Four
years ago, CODEPINK founders spent inauguration
night in a miserable jail call, charged with disorderly conduct for unfurling
a “Stop the War” banner during
the ceremony. This year, instead of handcuffs,
we got front row seats--and hugs and kisses from the crowd
as we unfurled peace banners, danced the can-can while singing “Yes
we can-can end war” and handed out thousands
of pink ribbons calling on President Obama to keep his peace promises.
As
The Washington Times noted, “You know things have changed in
Washington when CODEPINK gets seats up front
at the inauguration.” You know things have changed when Army
Chief of Staff General Casey enthusiastically let us tie a Promises for
Peace ribbon on his wrist and pledged to join us in working for peace.
You really know things have changed when Obama, on day one, started addressing
some key promises--#2 (Shut down
Guantanamo), #3 (Reject the Military Commissions
Act) and #4 (Stop Torture).
CODEPINK
was never merely a protest group. It was a community of hope, and the
election of Barack Obama serves as least to some extent as a realization
of that hope. But CODEPINK activists have
always leavened their hope with realism. They know that Obama will need
prodding. So the Most Valuable Progressives of the Bush era are already
putting their mark on what will be the Obama era.
Read more of our Inauguration press in our Press
Room