"Troops Home Fast" Hunger Strikers Enter Second Week
 t r u t h o u t
| | Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjiman, center, sits with Cindy Sheehan, center right, and others who are taking part in the 'Bring the Troops Home Fast' hunger strike at Layafette Park in front of the White House, Tuesday, July 4, 2006, in Washington. (AP/Lawrence Jackson) |
Colonel Ann Wright, Diane Wilson, Medea Benjamin, Dick Gregory, Veterans, Iraqi citizens, and others gather in front of the White House on the second week of their fast.
Peace activists enter their second week of the "Troops Home Fast", an historical hunger strike outside of the White House. Organized by CODEPINK: Women for Peace, a group of long-term fasters launched a historic hunger strike against the war in Iraq on July 4, 2006. During the first week of the fast, two people left the fast for medical reasons, but the others remain strong.
The fasters have spent their time meeting with Senators, such as Richard Lugar and Christopher Dodd. They feed ice cream to the homeless, highlighting the need to spend our funds of helping the poor, not war. They signed up thousands of people on a Voters for Peace pledge, saying they would only vote for peace candidates. And this week, they will be walking the halls of Congress calling on representatives to vote to bring the troops home.
Over 3,700 supporters, celebrities, veterans, mothers, and concerned citizens across the country are also participating in a rolling fast over the summer, fasting as long as they are able and then passing the fast from person to person. Many will fast in solidarity from their hometowns, urging local leaders to stand for peace. Fasters include musicians Willie Nelson and Michael Franti, actors Danny Glover, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, Gulf War vet Michael McPherson, writer Alice Walker, and labor leader Dolores Huerta.
The fasters have appeared in the major press, from Hannity and Colmes and Hardball to Democracy Now to the Washington Post.
Diane Wilson, who has engaged in several hunger strikes in her history as an environmental activist, says she will not set an end date to her fast. "My goal is to bring the troops home. I don't know how long I can fast, but I'm making this open-ended," she says. "I plan to take this as far as I've ever taken anything in my 58 years. I fear our future is at stake, and I'm ready to make a major sacrifice."
They will continue to stand outside of the White House until August 15, when they will move to Camp Casey in Crawford, TX for two weeks. They will return to Washington DC until the fast ends on September 21, International Peace Day, when activists around the country will initiate a week of nonviolent actions against the war as part of the Declaration of Peace.
For more information, including a full list of fasters, please see www.troopshomefast.org. |
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News from Around the Americas | July 2006 
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