Inside the Belly of the Beltway Beast

What a busy week for me, the Washington Peace Center and the peace movement in general. The week began with those of us regular readers of afterdowningstreet.org and the DailyKoz knowing a full 24-hours ahead of most folks that Cindy Sheehan was calling it quits on being everyone's official peace mom. I have met Cindy on a couple of occasions, and think she is smart, warm and funny. She's articulate, marches to her own drum and has a sharp sense of humor. It turns out she has been both worn down by the demands and competing egos within the movement, and also by the continuing personal slams and death threats against her. She needs time off, and so she originally wrote that she is quitting. She says she felt betrayed by the Democrats who recently took power, and she wanted to see more of us in the peace movement actually begin to make sacrifices in order to change the murderous path that the U.S. government has been on for the last few decades. I share much of Cindy's frustr...

On Thursday the Democrats failed the American people by writing Bush a blank check for more war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's the results of the Occupation Project where there were more than 300 arrests across the nation. Occupation Project Voting Records Where Arrests Occured YES this year 2005 2006 2007 Gordon Smith Y Y Y Richard Durbin Y Y Y John McCain Y Y Y Lisa Murkowski Y Y Y Ted Stevens Y Y Y Claire McCaskill Y Y Y Ken Salazar Y Y Y Virgil Goode Y Y Y Charles Grassley...

Last time, Eve was released at about midnight. This time she is being held overnight in Central Cell Block. She should be arraigned around 1 PM at c-10 at Indiana Avenue. However, we are unsure if she will be released as she violated a stay away order when she was arrested, and has three other pending cases! For Immediate Release May 24, 2007 Contact: Pete Perry, 571-271-1313 Tina Richards, 573-247-8059 WASHINGTON – A 75-year-old retired schoolteacher was arrested Thursday when a group of peace activists descended on Capitol Hill to demand an end to the war and occupation of Iraq. Eve Tetaz of 17th Street, NW was part of a peace tour, which started with a ride on the Yellow Rose of Texas Peace Bus. The pack of activists are part of the "Swarm on Congress" planned to last until Congress' summer break. The group had earlier joined a press conference with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). Tetaz was arrest...

This past week, The DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) finally decided to move past the staunchly anti-zionist, libertarian Carol Moore. Over the last three years that I've been involved with DAWN, Carol has been involved with several highly notable and public interpersonal conflicts with other DAWN participants. She has in fact been the primary cause for several people leaving DAWN permanently, and these were good folks who were thoughtful anti-war activists and decent organizers. Most recently she has decided to attack me, not only to myself and my friends, but to my employers. This is a form of stalking, and if it continues I will have to file for a stay away order with DC Superior Court. You can find more about Carol Moore on Wikipedia. Carol has also dug up a past joke of mine, which was politically incorrect and for which I have apologized in public at least four times. She has part of this incident on her Web page, and includes some incorrect analysis along with it. She is a trouble...

Senior D.C. Woman Arrested While Demanding End to Iraq War For Immediate Release May 14, 2007 Contact: Pete Perry, 571-271-1313 Linda Schade, 202-422-5780 WASHINGTON – A 75-year-old retired schoolteacher was arrested Monday along with Cindy Sheehan and 31 others while protesting the war and occupation of Iraq. Eve Tetaz of 17th Street, NW was part of yesterday’s march from Lafayette Park to Capitol Hill launching the “Swarm on Congress” planned to last until Congress’ summer break. The protestors were arrested in the middle of the intersection of Independence and New Jersey Avenues, SE when a group of the marchers stopped walking, raised an American flag to half-mast. The flag was upside down, a military sign of a ship in distress. “I cannot allow my government to continue funding these actions in my name,” Tetaz said. “No human being is ‘collateral damage’ – all life is sacred.” Although affiliated with the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance and Code Pink. Tetaz said ...

Swarm on Congress: This summer has the potential to be a significant moment in the history of the end of the Iraq War. We made lots of progress in the first part of the year putting pressure on the Democrats to use the power of the purse, but our power will increase as we get closer to elections -- if we use it. We need to let incumbents of both parties know they will lose votes if they vote for war funding. That is a message for Republicans and Democrats who continue to vote billions for the war. While we are working to get people to come to DC to participate, activists in the DC area are going to play a key role in the summer of anti-war activities. Peace activists in DC, Maryland and Virginia will need to play a core role for the summer's efforts to build on. Tina mentions the "SWARM on Congress." This will begin on May 14th with Cindy Sheehan's Mother of a March and extend through July 31. The “SWARM” will build on the successful efforts of activists in DC and aro...