Topic: moveon.org

One Woman’s Voice: From darkness into the light of change

By Debbie Boen | November 6, 2008 |

Clarksville Freethinker founder reacts to Obama’s win. Debbie Boen created FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties at a time when America was more than happy to plunge into war. Like the activists of the 60s, she held to her beliefs, a minority then, and only now, with the historic election of Barack Obama, can she and all of us who have stood in the minority in one form or another, see a light of hope on the horizon.

FreeThinker founder Debbie Boen created this striking Obama signs for the Nov. 4 election.

As I was driving to the Icehouse café on Tuesday night, NPR (National Public Radio) said something about declaring Obama and I didn’t get what had happened.  I walked into the cafe and everyone was watching the big screen TV.  There was a screaming crowd on the TV set.  The scream of happiness from the TV crowd of thousands didn’t stop and seemed to shake the earth.  I swear I could feel the vibration of it come from the earth into my body.  Miranda Herrick ran up to me and said, “Did you hear what just happened?  Obama is declared a winner!  Why are we NOT screaming?  Why are we NOT screaming?”  and with that we both started screaming and again and again. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News, Opinion, Politics | 2 Comments

Congress doesn’t like the message? Kill the messenger…

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 20, 2007 |

With a majority vote censuring Freedom of Speech, Congress today smacked down the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are simply saying “we want a drawdown; we want our troops home.” In other words, Americans who want to bring an end to the Iraq War.

Congress did it in the guise of patriotism, but this smackdown was also a blow to the very soldiers who are, according to these same officials, fighting for Democratic/Bill of Rights issues — such as free speech — in Iraq. In the U.S. Senate, a majority of our duly elected Senators, apparently with no more pressing issues to debate, voted on a Republican-sponsored symbolic resolution against MoveOn.org and their widely circulated anti-Petraeus ad that was printed as the general was testifying before Congress about the status of the Iraq War on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

The Senators, with Hilary Clinton and Christopher Dodd among the 25 refusing to join the censure, passed a resolution stating that Petraeus “deserves the full support of the Senate” and the Senate “strongly condemn(s) personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.”

“Yesterday, they couldn’t even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying. But they’re spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?” – MoveOn.org

Questioning Petraeus and the Bush war machine, as MoveOn.org had the guts and the tactical brilliance to do, is not slamming our troops. It slammed Bush domination of everything related to Iraq. Unfortunately, when it comes to Iraq, Petraeus is the man in the driver’s seat, pushing that machine through the Iraq landscape.

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Sections: Opinion, Politics | No Comments

Where’s the bottom line?

By Debbie Boen | June 17, 2007 |

Someone told me yesterday that she believes that when there is a draft, THEN all people will stand up and DO SOMETHING.  Having organized and run many events of the Clarksville Freethinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties group since the 2004 election, I told her that I think not.

I thought people would be dying to do something when we invaded an innocent country.

Gosh and heck, people would be ready to do something when Fahrenheit 9/11 came out!  Remember the part where George is holding hands with a Bin Laden?  Who besides me thought, “there’s no way George Bush is going to try to kill any Bin Laden”?  My Army neighbor, hot on the trail of Osama Bin Laden, came back from Afghanistan after friendly fire dropped bombs on his troop.   «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Politics | 2 Comments