Download PDF of this full issue: v36n2.pdf (13.7 MB)

Camp Democracy Takes Aim At the Bush Administration

By Michael Rinaman

Surrounded by the shadows of the monuments on the Mall in DC, Camp Democracy claimed its own ground. This year, the camp had an impressive itinerary of speeches, discussions, and protests scheduled for its seventeen-day run, beginning on September 5. All of it was aimed at accomplishing peace, democracy, and the rule of law.

Camp Democracy began last year when individuals participating in Camp Casey ventured from their protest site in Crawford, Texas, and congregated in Washington DC. The protesters seek to create a dialogue on many issues, including the war in Iraq, military policy, and immigration.

Participants in the camp were able to get out their messages using a combination of political protest and the distribution of information.

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace participated in a sit-in on September 12. The individuals, all participants in Camp Democracy, delivered a letter to Oregon congressman Peter DeFazio's office. It documented the telephone numbers of Suzanne Swift's chain of command.

Swift, who served in Iraq and was sexually harassed by three of her commanding officers, has been attempting to report the incident to the proper authorities. Until now, she has been disregarded, and she even faces court-martial after suffering a PTSD-induced breakdown that caused her to go absent without leave.

The protesters refused to leave DeFazio's office until he took appropriate actions concerning Swift's case. They scored a victory against sexual harassment in the military when the congressman agreed to meet with Swift's mother and to hold an official press conference immediately following the discussion.

A protest held on September 11 was not so lucky. Four Iraq War veterans and another supporter attended the first open house at the Pentagon since the attacks, then left pamphlets at the chapel containing information about the effects of depleted uranium on soldiers. While the arrest cannot be seen as positive, the arrested protesters were able to gain the spotlight in order to denounce the military's illegal use of depleted uranium in weapons.

Each day of the camp has a different theme. While many veterans have been given the chance to speak, the camp presents a multifaceted look at the effects of the current administration's policies and the war in Iraq.