Throwing Stuff Over the White House Fence

“Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney,

“We write to you from all over the United States and all over the
world to urge you to obey both international and U.S. law, which forbid
aggressive attacks on other nations. We oppose your proposal to attack
Iran. Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, just as Iraq did not
possess nuclear weapons. If Iran had such weapons, that would not
justify the use of force, any more than any other nation would be
justified in launching a war against the world’s greatest possessor of
nuclear arms, the United States. The most effective way to prevent Iran
from developing nuclear weapons would be to closely monitor its nuclear
energy program, and to improve diplomatic relations — two tasks made
much more difficult by threatening to bomb Iranian territory. We urge
you to lead the way to peace, not war, and to begin by making clear
that you will not commit the highest international crime by
aggressively attacking Iran.”

We took the box of petition signatures over to the gate and asked
the guard to accept it on behalf of the President. He asked Cindy to
read the petition to him, which she did. Then he left and came back a
few times, claiming that he was trying to find the proper person to
accept it, but more likely waiting for more guards and Park Service
police to show up.

Eventually we got tired of waiting. We handed a stack of pages to
everyone in the crowd and asked them to stick them through the fence.
Pages began piling up all over the White House driveway and front yard.
Then a line of police officers stepped in the way and blocked the
fence. So we began throwing pages, about 50 double-sided sheets at a
time, over their heads and over the fence. This had the effect of
scattering them more widely on the other side. I hope whoever had to
pick up all those pieces of paper is aware whose administration
destroyed the right to overtime pay, and I hope they read some of the
comments. I read thousands of them. Many were angry. Many were polite.
Most were passionate and pleading. Some were concise: “Iraq was our
first mistake; don’t let Iran be our last.” Others went on for pages.
People poured their souls out trying to educate and reform our
President and Vice President. Instead they ended up decorating the
White House lawn.

Here’s what the Associated Press had to say about this event:

“Activist Cindy Sheehan led about 50 protesters to a White House
gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by
80,000 Americans. The California woman, whose son was killed in Iraq
more than two years ago, joined the protesters in hailing the outcome
of Tuesday’s elections and chanting ‘Stop the War’ outside the White
House gate.
“‘They have to take (the petitions); it’s our First Amendment right,’
said Sheehan, who waited about 15 minutes at the gate with other
protesters before tossing the petitions over the fence. ‘It was taking
too long for them to decide whether to accept them or not, so we just
delivered them.'”
“”Wednesday’s protest came as Republicans lost control of the House and
the White House announced the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld. ‘He’s being offered as a sacrificial lamb,’ said Sheehan,
adding that she would not stop protesting until American forces are out
of Iraq”
“”Sheehan and other protesters said the outcome of Tuesday’s House race
– and the gains in the Senate – indicated that Americans are
questioning the costs of U.S. military actions in both Iraq and
Afghanistan. The petitions tossed over the White House fence were
presented as an open letter to Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney,
opposing use of military force to resolve the dispute over Iran’s
nuclear program.
‘Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, just as Iraq did not possess
nuclear weapons,’ the petitions said. A U.S. Park Police spokesman said
officers moved the protesters away from gates near Secret Service guard
stations, but there were no arrests.”

If you have not yet signed the petition, you still can at
http://www.dontattackiran.org

You can also sign one addressed to Congress (which might even listen to you) at
http://www.peace-action.org/Iranpetition.html

Late Wednesday afternoon Cindy decided to lead a sit-in right in
front of the White House, and then – finally — the Park Service
arrested her. The Associated Press changed the lede to its article to
read as follows:

“Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50
protesters to a White House gate to deliver anti-war petitions.”

Not quite accurate. The petitions had been delivered several hours
before the arrest. But what the heck, it probably got more editors to
pick up the story. Thanks, again, Cindy!