Democracy for New Mexico

Donate for Radio Ads for Albuquerque's 9/24 End the War March & Rally

From Stop the War Machine:

The text below is a 30 second spot to be aired 20 times on Air America Radio AM, 1350 Progressive Talk Radio, here in the Albuquerque listening area. Background music: America the Beautiful sung by Ray Charles! Spots will run from 9/19 - 9/23. Your financial committment is needed by Wednesday, 9/15.  Make checks  to Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center/radiospots.

Please contact me, Dan Gips, at 867-4801 or  dangips@aol.com.  Thirty second spots are $17 each and we are hoping to buy about 20. I would also appreciate any additional names to contact for raising these funds.

30-Second Ad:

HAD ENOUGH OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION YET?

JOIN A NATION-WIDE MARCH THIS SATURDAY RIGHT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE VICTIMS OF RACISM AND NEGLECT IN NEW ORLEANS AND THE GULF COAST.

STAND WITH CINDY SHEEHAN AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER MILITARY FAMILIES WHO DEMAND THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

GET THE  RECRUITERS OUT OF THE SCHOOLS AND REBUILD OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, OUR HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM, AND THE CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE.

VOTE WITH YOUR FEET, AND TOGETHER OUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD BECAUSE WE ARE THE VOICES OF TOLERANCE, TRUTH, AND DEMOCRACY.

REMEMBER: THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH. THE MARCH BEGINS AT 11 AM AT GIBSON AND TRUMAN SE, FOLLOWED BY A RALLY BEHIND HIGHLAND HIGHS CHOOL ON JACKSON STREET.  PLEASE!  YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU.

CONTACT ALBUQUERQUE PEACE AND JUSTICE AT 268-9557 ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP.

Tipping Point?

Mayor Mayor Rocky Anderson speaks to crowd at Salt Lake City peace rally.

Wow. More than 2,000 people, many of whom were vets or folks with family members in the service, showed up in Salt Lake City yesterday to protest the Iraq War and other Bush policies as he spoke to the VFW convention there. Read all about it (especially the parts about the courageous stand made by Salt Lake City's Mayor, Rocky Anderson). I mean. This was Utah...

Quote:

Salt Lake resident Hugh Musser, 74, said he was a Korean War veteran who came to the protest because of "the lies about this war and the reasons we went into it."

"I'm so opposed to our administration. I'm not politically motivated, I'm an independent. I think we have really lost our democracy," Musser said.

And then there's this:

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who accompanied the president, said the president saw the protesters along the motorcade route.

"[Bush] got a chuckle. He said 'Look, look at all the middle fingers.' Frankly, we ought to show respect to the office and the person regardless of what party they come from."

Hey Orrin, we respect the office, but we know the person holding it is a liar and an abuser of our democratic heritage. Ah, but George himself can only "chuckle." Has there ever been a president as shallow and juvenile as this one?

Here's a report from the scene that includes a link to video of Mayor Rocky giving his speech to the protest crowd in Pioneer Square. Highly recommended.

Camp Casey Endures and Grows

According to Democracy Now:

Despite the temporary departure of Cindy Sheehan to care for her ailing mother, the antiwar vigil outside President Bush’s estate in Crawford is continuing to grow. Hundreds gathered on Saturday night to hear musician Steve Earle perform at Camp Casey. Legendary folk singer Joan Baez also held a concert Sunday evening. Military families, veterans and other supporters are coming from around the country - as far away as Alaska, California and Massachusetts - to support Cindy’s efforts . . . Cindy Sheehan’s supporters are vowing to stay throughout the month until Bush’s vacation ends and then on to Washington for a major antiwar rally on September 24th.

Anyone who was at the magnificent two-hour-plus acoustic marathon performance of Steve Earle last week at Albuquerque's Lobo Theater knows how passionate Steve is about the lies and distortions of the Bush administration and the horrible consequences of another "Rich Man's War." Earle peppered his performance with pointed political rants about the hallmarks of genuine democracy, the Iraq War, labor struggles and more.

You can watch a video clip of Earle sparking the crowd and singing "Revolution Starts Now" at Camp Casey at Truthout. Speaking about how it's important that the anti-Iraq war effort continue transforming into a mainstream movement, he says:

The Viet Nam War didn't end because I opposed it. It ended because my father came to oppose it.

The Lone Star Iconoclast continues it excellent coverage of Camp Casey and includes many photos.

And KUNM interviews participants in last week's vigil in support of Cindy Sheehan on the Santa Fe Plaza. Click for audio clip.

Donate to the cause:

Gold Star Families for Peace

Crawford Peace House

Veterans for Peace

Miltary Families Speak Out

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Viet Nam Veterans Against the War

Code Pink Women for Peace

The Revolution Starts Now - By Steve Earle

I was walkin’ down the street
In the town where I was born
I was movin’ to a beat
That I’d never felt before
So I opened up my eyes
And I took a look around
I saw it written ‘cross the sky
The revolution starts now
Yeah, the revolution starts now

The revolution starts now
When you rise above your fear
And tear the walls around you down
The revolution starts here
Where you work and where you play
Where you lay your money down
What you do and what you say
The revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now

Yeah the revolution starts now
In your own backyard
In your own hometown
So what you doin’ standin’ around?
Just follow your heart
The revolution starts now

Last night I had a dream
That the world had turned around
And all our hopes had come to be
And the people gathered ‘round
They all brought what they could bring
And nobody went without
And I learned a song to sing
The revolution starts now

Sarangel Music (ASCAP)

Peace Vigils in Solidarity Set for Tonight

Nationwide peace vigils honoring our troops and Cindy Sheehan's efforts in Crawford will be held at 7:30 PM local time tonight (Wednesday). MoveOn, TrueMajority and Democracy for America are supporting and helping to organize and publicize the events. More than 1600 solemn, candlelight events have been scheduled so far.

Many vigils will be held in New Mexico. Click to find one near you or create your own. As of right now, at least seven events are scheduled for Albuquerque, including large gatherings along Lomas at Girard near the First Congregational Church, at Mitchell Elementary Athletic Field on the North side of Comanche on city property at 10121 Comanche NE and at the Cultural Crossroads Sculpture behind UNM Bookstore. Events are also scheduled for Rio Rancho, on the plaza in Taos, on the East Side of the Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe, Abiquiu, La Madera, T or C, Hillsboro, Silver City, Las Cruces and Farmington. No doubt more will be added throughout the day.

It's so important that this effort be supported all over America, so click on the link above and get involved NOW.

Wednesday Vigils to Support Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey

From Democracy for America:

Our sons made the ultimate sacrifice and we want answers. All we're asking is that President Bush sacrifice an hour out of his five-week vacation to talk to us, before the next mother loses her son in Iraq. - Cindy Sheehan, August 12, 2005

By now, you've heard of Cindy Sheehan, mother of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan who was killed in Iraq, and her vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. What you may not know is that Cindy is a regular DFA Meetup participant in Sacramento. Since last Saturday, she has held vigil outside the president's ranch. Cindy says that she won't leave until President Bush meets with her to discuss the war--even if it means spending all of August there.

We need to show that Cindy is not alone. Now, it is critical to demonstrate broad support for Cindy in every corner of the country.

She has asked supporters to start candlelight vigils in their communities to remind people of the terrible price of war. Democracy for America is teaming up with MoveOn and True Majority to organize nationwide "Vigils for Cindy Sheehan" on Wednesday, August 17, starting at 7:30 PM local time. The vigils are an easy way for people across the country to come together to show support for Cindy and speak out against the war.

Click below to organize or attend one in your community:

https://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/

These vigils aren't rallies or places to give long-winded speeches. They are moments to solemnly come together and mark the sacrifice of Cindy and other families.

Thank you for standing with Cindy.
Tom Hughes, Democracy for America

Check out our co-sponsors--
https://www.moveon.org

https://www.truemajority.org/

***************
One Austinite traveled to Crawford to see who else is at Camp Casey, where they're from and why they came. Click on the photo to get his video mini-documentary: https://www.swimmerfilms.com/id5.html

Following the Crawford TX Protest

THE CROSSES TO HONOR the Iraq dead begin here
and stretch half a mile.
— Iconoclast Photo By Deborah Mathews

Gold Star Peace Mother Cindy Sheehan is posting every day on Daily Kos, while Truthout has lots of videos and posts from Cindy and others on the ground at Crawford. They also have a roundup of political cartoons about the protest and Bush's reaction. Good coverage continues at the Lone Star Iconolclast. Here's a post and a letter from a Ft. Hood soldier who visited the peace encampment to present it to Cindy.

Cindy with cross for her son,
U.S. Army Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan,
among dozens of other crosses representing Iraq war deaths

Related links:

Gold Star Families for Peace

Crawford Peace House (Crawford Effort Donations Welcome)

Military Families Speak Out

Veterans for Peace

Code Pink

Viet Nam Veterans Against the War

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Rich Man's War

With Gold Star Peace Mother Cindy Sheehan (be sure to watch the video) hanging tough in Crawford, Texas, waiting for the vacationing-bicycling-brush clearing president to give her two minutes of his precious time, we thought it would be a good time to buy tickets to catch musician Steve Earle at the Lobo Theater on Tuesday. You can too. A sample:

Rich Man's War, by Steve Earle
From the Album: Revolution Starts Now

Jimmy joined the army ‘cause he had no place to go
There ain’t nobody hirin’
‘round here since all the jobs went
down to Mexico
Reckoned that he’d learn himself a trade maybe see the world
Move to the city someday and marry a black haired girl
Somebody somewhere had another plan
Now he’s got a rifle in his hand
Rollin’ into Baghdad wonderin’ how he got this far
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
Been a year now and he’s still there
Chasin’ ghosts in the thin dry air
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

When will we ever learn
When will we ever see
We stand up and take our turn
And keep tellin’ ourselves we’re free

Ali was the second son of a second son
Grew up in Gaza throwing bottles and rocks when the tanks would come
Ain’t nothin’ else to do around here just a game children play
Somethin’ ‘bout livin’ in fear all your life makes you hard that way

He answered when he got the call
Wrapped himself in death and praised Allah
A fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war
*************

"Before this all started, I used to think that one person couldn’t make a difference... but now I see that one person who has the backing and support of millions of people can make a huge difference."--Cindy Sheehan

On the national level, the Huffington Post has an abundance of commentary on Sheehan, the Iraq War, Bush and Democrats by people like Gary Hart, Norman Lear, Andy Stern, Tom Hayden, Rep. Jim McDermott, Cindy Sheehan herself and even New Mexico's own Jim Baca. Go read.

Texas blog The Lone Star Iconoclast has a running diary from the Crawford Peace House.

Protesting Bush's War

I see that Joe Monahan is bagging New Mexico's Democratic Party and elected officials for not criticizing Bush's Iraq War. He also wonders where the anti-war movement is in New Mexico and claims there's isn't much of one because "What's left of the "Left" is apparently confined to wheelchairs, too old to get out and protest."

I guess ole Joe doesn't get out much.

There have been numerous anti-war events in many parts of the state since before the Iraq war began, and these have been publicized via emails, flyers, websites and at meetings. We can't help it that the mainsteam media doesn't cover this story.

(Photo from Saturday's peace and anti-nuclear proliferation rally in Los Alamos on the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. No prominent Dem was in attendance. Click photo for larger image.)

Monahan also infers that because of a lack of interest or energy, few will protest the war during Bush's visit to Sandia Labs today to sign the energy company giveaway known as the energy bill. This just MIGHT be because the Bush minions have kept the exact time and place of his visit secret, like they attempt to do with most information that should rightfully be publicly available.

From piecing together snippets of info, we know Bush will sign the bill sometime today somewhere within Sandia Labs with Senators Domenici and Bingaman present. No doubt he'll fly in at a Kirtland AFB runway. Neither  location is open to the public at large and surely they won't allow any gathering of citizens to protest or otherwise see or be seen by our timid President.

However, Monahan does have a point about the reluctance of Democratic Party officials and officeholders to criticize Bush on the Iraq war. If you click through to the continuation of this post you'll see the Bring Home the Troops Resolution passed by County Dem Parties including Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Los Alamos and San Juan. It also passed unanimously at the Party's State Central Committee meeting this past April. Yet a link to it and other Resolutions passed by the DPNM is buried on the State Party's website, in the Press Release archive for April 23rd. I wonder why that is.

I do know many Party members have requested the addition of a more prominent link to the Resolutions, to no avail. It's also very frustrating that the official minutes of the SCC meeting, including an official transcript of the approved Resolutions, have yet to be issued by the Party's Secretary, Elena Moreno-Sparks. This despite numerous phone calls and emails from SCC members and others.

It's hard to be a member of an opposition Party that seems afraid to oppose Bush's actions, lies and mistaken policies loudly, passionately and publicly, isn't it? Pussyfooting around in criticizing Bush, coupled with what seem to be a serious lack of transparency and organization, is a hard pill to swallow for those of us who feel the urgency of the moment.

The recent special congressional election in Ohio, where anti-war Iraq war vet Paul Hackett almost beat the Republican candidate in a massively Republican district, clearly shows Dems should be out there loud and clear on the folly and negative consequences of this war. And yet, even there, the Dem Party's DCCC gave Hackett support only very late in the race, after Democracy for America and bloggers at My DD and Daily Kos raised more than $400,000 and helped build a large volunteer force for Hackett.

I guess it's just more evidence of how disconnected Party leaders are from rank and file Democrats , as well as a growing segment of Americans in general. You'd think Bush's plummeting poll numbers on the war and just about everything else would put some "starch," as Wesley Clark calls it, in the Democratic response. There are Democratic officeholders out there speaking truth to power, like Rep. Conyers, Senators Dick Durbin and Barbara Boxer and others, but they are still too few and far between. If we want to win in 2006, we need to wake up the Party NOW, don't we?

From RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING, Saturday, April 23, 2005, Unofficial listing from website of Democratic Party of New Mexico

29.  RESOLUTION TO BRING HOME THE TROOPS

WHEREAS, the actions of the United States of America in Iraq show that the United States wishes to establish a permanent presence in Iraq, including the establishment of a number of military bases, and

WHEREAS, our military is being drained of its capability to respond to crises in other parts of the world, and

WHEREAS, more than 150 billion dollars have been spent for the Iraq occupation and, over the next year, the continuing occupation will take an additional 81 billion dollars away from the priorities at home, and

WHEREAS, there have been more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers killed, thousands of U.S. soldiers wounded, and untold thousands of Iraqi citizens killed in the continuing conflict in Iraq, and

WHEREAS, our military presence in Iraq continues to result in the death and wounding of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens, and

WHEREAS, our occupation in Iraq has worsened an insurgency that has as a principal goal the expulsion of outside influences, and

WHEREAS, our occupation and the associated violence in Iraq has increased recruitment by terrorist organizations intent on attacking the U.S., and

WHEREAS, elections have been held in Iraq, and the Iraqi people want to resolve their own problems and establish their own government free of outside influences,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF NEW MEXICO that the DPNM supports our troops, opposes the continued military occupation of Iraq, and urges the Government of the United States of America to immediately plan for the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq. This plan should specify a target date for the completion of the withdrawal, which is no later than June 2006. Withdrawal should begin soon to signal our good intentions. The United States should announce that it has no plans for a long-term military presence in Iraq, except for that associated with normal diplomatic relations.

The Death Toll Continues: Bush Vacations

The horror continues in Iraq:

Fourteen Marines Killed in Bombing
CNN: Wednesday 03 August 2005

Fighting in northwest Iraq claims lives of 21 Marines in 3 days.
Baghdad - Fourteen Marines and a civilian interpreter were killed Wednesday when their amphibious assault vehicle struck an improvised explosive device about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Haditha, Iraq, military officials said. A Marine was also injured. The Marines were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division.

Wednesday's attack follows the killings of six Marines Monday in Haditha, which is in northwest Iraq. Another Marine was killed in a suicide car bombing in nearby Hit on Monday, the Marine Corps said.

This week's Marine deaths brought the number of American troops killed in the Iraq war to more than 1,800, according to U.S. military reports.

Meanwhile, the Commander in Chief is on an almost 5-week vacation at his fake ranch. No doubt he'll do alot of brush clearing for the cameras and who knows what else:

The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford -- nearly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.

ACTION ALERT: Amnesty International Urges Calls to Senators Re Torture Today

Please read this and take Action. This is really important.

July 25, 2005
Amnesty International Action Center Alert
Support Amendments Restricting Interrogation Practices and Establishing an Independent Commission

We urgently need calls to both of your Senators on Monday in support of three amendments that would help protect the human rights of detainees in US custody! Please pull out all the stops to get calls to your Senators in support of the two McCain/Graham amendments and the Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the fiscal year 2006 Defense Authorization bill.

Talking points for the three amendments are below (click to continuation page of this post). If you have extra time, please call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111 and urge the Bush Administration to support these common sense amendments.

For New Mexico:

Bingaman, Jeff- (D - NM)
703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5521
E-mail: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

Domenici, Pete- (R - NM)
328 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6621
Web Form: domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfm

TALKING POINTS

(Note: You don't need to use all the talking points. A short message stating that you support the McCain/Graham and Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendments to the Defense Authorization bill would be fine.)

-- As your constituent, I strongly urge you to support the two McCain/Graham amendments and the Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.

-- Senator McCain, a former POW in Vietnam, and Senator Graham, a former military judge, are offering two important amendments to provide further clarity and guidance on acceptable interrogation practices: one to extend the application of the Army Field Manual Regulations on Interrogations to all detainees in Department of Defense custody, and the other to reinforce U.S. prohibitions on cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

-- The McCain/Graham amendments are designed to be consistent with long-standing U.S. Military doctrine, U.S. constitutional standards and U.S. international commitments.

-- The Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment would establish an independent commission to investigate all allegations of torture and ill treatment of detainees in US custody and determine which officials, policies, and practices were responsible for such abuses and to prevent further abuses.

-- Again, I urge you to support the McCain/Graham amendments and Levin/Kennedy/Rockefeller/Reed amendment to the DoD authorization bill .

Click here to find more information about this action:

https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=613177&l=13743

Your urgent support is key. Please help us stop torture.

Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center
https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=613177&l=13744