I’ve received three (all the same) “2005 Critical National Issues Survey” from the “Friends of Hillary” over the past few months.I filled it out, with modifications, the first time and sent it in.

In the first part, you are supposed to rank a list of nine issues. The nine issues listed are:

· Economy/Jobs

· Environment

· Social Security

· Education

· Homeland Security

· Health Care

· Tax Cuts

· Reproductive Rights

· Separation of Church and State

Conspicuously absent from the list (which I added to the side, and then ranked with the rest) are:

· Ending the Iraq War

· Getting rid of the Patriot Act

· Reducing Military Spending

· Promotion of Fair Trade over Free Trade

· Debt Relief to Africa

In the second part, there are a number of questions that are asked about which party you trust on various issues. The only two choices given on each question is Democrat and Republican. I added Green Party to each with a hand-drawn box that I checked off.

In the section for additional comments I added: Senator Clinton voted to give Bush war powers – bad move. I vote Green Party because they are ANTI-WAR, anti-corporate rule, and represent my values. I will donate only to pro-peace candidates. Get us out of Iraq!

I remember how rabid the right-wing got about Hillary way back when Clinton took office. I had no problem with her at the time, and I knew that the main reason conservatives detested Hillary was because she was a strong woman who had been labeled that nasty “L” word – liberal.

I’ve seen many instances over the years where Hillary could have done the right thing, but sold out, mostly for political gain.

Back in March of 2003, the CODE PINK anti-war group had several events in Washington D.C. Thanks to a donation of a friend’s frequent flyer miles and being able to share a hotel room with some other women, I was able to attend.

Two days before the march was a lobbying event. We had planned to give “pink slips” to senators that supported giving Bush war powers, and pink medals of courage to those that had opposed the war. I met Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and several other pink women at the NOW offices in D.C. where we packed our pink gear in bags and split up in cabs headed for the senate office buildings.

We made it past security and headed for the women’s restroom to change in to our pink berets and other pink paraphernalia.

In the restroom I was teaching a couple of women part of a chant that the radical cheerleaders in Salt Lake had used, and we modified it for Hillary, the first office we planned to visit. It went like this:

We’re putting our bodies on the line
Trying to stop war while there’s still time
We’re putting our bodies on the line
Hillary, it’s time to get some spine!

We stormed Hillary’s office, scaring her staff. There were probably 25-30 of us with some press stuffed in the fairly small outer office, holding up clothesline with dyed pink slips with various messages. The chant I had taught a couple of women spread to the whole group, and we did that chant and sang some peace songs, while Hillary’s staff tried to find someone to talk to us.

Hillary’s chief of staff came out to talk with us and somehow we moved out into the hallway,where Medea cornered her. I can’t remember what Medea said, but I remember being so impressed with how eloquent and passionate she was. It was agreed that the chief of staff would arrange a meeting between Hillary Clinton and us later in the day.

We went to a few other offices, Diane Feinstein and Ted Kennedy among others, but were unable to arrange meetings with the Senators, and ended up talking mostly with staff. We then met a few blocks away for a lobbying “debriefing”; we were joined with more Code Pinkers and then headed for our meeting with Senator Clinton.

After some time, I wondered if the meeting would happen at all, as Senator Clinton was very late. We were finally admitted into a waiting room, but we weren’t allowed to bring in our clothesline, so several of us put the pink slips on over our clothing.

While we waited for Senator Clinton, we sang, and the chant I had taught earlier had now evolved into a song. Many women were dancing and all of us were singing. The atmosphere in the room felt like a celebration of peace and hope.

Senator Clinton finally arrived, and I think that many of us were quite awed that we’d actually been able to meet with Hillary. Senator Clinton seemed very tired when she came into the room. She spent some time explaining her position on Iraq, and wouldn’t back off on going to war, even when Medea talked about Hillary’s position on “It takes a village” and asked about the children of Iraq, something she knew a lot about, as she and several other CODE PINK women had visited Iraq to meet with everyday Iraqis.

Finally, when it was determined that she had no intention of changing her stance on war, Jodie Evans took off her pink slip, which said “Hillary, you’re fired!” and handed it to her.

Senator Clinton got very angry, saying “I’m the Senator from New York, and I will not do anything that will put people at risk” or something along those lines, and she stormed out as almost all of us responded with, “But you are!” very much aware that war on Iraq would be more likely to increase terrorist numbers than to diminish them.

The energy in the room, a few minutes before feeling so positive, was now quite different. I was amazed how powerful her anger with us was, it was palpable.

As much as I’d like to see a woman as president, it is this incident and Hillary’s record of selling out what were probably once good principles that has convinced me that I will not support her for president. There’s no guarantee that the good things that does still support will get any support from her as president, either.

There’s been talk of running Cindy
Sheehan as an alternative to Hillary, and I would really like to see the Green Party run a woman in the next presidential election.

Waiting to Pink Slip Hillary March 2003 We weren't allowed to bring in these props, so many of us put the pink slips on over our clothing

Code Pink and Hillary Clinton March 2003 Poor quality photo I took with a disposable camera. Senator Clinton is standing up in bluish-green, and Medea Benjamin in standing to the left of her.

The article about our meeting with Senator Clinton from Common Dreams includes a couple of photos.