Senator Smith's Medford Office Peace Rally
So. Oregon Constituents For Accountability!, 09.04.2007 09:23
Gordon Smith’s Southern Oregon area constituents will rally for peace at the Senator’s office Medford office - 1175 East Main Street - on Tuesday, April 10th at 11:30 a.m.. The action is part of a statewide action to urge Smith to vote against any further funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As an additional supplemental appropriations bill for the war in Iraq makes its way through Congress, rural and urban constituents across the state are at the end of their rope when it comes to the war in Iraq.
Needs to WALK the TALK
Senator Gordon Smith
Dear friends,
Please consider joining us at the Medford office of Senator Gordon Smith at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 10th, to deliver a message to the senator asking him not to vote for any more appropriations for the Iraq occupation. This is very similar to the rally we had at Greg Walden's office a couple of weeks ago. 
http://rogueimc.org/en/2007/03/8181.shtml
You are welcome to join us for a bite to eat and some planning at Grilla Bites in downtown Medford at 11 am and then we'll head out to 1175 East Main Street for the rally at Smith's office.
Below is a news release that has gone out. You can see that this is a statewide strategy and groups will be rallying at Smith's various offices throughout the state at about the same time. We need to be there before noon because that's when Smith's office here closes. Please join us! Also, please forward this message to your email lists. Thanks, Allen
PRESS RELEASE * PRESS RELEASE * PRESS RELEASE
Gordon Smith’s Medford area constituents will rally for peace at the senator’s office on Tuesday, April 10th
Medford area constituents of Sen. Gordon Smith, R-OR, will rally for peace at the senator’s Medford office at 11:30 am Tuesday as part of a statewide action to urge Smith to vote against any further funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As an additional supplemental appropriations bill for the war in Iraq makes its way through Congress, rural and urban constituents across the state are at the end of their rope when it comes to the war in Iraq.
Teams of veterans, military families, and other concerned community members are visiting Senator Gordon Smith’s offices around the state on April 10th to urge him to vote against any further funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senator Smith said in December, “I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that anymore.”
Despite that assertion, Smith has never voted to oppose funding for the war. “In asking Senator Gordon Smith to agree to defund the Iraq war, we are simply asking him to walk his talk,” insisted Defund the War Campaign spokesperson Troy Horton.
Jack Shipley of Applegate Citizens for Political Change and the Rural Organizing Project said that the visit to Smith’s office in Medford will include people from several local organizations, including Citizens for Peace & Justice of Medford and Veterans for Peace of Josephine County.
Fran Davis, a member of the team planning to visit Smith’s office in Bend whose grandson is serving in Iraq said, “Our grandson is on his 3rd tour of duty in Iraq.” For this latest tour, the family spent close to $1,500 buying better equipment and additional clothing. “The money being allocated in DC is not getting to the troops,” she said. “We need to stop funding for the war and support the troops by bringing them home now.”
Teams will deliver Certificates of Ownership to each of Smith’s offices as well as Cost of War People’s Resolutions that call for troop withdrawal, no more money for the war, and no escalation into Iran. The Certificates of Ownership have been developed by Military Families Speak Out. The Resolutions were passed by standing room only crowds at Town Halls held throughout rural Oregon in February as part of the Rural Organizing Project’s Cost of War campaign.
Ben Talley, Pendleton event organizer and member of Military Families Speak Out, said, “The most obvious and dearest cost is the loss of life, including our son, Army Specialist Chris Talley, who died a year ago at age 31 from a faulty medication prescribed by the VA to treat an Iraq war injury.” Talley plans to ask Smith to consider the human cost of war both in terms of casualties in Iraq and vital cuts to human services in Oregon.
On April 10th, while Senator Smith is in Oregon over Congressional Recess, constituents will gather at his offices in Bend, Eugene, Medford, Pendleton, and Portland. More information is below and at: www.defundthewar.org.
Medford - Rally: 11:30 am, 1175 Main Street. Medford
Contact: Jack Shipley, 
rockycreekfarms@apbb.net, 541-846-6917
Bend - Rally: 11:45am, 131 NW Hawthorne Avenue, Bend
Contact: Emilie Marlinghaus, emagen@bendbroadband.com, 541-322-9702
Pendleton - Rally: 12 noon, 116 South Main Street, Pendleton
Contact: Ben Talley, bentalley@bmi.net, 541-310-7909
Eugene - Rally: 12 noon, 405 East 8th Avenue, Eugene
Contact: Michael Carrigan, calcdev@efn.org, 541-485-1755
Portland - Rally: 12 noon, World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., Portland
Contact: Troy Horton, troyhorton@centurytel.net, 888-435-8173
Statewide April 10th activities have been organized by the Defund the War campaign, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Rural Organizing Project, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Oregon PeaceWorks, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Peace Action affiliates and many local peace and justice groups. Medford area sponsors are Applegate Citizens for Political Change and Citizens for Peace & Justice.
The news release was sent to you by:
Allen Hallmark
Citizens for Peace & Justice
http://www.medfordcpj.org
hallmark@mind.net
541-482-8515
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Ownership of the War 09.04.2007 - 16:20 Deed of Ownership of [Iraq]War is right on. We need to present them to Wyden and Walden, too. constituent> |