TROOPS HOME FAST

A Letter from Louie Vitale, OFM

While attending the Global Exchange event in San Francisco last month Medea Benjamin approached me about joining the Troops Home Fast being sponsored by Code Pink and other organizations in front of the White House. I figured I am good for a 30 day fast so said yes. I am still on sabbatical until the end of August, but my provincial said I have been assigned to peace and justice ministry and I should go for it…he wants me to do it. They were only worried about my health.

The original commitment was for two weeks for the “long fasters.” Some intended to go longer. A couple made it indefinite. overall the fast lasts until September 21 when the Declaration of Peace hopes to have a commitment from Congress to a planned withdrawal or they will begin a lot of activity, especially civil disobedience, to make it happen. This includes continued fasting. But the fasting includes folks who are doing a day a week, rolling fasts (changing off) and whatever folks feel they can commit to. Over 5,000 people have made a commitment. I began with a water only fast (my usual}. After a while I got a lot of pressure to add juices. I did do that. Now I am back on water for the last of our 30 days. At first I lost (maybe 10-15 pounds, then held steady and even gained a couple of pounds. I feel good. The hardest part is the heat. We are on the street quite a bit. Also we spent a lot of time visiting offices of Congress people. It was very tiring.

As many of you know it is very hard to go to these offices. Most have made their positions based on political acceptance, especially with the elections so close. At least they gave us cold water! Most are shy of a definite commitment to a time plan. There are some good bills in the congress-Harkins in the Senate and Thomkins in the House, also Barbara Lee and McGovern. Murtha is the most popular (100 co-signers), but it doesn’t ask for a deadline. We insist the majority of US folks and 87% of Iraqis want us to leave so they can struggle within themselves to find a solution. We have also gone to committee meetings. Code Pink has a reputation for “tellling truth to power” while they are present. A couple of times I joined in either with a sign (not permitted in hearings) or calling out. When Attorney General Gonzales came in to answer the Supreme Court decision that they have to adhere to the Geneva Convention and Universal Code of Military Justice they all danced around the major issue—torture at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, so when they ended I called out “No more Torture”, On one occasion we got a picture in the paper for just holding up a sign. Yesterday British Prime Minister Blair came to visit the President. We are convinced they did a terrible deed in starting this war, based on false information. So we sat in front of the driveway gate calling on them to get us out of Iraq. Finally we were arrested. We were taken to the police station cited (. fine) and released. I also had a chance to go to the Korean War memorial for the annual memorial day service. Since I am technically Korean Vet I wanted to go, also Vice-President Cheney was speaking, so I went. No one mentioned the current war, so when the Military Ordinariate (Bishop for the troops) gave a benediction without any encouragement to end the Iraq war (also Lebanon) I chanted “stop the war” and again was escorted (politely) out. Before that I went to a breakfast for Nevadans, invited by Senator Harry Reid. But when the staff came they said I wasn’t on the list. Two Capital Police escorted me out and presented me to “Interrogators.” I never heard that word before except in movies such as “The Road to Guantanamo.” We had two groups asking me all kinds of questions, my motivation (to be at a breakfast) or who I was with. The police noticed I was still wearing the armband I got in jail in Georgia, that I wore to remember my cell-mates.

That resulted in many more questions. This lasted over an hour. I also told them that I had an appointment with a staff member for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. So they checked that out, I was on his list. So they finally escorted me there and then waited, after the meeting they escorted me out of the Capitol and told me to stay away—no more breakfasts. At least a nice lady from Honduras setting up gave me a glass of orange juice before anyone else came. I still don’t know what happened. Medea insisted I wear my Franciscan garb. It seems to be getting very known in the halls of power. Anyway we get a word in here and there. I truly believe the power comes from the fasting. But it is good to call attention publicly and break the silence that can be deafening.

A result of the fasting is an invitation from 4 members of the Iraqi Parliament to come to Jordan (where they live) and discuss the 28 point plan (especially those last four points). I was asked to go. It is an exceptional opportunity to hear directly from them. This will ground our call for a Declaration of Peace which calls for a withdrawal plan based on the hopes of the Iraqi people. I am excited to be a part of this. In addition some of us will try to go to Beirut to express our concern about the terrible destruction and loss of lives there with the support of the US. We will only be in the North, not where the attacks are taking place. I have full permission from my Provincial (after asking me if it is safe) and said he fully supports my going, he wants me to go. That is my mission. So I go happily and willingly. I have never been in the Middle East so I am anxious for this experience. Since I am still on my sabbatical I consider this the kind of learning experience I wanted to have. It will be under the auspices of Global Exchange and supervised by Medea Benjamin, a great leader and very well versed in the situation. Happily the sabbatical fund from the Archdiocese of San Francisco will bear the expenses of this learning endeavor.

My role in Pace e Bene is to activate nonviolent responses to peace and justice issues, and this is a perfect opportunity. I feel very good and animated. I regret that I will miss the August 6 anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima at the Nevada Test Site. But I will carry that with me. I also am most unhappy that I will miss seeing my side-kick Friar Jerry Zawada there (who has just been released from prison) but I hope to catch up with him in Chicago on my way back. We leave for Jordan on the 4th. They insist we end our fast so we will enjoy a feast with them. We should return about Aug. 10. After Chicago I expect to return to San Francisco. I am reassigned to St. Elizabeth Friary in Oakland, as of Aug. 1, so I will come back to move. Hope to see most of you then. Please keep all of this in your prayers, as I do you…

Peace, love and hope,
Louie