SF Chronicle - THOSE PESKY PEACENIKS (CodePink)

[Kadie]

THOSE PESKY PEACENIKS
CodePink -- an anti-war group founded by Bay Area activists and known for colorful and theatrical protests -- is turning up the pressure on congressional Democrats
Anti-war group CodePink -- founded by Bay Area activists and know

Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Thursday, July 12, 2007

(07-12) 04:00 PDT Washington -- When a lawmaker's office is stormed, a hearing is disrupted or a protester is handcuffed on Capitol Hill these days, it's a safe bet the activist being hauled away will be female and wearing pink.

CodePink, a group spawned by Bay Area peace activists, has become the vibrantly hued public face of the anti-war movement in Washington. Launched in 2002 to oppose the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq, the female activists are gaining new attention as a thorn in the side of Democrats, urging the new leaders of Congress to move faster to end the war.

"People try to marginalize them as being 'left,' " said Sen. Russ Feingold, an anti-war Democrat from Wisconsin. "But they serve as a reminder to (lawmakers) of the broader concern in the country over the war."

Publicly, top Democrats say they share the group's anti-war goals. But privately they grumble about its in-your-face tactics -- including disrupting Democratic press conferences and setting up a protest camp outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Pacific Heights home in San Francisco.

When activists from CodePink interrupted her speech to a Democratic group last month, Pelosi shot them a steely look and urged them to focus on getting Republicans to oppose the war.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/12/MNGK0QV7HO1.DTL

[mmonk]

1. They know how to keep the heat on.

[glowing]

2. How else can you ensure the media shows up at the latest peace

rally...most aren't even covered. People need to have hope that their voices can still be heard. It may be disruptive, but what in any person's normal life isn't. F*ck protocol. If protocol had been followed, we'd still be saying all Hail to the Queen.

[Bitwit1234]

3. One thing Pelosi said is absolutely true

Why don't the protest the republicans more. Most of the dems want to stop the war. BUT the republicans block any and bills to try to do this. The democrats are slowly winning republicans over. They need to get enough to bring a bill to be voted on and then enough to over ride bush's vetoes.

[mmonk]

4. Bills won't work quickly.

They have spent most of the past years protesting republicans. The object to effective protest is to protest those in seats of power. Last November, Pelosi gained one of those seats of power.

[Tesha]

6. Republicans won't change; Democrats *MIGHT*.

> Most of the dems want to stop the war.

You wouldn't know it from their actions or their statements.
Code Pink is just applying pressure where the pressure might
actually be effective.

Tesha

[Jed Dilligan]

5. I am convinced that all politicians are spoiled, rich, lazy shits

who will do nothing if they are not hounded, threatened, harassed, pushed into corners.

I applaud the efforts of Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan, and all other peace activists who have been doing the hounding.