Showing posts with label anti-war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anti-war. Show all posts

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Moveon.org & History of General BetrayUs

This picture is of the thousands of demonstrators attending the End the War Rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on September 15th. I was unable to attend this one. But I can tell you from my attendance at the one last March that MANY of these folks are members of moveon.org
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Moveon.org was created in 1996. Back then it was considered a left wing whacko, fringe organization. That was then. The picture above represents now. Americans are in a different place now than in 1996.
* Moveon.org has filled a void for the thousands of Americans who are against this horrible war. It's provided away for the thousands of Americans who want this war to end to express their demand that this war end.
* This morning I got an email from a veteran asking me to consider joining moveon.org and to please make a small donation. I wrote back and thanked him for asking me to join. Larry and me have actually been members since 2003 and have participated in just about all of the action alerts we've been asked to participate in.
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Then came the General Betrayus ad on TV. I liked the ad and didn't this it was at all offensive. Why not? For four or five days before General Petraeus came to give his report on the war to Congress, I heard over and over on all of the major news networks that General Petraeus was being briefed for his testimony at the White House. So what were we supposed to think?
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In his opening statement to congress, the General said that "these are my own words." He went on to say that nobody at the white house had any influence on what he had to say and that the white house didn't know what was in his report. Well, if anybody believes that, they've got to be crazy!
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To me, General Petraeus turned his back on being an honorable General looking out for his troops and became a political hack.
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Admiral William Fallon is the Commander of Central Command. It's wll known that he and General Petraeus have had multiple arguments over the prosecution of this war. I challenge my readers to google Admrial William Fallon and read what he has to say.
* In the past, Cent Com Commanders have been expected testify before congress before. Why was it different this time? It was different this time because Admiral Fallon wasn't going to tow the white house line. The dude's been muzzled. Other generals who spoke out about the way this war is going got their retirement papers.
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I've emailed Congressman Wexler and Senators Nelson and Martinez to ask why Admiral Fallon was never called to testify before the house or senate. I also requested that he be subpoened to to try to keep the white house from forbidding him to do so . Bush and Cheney to not what the Admiral explaining why he wants the troops to start coming home immediately.
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Moveon.org did not coin the name, "General BetrayUs." If one does a google search of "General Betrayus," many entries will be found going back long before the moveon.org ad. In her blog entry dated January 10, 2007, Sandy Levinson wrote:

"Incidentally, I offer the following sidenote about General Petraeus, by almost all accounts an enormously accomplished man: A student of mine at the UT Law School, who had had combat experience in both Afghanistan and Iraq, referred to him as "General Betrayus" because of what was thought to be his inordinate interest in good publicity (and presumed self-promotion) rather than concern for his troops. I have no idea whether this is fair, but I do know that this is what my sober and thoughtful student told me."

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Moveon.org was not the first to refer to the General as General BetrayUs. I'm proud to be a moveon.org member. Gordon http://www.cafepress.com/fartotheleft

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

ANSWER END THE WAR IN IRAQ RALLLY AT THE PENTAGON

South Carolina Friends, Tim and Terry
I found myself at the Episcopal Peace Fellowship brunch sitting with a group of really nice folks. Among them were Tim and Terry. The three of us left together after the brunch to go down to the staging area for the march across the bridge to the Pentagon. It was SO cold and windy. I had my thermal underwear on and wool socks. I'm SO glad I prepared for the weather.
En route from the staging area, pro-war supporters were in bleachers on one side of us and lined up on the other side. It was probably meant to intimidate us but it didn't. They yelled obscenities and we gave them the peace symbol in return. We listened to a few of the speakers at the Pentagon Rally. The sound system was excellent. But it was so cold that after about an hour we left, walked back across the bridge and caught a cab to the Luna Diner at Dupont Circle to get something to eat and get warm. We met some Viet Nam veterans sitting at the table next to us. They had attended the rally as well. Above are just a few of the collection of pictures I took at the rally.

EPISCOPAL PEACE FELLOWSHIP

Episcopal Peace Fellowship Brunch Saturday, 3/17/07
After doing the four mile candlelight march and White House Peace Vigil the night before many of us were tired and facing more cold weather after our brunch to attend the anti-war march and rally at the Pentagon.
Learn more about The Episcopal Peace Fellowship at http://www.epfnational.org/publish/index.shtml

Lisa in Center, Tim and Terry

Peace Singer, Lisa Dudley and me
Lisa sings "Bring "Em Home, Lord" at the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Brunch on Saturday Morning, 3/17/07 Jackie Lynn, Executive Director, Episcopal Peace Fellowship Two Yale Divinity Students with father of one of them. Couple at the Sat. Episcopal Brunch

Episcopal Peace Fellowship: Our Presence at the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq: March 16, 2007, Washington, DC

Training at St. Mark's, Washington, DC
Training
Waiting for the service to begin
Sign I made for the Event
Many denominations were represented Episcopalians from all over the country joined other denominations in Washington, DC for a service at Washington National Cathedral on Friday evening followed by a 4 mile candlelight walk from the cathedral to the White House. More than 2,000 attended the service and march. Among the speakers was a Dominican Nun from Baghdad and Jim Wallis of Sojourners. It was a wonderful service which ended with us receiving our torches and begin our march down Massachusetts Ave to the White House. It was snowing and really cold outside. It was great to see all of the supporters waving from their houses and apartments, giving the peace sign. One family came out into their driveway and offered folks hot chocolate and the use of the bathroom in their home. Training in preparation for the evening event was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church the morning of the event. St. Mark's is located to the southeast of the Capital Bldg. It's a beautiful old church built in the 1800s. This was an experiential training in nonviolence. The training lasted for two hours and consisted of role playing and ways to express ourselves in non-confrontational ways.