As you know, a tragedy occurred Wednesday when the I-35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. We at Impeach for Peace want to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims involved and their families. Impeach for Peace is based in Minneapolis so this hits close to home. Impeach for Peace organizers have struggled with how our organization should respond now that President Bush is planning to visit Minneapolis on Saturday. We don’t want to appear as if we are using this tragedy to our political advantage, nor do we wish for Bush to do so. What we’ve decided is that we’re going to encourage citizens of Minneapolis to protest with the message, “Bridges not Bombs.” We have decided to exclude the concept of impeachment from this protest so as not to disrespect the seriousness of the tragedy with what many see as a partisan issue. While Impeach for Peace doesn’t blame Bush for this specific tragedy, we do see this event as being endemic of a larger failure of priorities. This administration has put the country’s resources into unjustified military actions instead of investing in our national infrastructure. Bush will be speaking at the I-35 Bridge on Saturday.
–UPDATE … We heard of another group meeting at the Guthrie on Washington St., but we’ve not heard a definitive time for Bush’s visit yet. We’re planning on meeting at 9:30am at the Guthrie (818 S 2nd St, Meet at the walkway between the Mill CityMuseum and the Guthrie), and possibly marching to the best spot, once more details become available. I’m not sure where the best place to park is, but I know that there is street parking around 5th Ave and 3rd St. If you are coming from the south, the light rail is one excellent option and an opportunity to talk to other commuters! Please revisit this webpage to get the specific time as we get closer to the event, and please forward this to all your friends.
Minneapolis as in every town in America has been at risk for a long time. The Bush Regime has been undermining the American Spirit ever since Prescott Bush sold our secrets to Germany way back in 1900’s. George H.W.Bush was a coward in WWII when he put his plane in the water, because he was afraid to land on an aircraft carrier.He returned to be in the back ground with the CIA helped to broker the Eisenhower-Nixon Ticket.The Sr. Bush worked with the “moral majority” getting Ronald Regan as their torch bearer while the SR. Bush plotted for his control. George W. has been a proven failure with every ting he has been involved with. We the People have to send a lighting bolt through Washington.Our National Guard has been in Iraq during Katherina and falling bridge.The BBC Blair Bush Cheney assets must be frozen.We the People want World Peace as do the People of all the other countries.In GOD WE Trust.
Ben,
There is a link between the gross administration misallocation of funds toward military industrial contracts and war-profiteering oil and other energy industry cronies and away from domestic needs – rebuilding our infrastructure being just one of the many needs not being met while Bush’s oil and ‘defense’ contracting cronies reap massive profits from this boondoogle.
Bush inherited the greatest surplus in the history of the Republic and within 2 1/2 years of his first term had squandered it and converted it into the greatest deficit – which has continued to soar.
Gas was $1.46 when Bush took office. We are rejoice when it drops down to $2.92 a gallon – twice the 2000 price.
Over 80% of the promised rebuilding of New Orleans and other Katrina-related disaster areas has not been completed.
Granted, the crumbling infrastructure was a decades-old inherited problem, but this ‘resident and his Administration couldn’t give a shit about American citizens health and welfare.
please focus on the issuse at hand, INFRASTRUCTURE. you can honor the memories of the people who passed by addressing that issue. there is no link (direct or indirect) to the WAR in IRAQ. when you connect the two you disgrace the people who died in this tragedy and the people involved and who passed in the war.
**i use to be in favor of the war in iraq, but after this experience i have changed my views. it appears to me that the entire mid east will never be peacefull. it seams that all they know is war. i think the US should just sit on the sidelines and let them kill eachother. change or freedom will never happen until the people of the mid east stand up for it themselves (similar to how our nation was built, if we can do it anyone can). i think we should only enter the picture when they get too powerfull or start to endanger the rest of the world.**
again the war and the 35w bridge are NOT related.
i think we should be focusing on how our bridges are inspected. sounds to me like thats the weakest link, i would hold the last person(s) who inspected the bridge responsible.
Mr. Harwood,
Press conferences after this tragedy included President Bush, Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, Representative Keith Ellison, Governor Pawlenty, Mayor Rybak as well as Bush Administration, MNDot and NTSB officials. EVERYBODY discussed this tragedy in political and economic terms as well as expressing their personal condolences in a public forum.
We of ImpeachforPeace and the other peace activists who protested used a public forum available to us – a First Amendment protected (against Bush Administration wishes, but still our) Right.
Are you of the opinion that politicians are the only ones who have the right to express their political and economic opinions at the time of a tragedy?
Did you notice that Governor Pawlenty has changed his tune about vetoing the gas tax increase to pay for rebuilding our infrastructure?
Unless you really feel that politicians are the only ones who can publicly express their opinions at a time of tragedy, you are a hypocrite for criticizing those who protested and praising Bush, Coleman and Pawlenty for ‘stepping up’ at the time of crisis.
here are the people you disgrace with your political bs. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=261310
sorry to say, but you are wrong my dear. nice to debate with you but its pointless to continue since you are blind. thanks and have a nice day.
Harwood, you assume too much about me. I have been an advocate of using our country’s resources for non-military purposes to serve the people for a very long time. What’s embarrassing the nation is our support for unjustified war, and the failure to use our resources to take car of our own country. This event is the very moment we should point out the failings of our country in regards to our infrastructure. No one seems to care when there is not a trajedy occuring. You’d have us wait until people are distracted by the latest TV Program. These people died because of a failure in priorities. Bush was attempting to use it for political purposes. Bush’s photo-op is a perfect time, and the most appropriate time to point this out.
Respect for the dead is more important than political agenda. You don’t fix societies problems at the scene of a tragedy. You pressure your political leaders and peers to support you before hand. Were you so concerned about infrastructure prior to this? I think not, you are just looking to blame someone or something. And your using this tragedy because it is getting attention from the world. Since your organization failed at raising $$ or whatever, to support and spread its lies, lets politicize the death of 5 people and the injury of about a 100. You are perfect role models that any Minnesotan can be honored to live next to [not!!!]. thanks for embarrassing us in front of the rest of the nation :p
Harwood: So you’re saying to respect the dead one should not attempt to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again? I believe it’s indecent to ignore the national infrastructure while waging an unjustified war in Iraq.
you are the ones that came up with the “support bridges not wars” sign? i wish the worst on everyone who is ok with that sign. i dont care where you come from dem or rep, but there is a thing called decency, of which i thought Minnesota founded itself on. but not for you political whores, i hope the ones who passed in this tragedy haunt you forever. and since im a minnesotan, i will say “have a nice day”
Free health care would be nice too
Is there any more substantial proof that the Republican Neoconservative Death Cult is the greatest security threat to the United States? We have trillions for death. Not one cent for America. The owners of George (The Decider) Bush and his Neoconservative Death Cult proles are the greatest single threat to the further survival of all higher life forms on this planet. Impeach Now!
I like “Bridges not Bombs”. I also like Nick Coleman’s idea:
“No NEW Collapses”.
Bush’s NewsSpeak today was “We have an Intelligence Gap” which I would change to
“We have an Infrastructure GAP”
See You Saturday.