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Iraq Veterans Against the War celebrate peaceful victory at DNC (click here for story and more photos)

August 28, 2008 by emile


Iraq Veterans Against the War member Shalom Keller speaks Aug. 27, while Jason Hurd raises his fist, at a march to end the war in Iraq. The group and its supporters drew a crowd of at least 4,000 to march from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center, where veterans held their ground against a wall of riot-gear-clad police. Despite a tense moment in which police readied tear gas canisters, a representative from Obama's campaign acknowledged receipt of a letter from IVAW, leading the veterans to about face.

Story and photos by Emile Hallez for Colorado Indy Media

When the formation of Iraq veterans did an about face, the wall of riot-gear-clad police put away their tear gas canisters. Ominous storm clouds parted. It was an unexpected victory for the Iraq Veterans Against the War and a relief to everyone near the DNC entrance to the Pepsi Center.
The fruit of IVAW’s labor: Receipt of the group’s letter to Obama was acknowledged and hope for a meeting with the presidential candidate.
“They took it,” said Matthis Chiroux, a member of IVAW. “I swear to god, I thought I was going to get shot in the face. But we held our ground. The Denver police held their ground, and they were extremely professional throughout the whole ordeal. … The Denver police have been so good to IVAW here.”
The veterans group and thousands of supporters marched from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi center following a free concert organized by Tent State. Performers at the concert, including rapper Johnny 5 of The Flobots, Boots Riley of The Coup, and members of Rage Against the Machine held a banner behind the veterans, which read “Support GI resistance.”
Following a police escort through downtown Denver the march paused intermittently at intersections, where veterans took water breaks and supportive bystanders gathered on sidewalks.
Though the march was planned to end in the protest zone dubbed “The Freedom Cage” in the Pepsi Center parking lot, the group opted to move instead near an entrance to the venue. Hundreds of police formed tactical barriers, face shields down and batons in hand.
The veterans, who wore combat fatigues and dress uniforms, stood in formation, saluting the police.
“I was really nervous when we came face to face like that,” Chiroux said. “Here’s where the unmovable object comes into contact with the unwavering force. And a miracle just sprouted right up out of the ground right in the middle of it all.”
That miracle couldn’t have happed sooner. When an Obama campaign aide delivered the news, the veterans – and the police – backed down.


Demostrators hold hands Aug. 27 near the DNC protest zone in the Pepsi Center parking lot dubbed "The Freedom Cage."

IVAW member Liam Madden said that merely delivering the letter was not enough.
“We don’t just want to give this to you,” Madden said he told an Obama aide. “We want to read it to the delegates at the Democratic National Convention.”
Madden and fellow IVAW member Jeff Key were granted entrance into the DNC, where they said they spoke with Obama’s veterans’ affairs head Phil Carter. Though no official response has been issued from the Obama campaign, the IVAW said it is expecting one.

IVAW's letter to Obama addresses three points: immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces from Iraq; full benefits and health care for returning veterans; and reparations to the Iraqi people.

“Democracy had new life breathed back into it in the United States of America,” Chiroux said. “Every piece of shit experience I ever went through in the Army – and every time I’ve ever felt like what I did was wrong – I feel like I’ve made up for today.”


Denver police block an enterance to the Pepsi Center Aug. 27 at the intersection of Market Street and Speer Boulevard.

Comments

good story Emile

August 28, 2008 by phil, 1 year 10 weeks ago
Comment id: 628

just wanted to say good work, good story, thanks

You're welcome! Thanks for

August 28, 2008 by emile, 1 year 10 weeks ago
Comment id: 631

You're welcome! Thanks for reading.

very nice article!

October 8, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 4 weeks ago
Comment id: 1780

This is a great article...nice to know that some of the protests got their message across! Nice work!

Great!

October 12, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 3 weeks ago
Comment id: 1833

I just had the privilege of learning about this media outlet from a friend. I never heard of this demonstration before today except in a brief mention. Thanks for presenting a fresh and alternative perspective!

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Open Newswire

Nov. 20-22 Mass Mobilization to Close the SOA
18 hours 33 min ago
Anonymous

November 20-22, 2009: Vigil and Nonviolent Direct ActionConverge on Fort Benning, Georgia
Join the Mass Mobilization to Close the School of the Americas and to Change U.S. Foreign Policy

In less than 2 weeks, thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia to say no to military coups, military violence and the training of repressive forces at the School of the Americas. Join union workers, students, religious communities and grassroots activists from across the Americas from November 20-22, 2009 at the gates of Fort Benning to commemorate the martyrs and to take a stand for justice. It is up to us to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy since we can only hope for as much as we are willing to work for.
Click here to visit the new November Vigil Rideboard. (see links to transportation, hotel & other logistical information on the bottom of this posting.)

Speakers and MusiciansAmong the many featured performers on the stage at the gates of Fort Benning and in the Columbus Convention Center will be the Indigo Girls, the Hip Hop groups Rebel Diaz and Kuumba Lynx, Emma's Revolution, Candy Garcia, the lead vocalist of the Salvadoran folk band Grupo Musical Horizontes and many more.

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 Dear Radio Friend,
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War Criminals and their agent control 344 Members of Congress.

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344 obeyed.

The names of the 344 Members of Congress who take their orders from War Criminals are listed below.

If one of them is your representative – report him or her to the local FBI as a victim of blackmail by the AIPAC and/or a receiver of corrupt monies from AIPAC.

Names of corrupted Congress Members:

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Get onground knowledge and analysis from business and investment guide book: China’s Global Reach
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by George Zhibin Gu

Afterword
China, United States and Global Development
by Andre Gunder Frank

Part III

China’s New International Experiences

SUMMARY

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By early 20th century, the center of economic gravity moved to the US, as the nation was able to produce the biggest, cheapest volume of products and hence gained world economic leadership. For example, Ford was able to produce the cheapest cars in biggest volume. Through such mass production, the US has become the biggest economic power over some 100 years.

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Fourteen Reasons to Reject Corporate Options for Health Care

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* The latest demonstration of political criminalization of autonomous social movements by the Venezuelan government is exposed by Rafael Uzcategui, a member of the anarchist collective El Libertario.

As this text is written, Lusbi Portillo, professor at Zulia University (in Maracaibo) and environmental activist in solidarity with the indigenous movement is in hiding to protect his life and physical integrity. During the events of October 13 in the Sierra de Perijá two yukpas were killed and five more wounded in a conflict arising from the demarcation of indigenous land. The regional police announced that an arrest warrant against the professor for “drug possession” was imminent. This is not the first time the professor is criminalized for his active solidarity with the demands of the original peoples, but because the way the events are evolving – an investigation of the events has been decreed “national security” by the authorities – he decided to take preventive measures by going into hiding.

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El poder tiende a corromper, el poder absoluto corrompe absolutamente.

Lord Acton, historiador inglés

 

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El obispo Fernando Lugo y sus secuaces han confirmado la regla con su alegre conducta, al punto que muchos han logrado escandalizar a los mismos inventores de la corrupción, sus antecesores colorados, quienes gobernaron con un estilo fascistoide por seis décadas al Paraguay. La realidad del “proceso de cambios” es innegable: todos los nuevos funcionarios han cambiado el tren de vida miserable por la opulencia.

La actual coyuntura recuerda aquello que con certeza expresó Abraham Lincoln: Casi todos podemos soportar la adversidad, pero si queréis probar el carácter de un hombre, dadle poder.

 

EL CHONGUISMO

 

De acuerdo al diccionario Latinoamericano, Chongo en Argentina es una palabra empleada exclusivamente en el mundillo homosexual. “Se emplea para designar a cualquier otro varón atractivo. Emplease también para indicar al joven que mantiene un alto porcentaje de relaciones heterosexuales, muy apreciado por conservar sus dotes masculinas y ejercer el rol de activo durante un contacto sexual”. Ver:

 

http://www.asihablamos.com/?word...

 

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AdaptiveThemes