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Original Content at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Sheehan-Challenges-Fed-wit-by-mikel-weisser-080925-531.html (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). |
September 25, 2008
Sheehan Challenges Fed with Impromptu Street Theatre Protest
By mikel weisser
On the steps of San Francisco's Federal Reserve Bank today four pm, Thursday Sept.25. San Francisco branch of the Fed is located at 101 Market St (Corner of Market and Spear).
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In her latest campaign update, Cindy Sheehan has launched an overnight attack against the proposed 700 billion dollar Wall Street bailout by taking her protest right to the steps of San Francisco’s Federal Reserve Bank today 4 pm, Thursday Sept. 25. The Sheehan campaign, which frequently uses nationwide email appeals to coordinate combined campaign and activist efforts, announced the impromptu protest via email late Wednesday afternoon. Echoing the fast growing populist nation wide rejection of the Wall Street bailout, Sheehan’s email campaign update, condemned Wall Street CEOs as “corporate pirates” and dubbed the bail out as a “crime of historic proportions.” Sheehan, who is campaigning as an independent candidate opposing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for San Francisco’s congressional seat, once again noted Democratic complicity in the current economic disasters, which have been built by decades of bipartisan congressionally endorsed deregulation. Sheehan characterized the entire “incestuous corporate/government co-operation” as “an irresponsible and greedy industry that is failing because of unregulated speculation and predatory lending and trading practices.” The protest should provide some flair and drama for downtown rush hour Bay City spectators. Using play money and actual foreclosure notices, Sheehan hopes to create some of the street theater protest style popular with groups like Code Pink for Peace, a group Sheehan has long been associated with. Though neither the national nor the San Francisco area Code Pink websites mention an affiliation with the Sheehan Federal Reserve protest, several components of the planned performance are reminiscent of the highly entertaining and colorful Code Pink events. In the email, Sheehan calls on all citizens hit by crisis in the credit and financial industries to join in the Thursday afternoon protest at the San Francisco offices of the Federal Reserve Bank and come with their bills and foreclosure notices as props for the protest. To further enhance the symbolism of giving middle and lower income taxpayer money to struggling Wall Street billionaires, Sheehan’s campaign is calling for interested activists to bring Monopoly money to the protest for a ritual burning. According to Sheehan, the Monopoly money bonfires are meant “to symbolize our government's burning of its fiat currency in wholly inappropriate response to the economy and to show our opposition to the apparent onset of a hyper-inflation cycle.” The call to drama goes on to read in part: Bring your past-due mortgage bills.
At a time when many are fearing a chilling of American dissent in the wake of the DNC and RNC crackdowns, Sheehan’s bold Federal Reserve street theater in San Francisco today is bound to inspire some Bay Area activists with funny money to burn. For those in San Francisco or environs interested and wanting information, the contact number for the Sheehan campaign office is 415-621-5027 and here is a link to the Cindy for Congress website. The San Francisco branch of the Fed is located at 101 Market St (Corner of Market and Spear).