The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK RNC coordinator, 415-342-6409 Jodie Evans, co-founder, 310-621-5635 Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, 508-769-2138

CODEPINK To "Raise A Ruckus" at Republican Convention!

WHAT: CODEPINK to bring peace message and tough questions to RNC
WHEN: Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 WHERE: Republican National Convention, St. Paul.
CODEPINK headquarters: Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince St. St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL

WHAT: CODEPINK to bring peace message and tough questions to RNC
WHEN: Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 WHERE: Republican National Convention, St. Paul.
CODEPINK headquarters: Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince St. St. Paul

ST. PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS - For the past week, the leading anti-war
group CODEPINK brought the peace message to delegates at the Democratic
National Convention and made headlines from The Denver Post, Salon.com to Comedy Central with their vivacious, creative peace spirit!
At this week's Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities,
nearly 100 members of the women-initiated group will make more
headlines with vibrant demonstrations, interruptions, creative
costumes, songs, banners and hard questions for delegates and
politicians gathered there. Some of our major events include:

On Sunday, Aug. 31:

*From 1 to 2 p.m., CODEPINK
members will march, ride pink peace bikes, sing and rally down Nicollet
Mall to Loring Park in Minneapolis, in the Liberty Parade 2008, a
nonpartisan musical celebration of shared values - liberty, freedom,
justice and free speech. (For more details, visit https://www.libertyparade2008.com/site/).

*From 5 to 7 p.m. they will host the "Reclaiming the
Constitution" event at the RNC's Civic Fest at the Convention Center at
1301 2nd Ave. S. They'll carry an enormous paper Constitution - carried
by several people at once -- and celebrate freedom of speech by saying
"Dissent is Patriotic!" "We Want A Peace Candidate!" "Close
Guantanamo!" "Restore Habeus Corpus!" and "I Miss America!"

*At 9 p.m. CODEPINK will host its "They Spy, They Lie, We Pay,
They Profit!" protest outside the AT&T Salute to Screen Actors
Guild at the Fine Line Music Cafe at 318 First Ave N. Minneapolis.
We'll protest Republicans passing of the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillence Act (FISA) that gave telecoms like AT & T
(unconstitutional wiretapping and access to our communications without
a warrant. (We'll host this again 8 p.m. Weds. outside an AT & T
event at Brit's Pub at 1110 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis).

On Monday, Sept. 1:

*At 10 a.m. CODEPINK will host the
a "Pro-Life, Pro-Democracy" pink parade within the anti-war march and
rally at the Assembly at Cass Gilbert Memorial Park (at Cedar St and
Sherburne Ave.) in St. Paul. Their parade will be non-confrontational,
with puppets, colorful props and banners meant to inspire curiosity and
hope for change.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2:

*At 4 p.m., CODEPINK will "drop"
huge banners with "Build Bridges, Not War!" messages off of the
overpasses over highways 94E and 35E, perfectly timed for when
Republican delegates are bussed through to St. Paul to the Xcel Center.

*At 8:30 p.m., they will stage a protest outside a Big Oil
fundraiser at Epic Entertainment, at 510 1st Ave. N Minneapolis, to
demonstrate against the Republican's devotion to the interest of Big
Oil companies instead of the American people. Wearing yellow "Support
Our Oil Companies" ribbons, waving "Freedom Flags" (flags with the
logos of the major oil companies) and showering our fellow delegates
with millions of "Oily Dollars, " CODEPINK will mock Republicans
support for more oil wars, surging gas prices and obscene profits for
Big Oil, drilling everywhere regardless of consequences, and "no" to
clean and renewable energy funding.

On Wednesday, Sept. 3:

*At 10 a.m., in full costume,
CODEPINK will host a "Women Say No To War Pageant" at 5th St. and
Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, right outside the Republican National
Committee's "welcome rally" for John McCain.

On Thursday, Sept. 4: *At 10 a.m., wearing in pink
police uniforms, peace "gardeners" gear, "pink slips," and formal "I
Miss America" wear, CODEPINK will raise a ruckus to "Bust McCain"
around Peavey Plaza, near the delegate hotels.

*At 4 p.m., CODEPINK members and friends will form a human peace
sign in Harriet Island Park (Plato Blvd.), to be photographed from the
sky as a beautiful, living art image. It'll be as powerful as our "Make
Out Not War" image created at the DNC (view it on The Huffington Post here).

For more CODEPINK RNC events, and to check for updates, please visit our online DNC and RNC calendar, updated frequently, here: www.codepinkalert.org/conventionscalendar. For questions, please call Jean Stevens at 508-769-2138.

******************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK RNC coordinator, 415-342-6409 Jean Stevens, national media coordinator, 508-769-2138

Join
CODEPINK, Global Exchange, Oil Change, Rain Forest Action Network and
the Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane as we "Support Our Oil
Companies!"

WHAT: Demonstration against party hosted by Gov. Haley Barbour's and American Petroleum Institute (API) WHEN: 8:30 p.m., Tues., Sept. 2 WHERE: 510 1st Ave N, Minneapolis, MN

MINNEAPOLIS
- Join CODEPINK and other coalition groups in our demonstration against
the Republican party hosted by Mississippi Gov. Haley "Offshore
Drilling" Barbour and the American Petroleum Institute (API), the
leading "Big Oil" lobbyist group in D.C., whose board is composed of
the chief executive officers of every major oil company.
Minneapolis-based agribusiness giant Cargill is teaming up with Big
Oil to rapidly consolidate control over the entire agrofuel sector.
Agrofuels are not low emissions, they are driving massive tropical
deforestation, are linked to human rights abuses, and they pit food
against fuel.
We'll mock Republican support for more oil wars, surging gas prices
and obscene profits for Big Oil, drilling everywhere regardless of
consequence and saying "no" to clean and renewable energy funding by
wearing yellow "Support Our Oil Companies" ribbons, waving "Freedom
Flags" (flags with the logos of the major oil companies) and showering
our fellow delegates with millions of "Oily Dollars" that Big Oil gives
back to Republican candidates (74 percent of their contributions) and
the $1.1 million Senator John McCain received from oil executives and
employees immediately after reversing his previous opposition to
offshore drilling.
CODEPINK, Global Exchange, Oil Change, Rain Forest Action Network
and the Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane had no part in
organizing this Republican Rally. For more CODEPINK RNC events, and to check for updates, please visit our online DNC and RNC calendar, updated frequently, here: www.codepinkalert.org/conventionscalendar. For questions, please call Jean Stevens at 508-769-2138.

####

CODEPINK, founded in 2002, is a women-initiated
grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in
Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into health care,
education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush
administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead
call for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to
international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women
and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of
peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to
non-violence. www.codepinkalert.org.

CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.

(818) 275-7232