Military Families Speak Out
Michigan Chapter

The MFSO Midwest Chapter, in conjunction with Military Families Speak Out, Veterans For Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War is launching “Stop the Backdoor Draft – Honor the Fallen – Bring All Our Troops Home Now!”
 

You are invited to participate! Here’s how:
 
1 Sign the petition to end the Backdoor Draft at: http://www.mfsomissouri.org/Honor_the_fallen.html. You can also print out copies for others to sign. (download a copy here, pdf format)
2 Come to Washington, DC November 9th – 11th. See below for more details, and let us know at mfso@mfso.org if you are interested in participating.
3 Sponsor a Flag at: http://www.mfsomissouri.org/Honor_the_fallen.html These flags will be displayed on Veterans Day - more details are below. 
November 9th: Delivery of Petitions to end the Backdoor Draft to Donald Rumsfeld and Congress
 
• We will be going to the Pentagon to call on Donald Rumsfeld to end the Backdoor Draft:  
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently authorized the extension of several units in Iraq, as well as the recall of Marine Individual Ready Reservists (IRR). The continuing pattern of troop extension, re-deploying troops for multiple deployments, stop-loss, sending increasing numbers of National Guard troops on foreign deployments, and recalling the IRR -- a force that is supposed to be used in times of national emergency, not wars of choice based on lies -- is taking a huge toll on our troops and their families. As the violence continues to escalate, fueled by the on-going U.S. military occupation, the burden of the failures of this Administration is again falling on the troops who have given so much and the families back home who love them.
 
• We will be going to Congress to call on our Senators and Members of Congress to end the Back Door Draft, end the war in Iraq, Bring Our Troops Home NOW and Take Care of the Them When They Get Here: 
We are calling on Congress to show some leadership, take a stand and bring our troops home now. Although it was the President who ordered the troops into Iraq, Congress voted to allow this to happen, and Congress has continued to be complicit with George Bush’s war plan. They have consistently failed to challenge and question his actions, and they have continued to fund a war that should never have started. It is past time for all in Congress to take action to bring our troops home now and take care of them when they get here.
 
November 11th: Honor the Fallen

On Veterans Day we will honor the over 2,700 American service members and the tens of thousands of Iraq children, women and men who have died as a result of the war in Iraq.  We will establish a memorial with flags and other symbols on the National Mall, and will also visit Arlington National Cemetery.
 
These events promise to be a powerful reminder of  the human toll of this war, and a call to all our decision makers and all in our nation to support our troops, bring them home now, and take care of them when they get here.
 

We will be sending more information in the very near future. In the meantime, please let us know if you are interested in participating in these events in Washington, D.C.  -- send an email to mfso@mfso.org

Demanding Answers to Two Questions
MFSO Members Arrested in Front of White House
November 9, 2006

Just to set the story straight........

The reason we were arrested at the White House, Cindy Sheehan, Nancy Nahvi-(Dallas, Texas), Rebecca Bahr- (Phoenix, Arizona) and myself, Mikal Hutto-(Houston, Texas), was because we asked to see the president, sat down in front of the gate and refused to move until he came and answered our two questions.

First question, "What is this war for?"
Second question, "What does winning mean? Define winning this war."

It had nothing to do with the petition (to stop the back door draft). We had "delivered" the petition to the White House lawn much earlier, and had been taking turns all day reading the
names of all the soldiers who have died in Iraq. If you were watching CNN when Bush had his press conference announcing Rumsfeld's resignation, you could hear us. My son called me and told me he could hear me reading, and everyone chanting, "NOT ONE MORE", while the reporters were talking.

We are ALL military mothers, not just "three other women". Nancy's son,
Russell Nahvi, a medic died in Iraq, Oct. 19, 2005. Rebecca has a daughter
who has been to Iraq and is still active military. I have a son that just got
back from Iraq four weeks ago, and is active military.

There were actually three women from Texas arrested.

When we refused to move the crowd was growing, people were joining us off
the street even though it was cold, raining and getting dark. The police
decided the crowd was getting too big, so they used crime tape and taped off
about fifty feet square around us and told anyone they would be arrested if they
crossed the tape. Some people were tearing down the tape, but finally they
got it up. After the area was all cleared out they arrested us, and eventually charged us with "interfering with a government function".

Pretty odd when we all know this government does NOT function.

Peace,
Mikal
MFSO-Texas Chapter - www.mfsotx.org