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RETIRE G.I. JOE – ALL WAR TOYS MUST GO

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Toys should be fun for children and foster the development of life skills, including problem solving. There are many toys that can satisfy our children and grandchildren’s desire for excitement and adventure other than war toys that provoke fighting and winning by means of violence. We are in favor of fantasy and delight and against the militarization of our young people. For this reason the GPB began a campaign against war toys last year. The Toy Industry Association Fair, held in New York this February provided us with additional opportunity to address this concern.

Photo: Phyllis Cunningham

The currently marketed G.I. Joe, manufactured by Hasbro is the archetype of war toys.

Hasbro was nominated for awards in two different categories at the Toy Industry Association awards banquet on Saturday evening at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in NYC. The Granny Peace Brigade previously had written to Brian Goldner, CEO of Hasbro, requesting a meeting to discuss our concerns about G.I. Joe and war toys but had not received a reply. We, along with supporters including members of the Raging Grannies, went to Pier 60 to send a message: RETIRE G.I. JOE!

Hasbro Has Got To Know – G.I. Joe Must Go YouTube video

Initially, at the entrance to Pier 60, we held banners, sang, and distributed flyers to let the arriving attendees know we are troubled by the manufacture and distribution of war toys. In time, we marched through the Pier 60 garage in an attempt to get closer to the entrance of the banquet hall. This provided attendees greater exposure to our message as they disembarked from taxis and limousines to enter the gala! We were happy to be in, out of the wind and cold.

Photo: Phyllis Cunningham

Were we asked to leave? You bet! Several times and by several different people. “This is private property!” Who owns the property? “The owners” of course. Members discussed our right to be there and the rest of us kept on singing, “Hasbro’s got to know G.I. Joe must go.” (download songs sheets from the Granny Peace Brigade “Songs” page.

Eventually the police showed up but we continued to sing and negotiate our space. Finally, when most of the attendees had already arrived, we slowly moved to the entrance of Pier 60…singing and chanting along the way. We continued to display our banners and sing while standing on the sidewalk adjacent to the pier entrance. A gentleman, who we were told was a supervisor of the area, commanded us to move across the street as “…this sidewalk becomes private property after sundown…from sundown to sunup it is private property.” We were to understand that it is only public during daylight. You can imagine how we related to that. The police asked us to move so that they could leave. We complied and moved across the street with our banners unfurled.

The following Monday, we went to the Toy Fair at the Jacob Javits Center to again get our message out.

Photos: Phyllis Cunningham

With banners and singing, members distributed flyers to attendees and passers-by. We had an opportunity to talk with attendees about war toys and how they may affect children: desensitization to fighting, violence, war and killing. There were many interesting conversations and much positive feedback concerning our toy campaign. We also heard, “I love G.I. Joe!” on occasion.

Please write to Brian Goldner and tell him to retire G.I. Joe.
Brian Goldner, President and CEO
Hasbro, Inc.
1027 Newport Avenue
Pawtucket, RI 02862

- Phyllis Cunningham
for the Granny Peace Brigade

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Demonstrations, Grass Roots Action, Toys and Games | No Comments »

Toy Fair Request – Retire G.I. Joe

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

On February 13th the Toy Industry Association revealed their 2010 toy picks at their 10th annual “Toy of the Year Awards” ceremony. Because kids don’t get loving care from these folks, we decided to take our message to them at the Chelsea Piers. Not one single taxi, limo or stretch limo could pass without reading RETIRE GI JOE – ALL WAR TOYS MUST GO

Granny, but it’s cold outside. Read our blue lips, G.I. Joe Must Go!

Champion banner handlers: Molly, Joe, Paula and Nydia with Pat

The Granny Peace Brigade and Raging Grannies come from near and far, Manhattan, Coney Island, and Queens to send their message to Hasbro and other toy manufacturers. Edith, Caroline, Mercy, Betty, Lillian and Corinne and Molly! wayyy over on the right!

Betty comes out into the cold with Caroline to sing to Hasbro, “No More War Toys.”

That’s Shirley Littman from Chelsea for Peace and the Raging Grannies! Talking to Joan P. and Carol and bringing us Raging Grannies song sheets so we can serenade the Toy Awards people. Shirley queries why we aren’t going inside to the entrance of the gala.

Inside, through the parking garage we go!

Ever Onward – We march toward the restaurant to bring the message ‘War is Not a Game’ closer to the toy fair guests.

Is that the guy from the restaurant? Telling us we have to go? But we’re not done yet!

He really means it. So do we. With the entrance to gala in the background, we negotiate the right to remain.

The Granny Peace Brigade stays put in the garage outside the restaurant where the Toy Show Awards dinner is taking place.

Security! We’re being attacked by Grannies with songs and funny hats!! Get that pregnant security woman in here with the walkie-talkie!

Amazing Bev Rice engages the cops, very polite, as we keep singing!

After leaving the garage to stand on sidewalk outside to Pier 60, we were told by police to move across the street as the adjacent sidewalk “becomes private property after sundown.” Huh? The cops tell us to go stand in the bike path. We move. What else becomes private property after sundown?

Watch it on YouTube: Hasbro Has Got To Know – G.I. Joe Must Go

Photos: Phyllis Cunningham
Captions: Mercy Van Vlack with Phyllis Cunningham, Eva-Lee Baird, Nydia Leaf and Barbara Harris

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Demonstrations, Grass Roots Action, Toys and Games | 28 Comments »

Counter-Recruitment-Parent Teacher Conference Night Opt Out Action

Friday, November 6th, 2009

“Leave my kid alone.” This phrase echoed throughout the City on October 29th.

Counter recruitment volunteer teams organized by the Granny Peace Brigade and CodePink NY traveled to 10 NYC high schools to distribute Opt Out forms to parents who were attending meetings with their children’s teachers. Volunteers found that few parents were familiar with the Opt Out form and wanted to learn more about protecting their child’s private information from military recruiters. Some parents had already received calls from a recruiter, and they were worried.

“No military for my child ” she is going to school.” Many parents took an extra minute to speak with a volunteer, and volunteers had an opportunity to provide the information they needed. The NCLB Act mandates that high schools send the name, address, and telephone number of junior and senior students to a military recruitment database for future outreach to students unless an Opt Out has been returned to the school. We say no, and parents say no!

Along with the Opt Out forms, the Options for Life After High School flyer was distributed. It lists several programs and websites to help parents get started in researching CUNY programs, technical and trade programs, financial aid and scholarship opportunities. Students appreciated receiving this flyer as well – including some students who specifically asked for one.
Volunteers received expressions of appreciation, grateful smiles, a thumbs up or a thank you for being there. Parents and students understood the value of the information and the forms they received.
We are growing in numbers of volunteers, 35 were at this action including 3 new members, but we still need more people for future activities – teens, parents, concerned citizens, Spanish speakers, Vets. We definitely could have used another volunteer at most of the schools we covered in order to reach even more parents. As parents rush into the building to meet the teacher, it’s easy to miss many. At Susan B. Wagner HS, the volunteer noted, “We were frantically trying to keep up with the oncoming kids and parents who eagerly took what we had to offer.”Another volunteer writes, “This action is the best – ½ hours you will spend.”

Giving 90 minutes for a rewarding experience to help families and students protect themselves from military recruiter outreach is certainly worth the time. Each volunteer makes a difference.
Contact: grannypeace@gmail.com and sign up for future actions.

- Barbara Harris
for the Granny Peace Brigade
Photos: Bud Korotzer

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Grass Roots Action | No Comments »

The GPB at the Social Justice Society of Stern College for Women

Monday, October 26th, 2009

On Tuesday October 20, a group of Granny Peace Brigade members gave a presentation to the Social Justice Society of Stern College for WomenÂ organized by Tamara Freieden a board member of the Social Justice Society.

The students were a very lively group of about 14 women and one man. Many of them were from other states and we told them how to reach their Congressional Representatives and Senators; one had already visited a congressional office in person.

Carol Huston described the beginnings of the Granny Peace Brigade including the Times Square enlistment attempt, the trial and the gradual development of committees devoted to No Bases, Counter Recruitment and Legislation.

Representatives of the committees spoke:

Vinie Burroughs spoke about No-Bases and its origin in an Women’s International Democratic Federation meeting in Caracas, also mentioning the up-coming Teach-In on Pacific bases.

Barbara Harris spoke [with display and hand-outs] about Counter Recruitment and some of the students said they’d been subjected to attempts to recruit them — but obviously they took another path.

Eva-Lee Baird spoke about the approach of the Legislative Committee, researching legislation and holding phone-a-thons.
Edith Cresmer demonstrated a call to Senator Schumer, using a cell phone set on speakerphone provided by one of the students. The students listened carefully as Edith left a “stop funding the wars” message on the answering machine in Schumer’s Buffalo office.

As we were wrapping up we were asked to sing, and we sang “Voters [God] Help America.” That got a big applause.

At the end of the presentation theater lovers came over to Vinie asking what she is appearing in, and she told them she was in a play now and also in rehearsals. One student gave Vinie her email so Vinie could send her the information about her current activities. Students were interested in Counter Recruitment, and they want to follow up – helping high school students to fill out basic forms, and use the internet to find financial aid programs. They also asked about more information on the two Israeli refuseniks that recently visited NYC.

- Edith Cresmer
for the Granny Peace Brigade

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Legislative, No Bases, Teachings | No Comments »

Make Food Not War & Not Cannon Fodder

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

On October 3rd Peace Action Staten Island at a festive event made reference to four of its members, mentioning their activities in promotion of peace – Hesham El-Meligy (Community Activist), Thomas Good (Editor of ‘Next Left Notes’ and photojournalist), Sylvia Zaage (Peace Action Membership Coordinator), and me, Barbara Walker (Granny Peace Brigade). I had an opportunity to say the following about the problem of our high schools as a focus for military recruitment:

We are extremely concerned about the military recruitment activities in our high schools — especially knowing the horror of the on-going unwarranted wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan. There is of course warfare, with heroics, of the Hollywood movies (two exceptions being the realism of “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Hurt Locker”). But the military mother of a marine serving in Afghanistan wrote this — “The most dangerous enemy in the form of roadside bombs can neither be engaged nor defeated.” In these wars our young military are mainly cannon fodder. Young people usually look at me blankly when I say this and so I explain — earlier definition: soldiers subject to the risk of being wounded or killed by artillery; now there are so many more means of being wounded or killed. These days non-military, well paid contractors often hold down the less deadly categories of jobs. As of May 2009, 54 per cent of our military killed were younger than 25 years old. A very fit looking army veteran said to me one day when we were protesting Junior ROTC – he said “I agree.” I thought he agreed with the JROTC Prgram but he did not. He said high schoolers should not be a focus for military recruitment.

I am certainly aware of the current shrinkage in job opportunities and so are the recruiters. But there are options other than military enlistment for life after high school, such as community service, for example, AMERICORPS; there are scholarships for training.

Please be certain that “Opt-Out Forms” are turned in each year to the principal’s office to block the school’s provision of the student’s contact information to military recruitment offices, as is otherwise required under the “No Child Left Behind Act.”

Of course the military spends billions of dollars and has many means of achieving its recruitment goals — so your savvy is required.

- Barbara Walker
for the Granny Peace Brigade

Posted in Counter Recruitment | No Comments »

Protect Our Kids’ Minds And Bodies – Boycott War Toys

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

I sometimes wear a pin that I have from the early 1970s – Boycott War Toys. Much has changed since then in the design and development of war toys. The Pentagon has an active role and enormous budget for developing, along with public relations and advertising firms, the military message through children’s toys, teen games, video and movies. Military personnel were involved in the making of the film Transformers in adding authenticity to the battle scenes. The military has partnered with Sears allowing the company to use a military insignia on camouflage clothing they sell, making it more appealing to kids. We are all aware of the Army Experience Center in the mall outside of Philly. There, youth are encouraged to try out her/his skills, ‘win’ against the enemy, rack up more dead terrorists than your friend, and give us your personal information.

Schools have JROTC with a military presence in the hallways and assemblies. The NYC Department of Education has agreed to an after-school Â military lifestyles athletic program at 9 local HSs. The question of access and recruitment becomes paramount whenever military are inside the schools.

Nowadays, there are few outlets for many kids to escape war toys, battle challenges, and violent games – it’s exciting, macho and everyone does it. “We know the difference between real killing and video games.” “Some of the games are really not so bloody – they’re boring.” But do they know that there is no reset button in war?

Winning the hearts and minds of youth is at the center of the Pentagon’s advertising initiatives. They don’t give something away for nothing. Military personnel have noted that even if the kids don’t enlist, they will have been exposed to a military mode of thinking. Their heads and hearts will have been won over for future wars. Students will understand military initiatives, the battle of good and evil, the need to win, war as a game, patriotism, authoritarian leadership.

It’s not the old game where kids made up there own stories and scenarios – soldiers, guns, knights, swords, cowboys and Indians, no matter how much we detested it back then. Now it’s about ongoing war, ongoing training, and development of positive attitudes toward the military. The myths and adventure live on – how long will our kids be safe from the military, industrial, entertainment, media, corporate culture.

The GPB stands firmly to end wars, to stop the next war, and to bring our troops home. We should stand just as firmly to protect our kids’ minds, bodies and well being from the Pentagon’s on-going crusade to win them over – whether in school, at home or at the movies.

Peace,
- Barbara Harris
for the Granny Peace Brigade

Posted in Counter Recruitment | No Comments »

Those US Flags Were Made In China

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

September 4th at the Times Square Recruiting Center our very own paparazza, Jenny Heinz caught these two sailors in action. The sailors were giving free US flags to passersby.

Our keen-eyed Jenny took a good look at the carton of flags and then she took a quick photo.

These “Stars and Stripes” were made in China!

When the sailors realized what Jenny was doing they scurried to put the flags in a back pack and get rid of the box. Jenny said to them, “So you don’t want the truth to get out.”

The sailors left – we stayed.

People took our flyers.

People read our flyers.

Thanks Granny Peace Brigade for making this series of demonstrations happen.

We’ll be back.

- Eva-Lee Baird
- Photos 1, 2 & 3 – Jenny Heinz
- Photos 4 & 5 – Eva-Lee Baird

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Demonstrations, Grass Roots Action | No Comments »

The Cost Of War Only Goes Up, In Lives Lost

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Granny troops stand abreast of the Recruitment Center gangway today. Nice breeze, friendly clouds on a hot day. Retruthment is our way. We have revised numbers of fatalities to report.

Today we follow the path of our literature.Â Here is Edith, one of the roving Granny retruthment distributors.

Grannies in the lineup entreated this young man to at least read the facts before signing anything.

As he left the center, the man engaged with us about the facts. A Times Square security guard did too.

- Caroline Chinlund
for the Granny Peace Brigade

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Fridays In July At The Re-Truthment Center

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

A full contingent of the Granny Peace Brigade delivering the Re-Truthment message. Note the police presence!

Officer Delgado after greeting Lillian L, “How are you Ms Lifflander? You’re my arrest, you know!”

Re-Truthment ends with reading of names of dead US military and Iraqi civilians. We don’t know the names of the Afghan civilians who have been killed.

- Caroline Chinlund
for the Granny Peace Brigade

Posted in Counter Recruitment, Demonstrations, Grass Roots Action | No Comments »

Third Retruthment Demo at Times Square Military Recruiting Center

Friday, June 26th, 2009

The Granny Peace Brigade returned to Military Island to raise questions and provide answers about the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We were joined this week by a tourist from Chicago…