Another interesting and challenging evening at our near-the-crime-scene home last night:
Liam Madden is a 22 year old who grew up in Vermont. He joined the Marines six months after high school. He is sweet-looking, polite, just the kind of young man any country would be proud of.
Liam in front
His most recent project is to appeal Congress for redress; for a withdrawal of the troops and an end to the war. The statement, now signed by over 1200 military, reads as follows:
As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.
Liam is on a national tour to speak to students about the war and his efforts to end it.
We spoke with Liam about patriotism and bravery. What does it mean to speak out against the war? He is still learning, but it is something worth taking seriously and to heart, and his heart is right there, for all to see and feel.
Garrett Reppenhagen is a member of Iraq Vets Against the War and Veterans for America (formerly Vietnam Veterans Against the War). He is working on several fronts, but one of the most important is the work he is doing to find a retreat and treatment center for homeless vets. He is seeking federal and state funds to build the center. Sitting around the table and talking with Lori, Tina Richards, Liam, and Richard and me, Garrett pointed out, "The soldier is only the bullet. It's the American people who pull the trigger."
L to R: Garrett, Sunsara Taylor, Liam
Garrett met with Sen. John Kerry, who told him "Look, I've had 500 people here in my office this week. The other 499 were here for other reasons than the war." Why is this? Why are there not 500 people in each office, demanding an end to this nightmare?
Tina Richards is a Mom from Missouri. Her son, Cloy, is 23; one year older than Liam. He's done two tours of duty in Iraq, has severe PTSD (although the Marines will not acknowledge that he is suicidal), and has just received notice that he can be deployed for a third tour. Tina is a bit upset about this, and she is here in DC to share her concerns with Congress, the American Enterprise Institute, and 36 legislative aides and Chiefs of Staffs and eight legislators, and peace and justice groups throughout DC.
Tina Richards
She has spent the past few years networking across the Midwest. The unions, peace and justice groups, military families all work together and support each and every action. But she has not found that same organization locally in DC and Maryland. So she has been encouraging local groups to coordinate and work together in her spare time.
She delivers letters to Members offices; 379 letters to Claire McCaskill alone. She met with Rep. John Murtha and delivered a note her son wrote to him:
Here's my letter to Congressman Murtha, I hope
you don't cry as much while reading this to him
as I did while writing it. Jesus please stop
this war, I can't hold on much longer, it's
killing me more and more each day. STOP THIS WAR
Dear Mr. Murtha
Semper Fidelis
First I want to commend you on what an honor
you are to the greatest country in the world, The
United States of America, and the finest fighting
service in the world, the United States Marine
Corps. You had the temerity and the intestinal
fortitude to do what was unpopular and risk
political suicide by doing what was truly right.
As a brother in arms, who has seen too many of
his comrades die for a lost cause, I pray to our
Lord that you will do his bidding. By that I mean
I hope you will use all the power vested into
you, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the people
of America to stop the meaningless suffering of
the people of Iraq and of our soldiers and our
Marines and their families. God help you if you
choose not too.
With all due respect
Corporal Cloy Thomas Richards II
United States Marine Corps
Congressman Murtha was moved by my story, he told his chief of staff to get Colonel Kennedy's, "butt in my office right now." As he addressed the top Marine in Congress, he demanded to know why he has to keep hearing about our troops being so abused by the military. He stated he was disgusted by his fellow congressman viewing this as a game to be played and won. I asked if we would be allowed to testify to congress our side of the war. Our view of the troop moral. He stated yes and asked his chief of staff to get the process started.
If he could get the support of leadership, I believe he would defund the war. But as long as Hoyer and Pelosi exhaust their effort on squashing the voices of peace, the congress must rely on the people to guide them. Without a strong voice on the outside, they have nowhere to turn.
As we gathered in our dining room over food and drink, the disparate group of World Can't Wait, Vets for Peace, Iraq Vets Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and DCP activists, we thought long and hard about what we might say to all of the complacent folks out there, and all of the not-so-complacent, but far-flung supporters online. It is hard to explain the heartache of hearing and knowing the stories of horror and frustration that people encounter in dealing with the leaders of this country. And yet, we ultimately have such little power, because knowledge is not always power; sometimes it is just too much to process.
We need to light a fire that burns through complacency. We need everyone reading this to help us do that.
Tina and Lori Perdue summed up the discussion:
TINA AND LORI'S CALL TO ACTION: Congress needs to palpably FEEL the presence of we the people; to hear us, and know that we mean it. There cannot be too many voices!
The first week that Tina walked around Congress, she had doors slammed in her face because she was not from the district. The second week she walked in with letters from constituents and it was a different story.
So write letters to Congress--Tina will deliver them and she AND you can be heard. Send them to:
Tina@grassrootsAmerica4us.org
Or mail them to her at
Tina Richards
c/o
Institute for Policy Studies
1112 16th St.NW, Ste 600
Washington DC, 20039
573.247.8059
It's past time to walk the walk. Everyone who cares about this war and these soldiers, most of whom have been defunded after returning, must stand up and look these Members of Congress in the eye and make them look at you back. Go to their offices locally and demand an end, NOW. If you can get 100 people to join you, it will make a difference. If you can come to Washington and walk the halls, that will make a difference too.
Challenge people. Tell the truth. Make sure they know about Walter Reed Hospital, about the Military Commissions Act, about Iran and our history with both Iraq and Iran. Tell them they have been had, and lied to, and they must fight back now.
Participate fully. As Abbie reminds us:
"Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles."
Let's get going, people. Please and thank you.