Skip to content or view screen version

Bring the Troops Home FAST! 3,000 Join Sheehan in a Fast

Katie Heim, David Swanson, Code Pink | 08.07.2006 05:04 | Anti-militarism

3,000 people from all over the world
have joined Cindy Sheehan and
Code Pink in a fast to bring the
troops home "FAST".


The corporate media giants have ignored the anti-war movement
for over three years now, so Ms. Sheehan and others have decided
to put themselves at great personal risk by fasting for over 70
days. Humans have been known to make it through 90 days - at
the max - without sustainance.

"Now in the fast's second day, native Texan and environmental activist
Diane Wilson said she was taking this fast seriously.... WIlson plans to
continue the fast at least until September 21st, a deadline CodePink
and other groups have come up with for a call to massive civil disobedience
``and direct action, should the government not respond to the hunger
strike."" (1)

Not all of the 3,000 joining in solidarity with the fast are going to sustain
the full 70+ days.

Sheehan, who did actually get corporate media's attention for a few
weeks last year as she and a group of protesters camped out in a
ditch close to Bush's home in Crawford, Texas in the heat of the
summer, is planning to return to the ditch in August.

Then, "Cindy Sheehan and activists in the growing peace movement
plan to move Camp Casey to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
September 8 - 21. The camp on the Mall will carry the name Camp
Democracy at Fort Fed Up. Organizers intend the camp to bring
together peace activists with activists for social justice, united in
demanding a shift of public resources from war to the needs of people.
Participants will lobby Congress to end all funding of the occupation of
Iraq, and will demand that Congress hold the Bush Administration
accountable for the falsehoods that launched the war and the abuses
of power here at home that have accompanied it. Camp Democracy
is launching an outreach effort to include organizations in the planning
of the camp's activities, which are all in the initial stages. Organizations
already on board are listed on the website:
 http://campdemocracy.org

Participating organizations and guest experts and celebrities will provide
workshops and training sessions on a wide range of issues, as well as on
communications, voter registration, nonviolent civil disobedience, lobbying,
organizing, media production, and performance arts. Congress Members
and congressional candidates will take part. Local elected officials will
instruct attendees on participation in local government. Musicians will
perform concerts. New films will be shown on a large screen. Participants
will acquire useful skills while demanding fundamental change."(2)


Individuals should sign up and plan to come:
 http://campdemocracy.org/user/2


And volunteer to help:
 http://campdemocracy.org/about


Organizations, large and small, should sign up to participate:
 http://campdemocracy.org/node/3


Organizations, trainers, speakers, educators, and performers should
propose activities that they believe would benefit thousands of citizens
who want to work for change:
 http://campdemocracy.org/node/4


Internet activists, and anyone with a blog or a website, should post
this information and link to the website using this link:
 http://www.campdemocracy.org

Stay tuned for more details about the fast, or visit:
 http://www.codepink4peace.org


(1) Katie Heim, Houston IMC:  keh1022@yahoo.com
 http://houston.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/50204.php

(2) David Swanson:  david@davidswanson.org

Katie Heim, David Swanson, Code Pink

Comments

Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments

The troops will not leave the job half done!

08.07.2006 09:16

It would be totally foolish to bring the troops home while their job in Iraq and Afghanistan is half done. To do that would be to surrender Afghanistan to the tyrannical rule of the Taliban and allow unbridled drug production and for that country to become a haven for Al Qaeda and international terrorism again.

In Iraq our troops are their to support the new democratic government, to abandon that government and its people to terrorists would be wrong. It would result in a victory for Al Qaeda and other terrorists in Iraq who would then turn Iraq into an extremist Islamic fundamentalist state!

Our troops have got to stay until the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan can defeat the terrorists on their own. To suddenly pull out and leave them to the mercy of Islamic extremists and terrorists would be gross dereliction of our duty to help the peoples of those two countries.

Victory over terrorism not surrender to it!


There is one born every minute...

08.07.2006 14:43

The above comment must be a joke? Or do people really believe in the Loch Ness Monster, 'al-qaeda-ology' and B.B.C. news?
So far to go, an ocean of ignorance, a chasm of denial and people really believing diaper stories - and this is the enlightened 21st century!

F.W. De Clerk


Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Indymedia=censorship

08.07.2006 20:03

Indymedia keeps deleting a copy of this post, judge by yourself the hidden agenda of Indymedia UK:

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5150118.stm

antifascist


Don't you just feel my pain?

12.07.2006 06:05

Cindy Sheehan, interviewd at:  http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3794/1/198/

I find traveling out of the country very challenging being on a fast. When I was on a layover in Madrid on my way to Venice, Italy yesterday, the closest thing I could find to a smoothie to get a little protein was a coffee with vanilla ice cream in it. Traveling for 22 hours is very taxing under normal circumstances--but then again, when have we had normal circumstances since the 2000 and 2004 successful coup attempts that have brought BushCo into power?

I traveled from Venice to the frontier of Italy to the province of Udine which is right at the foot of the pre-Alps. I am here for a huge youth festival which includes many elements of social justice and peace work. It is beautiful and the air feels different from other places that I have travelled. It is strangely soft and gentle as is the natural light. However, there is not a Jamba Juice on every corner, so blended juice drinks with protein powder are impossible to find.

Mama Moonbat


Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments