Media Fails To Report Maliki Protester Was CodePink

Sweetness & Light ^ | July 26, 2006 | N/A

[Sam Hill]

You would never know it from our one party media, but the "disruptor" at Prime Minister al-Maliki's speech was not just a random protestor.

She was none other than the professional anti-America agitator (and Hugo Chavez paid agent) Medea Benjamin.

From a CodePink press release:

Medea Benjamin is arrested on July 26 for interrupting a speech by the Prime Minister of Iraq.

Medea Benjamin Arrested For Disrupting Iraqi Prime Minister’s Congressional Address

Fasting co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange says Iraqis want war to end

CODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin is arrested on July 26 for interrupting a speech by the Prime Minister of Iraq.

WASHINGTON - July 26 - This morning, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addressed a joint session of Congress. During a segment of his speech in which al-Maliki said that Iraqi's ink-stained fingers evidenced their desire for democracy, Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace and Global Exchange, stood up from the gallery and shouted, "Iraqis want the troops to leave, bring them home now! Listen to the Iraqis!" Benjamin repeated the statement several times before she was forcefully lifted from her seat, handcuffed, and escorted out by Capitol police. Benjamin was wearing a pink shirt with the statement "Troops Home Now" written on it.

Benjamin, 54, of San Francisco, CA, is currently on her 23rd day of a long-term fast for peace called the Troops Home FAST (www.troopshomefast.org). She is charged with disrupting Congress. Whether Benjamin will receive a simple citation or will be booked at jail is still being determined by Capitol police. If she is not booked, Medea Benjamin will be available for comment and interviews. If you would like to speak with her, please call her cell phone 415 235 6517.

This disruption follows two days of requests for a meeting with Prime Minister al-Maliki. Since al-Maliki's arrival in Washington DC, women and men who are fasting for peace as part of CODEPINK's Troops Home FAST have been trying to arrange a meeting with the prime minister and the Iraqi Embassy. Fasters have been waiting for a response to a letter requesting a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss an Iraqi reconciliation plan that includes a timetable for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq. Benjamin stood outside the Iraqi embassy for the past two days waiting for a response to this letter.

Yesterday evening, fasters were ordered by police to clear the sidewalk in front of the embassy in preparation for al-Maliki's arrival. Five fasters refused to leave, thus risking arrest. The Iraqi Ambassador spoke with Benjamin by cell phone and asked that she and the fasters move aside, in exchange for the possibility that she and peace mom Cindy Sheehan would get a personal audience with al-Maliki during the evening reception. Sheehan and Benjamin also agreed to break their fast if granted a meeting with the Prime Minister. He promised to call should any challenges arise and this not be possible. However, Benjamin was denied entry to the embassy that evening, and waited for an hour outside, where she watched the prime minister arrive and leave without acknowledgement of their agreement.

After witnessing Benjamin's disruption, Maxine Waters, member of Congress and chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, stated, "We are going to witness more and more public outrage as the violence in Iraq escalates in this ongoing occupation."

Benjamin's public statement is in line with recent polls from Iraq saying that only 1% of Iraqis trust U.S. forces with their security. Despite these numbers, Prime Minister al-Maliki is in Washington to request additional U.S. troops in Baghdad. Also in opposition to public opinion in both Iraq and in the U.S., the Bush administration has rejected and gutted the peace plan proposed by the Iraqi government.

Iraqi blogger and analyst Raed Jarrar of Global Exchange and Foreign Policy in Focus, who is also participating in the Troops Home FAST, said, "Medea Benjamin is speaking on behalf of the overwhelming majority of the Iraqis and the Iraqi Parliament who want the troops out of Iraq." A recent World Public Poll shows that 87% of Iraqis want a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Medea Benjamin and Cindy Sheehan stalking outside of Maliki's residence on day 22 of their withering "fast."

Why the media refuses to admit that the anti-war leftwing protesters are the same handful of people, is beyond me.

It's almost as if they want to create the impression that there are more of them than there actually are.

But why would they want to do that?

(Thanks to the Age of Hooper for the Cindy photo.)

[Republican Wildcat]

What did you tell her?

[Republican Wildcat]

Major Owens (D):

"There were 200 million killed just coming across - so great was the number of people that were thrown overboard that it altered the ecology of the ocean. Sharks to this day still trace after ships seeking the flesh that was thrown overboard..."

[proud_yank]

Funny, these goons are paid to bash capitalism. That must make us idiots who spent so much time and $$ going to college to learn about how bad capitalism is!

[usmcobra]

The funny part about that quote is that during the time of slavery you couldn't find that many Africans on the whole Continent

[Chesterbelloc]

Why does she continue to get access to these events when she is a known disruptor?

Because Democrat members of congress, eager to show that they are still not the grown-up party, continue to give them passes.

[Sam Hill]

And as others have suggested earlier, so that Maxine Waters can pretend that this was just a spontaneous outburst from a typical American fed up with the war:

"After witnessing Benjamin's disruption, Maxine Waters, member of Congress and chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, stated, "We are going to witness more and more public outrage as the violence in Iraq escalates in this ongoing occupation.""

[Doctor Raoul]

Off shore accounts?

[maica]

I don't know about offshore accounts, but I recently read a book about Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who got prayer removed from public schools about 1964, and supported herself and her children on donations from atheists for the rest of her life. She ran foundations, wrote newsletters, and lived grandly on other people's money. So I can easily see that money pours into the Benjamin purse, too.

[Republican Wildcat]

Right - LOL

[gogeo]

Perish the thought, that woman would have to lift her stomach to flash someone!

[gogeo]

I don't think so. I think it's the code pink version of Belly girl.

Priceless.

[gogeo]

Yeah, she's a real looker all right.

It's not the looks that make me wince...it's the mouth.

[gogeo]

In what world is stupidity considered a defense?

[Darlin']

Thank you for the quote. Looks like I had waaaaaay underestimarted his ignorance.

[Armedanddangerous]

I wish Fox News would spend some of that missing girl of the week money on looking into where cindy and medeas money comes from.

[RedRover]

What's especially irksome is that Democrats in Congress keep doing this and no one holds them to account. As far as I know, Free Republic is the ONLY place where a "news-consumer" could find out that Congressman Major Owens (D-NY) is responsible!

[Ghengis]

Guest of Congressman Major Owens. I called his office and they confirmed it.

Did you know that the route from New York's 11th Congressional District to Major Owens' Washington D.C. office has such a high population of people who are totally full of horsesh*t that the migration patterns of blowflies has been permanently altered since 1982?