Veterans for Peace Starts Campaign Against War Profiteers

Veterans for Peace Starts Campaign Against War Profiteers

By Dan Bacher

Around 100 Members of Veterans for Peace, a national organization of anti-war veterans, and their supporters began a campaign against war profiteers with a picket at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento on Veterans Day, November 11.

As they arrived, some rowdy looking bikers and self-styled patriots on Harley Davidsons holding signs saying, "If you like free speech, thank a marine," jostled with the veterans in front of the Radisson. However, after holding a counter-protest for about an hour amidst the anti-war activists, the pro-war bikers roared off on their bikes into the horizon.

Why the Radisson? The Radisson maintains a facility for the exclusive use of Sacramento MEPS, the Military Entrance Processing Station, according to Cres Vellucci of Veterans for Peace (VFP). “Every individual who enters the military from Fresno to the Oregon border is indoctrinated and housed at The Radisson prior to testing and entrance into the military,” said Vellucci.

At 11 am, the veterans and their supporters offered a memorial tribute to the hundreds of California men and woman who have been sacrificed in an illegal war based on Bush administration lies. As each name was read, Kate Kennedy of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom rang a bell to remember the life of each soldier.

Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and other organizations joined the veterans group in reading the names of the California victims of Bush’s war. They also paid special tribute to those who spent a night at The Radisson before their fatal journey to Iraq began. George Main, VFP Chapter 87 President, said that 33 young people perished in Iraq after staying at the hotel.

The Radisson has denied VFP's request for access to distribute informational literature that would help potential recruits make a more informed decision.

“The Radisson is a major player in the effort by the U.S. Armed Forces to recruit people for the war in Iraq,” stated Main. “Our organization is not allowed to bring the truth about the military to these young men and women before they go to Iraq.”

“We’ve just started our campaign against the war profiteers,” said Pat Driscoll, founder of the Sacramento chapter of VFP. “We have made these signs reusable so that after we get the Radisson to withdraw from war profiteering, we can go after Halliburton, Aerojet and other companies than profit from the deaths of our soldiers in Iraq.”

Dan Buckley of the Gold Country Chapter of Veterans for Peace noted the irony of the pro-war folks' claim that they are "supporting the troops" while the Bush regime and Republicans in Congress consistently vote against veteran’s benefits.

“They support the war, but they don’t support the veterans,” said Buckley. “We know that Bush is a coward and a traitor to the veterans of our country.”

Joshua of the Sacramento Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, who was in Iraq from February 2003 to February 2004, personally went through the MEPS Processing at the Radisson before he entered the military. During his stay, he saw three of his buddies die in combat. “I don’t want to support anybody like the Radisson who profits from the war,” he said.

After the protest ended and Driscoll went back to his car, he reported that a tire on his vehicle was found slashed and destroyed.

Driscoll did not directly accuse any particular person of the crime, but said the slash in his tire sidewall appeared to be made by a knife and followed the confrontation with the dozen motorcycle riders who jostled peace demonstrators and held signs supporting the Bush regime’s war in Iraq.

"I have been clearly identified by those supporting the war as an opponent of the policies of the Bush Administration and the war. Our local Veterans for Peace president has had threatening phone calls at home, and now my tire has been slashed," said Pat Driscoll, who ran for Congress in 2004 and a Special Election in 2005 in the 5th District on the Green Party ticket.

Vellucci said VFP plans to conduct regular pickets at the hotel until it agrees to stop profiting from the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq. Other Radisson hotels statewide may also be targeted for protest.

The protest on Friday was followed by the Sacramento Veterans Day Parade on Saturday. VFP, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), after being invited to the event by the parade organizers, marched in a contingent past the reviewing stand in front of the State Capitol along with the other military and veteran’s organizations.