Look at all the beautiful people on this car. Iraqis, Afghanis are beautiful too. Their ladies are lovely, the men are handsome, their children cute. Why are we killing them? Call Congress, call your ministers!
I'm seventy-seven. Not be here much longer. Won't be around to counsel you. I'll be glad to be leaving. It's been a hard trip being a white American. I've lived all over the world and let me tell you we are hated as a nation. THERE'S a reason to call congressmen who vote for war on some little country!
Call Hillary Clinton. She voted for Bush's war - says she was fooled! But how come we weren't? Anyone with his or her head on straight knew it was about oil and still is. Can't just buy the oil? Have to kill for the oil.
Your Veterans request that you to help us politely ask our congressmen what they are doing about the un-American behavior of our presidential CIA. CIA files were made public showing a murderously criminal organization overthrowing democratically elected governments of smaller nations on the orders of many of our presidents to improve the earnings on investments of U.S. corporations. Is this what our United States of America is all about? Murder for money. Anybody care?
They tell us to be patriotic and go kill. But Bush's grandfather had his accounts seized for trading with Nazi Germany and Kennedy's father also made his fortune in the same way. They were not patriotic and neither is president Bush nor his father who ran the CIA as practice before he became president.
Media, Congress and our lying president, who puffs his chest up and cocks his elbows like a chimp, tells us we are spreading democracy. What an obvious scam. With all the intelligent people in this country, because of his powerful family, we have pathetic jerk in the White House? He does what he is told to do with absolutely no shame for the thousands upon thousands he has put a death sentence on. Bush being a puppet for the stupid and immoral rich makes scoundrels of all of us."
(A group of Afro-American and Latino passengers are smiling broadly.)
"Veterans For Peace is asking people to speak to their minister, priest or rabbi, your children's teachers about all this lawless killing, torturing and imprisoning suspects without trial.
Ask them what would Jesus say about all this. We know what Rev. Jeremiah Wright says Jesus would say. The same thing King Jr. said Jesus would say! Jesus would CONDEMN these wars!
How many of the nearly five thousand U.S. troops who deserted last year did so in the name of Jesus' teaching? God bless them!
Your cell phone calls are free after seven and on weekends. Leave a message for those Senators and Representatives who are backing the killing." Won't cost you a penny.
This is where I get off. You're on your own now. Thanks for listening. We holiday on King's birthday. Let's not have him died in vain. Every blessed one of us is a potentially powerful voice. Don't let yourselves down. Don't let you kids down and those kids we will be killing today and tomorrow. God Bless! Nobody is depressed when caring about others. Help your veterans stop the killing. Make a LOT of calls! You'll feel better about yourself I promise you. So will the secretary that hears your message. She is not making money from the wars. We need each other, every one of you is important!"
(Your journalist follows him off the train thinking how the experience on the subway had been personally uplifting and hopeful, especially for the appreciative response from those few passengers brave enough to the breach the stunned and embarrassed but attentive silent reaction of half of the riders. A young man is walking next to him and telling him to keep on – "Your right in what you are saying." A group of high-school kids who had been listening to him from their end of the car have surrounded him, "Who are you going to vote for?")
"Who am I going to vote for? Not a Republican or a Democrat! Michael Moore, the filmmaker says it truthfully, the Republicans are gangsters and the Democrats are pimps for the Republicans and the military-industrial complex.
Of course I hope Obama wins but he is a big favorite of the corporations who own the media and the government. I will vote for a non-capitalist party, either Socialist or the Green Party. Obama will easily carry New York – doesn't need my vote. But even Obama can only do so much without massive citizen involvement, and media keeps the people entertained and distracted. Capitalist presidents make wars; if Obama turns out to be different they might just have to kill him."
(The kids giggle and shout we want Obama to win too. "He's cool!" as they run off.)
(I finally have the veteran activist speaker to myself as we go through the turnstile.)
I ask, "Excuse me sir, my name is Jay Janson; I'm a journalist; would like very much to interview you."
Vet: "Sure, I have a doctor's appointment at the VA hospital, but I have a few minutes."
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