Thursday, September 01, 2005

Visit Tom Delay today

Cindy Sheehan and the "Bring Them Home Now Tour" to visit Houston Thursday, September 1, 2005

Event #1: Visit Tom DeLay's Congressional office regarding the Iraq war, with press conference/ interviews to immediately follow

Event #2: "Bring Them Home Now" Public Rally Details are below for both events. Contacts: Melissa Patrick, 281-455-3144 Maureen Haver, 832-641-2882 - - - - - - -

Event #1: Visit Tom DeLay's Congressional office regarding the Iraq war, with press conference/interviews to immediately follow Cindy Sheehan and other military families and veterans on the "Bring Them Home Now Tour" will visit Rep. Tom Delay's district office to discuss Delay's stand on Iraq and the US occupation of Iraq.

When: Thursday, September 1, 2005, 3:00 PM Where: Rep. Tom Delay's Clear Lake Congressional Office http://tomdelay.house.gov/District/ 711 W. Bay Area Blvd. Suite 410 Webster, TX 77598 map: http://tinyurl.com/bk8or

Encouraged in part by Cindy Sheehan's public stand outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, several military families with family members either currently overseas in Iraq, or dead because of the invasion and occupation, are joining Cindy Sheehan to demand that the U.S. Government tell the truth about why we're in Iraq, and bring the troops home now. Additionally, veterans from former wars and the current war in Iraq are increasingly speaking out against the war and occupation in Iraq. Thursday, as part of the national "Bring Them Home Now Tour", military families and veterans will demand a sit down with Representative Tom Delay, the Republican power-broker and major supporter of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Delay has also come under heavy criticism regarding ethics violations, among other controversies. Immediately following the visit at Tom Delay's office, a press conference will take place outside his office with representatives from the Bring Them Home Now Tour, including Cindy Sheehan. Interviews with military family members and veterans will be available at this time. Those who support the Bring Them Home Now Tour are invited to come demonstrate your commitment to this cause. Signs are welcome at this event. - - - - - - -

Event #2: "Bring Them Home Now" Public Rally Speakers: Cindy Sheehan, and other members of: Gold Star Familes for Peace Military Families Speak Out Iraq Veterans Against the War Veterans for Peace

When: Thursday, September 1, 2005 6:30-8:30 PM Where: Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church http://www.resurrectionmcc.org/ 2025 West 11th Street Houston, TX 77008-6320 http://tinyurl.com/9hqfn

Metro bus routes that go directly to the site: Nos. 48 and 40 Source: http://www.ridemetro.org/services/mtaservicearea.asp From the "Select a schedule" pull-down menu, select either 40 or 48 to get the schedule and route map for those bus routes.

Additional parking available: 1. west behind the sanctuary in Timbergrove subdivision via Shelterwood; either north or south of 11th Street. 2. east of TC Jester on Worthshire; either north or south of 11th Street. Come early if you can, to get a good seat. However, an overflow area is available if the crowd is larger than expected. There is no admission charge for the rally, but donations will be collected to help pay for taking the Bring Them Home Now Tour across the US and to Washington DC for the big Sep. 24 event there. Bring some extra cash or your checkbook if you'd like to support this very worthy cause. Please, no signs inside at the church.

Be sure to visit tables that local progressive organizations will have outside, to promote upcoming events and activities related to the peace movement. If you see counter-demonstrators, remember that we are people of peace. Do not engage them if they want to argue. Smile and be friendly. We've arranged for extra police and security to discourage anyone who may want to disrupt the event. We've heard rumors of Protest Warriors who may come. The police are there to help keep things calm, so don't be alarmed if you see a number of them there.

If you can't come to the rally but want to contribute financially, go to http://bringthemhomenowtour.org/ and click on the Donate button. This will let you make a donation online using a credit card, and it also has an address where you can mail a check. Check http://houston.indymedia.org/ for updates and reports after the event. - - - - - - - Background: Cindy Sheehan, co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP), departed from Camp Casey near Crawford, Texas on Wednesday, Aug. 31 with other military families and veterans, for a tour across the US.

Named for her son killed in Iraq, Camp Casey was the center of an encampment outside President Bush's ranch for most of August. It drew thousands to the site and garnered international attention. Unfazed by Bush's refusal to meet with her, Cindy Sheehan has left Camp Casey to begin the Southern leg of a cross country tour to generate support to end the war and bring the troops home now. The caravan will end in Washington, D.C. where military families and peace activists will converge on September 24, 2005 with Cindy Sheehan and thousands of others and call for an end to the occupation of Iraq. From George Bush’s door step to communities along the way, the people on the tour demand That: * Elected Representatives Decide Now to Bring the Troops Home * We Take Care of Them When They Get Here * We Never Again Send Our Loved Ones to War Based on Lies!

Local military families, community organizers and peace activists will gather on September 1, 2005 to ask the same question Cindy Sheehan poised to the President in Crawford: What is the noble cause that Casey Sheehan and over 1800 other soldiers died for? The Houston rally is the collaborative effort of several local organizations, families and individuals committed to ending the war in Iraq and supporting the troops by bringing them home now. There is no single local sponsor of the event. For more information on the national tour, visit web sites of the tour sponsors:
http://bringthemhomenowtour.org/
http://www.gsfp.org/
http://www.mfso.org/
http://ivaw.net/
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/
progressiveactionalliance.org/

No comments: