Liam Madden and Nate Lewis, both 24, were taken into custody by military police shortly before 6 p.m. for stepping onto federal property, according to post spokeswoman Monica Manganaro. A third unidentified protester was also detained for committing the same infraction approximately 30 minutes after Madden and Lewis were arrested, Manganaro added.
Lewis and Madden, both members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, were charged with criminal trespass. They, along with six other members of the anti-war organization, are currently on a bus tour protesting military bases around the country and speaking to soldiers. The group's tour bus was parked outside the stone gate on Fort Benning Road off Victory Drive, Manganaro said.
Michael Blake, 24, of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said his comrades didn't break the law intentionally. They simply crossed a line that wasn't clearly marked, he said.
The above is from Lily Gordon's "Three war protesters arrested at Fort Benning: Part of bus tour that stopped in Columbus on Sunday" (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) and follows on, noted Friday (and also in The Third Estate Sunday Review's ""Editorial: War Resistance Is All Around") Adam Kokesh, Nate Lewis, Mike Blake, Sholom Keller and Steve Mortillo's arrest Friday for wearing IVAW t-shirts on the Fort Jackson base. As Gordon notes, Iraq Veterans Against the War are near the end of their summer base tour (a topic big media covered, credit them for that, while small media, with few exceptions, took a pass). Their next stop is a fundraiser in Philadelphia on June 3rd at 6:00 pm; a fundraiser in NYC on July 5th at 7:00 pm; the Naval Sub Marine Base in Groton, CT on July 6th at 7:00 pm; and concluding at Fort Drum in NY on July 8th at 4:00 pm.
Kyle notes this from Editor & Publisher's "'Inquirer' Backs Sen. Lugar's Call for Changing Iraq Policy:"
NEW YORK Few newspaper editorials have backed the beginning of a pullout - or "redeployment" -- in Iraq, despite polls showing the support of about 2 out of 3 Americans for such a measure. Only a handful commented on the unexpected call last week by a leading Republican in the Senate for such a shift. Now the Philadelphia Inquirer, in a Sunday editorial, has backed Lugar.
Kyle wondered about this topic in terms of The Third Estate Sunday Review? No, it didn't go into the print edition only, we just forgot the topic. We'll grab it next week. Turning to England, James in Brighton highlights Tom Baldwin's "Washington uneasy over Brown’s anti-war ministers" (Times of London):
Gordon Brown’s appointment of ministers critical of the Bush Administration and the Iraq war has triggered unease in Washington after the departure of its close ally, Tony Blair.
Although the new Prime Minister emphasises his belief in the importance of Britain’s relationship with President Bush and the US, he has also delivered what one Pentagon source described yesterday as “some conflicting signals”.
The same source said that “eyebrows had been raised” over the decision to give a senior ministerial job at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Lord Malloch-Brown, the former Deputy UN Secretary-General, who has attacked Mr Bush’s “megaphone diplomacy” and America’s attitude to multilateralism.
Lloyd steers us to Peter Baker's "A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease" (Washington Post):
At the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers. One at a time or in small groups, he summons leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House to join him in the search.
Looking for answers but he doesn't even have the right questions. 9-11 will not justify his actions currently or in the future. (Read the article.) But it's always been his go-to and catch-all excuse.
We'll close with the opening of IRIN's "IRAQ: UNHCR calls for evacuation of seriously ill Palestinian children:"
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called for an immediate evacuation of at least a dozen seriously ill Palestinians, mostly children who are stuck in Baghdad and in a makeshift camp on the Iraq-Syria border. The agency said the children could die if they are not evacuated. "We currently have 12 cases in urgent need of medical evacuation, the youngest just 15 months old. Without evacuation and life-saving medical help, they could die or suffer lifelong complications," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond said on 29 June. Last week, a UNHCR team visited al-Walid camp, home to 1,071 Palestinians on the Iraqi side of the border, and identified children suffering from Hodgkin's disease, a hole in the heart and vascular problems, as well as a young man with severe diabetes who is losing his eyesight.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
adam kokesh
liam madden
iraq veterans against the war
lily gordon
peter bakerthe washington post
