CODEPINK Memos to Obama: Peace

Co-founder Jodie Evans on Ending War Altogether


President Barack Obama …

Tears came to my eyes as I wrote this salutation.

It is amazing that the United States will soon have a president who has the breadth of lived experience and knowledge that you do—from the streets of Jakarta to the villages of Kenya to the projects of Chicago and the halls of America’s elite institutions. It would be truly amazing if you would bring your wisdom and depth of knowledge onto the world stage as an agent for peace.

From where CODEPINK sits, we see a politician who had the courage to say no to the war in Iraq at a time when others longing to be president did the opposite out of fear of losing votes. That stance, along with the verdant grassroots communities and youth who stood with you, became a force that broke through the expectations of how elections should go, bringing about the first taste of change. Now we’re ready for an even greater, deeper change. We’ve been working tirelessly to end the war in Iraq and stop the next war before it begins, but today, we’re inspired to take an even stronger stand and declare “War is SO over.”

We invite you to join us in taking this stand. You know the inspiring results of your stance against the war in Iraq; imagine the results of saying that war is obsolete and should be relegated to the dustbin of the twentieth century!

We have already gone to work. As you often said in your campaign, sitting down to talk can be a first step. We have launched a new project called Let’s Talk, and we understand that dialogue, listening, sharing stories, and compassion are all important tools. We began last week by delivering apple pies and doves of peace to the Embassies of Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Bolivia—all countries with which the Bush administration has had an antagonistic relationship—to say “yes, we can live in peace.” This week, we are traveling to Iran to meet with women in the Iranian Parliament and the government to create more bridges for citizen diplomacy and cultural sharing.

When we return, we’d love to bring together leaders from a broad spectrum of groups—among them Win Without War, ANSWER, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Tikkun, CODEPINK Women for Peace, WAND, and United for Peace & Justice—for an open dialogue with you about the future of our country and its role in the world. We have been watching with some trepidation as you select the members of your foreign policy team, many of whom were enablers if not architects of the invasion of Iraq. We hope that in this process, you will take the time to listen to peace activists who have been working daily to end the occupation of Iraq, to find a negotiated solution to the war in Afghanistan, and to prevent future wars.

We will be at your inauguration with pink ribbons tied around our index fingers to support you in remembering your promises of ending the war in Iraq, closing Guantanamo, ending the use of torture, and respecting treaties and international law. We know that change takes action and diligence. It takes patience and perseverance. CODEPINK will continue to be visible, vocal, consistent, and persistent in supporting the message of your campaign. You can count on us!

read: http://www.tikkun.org/magazine/tik0901/frontpage/evans