At the invitation of Military Families Speak Out coordinator Dinah Mason, Sam Zanne Joi and I traveled in the CODEPINK truck from SF to Santa Barbara. We arrived on a drizzly day for a rally with an incredible line-up of speakers, including Iraq Veteran Against the War Geoffrey Millard, Ret. Col. Ann Wright, David Swanson, and many others. Sam and I read a poem that we wrote together, which is below. A large contingent of CODEPINKers from San Luis Obispo wore pink cleaning outfits and talked about sweeping Congress clean of warmongers.
After the rally we marched down to the beach where the Arlington West crosses were set out. We stood next to the crosses for many minutes in memorial. It was a powerful, solemn day.
Peace WarriorsBy Zanne Joi and Rae Abileah“Warriors, warriors we call ourselves. We fight for splendid virtue, for high endeavor, for sublime wisdom, therefore we call ourselves warriors.” –Aunguttara NikayaWe would like to call into our rally today those warriors who are rarely praised or honored.
To the women warriors who bury their dead, care for the wounded, and clean the battlefields of their countries and homes.
Stop the war.
To the women warriors who have survived rape and assault while serving in the military or just trying to walk home at night.
Begin healing.
To the warriors for peace who have the audacity to envision a world without wars—Barbara Lee, Helen Caldecot, Dolores Huerta, Aung Sang Suchee.
Create peace!
To the warriors who walk without weapons and are vulnerable to those who are armed to the teeth.
Stop the war.
To the warrior activists whose weapons are words, art, music, their bodies.
Begin healing.
To the warriors in Iraq who are organizing orphanages, providing safe drinking water, healing the sick with limited medicines, and daring to march in the streets of Baghdad to call for peace while surrounded by guns on all sides.
Create peace!
To the warrior who refuses to serve in Iraq.
Stop the war.
To the soldier who returns from battle, lays down his weapon, and becomes a warrior against war.
Begin healing.
To the warrior who resists enlistment and says, “I will not kill.”
Create peace!
To the warrior who dares to raise her son to believe that peace and equality is the only way.
Stop the war.
To the warrior who searches for the good heart inside every person.
Begin healing.
To the warrior who risks her job to teach peace and the history of resistance in the classroom.
Create peace!
To the warrior who understands that killing a terrorist, an insurgent, a child is like killing a part of himself, the warrior who knows we are all connected.
Stop the war.
To the warrior who chooses to give up the privileges of a country fueled by war and embraces a vision of a country fueled by compassion.
Begin healing.
To the warrior who risks her life to report the real story in conflict zones in war and in conflict zones in the newsroom.
Create peace!
To the warrior in Congress who faces accusations of not supporting our troops when she votes to defund the war.
Stop the war.
To the warrior who knows better than to give up after one rally, one vigil, one election and keeps showing up every day for peace.
Begin healing.
To the warrior who steps out of rank and retires to join the anti-war movement.
Create peace!
To the warrior on duty who is ordered to arrest peaceful demonstrators and chooses to negotiate with her commanding officer on their behalf instead.
Stop the war.
To the warrior who marched into the front lines to grab her son by the ear and drag him home.
Begin healing.
To the warrior who doesn’t make convenience and affordability excuses to justify damaging the environment. To the warrior who protects and honors the most valiant warrior—the mother earth.
Create peace!
Disarm, disarm these warriors shout through the bars of ridicule, the walls of hopelessness, and the noose of misunderstanding. Disarm. Lay down the weaponry of your fear, hatred, and hurting.
Stop the war.Begin healing.Create peace!
CODEPINK's New Year's Party was a huge success--a true night to remember! I can now add party planning for 500+ folks to the activista resume. We created a list of over 25 major organization cosponsors, rented the entire Zeum kids' arts and tech museum, booked DJs, spoken word artists, live bands, and singer/songwriters, got food donations and catering, a liquor license, and did the publicity to sell hundreds of tickets... all in less than 3 weeks! 
Rae and Ariel, as the best Man-Date-for-Peace ever
