Code Pink is an internationally active NGO that describes itself as a "women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs." Codepink applauds President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. The president made a statement on Twitter that the U.S had defeated ISIS in Syria, saying this was his only reason for being there. The statement contradicts that National Security Adviser John Bolton’s comments earlier in September that “the United States wouldn’t be leaving Syria so long as Iranian forces continued to operate there.” We are glad that the president has not followed Bolton’s advice. Bolton was a cheerleader for the US invasion of Iraq, an invasion that devastated the country and led to the creation of ISIS. In turn, the US fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq was marked by ruthless, indiscriminate bombings that led to thousands of civilian casualties... We also call on all foreign powers that have been involved in Syria’s destruction, including the United States, to take responsibility for rebuilding this nation and providing assistance to the Syrian people, including the refugees, who have suffered so tragically for over seven years. Excerpt of CodePink's statement on President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S.troops from Syria Full text online (19 December 2018) ...Trump should continue to stand up to the neocons & the military-industrial complex that profit from endless war by bringing these troops home as well.... We call on all sides to stop military actions and instead focus on the peace process.... #Syria Twitter Post (22 Dec 2018) FoxNews hates the #SyriaWithdrawal. So does #MSNBC and #CNN. So both parties, cable networks and weapons makers all agree. No wonder our wars never end. Twitter Post (26 Dec 2018) A CODEPINK delegation of 30 Americans will be traveling to Iran from February 25–March 6 to express their deep concern to the Iranian people about the effect of the Trump administration’s crippling sanctions, abrogation of the Nuclear Agreement and building a case for war. The delegation is composed of lawyers, journalists, physicians, activists, artists, and other professionals who hope to help move our two nations from a place of hostility and military threats to a place of mutual respect and peace. Delegates will be meeting Iranian academics, students, artists, religious leaders and parliamentarians. “Americans should challenge policies of our country that are wrong and harm others,” said retired US Army Colonel and former US diplomat Ann Wright. “The Trump administration’s abrogation of the nuclear agreement and the increased sanctions on Iran are harmful and dangerous, which is why our people-to-people delegation is so important.” “We are anxious to see firsthand how the sweeping US sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians so we can come back and convey their stories,” said CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “We also want to show the people of Iran that there are Americans who oppose our government’s bellicose policies and want to live in peace with our Iranian neighbors.” 30 American Peace Delegates Traveling to Iran to Express Concern About Looming War (20 Feb 2019) A very angry Senator John McCain denounced CODEPINK activists as “low-life scum” for holding up signs reading “Arrest Kissinger for War Crimes” and dangling handcuffs next to Henry Kissinger’s head during a Senate hearing on January 29. McCain called the demonstration “disgraceful, outrageous and despicable,” accused the protesters of “physically intimidating” Kissinger and apologized profusely to his friend for this “deeply troubling incident.” But if Senator McCain was really concerned about physical intimidation, perhaps he should have conjured up the memory of the gentle Chilean singer/songwriter Victor Jara. After Kissinger facilitated the September 11, 1973 coup against Salvador Allende that brought the ruthless Augusto Pinochet to power, Victor Jara and 5,000 others were rounded up in Chile’s National Stadium. Jara’s hands were smashed and his nails torn off; the sadistic guards then ordered him to play his guitar. Jara was later found dumped on the street, his dead body riddled with gunshot wounds and signs of torture... Rather than calling peaceful protesters “despicable”, perhaps Senator McCain should have used that term to describe Kissinger’s role in the brutal 1975 Indonesian invasion of East Timor, which took place just hours after Kissinger and President Ford visited Indonesia. They had given the Indonesian strongman the US green light—and the weapons—for an invasion that led to a 25-year occupation in which over 100,000 soldiers and civilians were killed or starved to death. McCain could have also perused the warrant issued by French Judge Roger Le Loire to have Kissinger appear before his court. When the French served Kissinger with summons in 2001 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Kissinger fled the country. More indictments followed from Spain, Argentina, Uruguay — even a civil suit in Washington DC. Henry Kissinger or CODEPINK: Who’s the "Low Life Scum"?, by Medea Benjamin, CommonDreams, (January 30, 2015) Medea Benjamin Veterans for Peace Wikipedia has an article about: Code Pink Code Pink official site
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