Gold Star Families Seek Meeting With Rumsfeld Jan. 19th

[paineinthearse]

Gold Star Families to Travel to Pentagon, Seek Meeting With Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Jan. 19th

1/18/2005 1:42:00 PM
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To: Assignment Desk and Daybook Editor

Contact: Ryan Fletcher, 202-641-0277, Nancy Lessin, 617-320-5301, both of Minwood Media Collective

News Advisory:

Gold Star Families from California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts, whose loved ones died as a result of the war in Iraq, will meet with the press near the Pentagon before going to the Pentagon in their quest to meet with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

These families, joined by Gold Star Families from Washington and Oregon, all members of Military Families Speak Out, have been writing to Ssecretar Rumsfeld since Jan. 5, 2005 requesting a meeting. To date, there has been no response from the Secretary or his office. Their letters to Secretary Rumsfeld can be viewed at http://www.mfso.org

Families will be seeking answers from Secretary Rumsfeld to questions that include:

-- Why were our loved ones sent to war in the first place, given that there was no threat to the U.S. from Iraq?

-- When they were sent, why were they not supplied with proper training, planning, armor or equipment?

-- How did our loved ones die?

-- Why are there troops in Iraq who still lack the proper training, armor and equipment; and what are the plans for immediately furnishing them with these items?

-- What are the plans for ending the war and bringing the troops home?

When: Wednesday Jan. 19 at 12 noon

Where: LBJ Memorial Grove Park, Arlington, Virginia (Next to the Pentagon)

What: Press conference with Gold Star Families prior to their going to the Pentagon; followed by report-back to the press after their meeting (or a refusal of a meeting)

The following Gold Star Families will be available for interview:

-- Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., whose son Spc. Casey Sheehan was killed in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004.

-- Celeste Zappala of Philadelphia, Pa., whose son Sgt. Sherwood Baker was killed in Baghdad on April 26, 2004 when he was sent into Baghdad to search for weapons of mass destruction.

-- Sue Niederer of Pennington, N.J., whose son Lt. Seth Dvorin was killed near Iskandariyah, Iraq on Feb. 3, 2004.

-- Bill Mitchell of Atascadero, Calif., whose son Sgt. Michael Mitchell was killed in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004.

-- Debra Lucey of Belchertown, Mass., whose brother Corporal Jeffrey Lucey took his own life on June 22, 2004 because of what he did and saw while deployed to Iraq in spring and summer, 2003.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Thanks for posting -- God bless these Families!

[SodoffBush]

2. If Rumsfeld doesn't meet with them,

it's Press Time.

[riverwalker]

3. the media had BETTER cover these people

maybe some pre-coverage emails would be in order.

[MADem]

4. They'll toss some Public Affairs/Public Information

...officer at them, who will tell them that the cretin is unavailable, who will take their questions and promise to forward them, and thank them for coming....if they even get in the door.

Wonder if they'll do it in the press room? Probably not, then CSPAN will want to cover it....

[leftchick]

5. so sad....

rummy will just lie to them. :(

[gratuitous]

6. Hah hah!

Rumsfeld won't meet with them, what are they thinking? Rumsfeld's boss, Lil George, has gotten what he needs out of you: A dead body to mouth pious and patriotic platitudes over. You are of no further use to him, and if you persist in your efforts to make this corrupt government answerable to the people, you will be denigrated as having joined the ranks of the terrorists.

How do I know this? It happened to millions and millions of your fellow citizens who didn't want your sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers to go off to Iraq in the first place. It's possible some of you may even have joined the chorus calling "traitor." Now you're slowly discovering the truth. Welcome to the right side of the fight, MFSO.

[trogdor]

7. If he doesn't meet with them...

...will he get lumped in with Hillary Clinton? IOKIYAR-minded folks want to know.

[gratuitous]

8. The Hillary tale is a hoax

But I'm sure you knew that:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/goldstar.asp

[WebeBlue]

14. MFSO was there from the beginning, not new on the scene.

MFSO formed at beginning of Iraq war, not along the way, and stood in opposition to the war from the beginning. What did NOT happen is that the public at large would hear or listen to the message, nor lend their support.

Clarification as it sounded to me like your post was congratulating MFSO for lately joining in and presumptiously thinking they could get Rumsfield to meet with them at this late stage. MFSO was there in the beginning, and contacting all the Senators/Congressmen, including John Kerry...from the beginning of the war in Iraq. MFSO is not slow to discover the truth, rather was ahead of the curve.

How do I know, I am member family of MFSO, with two loved ones deployed to Iraq, extended 15 month tour. Both are being sent back now for second tours. Neither have eagerly embraced the war in Iraq, and are trapped within the matrix now of the New Military...no one gets out...ever! I have been speaking out from the beginning, friend, and it didn't take dead soldiers for me to "wake up".

Might I welcome you to the "right side of the fight" in support of the fine work Military Families Speak Out has been doing and continues to do, one family at a time. When will every democrat in this country march with us, behind us and show overall support?

[gratuitous]

18. My apologies

Mostly what I remember from the uniformed faction of our country were several misinformed comments about my ancestry and pointed questions raised about my regard to the nation and its military, as well as baseless accusations of serious crimes.

I'm always happy to stand with anyone against the ridiculous, destructive business of war. I'm also happy whenever any of those who may have constituted the 90% approval rating for the launching of the Iraq invasion decide that that was not as wise a course as it first seemed.

[superconnected]

9. rather late for them to decide to question the government

If Rumsfield did meet them, he would only give them the rhetoric they were chanting all along. - that is, the ones among them who were pro-iraq-war.

[rodeodance]

12. this will certainly be political!!! one it takes place or not!

[WebeBlue]

15. Please see my post #14

clarification that MFSO is NOT late in questioning the government, but was there at the beginning questioning this President and the policies.

[superconnected]

10. this would be an easy documentary

-Wake up and smell the corpses: interviews with familys who supported the iraq war, who lost their kids, and how they feel about the government now.

I can just see the right wing yelling how anti-american the movie is and going out of their way to discredit it.

ah well, just a thought.

[diamond14]

11. May all other Military Families JOIN THEM, and also ACTIVE DUTY

Military...it's time to put some pressure on bush* and his cabal...BIG PRESSURE....

the bush* wars will ONLY BE STOPPED when the Military and their families STAND UP to the war-profiteers.....

MY BEST WISHES ARE WITH THEM.....

[kskiska]

13. Sue Niederer is the mother who was arrested

Sep 17, 2004
McAuliffe: Gold Star Mother's Arrest Emblematic of Bush's Disrespect of the Military

Washington, D.C. – In response to news reports of a New Jersey woman, whose son was killed while serving in Iraq and who after attempting to ask First Lady Laura Bush a question at a campaign event was arrested, put in a police wagon, and taken to jail, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued this statement:

"George W. Bush has cultivated a culture in which a grieving mother in New Jersey gets arrested for asking a question at a Bush campaign event. It’s the same culture that allows an Alabama woman to be fired for expressing her beliefs with a John Kerry bumper sticker on her car. You ask a question they don’t want to answer and they arrest you. You express a belief that they disagree with and you get fired.

more…
http://www.democrats.org/news/200409170002.html

[WebeBlue]

16. Thank you Paininthearse ... for posting this, from the replys it looks

like folks here don't quite understand the lonely and courageous voice of MFSO since the beginning of the war. The posts indicate that it is believed that MFSO is just now waking up to the the wrongness of the President's policies. WRONG.

I am a military family, a military brat, a member family of MFSO, Washington. I have spoken up from the beginning. I have been on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer in a segment called Homefront Battles aired in Aug 04. I am only one of many military families that have worked tirelessly to try to get media attention to the deficits facing the troop, to ending the war, to support the troops by bringing them home and ending the carnage.

I would be very happy to elaborate on the difficulties most military families face in being caught up in a military culture which prohibits speaking out against the mission, the CIC, the policies. Don't however, think for a moment that there are many military families and the troops themselves that think this is FUBAR.

Ask me anything!

[superconnected]

17. Good to hear.

my perception has clearly been distorted. Thank you for correcting it.

Glad you are here.

[vixengrl]

19. Very interested in the nature of such a dialogue--

when and if it takes place.