August 1, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Lydia Vickers
850-241-3191 or 850-385-5322
Deidra Lynch
codepinkorlando@gmail.com
FLORIDA FOR PEACE MEMBER GROUPS Scheduled to meet with Florida’s Senior Senator
11:00AM – August 7, 2007 – Kissimmee, Florida
A coalition of Florida peace and social action groups joined forces in May, 2007 to begin a state-wide campaign. Their goal was to ask for meetings with Senator Bill Nelson, Florida’s senior senator, in every district where he has an office.
Senator Nelson has agreed to meet with 10 Florida For Peace members in Kissimmee, Florida at 11:00AM on August 7, 2007. Request for meetings in additional Florida locations will be made at this meeting. “We feel that it is his responsibility to meet with us rather than having his constituents drive all over the state to meet him” said Florida For Peace co-founder Deidra Lynch. Request for Town Hall meeting dates around the state will also be requested.
Florida For Peace member groups include: CODEPINK, Military Families Speak Out/Florida, Veterans for Peace, Vietnam Veterans for Peace, Environmental and Peace Education Center, Tallahassee Network for Justice and Peace, Food Not Bombs, Democracy For America and others.
“I met peace activists all over the state of Florida in June when I traveled from one district office to another, eight offices in seven days.
Florida For Peace has almost 50 member groups. We joined forces and went to every office, in person, in numbers, to request that Senator Nelson meet with us to discuss his voting record on:
- the war in Iraq,
- a June, 2007 vote that would allow the President and the CIA to disregard the Army Field Manual regarding torture, and
- his continued support of the Republican agenda on the war in Iraq.
The November, 2006 election was a “Mandate for Peace” from the American People. Florida For Peace is committed to helping remind Senator Nelson that he is a Democrat, with a capital “D” and that he must vote the way we’ve asked him to vote. In our minds Senator Nelson had become Florida’s Joe Lieberman,” said Florida for Peace co-founder Lydia Vickers.
“I am delighted that Senator Nelson is meeting with us after just three months of actions around the state of Florida. This group is determined to help get 67 senators (2/3rds of the Senate is needed to override a presidential veto) to stand strong against the Bush administration and end the war in Iraq. Senator Nelson simply must be one of those 67 senators,” continued Florida For Peace co-founder Vickers.
Phase I of the Florida For Peace - FocusOn Nelson Campaign involved letter writing, e-mails and Faxes.
Phase II of the Focus On Nelson Campaign involved traveling the state and meeting with other Florida For Peace members in their districts. These groups met with Senator Nelson’s staff and expressed their concerns. Activists from all over the state called into the offices during these meetings to support the people who could attend.
During Phase III, which has been extended until August 31, 2007, the groups worked together through conference calls, e-mails and meetings to plan what to do if the senator would not meet with us. Activists continued to telephone and Fax his Washington D.C. office and his district offices in Florida.
“Most of us have at least one of his offices on speed dial” said Deidra Lynch. Deidra also helped create an awesome, “postcard” campaign that was launched with the help of Dana Balcki, CODEPINK NYC.
The national CODEPINK offices have helped Florida For Peace organize and strategize from the beginning including allowing time on national, weekly conference calls to discuss what we are doing and to offer suggestions and support. The Focus On Nelson Campaign can be found at www.codepinkalert.org, and is also heavily supported by Florida Action at www.flaction.org and Tallahassee Network for Justice and Peace at www.tnjp.org. CODEPINK women at the CODEPINK House in Washington, D. C. make a point to check on Senator Nelson’s activities regularly.
“Meeting with my representative is the highest form of democracy in action” said Ms. Vickers. I know this meeting will be informed, passionate and empowering for all of the groups and especially for Senator Nelson.
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