Dr. Patch Adams and a friend trying to get into Gaza with CODEPINK at the Erez border in Israel, Summer 2009

Dr. Patch Adams has a special place in our hearts – this towering man cannot help but inspire laughter in everyone he meets, from kids holding trauma from bullets, bombs, or fatal diseases, to riot police and businessmen.  It’s this laughter therapy which becomes Patch’s prescription for peace, and Congress would be wise to take note of Patch’s long-standing proposal for Gesundheit! Institute, a free, full-scale hospital and healthcare eco-community.  This week Patch is in Guatemala co-creating a clowning camp for kids, and next week he flies to Haiti to bring his contagious playfulness and unwavering belief in love to earthquake survivors.  On the phone from Guatemala, Patch sent hugs and kisses to all his CODEPINK sisters and hopes to join us in DC on Mother’s Day weekend, May 8-9, to bring a zany, creative alternative to the annual Military Arms Fair on the Mall.  Join us and you may see Patch in the world’s largest pair of underpants… or get a ride on Patch’s shoulders too!

♥ This week amidst (shocking/awful/dreadful/…) news headlines, one article warmed our broken hearts: two friends Faisal Mohyud-Din and Mohammed Azeem broke the world record for the longest hug and raised money for a local cancer hospital. Read all about it and let your heart fill with the love that the hospital administrator called “a hug for all cancer patients”. We just love men who, um, love.

And even though we called the vote on the withdrawal from Afghanistan in Congress this week “gruesome” we do have to give props to Dennis Kucinich for continuing to bring the debate into the spincycle that is the beltway and into the public debate. It was disheartening to hear how many representatives spoke of “getting them before they get us” and how little they mentioned civilian casualties (not including the civilians casualties on 9/11 of course)–but Dennis Kucinich’s speeches (and a host of other members like Lee, Baldwin, Woolsey and more) throughout the day were thoughtful, powerful, something we need more of. And let’s not forget Pat Kennedy’s rant on the media. While it came a bit out of left field we appreciate the sentiment, the calling out of the failings of MSM and egging on media to actually cover the debate (which they barely did).

Happy Saturday!

Dana & Rae

Andy Shallal. How can one post show our love and devotion to Andy? In case you haven’t made the trek to the DC area and had the pleasure of eating, reading, dancing, drinking, crying, laughing in his fabulous establishments–including the revolutionary Bus Boys & Poets– well, then, you haven’t really experienced the beauty that is DC. Andy is an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur who brought a radical flavor to the nation’s capitol as the Iraq War erupted. He has generously hosted CODEPINK events for years–his energy and spirit are an inspiration to us all!  And the catfish plate at Bus Boys will bring you right out of your I-just-spent-the-night-in-jail-for-demanding-the-US-stop-killing-Iraqi-civilians funk. We also heard from our sources that when he recently hosted an Eve Ensler event he got up on stage and announced “As an Iraqi man I never thought I’d be saying the word vagina in public! VAGINA! VAGINA!” Can you get ANY COOLER?? (The answer is no, you can’t. Sorry.)

Join CODEPINK at Andy’s famous Bus Boys & Poets restaurant on Saturday, March 20 for our Women Say No to War event on the 7th anniversary of the Iraq occupation.  RSVP here for this event featuring Eve Ensler.  Who knows, maybe you’ll get a chance to hear Andy proclaim love for Vs again!

Jim Turpin is a bold CODEPINK man for peace hailing from Austin, Texas.  Whether out in the streets in an audacious costume or behind the scenes doing the work to make actions happen, Jim is at every CODEPINK event and protest with a heart of gold (ahem, hot pink!) and energy and passion to make peace happen.  Jim’s letters to the editor have been published in the local papers and a photo of him with Austin CODEPINK at a vigil mourning the death of the 1,000th soldier in Operation Enduring Freedom appeared in last week’s CODEPINK email alert.  In the words of Austin CODEPINKster Deb, “He happens to be Heidi’s hubby but he’s a full on equal member of the group in every way.  [Jim]‘s a conflict resolution KING and just the sweetest, most lovable dude to boot.  Jim Turpin = Rockstar.”

Daniel Ellsberg is the most dangerous man in America! You can read all about Dan here (because it would take a LONG post to really explain his impact on activism, and the truth about lies and our government) and if you haven’t seen the new documentary based on his life and role as the Pentagon Papers whistle blower then you should check out the documentary site AND root for the film this Sunday during the Oscars! It is up for Best Documentary! And CODEPINK’s Jodie Evans was a producer on the film to boot! Daniel, we are in awe of your courage and we channel it each time we find ourselves about to raise our voices and our signs at a congressional hearing, before we try to slap the cuffs on another war criminal or confront power in our own lives.  We hope to see you up on stage with a statue on Sunday!

Van Jones is the voice of justice in the environmental movement, and since resigning from the White House Council on Environmental Quality last fall, Van is really turning up the heat on cooling the planet while ensuring jobs and justice for those who need it most. This past week Van appeared on the Tavis Smiley show and was the keynote speaker at The Dream in Action, a launch event for the brand-new Green Youth Media & Arts Center in Oakland, CA (check it out here). The center is one of the first arts and multimedia centers dedicated to both ecological awareness, as well as artistic and professional development for underserved youth in the nation. What better way to counter the predatory tactics of military recruiters and violence at home than to provide youth resources and tools for action at home?! This month the organization Van founded, Green for All, will go on tour with the Black Eyed Peas! Give peas a chance and green jobs too.  And this week Van received top honors at the NAACP Image Awards!

CODEPINK cofounder Jodie Evans said after a recent meeting with Van, “Van Jones continues to model the leadership we need in America – to stop creating enemies of each other and instead have a common purpose and responsibility. To us at CODEPINK Van is the embodiment of justice and peace!”

Tim Carpenter, the National Director at Progressive Democrats of America, captured our hearts (and stomachs) with the creation of Brown Bag Lunch Vigils, the latest and greatest in PDA’s Healthcare not Warfare campaign. The idea is simple: bring your lunch to your Congressperson’s office and hold vigil with a clear message – redirect our financial resources away from wars and occupation and into healthcare for all instead. Or put it this way: Conserve our tax dollars and bag the war. On February 17 over 60 vigils occurred around the country. Check out Tim’s “lunchtime” photo gallery which includes CODEPINKer Kelly from Mississippi and CODEPINKers in Detroit, where the vigil has doubled from month to month in size – way to go Detroit. Rock on Tim.

Ali Abunimah is not only a brilliant analyst, but is committed to building the movement for Justice for Palestine and promoting strategies that work. Journalist, author and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, Ali was one of the 1,400 activists from around the world who gathered in Cairo last month for the Gaza Freedom March. Though the march was blocked by Egyptian authorities (at the request of Israel and the US) activists managed to organize many powerful solidarity actions in Egypt.

In October, 2009, Ali and his team at EI! put together a youtube video of a San Francisco action to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert overnight – this month we’re excited to report that the video has been seen by over 100,000 people!

Hear Ali speak on “How We Can Complete the Gaza Freedom March” this Sunday night, 2/28, in Berkeley at an event organized by the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Update on a man we love from last week:
Last week we shared with you our ♥ for CODEPINK activist and all around awesome guy, Tighe Barry. This week Tighe spoke out in a Senate Armed Services hearing about Blackwater and a former Blackwater employee threatened to kill him! Holy smoke. Read the whole story and watch the video here.

Have a man for peace you love? Post it in the comments section below! Who knows…they may show up in our next edition!

♥♥♥,

Rae & Dana

Our very first men we love Friday honorees are: Robert Naiman, the Dalai Lama and Tighe Barry! ♥♥♥

Robert Naiman is a long time friend of CODEPINK and he’s got chutzpah for sure. He works with Just Foreign Policy and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Here is our favorite piece by Naiman as of late.  The title, “We’ve Caught the Taliban Chief! Can We Go Home Now?” says IT ALL.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama might seem like a no-duh men-we-heart honoree, but it was this article, where he said,

“I wish, you see, the amount of leadership more female … should take the leadership role.”

that sealed the deal today. We couldn’t have said it better! Thanks BUST for the additional thoughtful commentary and here is the original Reuters article… Oh and here is where China cries about the Obama/Dalai Lama meeting.

Last but certainly not least is our man in pink, Tighe Barry. Oh what to say! Tighe has been a dedicated CODEPINKer for years and has created our gorgeous props and installations, built pink playgrounds in Gaza, helped safely lead 100+ folks from Egypt into Gaza (with only the pinstriped suit on his back with him) AND is now helping us with the monumental task of clearing out the pink house! We couldn’t do it without him–and that’s the truth. Thank you Tighe for all you do! To see Tighe in action click here, here and here (notice the jacket).

More next week! And keep spreadin’ the love and appreciation~ makes the world go ’round!
Dana & Rae