D.C. Chapter's Fun With Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan Thread: March 7, 8, 9, 2006

The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic invites all FReepers and lurkers in good standing to join us this week as we welcome Cindy Sheehan and Medea Benjamin back to our nation's capital.

Fresh from their excellent New York adventure, the dynamic duo of treason are bringing their roadshow to Washington, D.C. for media stunts and meetings with the Treason Caucus in Congress.

We're posting their publicly announced schedule so you'll be able to make your plans accordingly. As always, the D.C. Chapter's rules for protesting will be in effect. Briefly, they are: No violence, no profanity, no racism, no provocations, obey the law and treat all law enforcement officers with respect.

Tuesday, March 7
8:30 am -4 pm
Congressional lobby visits: click here for more details
Iraqi and U.S. delegates will make office visits to both House and Senate Members to share the realities of living under U.S. occupation and to discuss a Women's peace plan for Iraq. Organizers include United for Peace and Justice coalition. Click here for more info on UFPJ Iraq-related legislative action.
Meet at 8:30 am in Longworth Cafeteria, at the back dining area (up the steps, opposite the food court) for breakfast and lobby briefing. This will be our base for the day.
Longworth House Office Building on Independence Ave (between South Capital and New Jersey, S.E. on South side of Capitol – metro South Capital or Union Station).

5-6:30 pm
Meeting Hosted by National Council of Women’s Organizations. Space limited
1050 17th St, NW (Between L and K Streets)
Metro Farragut North

7-9 pm
Women Say No To War Public Forum and Music event : Gold Star Moms Cindy Sheehan and Elaine Johnson, Anas Shallal, Eman Khamas, Nadje Al-Ali, Faiza Al-Araji, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright and others…Musical Guests: In Process, Holly Near and Emma’s Revolution.
Foundry United Methodist Church
1500 16th St., N.W. (16th and P)
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dupont Cirlcle metro stop or #30 buses
$10 online at codepinkalert.org/catalog or at the door*
*Proceeds from the reception support travel for the Iraqi women and their programs in Iraq

Wednesday, March 8 12-2:30 pm
Rally at Iraq Embassy & March to White House to deliver Women’s Call for Peace and signatures.
Meet at the Iraqi Embassy at Noon 1801 P streets, NW (corner of 18th and P) Dupont Circle Metro
March Route: West on P to Dupont; South on Connecticut; East on K; South on 16th through Lafayette Park to the South Side. Rally at South Side of Lafayette Park.

5pm-6:30 pm
Official Release of the Report "Iraqi Women Under Occupation" hosted by Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
1537 Longworth House Office Building to release report: Iraqi Women Living under Occupation. Open

Thursday, March 9 11:30 am- 1pm
Iraqi Women’s Briefing and Q&A
for Congress, Staff and the People
Sponsored by Out of Iraq Caucus

Room 122 Cannon House Office Building (between 1st and Independence ave. SE, on South side of Capitol – metro South Capital or Union Station)

Peace group hosts March 9 discussion
ARNOLD, Maryland -- Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of Codepink, a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement, will lead an upcoming discussion called "Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism."

The talk will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 9 at the Pascal Center for the Performing Arts at Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway.

Ms. Benjamin will be joined by a woman from Iraq who will talk about her experiences and the efforts of Iraqi women to achieve peace in that country.

Ms. Benjamin is also the co-founder of Global Exchange, an international human rights organization that addresses issues of globalization. The former economics and nutritionist with the United Nations and the World Health Organization is the author or editor of eight books.

Her talk is part of the college's Women's Month celebration. The talk is free and open to the public.

Kristinn and I attended the Code Pinko event last night. I was prepared to FReep outside in the cold, but Kristin - the FReepin' genius - had other ideas.

There were only two of us, and it just so happens that we were both wearing shirt and tie. Kristinn decided that it was time to be a bit random, in order to keep Pink off their guard - to keep them guessing. They expected a FReep in front of the church with signs and noise. Instead they got two FReepers politely listening at their event.

And what a well-executed, propaganda-filled event it was. TShirts and other paraphenalia at the entry, it was in a church (the same Church that the impeached one attended while he was still infesting the White House) so they had hard pews. Concerned that attendance may have turned out low, they roped off several areas of pews to crowd everyone up front. Looks good for the cameras. Normally, an event like this is in a hotel ballroom or some other venue that has chairs that are set out for the audience. Anyone who knows about political events knows to set out fewer chairs than will be needed in case of low attendance so it doesn't look like low attendance and it crowds people up where the cameras will see them. Then, if you actually get good attendance you have chairs ready to set out. In the case of static seating, the roping off trick is effective. This was a precursor to the entire event as it was well-staged and effectively done.

People who knew that we were FReepers, mostly those who recognized Kristinn, kept coming up and saying that they hoped that we didn't do anything disruptive. Kristinn kept telling them that "We're not like you. We don't do that," and would mention that we didn't have any signs or banners hidden in our jackets for us to stand up and disrupt the event. They were not pleased and seemed worried that we did, in fact, plan to disrupt. I think our demeanor made them nervous.

The event started late because they were struggling with a notebook computer and LCD projector - they could not get it working right. Gael Murphy, one of the chief Pinkos, got on the microphone and pleaded for any "techie" in the audience to please come and help. Well, I'm a techie and I know computers and projectors and have helped get them running - often on the spot - at several political events and such. I told Kristinn and he thought about it for a moment and then asked if he could volunteer me. I said sure. He and I walked up to the front and Kristinn told Gael that I would fix it for them. She was somewhat shocked and suspicious, but agreed. I pushed the boneheads aside and took a look at their set up. Geal got on the microphone and said that members of Free Republic were helping out, "in the spirit of unity". Kristinn countered her immediately not to get carried away and that we were doing it out of simple human kindness and decency. I'm sure that was something that the Pinkos were not familiar with. It took me about 30 seconds to get it all working even though it was a Macintosh notebook, something I'm not very familiar with.

The show consisted of some lame musical numbers and various speakers. They started with their weakest speakers first - Cindy Sheehan and some other traitor who is using her son's death to bash President Bush, our troops, and America general. Cindy whined - yes, literally whined - about how mean and awful those New York cops were when they arrested her, dragged her 15 feet while she was doing "flips" and stuff, when she was arrested the day before for blocking entrances at the UN Mission. She didn't mention the fact that photos show her smiling like the idiot she is the entire time she was being arrested. She whined about her aches and pains and then closed by saying that she was going to "go Ghandi on Bush's ass". Pitiful.

Some former soldier who had some Indian name and came off a reservation in Arizona - she claimed to a Yaqui - told a bunch of lies about the military and their operations in Iraq. Then she wailed and beat a drum for three minutes.

Then the ingrateful, lying Iraqi women got up and told their lies. The first was an "Iraqi" who currently lives in London and seems to have been pretty well off under Saddam. I guess she never saw the inside of one of the rape rooms or had any of the cousins, Aunts, and Uncles tortured to death or ending up in one of the many mass graves. My guess is she and her family were Baath party or at least Sunni.

The rest of the Iraqi women were in the same vein. Just a bunch of lies strung together trying to depict U.S. troops as baby killers committing atrocities at every turn. This doesn't match with Code Pinks pretend pro-troops image that they attempt - but fail - to convey with their weekly blood dance in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. How can they say they support the troops, but not the war, when they sponsor an event and fly women over from Iraq to have they tell lies calling our troops murderers and baby killers and accusing them of all kinds of heinous atrocities?

After it was over, Kristinn and I went up to speak with Gael, Allison, and Jodie - the head Code Pinkos. She asked what we thought. Kristinn replied that he couldn't say what he felt because we were in a church. I responded, "Good show. It was very well executed." You'd think that I had slapped the Pinko. She was taken aback that I would express the obvious about their well crafted propaganda stunt. She said, "You don't think that we told these women what to say, do you?" Kristinn, always quick with the comeback said, "No. The Baath Party trained them well enough." I expressed a question about the "diversity" of the women in the presentation and asked why there were none of the Iraqi and Kurdish women who are grateful that we have freed them from a brutal dictator, helped them form a Constitution, and given them the freedom to vote. She blew off my comment and shoved at us the traitor mom who is dishonoring her son's service and memory. That conversation was like having a rational debate with a middle-schooler. She ran away after a minute.

I have more extensive notes about the content and presentations, but don't have time to put them up now. I have some awful photos and even worse video that I may subject everyone to later when I get them uploaded.

Kristinn can provide other details too.

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