DFA's Peace Plane...grounded by Super Bowl weather...to fly over Grammies

[madfloridian]

I love this idea. Jim Dean had even gone to Miami for the event, I think. But the weather was bad. They joined with Miami Veterans for Peace.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/19720#more

"A small group of members from Democracy for America Miami and Miami Veterans for Peace have come up with a novel approach to broadcasting a message to end the occupation of Iraq: an aerial banner that reads, "Bring Our Troops Home Now". These two groups decided to first try their idea at this year's Super Bowl in Miami, but bad weather prevented the plane from taking off. Now the organizers have turned their attention to this Sunday's Grammy Awards, which will be in Los Angeles. A plane has been leased to fly the same message over the Staples Center where the Grammys are taking place.

"Though Iraq is the number one issue in America, and though the vast majority of Americans want our troops home as expeditiously as possible, the Senate has decided not to even debate the occupation of Iraq," said Sam Feldman of Miami Veterans for Peace. "Therefore, we must broadcast the message over the rooftops of America until our elected officials show the same courage that our young men and women who are fighting in Iraq show every day."

DFAM is one of more than nine hundred Democracy for America groups throughout the country. DFAM is a grassroots group with the mission to support progressive candidates, clubs, and causes. For more information on DFAM, please visit the Democracy for America Link at: http://www.dfalink.com/group.php?id=32"



They also set up another Arlington memorial near the Super Bowl.

To visually illustrate how many soldiers have died in Iraq, DFA Miami set up over 2,000 tombstones (there was not enough space to erect the full 3,100) representing every US soldier that died in Iraq in the middle of Super Bowl festivities. Covering a two-block area on South Beach, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world took a moment to reflect on the human cost of war. Thousands of locals and tourists expressed their shock at the amount of individuals that have lost their lives for Bush’s Iraq folly. For every thousand guests that appreciated the memorial, there was one person that would shout ‘support the war’ and kept on walking. The event was very successful, gained multiple articles in local and national press, and raised money to maintain and spread the memorial to other areas in Florida. In addition, people that stopped by the tent signed a petition to get us out of Iraq and wrote a personal message to the families of fallen soldiers.

Yes, Jim was there. He was very moved.

DFA's own Jim Dean arrived on Sunday afternoon and was clearly moved by the event. "I had no idea from the photos just how impressive and moving this was until I saw it with my own eyes," he said. Jim then went on to help hand out literature and engage in discussions with the many who passed by the tent.

Kudos to the Miami DFA and Miami Veterans for Peace. They have done the Arlington memorial in several areas of Miami.

[madfloridian]

1. Write up and pics from another tribute they did.

Besides this needs one kick before it's gone. They work so hard there.

DFA: Arlington Miami..a Tombstone Tribute to the Iraq dead...rows and rows