when speaking about the subject. Mr. Conyers, out of my deep respect for you, the other representatives here, my fellow witnesses, and viewers of these historic proceedings, I was able to make it through an entire testimony without using any profanity. However, If anyone deserves to be angry and use profanity, it is I. What happened to Casey and humanity because of the apparent dearth of honesty in our country's leadership is so profane that it defies even my vocabulary skills. We as Americans should be offended more by the profanity of the actions of this administration then by swear words. We have all heard the old adage that actions speak louder than words and for the sake of Casey and our other precious children, please hold someone accountable for their actions and their words of deception. Again, I would like to thank you for inviting me to testify today and giving me a chance to tell my story, which is the tragic story of too many familes here in the US and in Iraq. I hope and pray that this is the first step in exposing the lies to the light and bringing justice for the ones who can no longer speak for themselves. More importantly, I hope this is a step in bringing our other children home from the lie of historic proportions that is Iraq. Thank you. |
On May 15, 2005, in protest of the rising death toll and the on-going military occupation of Iraq, people around the country will wear numbers symbolizing the 100,000+ civilians and soldiers who have died since the beginning of the war. We hope that you will join us in this action that is both a protest against the war and a memorial to those who have died in Iraq. We have reserved the numbers between 1 and 1,700 for those who lost family members in Iraq, and we will provide these numbers free of charge to family members. Please contact me as soon as possible if you would like to wear a specific number representing your loved one who died in this war. SIGN-UP NOW at annie@countingthecost.org so we can send you your number right away. Increasingly, many Americans believe that the war is over. They think that relatively few civilians and soldiers have died. They think that U.S. interests and Iraqi interests are best served by the continued occupation of Iraq. The reality is that a war of occupation continues in Iraq. We now know that over 100,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed since the beginning of the war. Over 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died. Countless others have been wounded and maimed. And, although the pictures are not shown on TV, large numbers of Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers continue to die. Let's tell the truth about the war and continuing > > occupation in Iraq. On May 15, wear a number representing one of the Iraqi citizens, U.S. soldiers, coalition soldiers, and other international civilians who have been killed in Iraq. Join one of the local actions being planned in Philadelphia, Boston, and other locations. See our website for a complete list of locations where actions are now planned. www.countingthecost.org Organize an event of your own, such as candlelight vigil at a local war memorial or a demonstration in your town square. Or, simply spend the day wearing your number and talking to your neighbors about it. Together we can show that the cost of this war is too high. Together we can convey to our communities that NOW is the time for a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops, the establishment of a transitional force not dominated by U.S. interests, and a commitment on the part of the U.S. to provide financial assistance for rebuilding Iraq. Ask your friends to SIGN UP NOW! at www.countingthecost.org and we will send them their number to wear on May 15. We will provide without charge number placards to the family members of those who died in Iraq. For others who would like to ware a number on May 15, we will ask them to donate $10 to cover minimal administrative costs, and to make sure that everyone who wants to can participate, even if they can't pay. The remainder of these donations will help fund humanitarian aid in Iraq and continued anti-war work. At www.countingthecost.org you will also find detailed information about the death toll in Iraq, a list of local actions already being planned, and ideas to help you and your group plan an action of your own. Don't forget to send this email on to a friend who
can join us.
CountingtheCost.org is a volunteer initiative begun in Philadelphia, with assistance from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Current Sponsors: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Veterans For Peace, Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against War, National Lawyers Guild, Global Exchange, The Shalom Center, Brandywine Peace Community, Catholic Peace Fellowship Philadelphia Chapter, Delaware County Wage Peace and Justice, Mishkan Shalom, Philadelphia Regional Antiwar Network, A Quaker Action Group II, House of Grace Catholic Workers. |
Counter-Recruitment & Conscientious Objector
TOWN HALL FORUM
Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Social Justice Committee is sponsoring an Easter Sunday Afternoon Forum on the issues and concerns surrounding military service and recruitment,for example your high school does not have to give your name to the Pentagon. Come and find out what life in the military is really like; options, rights and alternatives to the military and what might happen if there is a draft. All citizens, young people, parents, teachers are encouraged to attend. STUDENTS FREE. $10 Donation to Benefit the GI Rights Hot-Line 1-800-394-9544 & Gold Star Families for Peace. NO ONE TURNED AWAY. 1pm Press Conference. 1:30-3:30pm Panel & Dialogue/Q&A.ModeratorTOM McANINLEY Buddhist Peace Fellowship;CINDY SHEEHAN, Co-founder Gold Star Families for Peace; Iraq Vets ERIC ISSA SHAW & JEFF PATTERSON; Parent MAXINA VENTURA; STEVE MORSE, Vets for Peace, CCCO: ROBERT REYNOLDS, Berkeley HS student; UU Minister and Vet Rev. CRAIG SCOTT & others. 3:30-5:30pm Information Tables to educate ourselves to make responsible decisions. INFO: Call Hal Carlstad 510-524-6064. |
Eyes Wide Open
| Eyes Wide Open, the American Friends Service Committee’s widely-acclaimed exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq War, features a pair of boots honoring each U.S. military casualty, a field of shoes and a Wall of Remembrance to memorialize the Iraqis killed in the conflict, and a multimedia display exploring the history, cost and consequences of the war.
www.afsc.org |
Rally on the Capitol Steps, March 1st
Resolution Calling for the Withdrawal of Oregon’s National Guard Troops from Iraq and Afghanistan: Whereas, all conditions underlying PL 107-243 (10/16/02) authorizing military action against Iraq either have been proven false and all U.S. troops who are serving or have served in Iraq were sent to war for reasons that have been proven false; Whereas, the Governor and State Legislature of Oregon have a particular responsibility to the members of the Oregon National Guard, their families and to the community that they serve; Whereas, the Oregon National Guard was created for the protection of the citizens of Oregon from natural disasters or threats of violence within the state boundaries, as well as to protect the sovereignty of US borders; Whereas, Oregon’s National Guard troops have been called up in unprecedented numbers, at the highest per capita level of any state, to serve on active duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan; Whereas, absent the deployment of U.S. forces to Iraq, there would be no need for the use of National Guard troops in Afghanistan; Whereas, Oregon National Guard troops have been poorly equipped and have received only rudimentary training for service in these wars, and are therefore suffering casualties at rates considerably higher than those of regular Army troops; Whereas, Oregon’s National Guard troops are being subjected to unfair and involuntary extensions of duty well beyond the terms of their enlistment contracts, and their families, employers and communities have had to bear the hardship of accommodating the prolonged absence of the Guard members; Whereas, the National Guard at home in Oregon has been decimated by the mobilization of our troops for these foreign wars, and whereas, a disproportionate number of National Guard members, in civilian life, serve as police officers, firefighters, EMT personnel, prison guards, etc., their absence has left our own communities vulnerable and ill-prepared for any natural disaster or terrorist attack within our own state borders; Whereas, fewer and fewer Oregonians are willing to enlist in the National Guard because of the inappropriate use and unfair treatment of Guard troops by the US Defense Department and Army, leaving the likelihood that Oregon could be left unprotected for years to come; Therefore be it Resolved: That the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon calls upon the Governor to exercise his power as Commander of the Oregon National Guard to immediately bring, or cause to be brought home, all Oregon National Guard troops presently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or in training for those wars. Presented by: Michele Deford and Eric Blickenstaff on behalf of Military Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families for Peace |
Come to Fayetteville on March 19 Support the Troops: Bring Them Home Now! March 19, 2005 marks the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Perhaps no place in the United States has been affected to a greater degree by that war than Fayetteville, NC. The US government continues to deploy soldiers stationed at nearby Ft. Bragg to fight and die in a country that doesn't threaten our security and probably never did. Many from the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army's Special Forces Command realize that those who really support them are their families and their community. The appeal of the empty slogans and the yellow ribbon magnets of the right-wing pro-war zealots faded long ago. In 2005, real support for the troops means Bring Them Home Now! On March 19, 2005, Fayetteville Peace With Justice, a local group of military families and vets, in conjunction with Quaker House, the legendary home of GI organizing in the South invites all people of conscience to join with us in historic Rowan Street Park for a unique peace gathering. Speakers from Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, Gold Star Families for Peace, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and many others promise to deliver a message from their experience that will resonate around the world We also need the support of our allies in communities of faith, trade unions, local peace groups and anyone else who realizes that The World Still Says No to War. In this, the richest country in the world, soldiers return home from war to an uncertain economic future. Their teenage children see no way to enter college without also bartering their lives in military service for a small slice of the GI Bill. Americans applaud the $335 million promised to tsunami victims, but the US spends that amount every three days in Iraq. We need Money for Jobs and Education, Not for Wars and Occupations. Come to Fayetteville this year. Come and hear from parents whose children died in Iraq because this war continues. Come and see children growing up while their fathers and mothers are trying to survive in a country where they are not wanted and where they do not want to be. Your support can make a difference. Your presence can save lives. Download a Leaflet For more information, you can contact: Fayetteville MFSO Member, Lou Plummer (lou.plummer@mac.com) 910-433-9053 Quaker House Director, Chuck Fager (chuckfager@aol.com) 910-323-3912 |
