Mothers For Peace Arrested on Capitol Hill

“Failure is impossible!” – Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the Women’s Suffrage Movement

Washington, DC – On May 14, 2007, under a sunny sky, anti-war activists
launched a “SWARM on Congress” campaign to end the Iraqi conflict and
to bring the troops home. An estimated 250 peace activists, led by
Cindy Sheehan, first assembled at Lafayette Park, opposite the White
House, for a spirited noon time rally. After about two hours of
speechmaking, they formed a procession, entitled, “Mother of a March,”
and headed down Pennsylvania Avenue towards Capitol Hill, where they
staged a sit- down right in the middle of New Jersey and Independence
Avenues, next to the Longworth and Cannon House Office buildings.
Thirty-three of them were arrested there for failing to obey a police
order to disperse. Traffic came to a complete halt for nearly an hour
on both streets. When the cops said they were going to arrest the
activists, Sheehan, Tina Richards and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, among
others, shouted directly back at them: “Arrest George Bush! Arrest Dick Cheney!” (1)

A coalition of activist groups are participating in the “SWARM on
Congress” effort. (2) Its tactics will include lobbying, putting on
workshops and creative demonstrations, too, like this afternoon’s
rally. The “SWARM” campaign began today and will continue until the
U.S. Congress, now led by timid Democrats, breaks for its summer recess
on July 31st. At Lafayette Park, Sheehan, a self-described “Peace Mom,”
said that as a result of the Iraqi War: “This White House is drenched
in blood and gore…We want our country back!” David Swanson of
AfterDowningstreet.org said that the people need to continue to put
“fear” into the members of the Congress, who have failed to jump on the
peace wagon. He demanded “the impeachment of both V.P. Dick Cheney and
Bush.” Kevin Zeese of DemocracyRising.us said: “If we work together, we
can change the course of history.” Tina Richards emphasized: “We do
have the power of the people…They [the federal government] told me to
go back to Missouri and to be quiet. I told them: “Screw off!”” Former
U.S. diplomat, Ann Wright, an ex-Colonel, who was also a veteran of the
U.S. Army, said: “George Bush has committed criminal acts…We demand
an investigation and accountability. We need to get him out of the
White House and to stop this war.”

On the media front, an unrepentant warmonger, William Kristol,
criticized GOP members for wavering on the Iraqi conflict and being
“extremely stupid.” The flaming Neocon said it was “dishonorable” to
abandon the conflict at this point and “to vote for surrender.” He made
his insulting remarks Sunday on “Fox News,” and, on that same day, six
more brave American died in the war. Like others of his insufferable
ilk, Kristol has paid no price for his hawkish views. No member of his
immediate family has served in Iraq(3).
An Israeli Firster, Kristol has been a shameless cheerleader–like his
fellow Neocons, Richard Perle and Douglas Feith–for a U.S.-led war
based on serial lies and massive deception. (3) At press time, the
prime architect of the Iraqi War, the Neocon Paul Wolfowitz, a former
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, was still fighting to hold onto his
cushy CEO spot at the World Bank. (4)

When the demonstrators passed the building that houses the U.S.
Justice Department on Pennsylvania Ave., Sheehan called the marchers to
a stop. She took the megaphone and labeled that federal agency, under
the Bush-Cheney Gang: “The Injustice Department!” When the processions
resumed, the activists chanted: “Hey Congress! What do you say? How
many kids will die today?” Also, this one: “Money for jobs and
education! None for war and occupation!” The huge, blue and white
banner, that the protesters paraded under read: “Not One More Mother’s
Child!”

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) is
still in denial about her role as an enabler of the Bush-Cheney’s
Gang’s Iraqi War. (5) Though voting to fund George W. Bush’s mad
“Surge” scheme, she has also been holding a hearing on the ability of
the states to respond to local emergencies as a result of the call-up
of their National Guard members to Iraq. For Maryland, this means that
1,300 National Guard members are being deployed this summer. It seems
like Sen. Mikulski is talking out of both sides of her mouth. Kansas
Governor Kathleen Sebelius said that her state has “lost” its ability
to handle an emergency. Other state governors are quickly joining that
chorus because of the problem caused by the absence of so many National
Guard members. Maryland Comptroller, Peter Franchot, according to a
report in the Baltimore Sun, said at a recent Board of Public Works
meeting in Annapolis, MD, in an obvious slap at the dubious liberal,
Sen. Mikulski: “We should be bringing the troops home, not sending more
there.”

One of the true anti-Iraqi War champions in the U.S. Congress, who
has opposed the bloodstained conflict from the very beginning, is Rep.
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). She also addressed the rally at Lafayette Park.
Rep. Woolsey said that besides stopping this war: “We need to ensure
that this doesn’t happen again and again and again. We have no room for
all of this violence. We are going to self-destruct, but we are smarter
than that…So, let’s keep up the effort. We will bring our troops home
from Iraq.” (6)

Rev. Yearwood served as the master of ceremonies for the rally at
the park and he did a terrific job. Some of the other speakers were: E.
Faye Williams; ex-U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska); Michael Berg; Ms.
Jihan Hapiz, who spoke up for the Palestinian people, who have been
“suffering under an Israeli occupation for 40 years”; Cindy Kaylor;
Diane Wilson; and Debra Sweet, who’s the Executive Director of the
“World Can’t Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime.” Entertainment was
provided by the balladeers from Code Pink, led by Ms. Medea Benjamin;
Ms. Lauren Mitchell, who sang “Dear Mr. President;” the always popular,
“Emma’s Revolution,” which features Ms. Pat Humphries and Ms. Sandy O.;
and the jumping, jiving hip hop artist, “Son of Nun;” a former school
teacher and a native of Baltimore City. He wowed the audience with a
ballad, which included this refrain: “What are you going to do?”

Finally, as I was walking along Pennsylvania Avenue, with the
marchers towards Capitol Hill, I had a chance to chat with Bill Perry,
who is the Executive Director of Delaware Valley: Veterans for America.
He served our country in the Vietnam War. I asked him what is the value
of rally like today’s. He answered: “I think it helps to focus the
attention of the people on the number of U.S. troops who have died in
Iraq, now close to 3,400. Then maybe, they will soon be able to look at
that larger number–the Iraqi dead–655,000! (7) And, hopefully, it
will all lead them to want to end this damn war!”

Notes:

1. www.youtube.com/watch
2. Some of the organizations identified as participating in the “SWARM
on Congress” campaign are: Voters for Peace, Democracy Rising, Code
Pink, the Washington Peace Center, the Hip Hop Caucus,
Afterdowningstreet.org and GrassrootsAmerica4Us.org.
3. www.afterdowningstreet.org/
4. batr.net/neoconwatch/
5. baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/14991/index.php
6. www.youtube.com/watch
7. baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/15007/index.php

© William Hughes 2007.

William Hughes is the author of “Saying “No” to the War Party” (IUniverse, Inc.). He can be reached at liamhughes (at) comcast.net.