Grannies Return to Recruiting Office to Protest War

The group says the assassination of Benizer Bhutto in Pakistan adds urgency to the call for an end to war.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - On December 28th, the Friday after Christmas, members of the Surge Protection Brigade, also known as the "Seriously Pissed Off Grannies", will return to demonstrate in front of the Army and Marine Recruiting Center at 1317 NE Broadway.

The symbols used in this Friday's demonstration will include red handprints and peace doves as a statement that "Peace on Earth" means "No War."

On December 13th five members of the group who placed red handprints on the recruiting office windows during a Good Friday demonstration on April 6th were found not guilty of a third degree misdemeanor by a Multnomah County jury.

Clyde Chamberlain, who was previously barred from the recruiting office pending a verdict in that trial, said, "We're back because the war is still not over. Now that we've been exonerated by the jury it's time to renew our efforts to stop the recruiters from taking our children and grandchildren to fight an illegal and immoral war."

As of December 26th, 3900 US soldiers have died in the Iraq war; and many US soldiers have committed suicide. Approximately 30,000 US soldiers have been wounded, and tens of thousands suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

The group says that as tragic as these deaths are for American families and communities, the numbers are dwarfed by the approximately 1.2 million Iraqis who have died and the 4 million Iraqis who are now refugees.

They say the assassination of Benizer Bhutto in Pakistan adds urgency to the call for an end to war. Ann Huntwork, another of the "Grannies" arrested on April 6th at the recruiting office made this statement

"As we hear the tragic and sad assassination of Benizer Bhutto and as that country now dissolves into chaos, we have even more reason to put all our efforts into making peace in that part of the world, a peace that is longed for by so many people."

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Jefferson December 31, 2007 10:56 am (Pacific time)

PEOPLE: Henry/TFI continues to ramble, on what, I do not know...but my below post was simply pointing out that there are people out there who criminally violate people's rights (under the guise of the 1st Amendment) and then the TFI rambles on about the Federalist's papers, waterboarding, ad nauseum...some people might like to debate the issue of say protestor's protesting protester's...the American way, get it Henry/TFI? Some combat veteran's (something Henry/TFI knows nothing of because I guess a bum eye[his words] kept this future Audie Murphy out of combat--he might have shortened the war just by writing to the Germans and boring them to death! lol) protested a college professor who was providing false information about Vietnam veterans to his students while in class. Subsequently he left that university because they removed him from a tenure track. This was in 1968, it was a time that people who lied to their students on the public payroll could be sanctioned. Look what the far left has now done, facts mean nothing, as Henry/TFI clearly demonstrates! This is a really bad situation people, the socialists are simply revising history...very Orwellian!

Henry Ruark December 30, 2007 3:25 pm (Pacific time)

To all: See Comment under Education story.

Henry Ruark December 30, 2007 12:27 pm (Pacific time)

To all: Record re Damasch etc entirely irrelevant here except to smear while opportunity there to do so. Re "right", Unsurprised N-N has to ask ! For record, was derived from ongoing basic human rights realities, startint with Irish Rebellion, and consummated by Founders via dempcratic/dialog process now known as Federalist Papers. IF he had ever read same, would have known and need not have asked, even if doing so is further propaganda technique obvious to all now reading this channel. "Debate" ain't "process" mode here; we seek to learn from each other, not strip away skin to bone as painful as possible for psychotic satisfactions, missed since no longer at waterboarding or trigger-pulling past positions, as painfully (and inadvertently ?) already revealed right here, in own words, via uncalled-for constant insistence on rant, rave, rage, resistance and UNrealistic demands.

Jefferson December 30, 2007 9:40 am (Pacific time)

I wonder how many of these "Grannies" demeaned or physically assaulted Vietnam veterans back in the 1960's/70's around Portland's south park blocks? I know that one of them did, and I know that she spent some time in the slammer before she was transferred to Dammasch (sp?). Anyway I feel very fortunate that we live in a country where people can protest as these individuals do, how lucky we are. I wonder how we got that right? Maybe someone can illuminate?

Henry Ruark December 29, 2007 10:41 am (Pacific time)

To all: If friend-Vic and I can so manage re language barrier, why not others, too ? No necessity to demean, attack, defy and deny, if ordinary, usual conversational approach and rationality are allowed to operate. Thanks, Vic, for sensitive and responsible demonstration of such decent approach here. You stated strong feeling, and then made sure it went to right target without resort to uncalled-for name-impact or similar low-level smear tactic all too familiar here now.

Henry Ruark December 28, 2007 6:37 pm (Pacific time)

Vic et al: Your kind clarification received and appreciated. Perhaps sequence proves we are able to learn, reciprocate and gain from open, honest, good faith dialog here.

Vic December 28, 2007 4:39 pm (Pacific time)

Henry...my comments were directed towards "unknown", the first poster here. Sorry if there was confusion, my friend !

Henry Ruark December 28, 2007 3:37 pm (Pacific time)

Vic: Either you misunderstood me, or I am misunderstanding you. Reference seems to make me await the Crucifixion, which is the reverse of my intention here. But that's language: full of possible mistakes from both sides. I think we basically agree on what makes real evil in this world today, and that is inescapably "War" and any part of it allowed to continue at the costs we all know and hate.

Vic December 28, 2007 2:54 pm (Pacific time)

Yeah..."Peace on Earth"...that certainly is disgraceful...and un-American too. Reminds me of that other disgraceful peacenik, Jesus Christ. He got what he deserved, didnt he,"unknown"...and I'm sure that if you had been there, you would have been the loudest one screaming for the crucifixion to begin. Disgraceful indeed....

Henry Ruark December 28, 2007 11:28 am (Pacific time)

"Disgrace" is "a state of dishonor". For most Americans, the value expressed by "unknown" comes much closer to that definition than does the behaviors defined so decently in the story. How can there be dishonor in actions to discredit and disarm the drive to "war" which results in such situations as the Bhutto assassination ?

Kari December 28, 2007 10:55 am (Pacific time)

Good for them! My husband and I wish we could go to rallies, his active duty status makes protesting hard. He has started an open dialog with his fellow shipmates since voting is the only thing we can do. Sailors back from Bagdad, tell him that the confusion on who the enemy really is puts you on edge. So, go forth and exercise your right to free assembly. And remember there are military families who support you.

Neal Feldman December 28, 2007 10:48 am (Pacific time)

Clearly someone has no concept of the first amendment or what it means. It ain't the grannies that are the disgrace by that yardstick. Ah well...

unknown December 28, 2007 1:11 am (Pacific time)

What a disgrace. Because of people like them this Country is going down the drain. Lock them up and throw away the key.

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