[Peace-discuss] Kathy Kelly & Huckabee

[C. G. Estabrook]

	Peace Activists Occupy Huckabee's Iowa Campaign Office:
	Protesters Ask Former Baptist Minister, "Who Would Jesus Bomb?"
	by Mike Ferner

Des Moines -- With 40 percent of Iowa's Republican caucus voters 
expected to come from the ranks of conservative Christians, peace 
activists occupied Mike Huckabee's campaign headquarters in Iowa's 
capital city today with signs asking the former Baptist minister, "Who 
Would Jesus Bomb?"

Eight members of the Iowa Occupation Project and Voices for Creative 
Nonviolence arrived at Huckabee's Locust St. campaign office early 
Monday afternoon, waiting for the former Arkansas governor's reply to a 
letter delivered two months ago that sought his pledge to completely 
withdraw from Iraq within 100 days of assuming office; halt all military 
actions against Iraq and Iran; fund the rebuilding of Iraq as well as 
health, education and infrastructure needs in the U.S.; and ". . . the 
highest quality health care, education and jobs training benefits for 
veterans of our country's Armed Services."

Brian Terrell, director of the Catholic Peace Ministry in Des Moines, 
said approximately 35 reporters, including a number of international 
journalists, were at Huckabee's office during the protest.

Terrell said in addition to the "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" banner, the 
eight protesters held signs that read, "End Iraq War" and "No War with 
Iran," sang the refrain from "Auld Lang Syne," chanted 'Who Would Jesus 
Bomb?' and then read names of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers killed in the war.

Sgt. Vincent Valdez of the Des Moines Police Department said officers 
responded to an early afternoon complaint from the Huckabee Campaign 
office and arrested Robert Braam, Mona Shaw, and Kathy Kelly, on charges 
of trespassing.  He said the three were among a group "holding signs, 
singing, and reading aloud, basically making a disturbance."  Valdez 
said the officers had no trouble making the arrests and the three were 
taken to the Polk County jail.

In a news release issued earlier by the Des Moines Catholic Worker, 
Kelly, co-director of VCNV, was quoted as saying, "We're very respectful 
of the Iowa caucus process and the long history behind it but we feel 
quite strongly that the issues of this war must be inserted into the 
process of narrowing down the candidates for the presidential election."

Huckabee spokesperson, Eric Woolson, could not be reached for comment 
after several attempts.

Mike Ferner is a freelance writer from Ohio.

URL: mrzine.monthlyreview.org/ferner311207.html