December | 2007 | Peace Action Blog

A reminder from 1957 – the reason for the season

December 31, 2007

Appologies for the minor Christian theme of this cartoon. I hope the major theme of peace on earth and how we should reflect in this holiday season remains. May we be reminded to work for peace in the coming year. Happy New Year Everyone!

Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Christmas, New Year, Peace, Peace on Earth | Permalink
Posted by barbpa

Iraq toll

December 28, 2007

Those who died in Iraq from Dec 16 to 22:

Pvt Justin McDaniel 19 Andover NH

Ltn Jeremy Ray 26 Houston TX

Pvt George Howell 24 Salinas CA

24 were seriously wounded and maimed.

26 were returned to kill fields.

323 Iraqi brothers and sisters were killed.

Cf: www.icasualties.org

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Bush, Iraq, occupation, War | Permalink
Posted by barbpa

Peace Action NH Working for the Primarys

December 19, 2007

FROM THEIR BLOG

Yesterday one of New Hampshire Peace Action’s staff members attended Romney’s Londonderry event. While there, she passed out flyers to audience members before Governor Romney arrived.

Two individuals, a man and a woman,* came up to the staff member and asked her to leave. The staff member left without further incident. She was never able to see Governor Romney speak.

A reporter wrote about the transaction and how it affected Romney’s day:

The event Romney was hosting at Insight Technology** was supposed to be a military-focused event. Romney tends to group his events for a day — or sometimes for a week — around a certain issue area, which usually amounts to just a slightly bigger than usual focus on the area in his stump speech. Despite today’s focus the military, other than a voter who pressed him on Iraq, there was very little on the topic.

Late into the Q&A session, a man in the audience stood up and waved a questionnaire at him, explaining that a woman distributing them was escorted out of the room and had been told she wasn’t welcome at his event. He then asked if Romney supported that sort of thing, and if he would answer all questions.

Romney kept stating that he believed he answered the man by saying he answers questions. “I was on Meet the Press yesterday, for Pete’s sake.” Finally, he took the paper and indulged the man by speed-reading three questions and answering them, but he was visibly irritated.

The first question was about the cost of the war, and Romney fired back an answer he’s given before about his bigger concern with the war is the cost in lives, not dollars. “I don’t want to get out of Iraq to save money; I want to get out of Iraq to save lives,” he concluded.

There was another question about nuclear weapons, and he said he had spoken with Henry Kissinger yesterday, and he stressed that now is not the time for the United States to rid itself of nuclear arms, pointing out his lack of confidence in Kim Jong-Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinehad to completely denounce nuclear weapons in their own countries.

*The two individuals did not identify themselves, nor which organization they were with: Romney’s campaign staff or Insight employees.

**Makers of destructive weapons, ones designed to take another’s life, right here in the Granite State.

Top photo from the Associated Press. The caption next to the photo says Republican presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses a leaflet that was passed by a forum participant, then quickly removed by Insight Technology staff during a forum in Londonderry, N.H. Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Bottom photo from Reuters. The caption says: Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney holds up a pamphlet distributed at his campaign event by the American Friends Service Committee in Londonderry, New Hampshire December 17, 2007. An audience member asked Romney why the pamphlets, which featured questions about the war in Iraq, were taken away from audience members before Romney’s arrival. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES)

The Nashua Telegraph also writes about the incident:

LONDONDERRY – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lashed back at an anti-Iraq war heckler and continued his attacks on GOP rival Mike Huckabee on Monday.

Romney was speaking to employees at Insight Technology, when a supporter of the American Friends Services Committee stood up to object to campaign aides scooping up fliers critical of Bush foreign policy in the Middle East prior to the candidate’s arrival.

“Your campaign seems to regard this as toxic material and gathered up all of this material. Why don’t you want to answer these questions,” an unidentified senior citizen asked Romney.

“I am happy to receive any question that you have. Feel free to ask any question that you would like,” Romney responded.

When the man declined to ask a specific question, Romney asked for the yellow flier that had been seized and began reading from it.

“The war in Iraq costs hundreds of millions of dollars every day. Over time it will cost hundreds of billions in interest,” Romney read. “In my opinion, that is simply the wrong way to state it. The right way to respond to this is the cost in blood, not cost in dollars.”

Employees at the company applauded Romney’s answer.

Insight Technology is a growing defense contractor making night vision goggles and heat-seeking detectors for the military.

Romney also objected to one question asking if the candidates favored getting all troops out by the end of 2009.

“I don’t get out of Iraq to save money, the reason I want to get out of Iraq is to save lives,” Romney began.

“What possible patriot would suggest we take our troops out regardless of the consequences to our nation? We would be nuts to get out before that job were done.”

It even made USA Today.

Click here to see more pictures.