Fort Worth Republican Straw Poll Draws Peace Activists Labor Day Weekend

The Fort Worth Republican Straw poll kicks off at the Fort Worth Convention Center Saturday, September 1^st, and a "Texas Town Hall" polling and peace rally organized by Texans for Peace will coincide nearby. The American People's Poll on Iraq is being held to send a message to elected officials regarding the American people's belief in the need to bring our troops home.

While the Republican Straw Poll is being held to gauge Texan support for the candidates for presidential nomination, many top-tier candidates (Romney, Giuliani) have declined to attend. Ron Paul, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and California Rep. Duncan Hunter are expected. This is the first straw poll to be held in Texas in years, since it the state always went easily to Bush in the past. Only delegates are allowed to vote in the Republican poll, which is an informal gauge of opinion, while outside everyone will be able to let their feelings on Iraq be heard.

Non-partisan national, state, and regional organizations, have endorsed the outside event. The groups span a wide range of backgrounds and include Iraq Veterans Against The War, Veterans for Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families Speak Out; Grassroots America, Dallas Peace Center, Peace Action Texas, Crawford Peace House, Code Pink Women for Peace, Camp Casey Peace Institute, After Downing Street, and many others. The organizers stress the non-partisanship of the event and that this is not a demonstration against the Republican party.

In a statement being released August 28th, Texans For Peace founder Charlie Jackson says, "We're not protesting the Republicans... we're simply saying the people have spoken on this issue [the war], and with one voice, they've said that we need to bring our troops home. We're just here to remind the Republicans--and everyone else--that the people have already voted for peace."

Polling will begin at 9 AM outside the Fort Worth Convention Center and continue until 5 PM. Parking in the downtown Fort Worth area is free and plentiful. Also, the event is being held directly across from Fort Worth's largest transit center, making attendance by train or bus a convenient choice. Volunteers will be at the ITC station at 12:30 to meet visitors going to the rally.

Pre-rally entertainment begins at 1 PM. The line-up includes award winning guitarist/songwriter Carolyn Wonderland, spoken word artist Rick Burnley, Grateful Dead revival band Forgotten space and several other rock and blues artists. The full list of speakers and entertainers as well as free tickets can be found at the Texans For Peace website.

The peace rally gets underway at 1:30 and lasts until 3:30. Admission is free, however printing a ticket in advance is necessary so organizers can estimate crowd size and organize logistics. Two of the notable speakers are Colonel Ann Wright, who resigned from the State Department to protest the war, and Tundee Obazee of Empowerment Radio. Leonard Shelton, Hart Viges, and Adam Kokesh, of Iraq Veterans Against the War will be speaking, as will Carlos Arredondo, whose son Alex was killed in 2004.

Activist groups and petitioners have been invited to attend. Groups representing varied causes have been made welcome to present their materials. Jackson says he hopes the event has the atmosphere of an old-fashioned fair, with family friendly activities and a child play area. "After all, " he states, "the future of this country will be written, not by the politicians, but by the people--moms and dads who want the best for their children and for the children of the world. That's what we're all about."

Source:

http://www.texansforpeace.org/peoplespoll/media.html