CODEPINK Co-Founder and 10 Peace Activists Arrested Today at the Public Appropriations Committee

[CODEPINK]

CODEPINK Co-founder Gael Murphy and 10 other peace activists arrested Thursday morning at 9:30 am while attempting to enter the public Appropriations Committee vote on the Supplemental Bill allocating $100 billion for the war in Iraq. CODEPINK has been lobbying hard against the passage of this bill and will hold a press conference today to respond to Ms. Murphy’s forceful arrest and today’s vote in the House Appropriations Committee. They will express their dismay that the Democrats, who were given a mandate for peace in the November election, but are allowing a bill to go to the House floor that will let the war drag on into 2008 instead of using their power of the purse to cut funds for the war.

CODEPINK has been working in full force and around the clock in the halls and streets around Congress since January and will continue to remind them to wake up and stop buying Bush's war. CODEPINK will continue to make its presence known in numerous and powerful ways to impress upon Congress the cost of war in our communities. Please go to www.dontbuybushswar.org to learn how you can get involved or call
202.423.3654

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. K&R

for patriots.

[fasttense]

2. Sam Seeder had a rep from the protest on the phone.

She said the hearing room was so packed with staffers that no one from the public could get a seat to hear the debate.

[HereSince1628]

3. How did Obey handle this?

[leftchick]

5. probably called them idiot pot smoking liberals

they are very brave.

[HereSince1628]

8. I'm actually hoping he didn't do something like that...

Many activists believe that Congress' best lever to end the war is funding. And ALL funding begins with this committee. I am hoping Obey gets acclimated to sitting in the hot seat.

[Breeze54]

4. Thanks for posting this info!

I was wondering who was doing the yelling!

I gave you credit here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=415276&mesg_id=415276

:kick: & Recommended!

[gratuitous]

6. Stay on target

If we keep reminding the congress critters of their mandate, perhaps they'll carry it out.

Interesting to me that the women of Code Pink are willing to stand up and be arrested, but the rough and tough brave fightin' folks in our U.S. military, who know just as surely as the Code Pink folks do that this war is a mistake, aren't similarly willing to risk arrest even to save their own lives and the lives of their comrades.

[Karenina]

7. Brainwashing.

[HereSince1628]

9. Mutiny isn't in most soldiers list of options.

They need my help not my judgements.

[earth mom]

10. K & R!

:kick:

[KingBob]

11. Just Got a Phone Call About This

I just spoke to the lead counsel for TROOPS OUT NOW, my high school pal, Buddy Spell. The anti-war activists had a little spat with the Capitol Police this morning at the Raeburn Bldg. According to Buddy, our "representatives" on the Appropriations Committee did not want to see us commoners in the their throne, excuse me, meeting room. So, they did the only logical thing; they packed the room with their staffers prior to opening the doors and prevented the public from entering and witnessing the criminal conspiracy contemplated therein. When objections were raised, objectors were arrested. Ten patriots were temporarily incarcerated and all are now out of jail, except for Code Pink's Gael Murphy, who was graced with an unwarranted and ridiculous charge of assault on a police officer. Follow the link - http://encampmenttostopthewar.blogspot.com -for pictures and additional comments.

This was not a public hearing! This was a farce in which our elected representatives refuse to be exposed to their own hypocrisy, both Democrats and Republicans. This was not what we elected them to Congress to do. We want the peoples' business done in public and in the daylight. Sunshine is the best antiseptic known to democracy.

Our Democrats need to be reminded that in less than two years, there will be an election. An election for the very seats they now hold and they hope to retain. We must remind them that the key to the seat they hold is OUR vote. State your opposition to their cowardice.

In the meantime, we can remind them of their obligations and their duty to us by being out on the Mall this week. We need to join the encampment and become part of the OCCUPATION of Washington. We need to join the march on the Pentagon. Come to the Mall, there are tents to be filled. Come to the Mall and march on the Pentagon. Come to the Mall and make yourself heard in opposition to the corporate elite. Come to Mall for the sake of your children.

[onenote]

12. the hearing was on CPAN -- not hidden

If the goal was to keep the public from seeing the hearing, why did they televise it on CSPAN? And why was it open to the press?

Look, the CODEPINK folks wanted to get in the room so they could disrupt the proceeding. Fine. That's a well-established form of civil disobedience and if they had succeeded, they would've gotten arrested, but would have gotten publicity for their message. They weren't able to get in the room, but they still managed to get arrested -- a slightly different form of civil disobedience -- and got their message publicized.
But let's not go overboard suggesting that the Committee was trying to hide what was going on in a hearing that anyone could watch over CSPAN via cable or internet.

We do ourselves no favors when we overstate/misstate our own case.

[IndianaGreen]

13. A clear majority of Americans believe the war to be a mistake and want the troops to come home

Meanwhile, Pelosi and Reid are stuck in a process of their own making instead of defunding the war, as a previous Congress did to end the war in Vietnam.

To top it all off, the Democratic frontrunner said yesterday that she will keep troops in Iraq in perpetuity, to fight terrorism and Iranian aggression (whatever that means!).

This is why Code Pink deserves our full support!

[Omaha Steve]

14. I swear I got an email about this, but now I can't find it.

I just watched the video and really can't say enough about the small group of people that did what a lot of us would like to do if we could get to D.C.. To late to recommend or I would have.

[politicat]

15. Can we donate to the bail fund? NT