Pro-PEACE Veterans and Military Families Prepare for DC Protests
February 14, 2010 posted by Robert L. Hanafin · 7 Comments
Various Pro-Peace (or anti-war if YOU prefer) Veterans, active duty, and Military Family groups and service organizations have been planning and preparing for massive demonstrations in Washington, DC and across the nation come March 20th, 2010.
I believe that the Peace of the Action logo here best epitomizes this massive SURGE in protests that are billed to be larger than any hidden from public view by the Bush administration.
Groups and organizations that once passionately questioned and opposed the Bush administrations’ lies and deceit that got us into Iraq are now on the verge of protesting even more passionately against the President and party they in large part voted for and brought to power during both 2006 and 2008.
How official Washington reacts to these protests of the Democratic parties main base remains to be seen, but it will certainly impact how liberal voters VOTE come November 2010. It is well known throughout the Peace movement that Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Immanuel has continuously made disparaging remarks about this liberal base that allowed him to become part of the Obama administration. In fact, the entire Democratic party establishment has pretty much turned its back on the base of the party as they embrace pro-life and hawkish Democrats. There is no doubt about it, voters are angry, and these voters are determined to show just how angry they are come March 2010.
I will be following and reporting on these preparations that began even before the 2009 Christmas Holiday season began. In this first of many reports, watch and listen to Veterans who participated in the liberation of Iraq relate their experiences, then I again ask you to seriously consider hosting a viewing of Severe Clear. Though the intent of that flick is not a political message one way or another it does verify beyond a doubt that testimony given at Winter Soldier is on large part TRUE.
Robert L. Hanafin, Veterans Today News
Sent to Veterans Today via email from Iraq Veteran Mike Prysner of the activist group March Forward.
War veterans and resisters say \”All Out for March 20th-National March on Washington!\”
Help Pro-Peace Veterans Spread the Word: Send this Amazing Video Everywhere. Join veterans and service members as they take to the streets on March 20!
Please watch and share this powerful video with everyone you know!
Join March Forward! and other veterans, active duty service members and military families on March 20 in DC, LA and SF as they say “No War for Empire!”
In March of 2003, Mike Prysner was sent to invade [excuse me liberate] Iraq amidst the largest anti-war demonstrations in history, with an equally senseless war already being waged in Afghanistan.
Mike, and countless other Veterans, went believing the lies spewed by Washington, but saw first hand the criminal and imperial nature of that war, and every war waged by the U.S.
Their experiences compelled them to stand up and fight back.
Many of them joined together to form March Forward!, and have been building resistance to these wars, both in and out of the military. This video was made by their members, all of whom are Veterans and active duty Soldiers, to help publicize the next step in their struggle to end the wars—the national mass anti-war protests in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco on March 20th, to mark the seventh year anniversary of the brutal liberation of Iraq.
Help them make their voices heard. They need you all behind them on March 20th to stand UNITED against the continued crimes of this government—but they also need your help in spreading the word. Please circulate the above video to everyone you can, and be a part of the growing movement against the U.S. war machine.
Visit March20.org to learn more about how to get involved.
To learn more about March Forward! please visit MarchForward.org.
In solidarity,
Mike Prysner
Click this link to hear Prysner’s testimony from the Winter Soldier hearings
(Neither the Editorial Board or writing staff of Veterans Today News Network endorses this public service announcement. The views expressed are solely those of A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
http://www.answercoalition.org/ email: info@internationalanswer.org
AND March Forward.
Posted by: Robert L. Hanafin, GS-14, U.S. Civil Service-Retired, Veterans Today News
As a member of the Editorial Board of Veterans Today News, I sat through a 93 minute screening of Severe Clear. http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/02/13/film-review-severe-clear-a-marines’-uncensored-view-on-the-liberation-of-iraq/
If I can sit through 93 minutes of THE TRUTH as seen through the eyes of Marines telling it like it was as they advanced on Baghdad, and then went home, I can surely encourage others to sit through this minus five minute message.
Once again I was surprised by what I saw. The very short video in comparison to Severe Clear tends not only to take up where Severe Clear leaves off, it is the BEST video I’ve seen so far that EFFECTIVELY connects the dots between the billions wasted on the war(s), who really benefits, meltdown of the U.S. Economy, and leans just as hard on the Democrats and President Obama, in fact even harder, than these similar people leaned on President Bush.
VERY WELL DONE – MARCH FORWARD!
I salute each and every one of you.
It’s just a thought but has anyone considered making a commercial about this march? About asking for help?
Alton,
Thank you for taking time to read this post and comment. If you are talking about making a TV commercial like a political campaign ad, not only is the cost prohibitive, and the funds raised could be better spent on organizing and getting people there for the event. Planners of the March would also have to deal with the political leanings of the media outlet they were dealing with. Most mainstream media is not going to promote any movement regardless the intent unless there is something in it for them (ratings, ad fee, selling news papers which of course is becoming less of a profitable venture).
That said, I believe that with the digital age that is killing sales of hard-copy newspapers for instance, the promoting, recruitment, rallying, organizing for such national events is pretty much done on-line and effectively. Note how important the internet networking and social networks have become to political campaigns for example – same concept except the Peace movement was on board with internet networking long before mainstream media caught onto the internet. Look for mainstream media on-line to somehow find ways to pay for its content then subscribers will move on to other alternatives.
Planners of this event have and are in the process of making on-line infomercials and videos not only as a recruiting tool but the share information, and coordinate rallies and demonstrations nation-wide.
Every organization involved in the Peace movement always includes a request for donations or contributions to the effort. This post is but the tip of the iceberg in advertising and asking for help – MORE TO COME
Lastly, we make it a habit to give organizations and groups a VOICE that lack one in the mainstream media, however that does not mean we endorse the event, and our policy is to NOT solicit donations or contributions on behalf of any effort. When I prepare a media release or related information on an event like this I leave out any request for donations or such. The links to the original message from these groups will have that.
Bobby Hanafin
Thank you for the original post. I have participated in several anti-Afghan and anti-Iraq War Protests. I NEVER thought that I would EVER participate in an anti-war March as per my prior and continued support for the War in Vietnam and my service as an Infantryman with the US Army in Vietnam. However, I adamantly oppose the current Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My whole hearted support to these March 20th anti-war protesters!
End the current illegal, criminal, and aggressive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but support the returning veterans!
The following is an interesting and entertaining quote from George Orwell’s “1984″ which is relevant to and supportive of the original post:
“ And in the general hardening of outlook that set in … practices which had been long abandoned … — imprisonment without trial, the use of war prisoners as slaves, public executions, torture to extract confessions, the use of hostages and the deportation of whole populations — not only became common again, but were tolerated and even defended by people who considered themselves enlightened and progressive.” From George Orwell’s “1984”.
Re: March 20 anti-war demonstrations. Given that March Forward! is the (latest) “front group” for the Stalinoids of the WWP/PSL , and the (C)ANSWER anti-war demonstrations have had a steady fall off in the numbers of attendees to their demos for yrs. now, I rather doubt these demos will be “massive.”