Code pink as Harbinger

CodePink
by William Bowles
Monday, April 23, 2007

I think the way CodePink operate is an object lesson in activism which is why I'm passing on this CP update as some my subscribers may not have across them. CP are an excellent example of imaginative use how to get the message into the mainstream media, I wish there were more like them. Are they an augur of things to come I wonder?

April 22, 2007

CODEPINK Women for Peace

Dear William,

Have you seen us lately? CODEPINK has been all over the media, bringing the message of peace and accountability to Congress. We packed the hearing with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Some of us were dressed as “pink police”, marching in with crime tape in hand to demand that Gonzales be arrested for refusing to uphold the constitution. Others wore bright pink gowns with sashes reading “I MISS LIBERTY”, “I MISS HABEAS CORPUS”, and “I MISS JUSTICE”-and held up copies of the Constitution. We made front page news at NYTimes.com when we held up a pink banner right near the Attorney General (www.nytimes.com/2007/4/19/washington/19cnd-gonz.html? ) saying “I have nothing to hide
except the truth.”

In fact, the day after the hearing the front page of the Washington Post stated that the Senate Judiciary “goes CODEPINK on Alberto Gonzales”!

We raised a ruckus at hearings all week long, included a heated one on “extraordinary rendition” where we appeared in Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits and hoods, carrying pink signs decrying torture. You can read more about our actions on our DC blog (codepinkdc.blogspot.com/2007/04/codepink-demannds-gonzales-resign.html). Better yet, come join us at the CODEPINK house in Washington DC! (www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=1773)

In addition to hearings, we visit Congressional offices every day. This week, after hearing John McCain turn the Beach Boy’s song “Barbara Ann” into “Bomb Iran”, (www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/04/mccain-sings-bomb-bomb-iran.html), we showed up at McCain’s office with our own fabulous “Don’t Bomb Iran” song. You can watch it here: (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTEBjPCNBbc).

YouTube has become an important resource for sharing progressive news. We’ve had great success with our Toy Soldiers video. Please keep spreading the link far and wide to remind your friends and family that war is not a game. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1ARRgbRN0). We are heartened to see that mainstream media outlets are also being more critical of the administration now. Be sure to catch these two upcoming television shows:

— 60 MINUTES: Life In Baghdad explores how the war has impacted the lives of innocent Iraqi citizens. You can catch it Sunday, April 22nd at 7pm PST on CBS (www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml)

— Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War examines how the media helped Bush make the case for war in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. It airs Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 9:00-10:30 pm ET on PBS (pressroom.pbs.org/programs/bill_moyers_journal/buying_the_war.eps/bill_moyers_journal_buying.doc/index_html)

See you on the front page or come join us in DC!
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Melissa, Midge, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia

P.S. You can champion progressive media yourself by hosting one of our Mother’s Day movie nights and screening our film, “Women Say NO to War: Iraqi and American Women Speak Out”. Find out how to host a Pink Flix party here: www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=2955

New Online

As promised, I’ve started adding selected essays again, that I think are important.

Hands off Azmi! The Dangerous Politics of “A State for All Its Citizens” by Toufic Haddad 17/4/07

What the persecution of Azmi Bishara means for Palestine 17/4/07

Media Lens: The BBC’s Gavin Esler Interviews US Undersecretary Of State Nicholas Burns 17/4/07


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