The Other Hollywood Oscar Ceremony - The "Oscar for Peace" Awards
Peter Graves-Goodman | 27.02.2007 06:00 | Anti-militarism
At the corner of Hollywood and Vine, just blocks away from where the Hollywood Oscars were to be presented at the Kodak Theater, the "Military Families Speak Out" organization hosted an “Oscar for Peace” awards ceremony and "Bring Our Troops Home Now" peace vigil. "Military Families Speak Out" honored individuals “for their exceptional and tireless commitment to waging peace, rather than war.” The event drew thousands, and featured an 8-foot “Oscar” in military camouflage with the inscription “Bring Me Home!” The "Code Pink Police," members of the antiwar group, Code Pink Women For Peace, arrested a mock President Bush, while the "Billionaires for Bush" comedy troupe conducted a mock counter-protest.
The Oscar for Peace
BRING HOME THE TROOPS NOW!
Diane Fishel presented the Champion of Peace Award to Dennis Kucinich.
Dennis Kucinich comforts Pat Alviso who has a son in Iraq.
"Oscar for Peace" awards were presented to individuals “for their exceptional and tireless commitment to waging peace, rather than war.” The recipients of this years 2007 Peace Oscars were: Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich; "Born on the Fourth Of July" author Ron Kovic, Vietnam veteran, author, and Golden Globe winner; Sgt. Liam Madden, co-founder of Appeal for Redress, a campaign of active-duty service members; Rick Jahnkow, The Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities; Helga Aguayo, wife of conscientious objector Augustin Aguayo, conscientious objector; peace activist Cindy Sheehan and her sister, Dede Miller; Lisa Cantu, sister of active-duty Army Sgt. Ron Cantu; filmmakers Peter Dudar and Sally Marr, “Arlington West”; Ed Ellis, President, Veterans for Peace, Los Angeles; Fernando Suarez, founder of Proyecto Guerrero Azteca; Jodie Evans, peace activist and organizer; and Tim Kahlor, member and speaker for Military Families Speak Out.
While the afternoon “Oscar for Peace” awards ceremony and the peace vigil (which included the reading of the names of the U.S. soldiers who have died in the illegal war in Iraq) were taking place at Hollywood & Vine, the other Oscar Awards attendees from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) were arriving early for their red carpet interviews several blocks away and were greeted with an aerial banner flying overhead that read “Bring Our Troops Home Now”.
Democracy for America Miami (DFAM) and Miami Veterans for Peace came up with this novel approach to broadcasting the message to end the occupation of Iraq after organizing two aerial banner flights this year at the Super Bowl in Miami and again at the Grammy Music Awards, that resulted in inclement weather grounding the aerial banner flights.
Here is the text of the "Oscar for Peace" presentation to Dennis Kucinich, Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential Candidate:
"We come here today to honor an individual who mirrors those ideals held near to thousands of military families...MILITARY FAMILIES...who worry about their sons, their daughters, their husbands, their wives, their sisters and brothers, their mothers and fathers, their aunts and uncles, their cousins, their grandmothers and grandfathers, their granddaughters and grandson....who are stationed in Iraq...IRAQ!!! Where over 3,100 United States soldiers have died! IRAQ!!!!...Where over 655,000 Iraqi civilians have died....and FOR WHAT??? WHY???
These military families are speaking out. They ask, "WHEN WILL THIS INSANE WAR END??? Why are our cries being ignored? Why has CONGRESS turned a deaf ear to OUR plight? Why isn't the American public listening to our PLEA?"
"OUR PLEA! THE MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT PLEA!!!....SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!...Those U.S. troops are OUR family members!" "BRING THEM HOME NOW!!...Not tomorrow....not three months from now...and certainly NOT in 2008!!! NOW!!!!"
"OUR PLEA! TAKE CARE OF OUR TROOPS, OUR FAMILY MEMBERS, WHEN THEY GET HOME!...to NOT cut funding of Veteran's benefits, but to take care of Veterans...OUR FAMILY MEMBERS...who are returning from this ILLEGAL WAR with both physical and mental disabilities!!!!!"
Congressman Dennis Kucinich...YOU are listening to the PLEA of Military Families Speak Out!....You are listening to the PLEA of Iraq Veterans....You are listening to the PLEA of WE, THE PEOPLE!!!.. You, Congressman Kucinich, boldly stand before Congress...the IGNORING Congress...and plead our case....SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! BRING THEM HOME NOW!...AND TAKE CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY GET HERE!!!
You have stood before Congress and boldly called for DEFUNDING the Iraq war.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED a COMPLETE U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED closure of all U.S. bases in Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED a COMPLETE U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and asked for the international community to create a PEACE PLAN for Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and proposed a United States Department of PEACE!
....And for this, Congressman Kucinich, we thank you!
...Congressman Dennis Kucinich, on behalf of Military Families Speak out, and as a Citizen for World Peace, it is an honor to present to you this award....CHAMPION FOR PEACE...for all that you do in the name of PEACE....Congratulations!
While the afternoon “Oscar for Peace” awards ceremony and the peace vigil (which included the reading of the names of the U.S. soldiers who have died in the illegal war in Iraq) were taking place at Hollywood & Vine, the other Oscar Awards attendees from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) were arriving early for their red carpet interviews several blocks away and were greeted with an aerial banner flying overhead that read “Bring Our Troops Home Now”.
Democracy for America Miami (DFAM) and Miami Veterans for Peace came up with this novel approach to broadcasting the message to end the occupation of Iraq after organizing two aerial banner flights this year at the Super Bowl in Miami and again at the Grammy Music Awards, that resulted in inclement weather grounding the aerial banner flights.
Here is the text of the "Oscar for Peace" presentation to Dennis Kucinich, Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential Candidate:
"We come here today to honor an individual who mirrors those ideals held near to thousands of military families...MILITARY FAMILIES...who worry about their sons, their daughters, their husbands, their wives, their sisters and brothers, their mothers and fathers, their aunts and uncles, their cousins, their grandmothers and grandfathers, their granddaughters and grandson....who are stationed in Iraq...IRAQ!!! Where over 3,100 United States soldiers have died! IRAQ!!!!...Where over 655,000 Iraqi civilians have died....and FOR WHAT??? WHY???
These military families are speaking out. They ask, "WHEN WILL THIS INSANE WAR END??? Why are our cries being ignored? Why has CONGRESS turned a deaf ear to OUR plight? Why isn't the American public listening to our PLEA?"
"OUR PLEA! THE MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT PLEA!!!....SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!...Those U.S. troops are OUR family members!" "BRING THEM HOME NOW!!...Not tomorrow....not three months from now...and certainly NOT in 2008!!! NOW!!!!"
"OUR PLEA! TAKE CARE OF OUR TROOPS, OUR FAMILY MEMBERS, WHEN THEY GET HOME!...to NOT cut funding of Veteran's benefits, but to take care of Veterans...OUR FAMILY MEMBERS...who are returning from this ILLEGAL WAR with both physical and mental disabilities!!!!!"
Congressman Dennis Kucinich...YOU are listening to the PLEA of Military Families Speak Out!....You are listening to the PLEA of Iraq Veterans....You are listening to the PLEA of WE, THE PEOPLE!!!.. You, Congressman Kucinich, boldly stand before Congress...the IGNORING Congress...and plead our case....SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! BRING THEM HOME NOW!...AND TAKE CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY GET HERE!!!
You have stood before Congress and boldly called for DEFUNDING the Iraq war.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED a COMPLETE U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED closure of all U.S. bases in Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and DEMANDED a COMPLETE U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and asked for the international community to create a PEACE PLAN for Iraq.
You have stood before Congress and proposed a United States Department of PEACE!
....And for this, Congressman Kucinich, we thank you!
...Congressman Dennis Kucinich, on behalf of Military Families Speak out, and as a Citizen for World Peace, it is an honor to present to you this award....CHAMPION FOR PEACE...for all that you do in the name of PEACE....Congratulations!
Peter Graves-Goodman
e-mail:
indymediamiami@yahoo.com