By Nathan Burchfiel, www.CNSNews.com
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced Wednesday that she plans to begin an "open-ended hunger strike" on July 4 to urge the Bush administration to bring troops home from Iraq.
"We hope the fast will galvanize public attention, invigorate the peace movement, build pressure on elected officials, and get our troops back home," Sheehan said in a statement posted on the anti-war blogosphere.
The fast, organized by Code Pink and Sheehan's Gold Star Families for Peace, will begin on Independence Day in Washington, D.C. In her statement Sheehan said she would move the fast to Crawford, Texas, where the president owns a ranch and often vacations.
Sheehan gained national attention in August 2005 when she staged a protest outside the Crawford ranch to protest the war. She named the protest "Camp Casey" in memory of her son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.
In her latest statement, Sheehan wrote that celebrities like singer Willie Nelson, actor Danny Glover and comedian Dick Gregory will show their support for her by joining in a one-day fast. She urged her supporters to do the same.
Sheehan is currently in Vienna, Austria, protesting President Bush's appearances there. He is in Europe to meet with leaders of the European Summit, seeking support for the United States' efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East.
In an interview posted on Code Pink's website, the group's co-founder Diane Wilson said the fast would show solidarity with Iraqis and U.S. troops. "Their bodies are on the line every day," Wilson said, referring to Iraqi civilians. "And so are the bodies of the U.S. soldiers. So shouldn't we be putting our bodies on the line?"
Wilson told her interviewer, fellow Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, that a hunger strike "can be a very powerful action." She mentioned three previous hunger strikes she organized, two of which lasted more than four weeks.
The "Troops Home Fast," Wilson said, means that she will abstain from food and drink, with the exception of water, as long as possible. "I don't know how long I can fast," she said, "but I'm making this an open-ended fast. I plan to take this as far as I've ever taken anything in my 58 years."
Wilson acknowledged that her fast might not get the attention of Bush, who after meeting with Sheehan once to offer his condolences for the loss of her son, has ignored her requests for another meeting. "Some fasts are successful," Wilson said in her interview, "others aren't. You never know."
Your NOBLE CAUSE
WASHINGTON — The United States has found 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and more weapons of mass destruction are likely to be uncovered, two Republican lawmakers said Wednesday.
"We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said in a quickly called press conference late Wednesday afternoon.
Reading from a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, a Defense Department intelligence unit, Santorum said: "Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."
• Click here to read the declassified portion of the NGIC report.
He added that the report warns about the hazards that the chemical weapons could still pose to coalition troops in Iraq.
"The purity of the agents inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal," Santorum read from the document.
Cindy Sheehan's Hunger Strike
I agree with Cindy Sheehan's hunger strike. it's a good thing. it's very sad, however, how our goverment and society today is so war striken. i find it devastating and hard, how us citizens, the ones who care about peace, justice, and fairness for all, are the ones who have to take matters into our own hands. no one said an activists ' path would be easy. it's hard. you never know when others may disagree. but, my theory is stick up for your beliefs. follow your dreams. one of my main inspirations is martin luther king jr.! Something he said really stuck with me, and spoke to me. it had significance and meaning in my life. this is what he said: That which you do not try to fight to change, you'll be forced to accept or believe. Unfortunately, this is the sad truth of reality. Since our so called govt is power hungry, and greedy, they only care about money. they don't care that its us who are suffering for them to get that money. so, they go and they give tax breaks to the rich, and overtax the poor. this is intolerable. when all else fails , sometimes we're taken down to the point where the only way to get the true message of peace across, is through civil disobedience. unfortunately, that's the stage we're all at. i don't know about all of u out there who are in support for peace. but, me , personally, i too am going to fast for at least 1 day on 4th of july! i encourage any of you who share similar views, to do the same. power to the peaceful! yeah! we are the people, and we hold the power! Wohoo! PEACE NOW!
nice thought
Why doesn't Cindy fast for something more meaningful? Not to trivialize her beliefs or her cuase, but the War in Iraq has resulted in such a small loss of life in comparison to other events and situations. While some organizations place the total death toll for the war near 50,000 people, there are 24,000 people that die every day of malnutrition. That equates to one hunger related death every 3.6 seconds. Let's say that the conflict in Iraq directly effects lets say conservatively 350 million people the total populations of the US and Iraq added together plus several million more. Now, this seems like a large amount of people until you consider the fact that 800 million people worlwide suffer from malnutrition. Many of the hungry live in countries and areas in which it would cost less than a dollar per day to feed them. When can the far left move on and realize the real crisis of the world?
Billions Spent On Iraq War Could Feed The Hungry
The billions of dollars that have been spent and the billions that will be spent on the illegal Iraq War could feed the hungry in the U.S. and around the world. Feeding people, instead of killing and torturing them, is a much better way to spend American tax dollars in my opinion.
Over 2,500 U.S. soldiers killed (DoD) and possibly up to 200,000 Iraqis' killed (http://www.alternet.org/audits/31508/) do not seem to be a small loss of life in comparison to anything to me. Add another at least 225 "coalition" soldiers to that number. At least 18,572 US troops have been wounded and maimed and who knows how many Iraqis'. As soon as the first person was killed or injured as a result of the Iraq War, that was too many.
The main injury US troops are said to be suffering from is brian trauma. We do not yet know the extent of the suffering the Depleted Uranium, white phosphorous and other WMD's the US has illegally used in the illegal war against Iraq, will have on American & coaliton soldiers and the people of Iraq and the environment.
These are just some of the reasons I'll be taking part in the Troops Home Fast this July 4. I urge everyone to get involved. We can end this war just like the people ended the Vietnam War. Now is the time to take a stand, get involved and put an end to this madness!
To find a Troops Home Fast in your area or start one this July 4 see www.TroopsHomeFast.org
Support Lt Watada and military resisters, National Day Of Action June 27 www.couragetoresist.org
Killing and Torturing
So you say that Iraqis are being killed and tortured by the allied forces in Iraq. So basically you are criticizing the American soldiers, while you want to support them and bring them home. Are you for or against the soldiers?
Listen up, Strawman
Your fallacies are obvious. The same 'arguments' were used during Vietnam.
We DO uphold the soldiers and we DO support their swift and safe return home... it's the CHICKENHAWKS PNAC policies that are obscene and that we criticize. The soldiers did NOT "volunteer" for this treason> Bushco forced them to go illegally.
IMPEACH PNAC> "OUT" THE CABAL !
http://tinyurl.com/a8uz9
chickenhawks?
chicken hawk
n.
Any of various hawks that prey on or have the reputation of preying on chickens.
Vulgar Slang. A man who seeks out boys or young men as his sexual partners.
what are you talking about?
IC: Use Your Illusion
It must be on vacation.
YankhadEnuf is taking a wee bit of "poetic license". What he means by "CHICKENHAWK" is: those in the administration who most vigorously support the war ( the *HAWKS* ....with me so far? ) are also those who , when THEY were called upon to serve the country, hid very, very far from the front lines: *CHICKENS*.
Put 'em together, and WHAT DO YOU HAVE: "CHICKENHAWKS". Presto, Chango, It's magic ;)
Richard (They Don't call me "Dick" for Nothing ) Cheney, your "President" a la Diebold, and the Evil Genius (aka, Karl Rove) are all examples of what one, one like yankhadenuf, might call a "chickenhawk".
By way of disambiguation, John Kerry and John Murtha would not fall into this catagory. They are DECORATED COMBAT VETERANS.
How serendipitous your handle acyronizes to "IC". Thay way, when one of us corrects your dazzlingly stupid commentary, for which you seem quickly to be developing a penchant, you can be presupposed to have said, "OHHHH, I SEE".
I am pleased to learn that you are able to use a dictionary. Kindly look up the word "pedantic" the next time your busy schedule allows.
And please don't be afraid to ask more questions. Don't be shy, just jump right in, we're here to help. You know what they say... "the only stupid question is the one you don't ask". But you seem crystal clear on that concept already.
Yours Most Kindly,
--Resonator
and vietnam?
still stuck on vietnam. where were you then, under your mother's skirt or in canada? when someone joins the army i would hope that they would understand that they might have to fight over seas in a war. no soldiers volunteer considering that they are paid by the federal government, it is not a volunteer position. and, how did bush force them illegally into war if congress has the sole right and power to declare war?
respond with whichever liberal slander and libel that you feel may answer my questions and adress my statements.
Bring Them Home Now!
Bush, Cheney and the rest of their cabal, as well as the officers that give such orders, are the ones ultimately responsible. The soldiers should have never been sent there in the first place and they should be able to come home now!
Celebs to Join Cindy Sheehan in Hunger Strike
Oh my gosh what a bunch of sick people. This is truly pathetic, so what you will have after this hunger strike is just a bunch of anti-American, freedom hating socialists/communists.
Why don't you just go live in Iraq or how about Iran that would be so perfect for you. Go live with the terrorists, the Hamas perhaps.