CODE PINK CO-FOUNDER MEDEA BENJAMIN KICKED OUT FOR SPEAKING TRUTH DURING OBAMA’S GITMO SPEECH
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/medea-benjamin-obama-heckler_n_3329074.html MEDEA Being Interviewed on CSPAN-TV in March of 2013 about Her Book “Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control” www.c-spanvideo.org/program/311309-1 http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-1351369336206/2013/1/ff946be8d005da489fa456487bc83a40/VIDEO-Obama-heckled-repeatedly-during-Gitmo-speech.jpg Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the political activist group Code Pink, speaks out against President Barack Obama during his speech on counterterrorism at the National Defense University on May 23, 2013 at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C. David Edmunds Reports on Raw Story: “A protester from the group Code Pink repeatedly interrupted President Barack Obama on Thursday as he gave a speech on the U.S. policy on the use of drones and the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. “More than 30 minutes into the president’s speech in Washington, a woman who was thought to be Medea Benjamin of Code Pink began shouting about the detainees on hunger strike at Guantanamo. http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-1351369336206/2013/2/e42126c080c1765be4a05fd4f1fd6022/VIDEO-Obama-heckled-repeatedly-during-Gitmo-speech.jpg “’It’s very important!’ she yelled. ‘It’s not Congress, it’s you, sir. There are 102 people on a hunger strike! These desperate people!’ “’I’m about to address it, ma’am, but you’ve got to let me speak,’ the president replied. “’You’re our commander in chief. You can close Guantanamo today!’ Benjamin insisted. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the political activist group Code Pink, is removed by security after speaking out against President Barack Obama during his speech on counterterrorism at the National Defense University on May 23, 2013 at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C. UPI/Kevin Dietsch <http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-1351369336206/2013/3/4ad7a51086293ee1900cff6ec565bd71/VIDEO-Obama-heckled-repeatedly-during-Gitmo-speech.jpg> “As the activist continued to interrupt, the president became visibly frustrated. “’Ma’am, let me finish,’ he said. ‘This is part of free speech, is you being able to speak, but also you listening. And me being able to speak. Alright?’ “Benjamin was later reportedly removed from the hall after refusing to be silent. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the political activist group Code Pink, is removed by security after speaking out against President Barack Obama during his speech on counterterrorism at the National Defense University on May 23, 2013 at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C. UPI/Kevin Dietsch <http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-1351369336206/2013/4/60b91e0733a89cb8e45a7f4512a3fbcb/VIDEO-Obama-heckled-repeatedly-during-Gitmo-speech.jpg> “’I’m going off script as you might expect here,’ Obama quipped. ‘The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to. Obviously, I do not agree with much of what she said, and obviously she wasn’t listening to me in much of what I said.’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C-SPAN TV - March 5th, 2013 Q&A with Medea Benjamin www.c-spanvideo.org/program/311309-1 This is an Excellent Interview on C-SPAN TV with Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of CODEPINK: www.codepink.org . Medea is Interviewed by Brian Lamb on March 5th, 2013. This week on Q & A, our guest is author and co-founder of CODEPINK, Medea Benjamin. She discusses her new book: “Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control” and explains why she believes the use of military drones should be stopped. She talks about what motivated her in her early years to become an activist for peace, and provides insight into CODEPINK s origins and motivations. She discusses many of her disruptions of congressional hearings and public appearances, and talks about the experience of spending time in a jail cell overnight. She reflects on her early days of activism and recalls how the Vietnam War inspired her first protest. She shares stories from her visits to pre-war Iraq, including an encounter with a border guard in Iraq who was studying Hebrew. She responds to accusations by critics that she is anti-American by saying she would describe herself as a passionate American. She reveals many of the tactics her group employs in organizing demonstrations, and talks about the varied receptions her outbreaks receive from committee chairmen. Medea Benjamin got a B.S. in political science in 1973 from Tufts University. She earned her M.A. in public health from Columbia University in 1975 and an M.A. in economics in 1977 from the New School in New York. She co-founded Global Exchange in 1988 and in 2000 ran as the Green Party Candidate for the U.S. Senate in California. In 2002, she co-founded Code Pink: Women for Peace. She is the author and editor of several books. Her first book Bridging the Global Gap: A Handbook to Linking Citizens of the First and Third Worlds, was published in 1989. <http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/311309-1> 59 minutes Views Medea Benjamin <http://www.codepink.org/img/original/Media.jpg> http://www.codepink.org/img/original/Media.jpg Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. She has been an advocate for social justice for more than 30 years. Described as "one of America’s most committed -- and most effective -- fighters for human rights" by New York Newsday, and called "one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement" by the Los Angeles Times, Medea has distinguished herself as an eloquent and energetic figure in the progressive movement. In 2005 she was one of 1,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the millions of women who do the essential work of peace worldwide. In 2010 she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Since the September 11, 2001 tragedy, Medea has been working to promote a U.S. foreign policy that would respect human rights and gain us allies instead of contributing to violence and undermining our international reputation. In 2000, she was a Green Party candidate for the California Senate. During the 1990s, Medea focused her efforts on tackling the problem of unfair trade as promoted by the World Trade Organization. Widely credited as the woman who brought Nike to its knees and helped place the issue of sweatshops on the national agenda, Medea was a key player in the campaign that won a $20 million settlement from 27 US clothing retailers for the use of sweatshop labor in Saipan. She also pushed Starbucks and other companies to start carrying fair trade coffee. Her work for justice in Israel/Palestine includes taking numerous delegations to Gaza after the 2008 Israeli invasion, organizing the Gaza Freedom March in 2010, participating in the Freedom Flotillas and opposing the policies of the Israel lobby group AIPAC. In 2011 she was in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian uprising and In 2012 she was part of a human rights delegation to Bahrain in support of democracy activists; she was tear-gassed, arrested and deported by the Bahraini government. A former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization, Benjamin is the author/editor of eight books. Her latest book is called Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, and she has been campaigning to get lethal drones out of the hands of the CIA. Her articles appear regularly in outlets such as The Huffington Post, CommonDreams, Alternet and OpEd News. Medea can be reached at: [email protected] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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