SODaPOP

Action caps four days of Iowa primary protests against war in Iraq

January 3, 2008

Des Moines – Hours before voting begins in the nation’s first presidential poll, peace activists placed the Iraq war front and center again this afternoon, when, for the second time since campaigning began last fall, they occupied the Iowa headquarters of Senator Hillary Clinton.

On this, the fourth day of nonviolent “direct actions” during caucus campaigning, four members of a campaign called “Seasons Of Discontent: A Presidential Occupation Project” (SODaPOP) went to Clinton’s office, saying they still had not gotten a response to a letter delivered to the Senator’s campaign in October, demanding she publicly oppose any more spending for the war or occupation, and foreswear an attack on Iran.

N E W S R E L E A S E
DATE: January 3, 2008
RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT: Mona Shaw

SODaPOP
Iowa Occupation Project
Des Moines Catholic Worker
Des Moines, IA
319-621-4646

CLINTON OCCUPATION INCLUDES FIERCE STAND-OFF BUT NO ARRESTS

Twenty-five members of SODaPOP appeared at Sen. Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Headquarters this afternoon with the intention of occupying that office until the senator agreed to pledge to bring an immediate end to the war in Iraq and to veto further funding of that war if she is elected president.

When Clinton staff saw SODaPOP members approaching their office, the door to the building was locked and entrance was barred to all SODaPOP members as well as press who had arrived to cover the occupation.

by Michael Gillespie
Jan 2, 2008

Josh Earnest, Iowa communications director for U.S. Sen. Barak Obama (D-IL), is running scared in the final few days before the Iowa Caucuses. He must be, otherwise he would not have risked the consequences of ejecting half a dozen media workers from Obama’s Iowa campaign headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 2, and barring entry to several more.

Reporters and photojournalists representing news organizations in Japan, Germany, Great Britain, and the USA were hindered in their efforts to report on a bona fide news event when Earnest insisted they work outside in the sub-freezing single digit cold while inside a group of eight antiwar activists from Voices for Creative Nonviolence (VCNV) and the Iowa Occupation Project questioned Obama’s positions on the war in Iraq, military spending, and U.S. Middle East foreign policy.

January 3, 2008

In a day-before-the-caucus effort to obtain from Senator Barack Obama a pledge of withdrawal from Iraq, nonviolent actors representing “Voices for Creative Nonviolence” and the Des Moines Catholic Worker community witness a spurned media and turned backs at the Senator’s Des Moines campaign office.

January 3, 2008

Sen. Obama’s media person felt the need to throw the press out of a protest in his Des Moines campaign office.

More videos by soundslikesouth1

January 3, 2008

Kathy Kelly and Chicago based Voices for Creative Nonviolence, along with Des Moines based Catholic Peace Ministries staged a nonviolent Peace action at the campaign office of Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. The peace activists asked all candidates to agree to end the war in Iraq among other peaceful actions, if elected to the office of president.

More videos by soundslikesouth1

Third day of nonviolent resistance to Iraq occupation during Iowa presidential primary

January 2, 2008

Des Moines – Opponents of the occupation of Iraq today occupied the Iowa campaign headquarters of presidential candidates U.S. Senator Barak Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, waiting for a response to a letter requesting them to oppose any more spending for the war or occupation and foreswear an attack on Iran.

Eight people were arrested at Obama’s Iowa campaign headquarters and four at Romney’s, in this, the third day of such nonviolent “direct actions” organized by “Seasons Of Discontent: A Presidential Occupation Project” (SODAPOP) since the presidential primary season began in Iowa late last year.

January 4, 2008

From December 31st until January 3rd, Seasons of Discontent: a Presidential Occupation Project (SODaPOP) occupied four offices of leading presidential candidates in Iowa. Members of the campaign visited former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (Dec 31), Governor Mitt Romney and Sen. Barack Obama (Jan 2), and Sen. Hillary Clinton (Jan 3).

In total, 15 members of SODaPOP were arrested. The demands of the campaign to the presidential canidates are a complete withdrawal of the U.S. military forces from Iraq and Afghanistan within 100 days of assuming the office of President and a halt to any and all military actions against Iraq and Iran.

ARTICLES, VIDEO, AND MEDIA COVERAGE

• VIDEO: Kathy Kelly, with Voices for Creative Nonviolence, was interviewed on C-SPAN: Washington Journal
• NEW! - ARTICLE: Clinton Campaign Office Re-Occupied by Peace Activists on Day of Iowa Voting, Mike Ferner, Jan 3
• NEW! - NEWS RELEASE: Clinton Occupation Include Fierce Stand-Off But No Arrests, Jan 3
• ARTICLE: Demonstrators held after Iowa anti-war protests, Daniel Nasaw in Des Moines, Guardian Unlimited, Jan 3
• VIDEO: Barack Obama campaign office occupation, Jan 2
• ARTICLE: Twelve Arrested in Des Moines as Obama Campaign Hinders Press Coverage of Protest, Michael Gillespie, Jan 2
• ARTICLE: Obama and Romney Iowa Campaign Offices Occupied by Peace Activists, Mike Ferner, Jan 2
• WASHINGTON DC ACTION: Citizens went to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Arlington, VA office to follow up on a letter requesting the Senator’s pledge to affirm the points put forth by the SODaPOP campaign. Read the report, Hillary’s National HQ Visited by Peace Protesters, and Read the Press Release, Jan 2
• VIDEO: Reverend Mike Huckabee, Who Would Jesus Bomb?, Dec 31
• ARTICLE: Peace Activists Occupy Huckabee’s Iowa Campaign Office, Mike Ferner, Dec 31

ALL SODAPOP RELATED MATERIAL

SODaPOP is a project of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the Iowa Occupation Project

DATE: January 2, 2008
RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT: Mona Shaw
Iowa Occupation Project
Des Moines, IA
319-621-4646

PEACE ACTIVISTS CONTINUE OCCUPATION OF CANDIDATES OFFICES TODAY

SODaPOP (Seasons of Discontent: a Presidential Occupation Project) will occupy two offices of leading presidential candidates immediately. Members will go to the Urbandale Office of Governor Mitt Romney and the downtown Des Moines headquarters of Sen. Barack Obama. Participants will remain in those offices until these candidates pledge to immediately withdraw military troops from and end the war in Iraq as well as veto any funding for the “war on terror” should they be elected president.

A similar action was held in Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office in Des Moines this past Monday.

SODaPOP is a project of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the Iowa Occupation Project. For more information about previous events go to: www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/sodapop.html