"That Woman is Worth Paying Attention to"


CODEPINK

May 24, 2013

Dear Activist,

After I interrupted the President's foreign policy speech yesterday, CODEPINK has been getting tremendous media attention and an outpouring of appreciation. One of our posts explaining why my interruption was not "rude" got 45,000 views and over 1,000 shares! Throughout the world, and especially from places that the US is bombing, people are sending messages like this one: "You renew my faith in the American people. Bless you for showing that there are Americans who care about our lives."

Our next step to reach out to the people who have been directly affected by Obama's "counterterrorism" policies is a trip to Yemen. In June, we will travel to meet with grieving mothers who want their innocent sons set free from Guantanamo (57 Yemeni prisoners have been cleared for release for years, but remain in prison) and the families of innocent drone victims who are ignored and kept invisible by Obama's policies. Write a message of solidarity to the people of Yemen, and we'll bring it with us.

We also need your financial support for our trip. Our delegation will include 9/11 family members, veterans, policy analysts, and journalists. We need funds to organize the delegation, and to help the people on the ground who are the victims of our policies

It takes constant pressure to change policy. In the last two weeks, CODEPINK has been relentless. We have held countless protests. Diane Wilson was arrested on the 17th day of her solidarity hunger strike for chaining herself to the White House fence. Jodie Evans delivered 300,000 petition signatures inside the White House to the President's senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, calling on Obama to close Gitmo. And yesterday, I had the opportunity to add important information to President Obama's speech on foreign policy.  

Obama's speech yesterday was a result of the activism and pressure we have all been applying. The decline in drone strikes is a direct results of pressure. When CODEPINK went to Pakistan, we made headlines across the US, highlighting the terror and destruction caused by our killer drones. Since we blew the administration's cover, drone strikes in Pakistan have drastically decreased. Now we must do the same thing in Yemen, and worldwide. Please help us ground the drones and close Guantanamo.

Onwards towards accountability, transparency and peace,
Medea Benjamin

P.S. Join CODEPINK in Fort Meade, Maryland on June 1st as Bradley Manning's trial kicks off.