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Community Blogs
 
On the ledge again
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My treasured friend and fellow American Dissident, Tarak Kauff, called me Saturday to let me know that Veterans for Peace, along with assorted friends, had again successfully scaled the ledge at the National Archives in Washington to call for a defense of our beloved constitution by arresting Bush and Cheney for war crimes. The significance of the National Archives is that it is where the original copy of the U.S. Constitution is housed in an sanctuary-like environment, complete with altar and all. It is really quite a sight and site. They arrived at 7:45 a.m. Saturday and activists had planned to remain through Monday morning, at least, if not longer. I spoke to Kauff again Monday morning, as he was headed for his car to start for home in Woodstock, and unfortunately they were busted by Homeland Security (can you believe it?!!!) late Sunday – not arrested, just busted - and were forced to end their vigil a bit early. Your tax dollars at work. None of their banners were confiscated, so I'm sure we'll see them “hanging around” again. They lost the really big "Arrest Bush and Cheney" banner to the wind but had a smaller backup version (I'll say this for the vets – they are always prepared!) and also had the "We Will Not Be Silent" banner which in and of itself is a stunning visual. For some great footage, click here, hereor here. The archives' security chief, Mr. Adams, spoke with Elliott Adams (no relation), national president of Veterans for Peace, and offered to not press charges if they left - and threatened to have arrest warrants issued for them all in two or three weeks if they did not get down immediately. They chose to stay, and Elaine Brower of Military Families Speak Out got on the PA system the Veterans for Peace brought (I told you they're prepared!) to announce their intention to make sure Bush and Cheney are arrested for murder. She told her son's story and began reading the names of the dead. This was the second time that a group of veterans opposed to illegal wars and in favor of the rule of law had taken over the National Archives building. The first time, several weeks ago, a group climbed onto a ledge on the front of the building with flags and banners. This time, they aimed higher. If you go to YouTube and do a search for “veterans for peace” and ”national archives” you will get the full list of videos from the action: vets climbing the scaffolding, unfurling the banners, etc. These videos also count as real news so you can substitute them for your regular mainstream media. Mike Ferner, one of the American Dissidents taking part in the action, reported that at 7:45 Saturday morning he and others had arrived at the Constitution Avenue side of the archives. There had been no police presence on this side because the Pennsylvania Avenue side had been swarming with police focused on blocking traffic for G-20 delegates' endless limousine motorcades. That remained the case throughout the day, as world leaders burned oil and produced hot air. Eight people, including six members of Veterans for Peace, one member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, and one member of Military Families Speak Out got around a construction fence, went up the archives steps and climbed 90 feet of scaffolding. From the top of the building they unfurled giant banners, the first at about 8:15 a.m. and the second around 8:45. The first read "Defend Our Constitution, Arrest Bush and Cheney, War Criminals!" That one is very large and took a while and some effort to unfurl. The second said "We Will Not Be Silent." While not as large, it is still stunning, as I said before. The enormous banners stayed up until about 2:30 p.m., when it started to rain, hail and blow. Hundreds of people stopped by. My favorite story is about one man who said he'd seen the banners from blocks away and had come over imagining the archives had opened an exhibit on freedom of speech. Well, he was right in a way; the exhibit just was not sponsored by the National Archives. The vets blasted music and speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. all day on the sound system they brought up with them. Down below, allies passed out flyers and talked to reporters, including representatives of NBC News, German television, Argentinean television, and KPFA. As the banners were being unfurled Saturday morning, a few security guards came out and said they might call the police and fire departments to come and get the activists down, but that they hated to deprive citizens of the city of needed services. Ferner said he found this ludicrous, given the thousands of cops working overtime to wait on G-20 delegates. Later, the guards threatened to arrest everyone on the sidewalk (see, this is what it has come to in America – you can get arrested for just standing on the sidewalk). Nobody took these threats very seriously, and they turned out to be fairly empty. “Our goal is to have the Bush administration tried for war crimes no matter how long it takes. There is no statute of limitations on war crimes,” the veterans said in a press release. "The offenses of Bush, Cheney, and their accomplices are appalling," said Kim Carlyle, a Veterans for Peace member and Army veteran. "Their misdeeds have killed or maimed more than a million people – American soldiers, innocent civilian children, women and men. They have displaced almost five million people, with millions seeking refuge in other countries. Their total disregard for international agreements has severely tarnished the reputation of America in the world. Their unlawful wars have squandered billions of dollars that could have bolstered a troubled economy." The veterans were (and still are) demanding the Bush administration be tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace; asking the media to clearly inform the public of the dministration’s crimes; and encouraging citizens to take similar nonviolent actions. According to Tarak Kauff, another Veterans for Peace member, "People say Bush and Cheney will be gone soon so what’s the point? The point is, there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, and if not held accountable, criminality will continue regardless of who is in office. We either are or we are not a nation of law." Kauff is right; it is either one or the other. These individuals took part in the latest protest: • Elliott Adams, 61, of Sharon Springs, Veterans for Peace president and a former Army paratrooper in Vietnam And these people provided support on the ground: These veterans continue to take very seriously the oath they took when they joined the military to protect and defend the constitution even though they are no longer in the military – some having been out for years. Now there's a defense of freedom!
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January 7, 2009
