Code Pink protesting the wrong people....the troops.

Sorry guys, I know it's for publicity, but how is this helping the anti-war movement? I wish they'd stick to the politicians and leave the Marines alone.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354689,00.html

"....An anti-war group was expected to use witchcraft Friday morning in its protest of a controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Berkeley, Calif., organizers tell FOXNews.com....."

The Marines are using big dollars to turn well-meaning American youth into mercenaries.

Rock on, CP.

The Marines, as they took an oath to do, are obeying the orders of the civilian leaders placed over them in accordance with the Constitution. It is the civilian leaders who are fair game -- not the Marines.

is morally bankrupt.

Buck gotta stop somewhere.

enticing, leading sheep to slaughter.

from link:

"In February, the Marine Corps Recruiting Center was the site of fierce pro- and anti-war protests. It made national headlines when Berkeley City Council voted to send a letter to the recruiting station advising the Marines they were not welcome. Council members later moderated their position, saying they oppose the war in Iraq but support the troops."

U.S. armed forces have not been used in accordance with the Constitution since World War II. The only stance in keeping with loyalty to the Constitution is to reject any role in the undeclared and criminal wars of aggression that the U.S. government has visited unprovoked on so many countries around the world.

war would end.

Part of that oath is to follow the "lawful" orders of the President and the officers in charge of you. Back when I went through basic training we were taught that it was our duty as American soldiers to disobey unlawful orders as much as it was our duty to obey lawful orders. We were taught that, that is one of the differences that separates us from other counties in the world who are perceived as less moral.

Foxnews?!

Some how this part of the article, causes me to doubt most of it:

"The women's group was expected to rally armed with spells and pointy hats for its "Witches, clowns and sirens day" at the center.

"Women are coming to cast spells and do rituals and to impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war," Zanne Sam Joi of Bay Area Code Pink told FOXNews.com."

But I don't click on anything related to Fox News.

wrong reporting. Code Pink is an organization that protests the war. If the Marines are being recruited in a controversial way, perhaps this is the only thing that might save some of their lifes. Someone protesting this controversy. Just a thought.

The Marines are doing their job, and ordered to be there.

Take it to the Pentagon.

If you were convinced it was immoral would you stop "doing your job"?

That is what Code Pink is attempting to do. It was thousands of protests like this, day in and day out, which helped end the Vietnam war. Get in someone's face long enough and they are forced to reexamine their beliefs.

take the fight to Congress's district offices. Only Congress can end this.

Members of the Armed Services are not "immoral".

If they didn't lie, I would say what CP is doing is unfair.

So we have an Administration making it difficult to go on to college and then they send the recruiters looking for cannon fodder using duplicity to keep the numbers up.

I can't help but remember the scene in Fahrenheit 911 when while at the mall they approached a young man who wanted to be a rapper or some kind of musical entertainer and they told him "Oh you can do that when you join."

Like the armed forces are looking for musicians.

As far as I'm concerned, recruiters are fair game.

Regards

That is where and what and why. Protesting the occupation and protesting recruiting for the occupation.

promises promises. Whores! The machine gears start here. Fair game.

my vote. Too many warm bodies being used, reused, and abused as it is.



43,000 deployed unfit for combat
Troops sent since 2003; health issues unknown

By Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY


WASHINGTON — More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.

This reliance on troops found medically "non-deployable" is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million servicemembers to the war zones, soldier advocacy groups say.

"It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops," said Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America. "They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before redeploying."

The numbers of non-deployable soldiers are based on health assessment forms filled out by medical personnel at each military installation before a servicemember's deployment.

According to those statistics, the number of troops who doctors found non-deployable but who were still sent to Iraq or Afghanistan fluctuated from 10,854 in 2003, down to 5,397 in 2005, and back up to 9,140 in 2007.

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080508/1a_lede08_dom.art.htm

Just saying, we should leave the troops out of this....go after the politicians aka the Deciders....who opened the recruiting center. The Pentagon makes the quotas, not the troops.

equal. Someone in the field in Iraq or Afghanistan, on their 5th tour, perhaps suffering from any of a host of maladies their bosses are aware of but don't care about, does not equate to someone sitting behind a desk in the US in my mind.

They'll tell you any lie you want to hear to get you to join... it's what they do...

Equating recruiters with the 'troops' is disingenuous at best... I'd edit the OP if there was time...

The subject line stands.

Most if not all recruiters have done their time in the mud...

If our military recruiters and their cheerleaders at Fox are wetting themselves over Code Pink, why should we trust them with anything else?

In a democracy, members of armed forces that are fighting an illegal war will come under some scrutiny. That is a good thing. If they believe in what they are doing they can just ignore the protesters.

the recruiting office in Berkley. The majority of the people in that town do not want this recruiting office in their town since they are mostly liberal, anti war and aware of how the occupation of Iraq is going to bloom into a full on attack of Iran and then Syria.

Do you get all your news from Fox?

Of course they will spin it to make Code Pink look crazy. Recruiters are trolling for our young men and women to go into an illegal occupation. Who the fuck is better to protest?

Kids playing in Iraq - this has become their LIVES
http://blog.clw.org/uploaded_images/iraqi+kids-748782.JPG

are set up to lure more of our youth into war.

And my tax dollars go to pay for it. Anything within the federal realm is open game in my book.

These mercs are operating in their neighborhood and Code Pink is confronting them, one on one, where they can't hide.

The military can drop smart bombs from 7,000 feet, but to recruit they need to get up close and personal.

Code Pink is returning the favor.

Strength is in numbers, and those have been falling since 2006.

Let's hope they won't need to.

Remember Jan of 07? Fox said "hundreds" were at our march, CNN said "thousands" and the real count was over half a million.

So what difference would a million make?

"Shit like this" is the ONLY thing that wins elections for Republicans. They have nothing else going for them, and the Code Pink antics effectively neutralize and trivialize and marginalize any and all opposition to the Republicans in the public mind. It is the most effective possible strategy for the Republicans. That makes me very suspicious.

protesting recruiting centers for years. We've also been protesting the shameless recruiting going on in high
schools.

The American Friends Service Committee, Center on Conscience and War, War Resistors League and many others are against war, not just THIS war, and counter-recruitment is part of the package.

Put a million people on the National Mall and shut Washington down. Works better than street theater :D

protested before Shock and Awe. What makes you think a mere million would change anything?

Psst... Millions of Americans have protested in the five years that we have been slaughtering Iraqis (the people that did nothing to harm Americans). Where have you been that you were unaware of this?

A huge chunk of fox news is owned by the House of Saud.

How's that propaganda? The Code Pink ladies are thrilled for the coverage!

http://www.foxnews.com/protestcam/

Like Pagans and Wiccans don't have enough to deal with. Now these guys are going to dress up as caricatures, mock our religion and give more ammunition to the millions in the country who already hate/fear us.

This really annoys me and I would ask Code Pink to reconsider doing this.

What if they all dressed up like caricatures of orthodox Jews (fake big noses, the hats and fake curl sideburns, you get the picture), or Muslims, would that be okay and amusing to everyone?

I can see it now...... the RW will freak out over the witches casting bad spells on the soldiers.

Thanks Code Pink-

that aspect is not only not "cute" but totally unnecessary.

Pass it along:

http://www.codepink4peace.org/contactus.php

but just saw the live coverage on Fox.

This is not the kind of anti-war message we should be sending, it's wrong in so many ways.

Then they are all for using us to their benefit.

I don't care if they claim to be using it for good or claim to be performing healing rituals. They can DAMN WELL DO THAT IN PRIVATE. Without the damn cameras and without screaming "look at me, see how shockingly scary I am"

The message sent to America is the same:

Witches are evil and Bad. Pagans are evil and Bad. Pagans want to hurt our sons and daughters. LOOK, THEY ARE CASTING SPELLS! Fear them, Fear them. See the strange rituals? Look at the brooms and pointy hats, see the black hooded robes, I just KNEW they were Satan worshipers, OMG a cauldron, I bet they boil babies in those.

Etc Etc Etc.

Yes people, ALOT of people feel this way about the people of my faith.

There was once a preacher who barged into a large Pagan Gathering (gathering of the tribes) in VA with a handgun! He was stopped and the police arrested him. Why did he have the gun? Did he want to kill us? NOPE..... he brought it because he was afraid WE would kill him.

Being hated is bad, being feared is worse.

News to me.

Neither tasteful nor clever to caricature Wiccans. Alienate everyone along the way for the cause, why don't you?

We don't serve our cause by acting as caricatures of ourselves.

You don't know the state of mind of the protesters.

Doesn't matter about their state of mind, what they're doing does not help the cause.

But this hurts us and hurts the cause.

Thanks Code Pink.

Maybe the other networks will :shrug:

Yes, Code Pink is "putting a spell" on the recruiting station and those who show up to enlist.

I find your smilie offensive, way to raise up the debate. :eyes:

Give 'em hell!!!

How's that for a debate? :hi:

:boring:

If that is their belief. Berkeley is quite an eclectic place.

But others judging is not OK? I'm afraid you aren't making any sense.

Especially when the manner of use will effect my family.

They have a right to do it and I have a right to say they are making a huge mistake in doing so.

You own it? Many Pinkers are witches as well.

The civilian leadership that controls the actions of the military is the problem. If Code Pink wants to protest, they should go camp out at Nancy Pelosi's office and ask why she hasn't ceased funding, or they should go vent their anger at any local GOP headquarters, or better still they should launch protests at the sites of local media outlets that feature righty talkers.

Full disclosure: I've never served in the military, but I am a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Why does the military need to offer (generally) low-income recruits an unprecedented $20,000 signing bonus to fight for their country?

Well stated :hi:

She continues to fund war.

They should just be counter-recruiting instead of making fools of themselves.

as many or more than they steer away. He could be lying but it's plausible.

:wtf:

I'm sure Code Pink sees their action as counter-recruiting, but it may be backfiring. Do they think being all pink and motherly really appeals to the adolescent males they are trying to communicate with? I seriously doubt it.

Cause I sure don't trust any of these recruiters to tell the truth.

But it makes sense to me that a pink protest would backfire with adolescent males, especially ones prone to be Marines. They should have young antiwar vets out there, not moms. Teen boys will do ANYTHING if they think it would piss off their moms!

for THIS action.

The military has some uncomfortable access to school age children thanks to the Notorious NCLB. It's about time someone neutralized (and publicized) that power.

:thumbsup:

I'd like to see another source also. They are protesting the war outside a recruiting center which has have other anti/pro-war protests.

Here is more from the FOX story as to why there "In February, the Marine Corps Recruiting Center was the site of fierce pro- and anti-war protests. It made national headlines when Berkeley City Council voted to send a letter to the recruiting station advising the Marines they were not welcome. Council members later moderated their position, saying they oppose the war in Iraq but support the troops."

Protest the war, protest recruiters, I am with you.

ferrchrisssakes.

GO Code Pink!!!!

At least you have the guts to go out and PROTEST the illegal criminal invasion of Iraq.

I am.

I'm also anti-war.

Do you honestly think Code Pink is helping "stop" the war?

I don't.

but I have a nephew in Afganistan (7th time)
and a cousin in Iraq.

And I am sure as hell GLAD somebody is protesting the "WAR"

Will Code Pink stop the War? No. neither will Congress.

Ferrchrissakes!!

So what are we debating again?

My dad (RIP) and husband are veterans of WW2,Korea,VN(x3),Beirut,GW1...whew, huh?

I was at the National Mall in '68, '05 and '06. Protesting. The only thing that ended the War has always been cutting off the funding.

How are voodoo curses accomplishing that? I give up.

What, exactly, is Code Pink doing to the Marines??? You actually think they are putting voodoo curses on them? :rofl:

Listen to Media Benjamin on Thom Hartmann today. She explains why Code Pink did what they did.

No one is hurting the Marines except GEORGE W. BUSH.

We won't see protests on the scope of the 60's unfortunately for this disaster occupation, the times have changed. But protests still have some effect on the public. But it doesn't matter. Someone is protesting and that's what we all should be doing. Whether it stops illegal occupations or not.

Code Pink accomplishes a few things. They make any and all opposition to the regime look absurd and ridiculous. They lead those of us who are opposed to the regime down blind allies and mislead us about how to best oppose the regime. They alienate and piss people off and break down any chance for intelligent discussion.

In fact, if I wanted to protect the regime and demoralize and sabotage the opposition to the regime, and confuse the public, I would design a group exactly like Code Pink and have it do exactly what Code Pink is doing.

I probably would have joined them, if I lived in the area and wasn't at work.

The recruiting center is one of the agencies that tries to convince our young people to risk their lives for corporate gain.

Regardless of what we think of the war in Iraq, the United States needs a military that's able to respond to a legitimate threat, if necessary, no matter who's in the Whitehouse. As we do not have a draft in place, it is important that those who may not wish to attend college, or those who may wish to hold off on college, know that the military might be an attractive alternative to working at McDonald's or Starbucks. You have to consider the training they receive and what it can mean to them post military.

Code Pink does us no favors with these kind of stunts. The flyover states sees it as typical left-wing lunacy, and quite frankly, who can blame them.

Being physically disabled, dead, deaf, amputated limbs, PTSD'd or other mental health issues, all these can and do happen to our military and you have to consider what it can mean to them post military. Many people's military training means little afterwards.

Protesting a recruitment office is typical left-wing lunacy? Huh.

Welcome to DU, may your stay be educational.

is not the same thing as recruiting people to fight corporate wars, and to use as instruments of international policy.

These days, under NCLB, the military has unprecedented access to minors for recruiting purposes.

When our DOD is actually concerned with defense, rather than profit and empire building, and recruiting practices are ethical, then we don't need to protest them.

the right idea, but their ability to influence others is being lost. The majority of the country agrees with them, but not their methods.

returns to add their "special touch" to General Discussion.

Boy, were you guys missed... :sarcasm:

Not something like this. Things like this either have no effect, or they backfire, as they are fodder for right-wing propaganda organizations like Fox News.

and are you out there doing it?

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Keep in mind DU has quite a few veterans...many of them combat vets.

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My Dad and his brother as well since they were both drafted for Vietnam and not given a choice?

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I don't care much for them anymore.

Not one more of our kids for Bush's illegal war.

This country needs CP street theater in front of EVERY military recruiting station everywhere. I will honor and respect military service in the name of justice and freedom and true self defense, but that is as far as that goes. Militarism does not get nor does it deserve blanket, unquestioned allegiance. Every citizen, including those in the military (maybe even especially those in military service) has an obligation to uphold the Constitution. Let me ask this... am I supposed to volunteer to join the military for the sole purpose of doing my duty and refusing to deploy to an illegal, immoral, unconstitutional war and go to jail?

JackRiddler in post #66 above nails it.

Agony

women of courage.

Life Uncommon by Jewel
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6XkOeh_WNsQ

A thorough critical analysis of our tactics and rhetoric is desperately needed and long over due, as well as a reassessment as to just who is and who is not a friend and ally in the struggle. Code Pink is the perfect example of a certain type of politics that has grown in popularity over the last couple of decades - the politics of "personal choices," of "personal stances" and "belief systems," of self-expression at all costs, of being "right" in a self-righteous way at the expense of being effective. "Look at me! Look at how superior I am! Look at how bad you are!" It is self-indulgent, it trivializes the struggle we are in, it is counter-productive, it is reactionary. But it lets a few feel so good about themselves, and it makes for a fabulous career for Medea Benjamin and other pampered and well-funded members of the beautiful new aristocracy. She and her group are mocking all of us, and playing us all for fools.