(Photo credit for the sit-in: Matt Borgerding)
The U.S. military has taken over a foreign country, but I was charged with trespassing for merely sitting in my congressman’s Cincinnati office. It happened Wednesday.
Seven of us went to U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot’s office in the Carew Tower about 1 p.m. and asked his staff to fax him our request that he sign the Congressional Declaration of Peace. We told the staff we wouldn’t leave until Chabot signed.
At 5 p.m. the office closed for the day, and we were asked to leave. We asked if Chabot had yet signed the peace declaration. He hadn’t. We again told the staff we wouldn’t leave until he signed. At 8 p.m. Cincinnati Police officers arrested the seven of us on a charge of criminal trespassing.
Handcuffs are uncomfortable. The paddy wagon was cramped. The jail search was unpleasant. Sitting in a cell is boring. But the war in Iraq is a crime against peace, against humanity. The real criminals — George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld — are still at work, and we are free on bond.
Gregory Flannery
CityBeat's Living Out Loud - Cincinnati Blog 
You, sir, are an idiot.
Tom,
You are the idiot for not seeing the TRUE criminals. Go back to watching FOX news.
WAY TO GO GREGORY!!
I have a lot of respect for what you went through last night but you have to understand most of us can’t afford to get arrested even for what we believe it. If I had done this, today I would be out of a job. That’s how Cincinnati is and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
Nothing interesting, nothing fun here at all anymore. I’m going elsewhere.
liberals standing up in this type of town is a good thing to see. peace brother.
It is getting a little too serious. I kind of agree with Geri. I would like to see something lighter. The war is in our faces enough.
If I wanted to read the porkopolis blog, which I usually don’t, I would go there. I see that Gregory Flannery wrote about his arrest on his own blog, then moved on over here to tell us more. I don’t like the blending. This blog was something a little differnt, but it is quickly turning into something that’s not much fun to read – porkopolis.
In OUR faces?! What about the civilians of Iraq who have the occupation of their country in THEIR faces everyday? This “war” can be a heavy and tiresome topic yet we in this country are merely subjected to its images being televised to us every day; we can turn it off but Iraqi civilians have no such escape mechanism. Meanwhile, those resonsible for its continuation, ie Chabot and the Cheney-Bush machine he serves, offer nothing but cliches and platitudes to justify the invasion of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Greg and the others had every right to have their grievance addressed, and to be dismissed by one who supposedly represents them is a slap in their face and to the concept of representative democracy. Whether I agree with them or not, kudos to anyone who can still carry out acts of civil disobedience. The rest of us are just yelling from the sidelines.
The war is not in OUR faces. When was the last time any of us had a soldier from a foreign country standing in OUR home, ordering OUR family to get down on the floor?
This isn’t funny GREG!
You’re not entertaining me LARRY!
It’s bad enough that people are dying, why do you insist on confronting me with these facts!?
As long as I have a roof over my head, a school for my kids to attend, and a job to get to every morning, why should I care about anyone or anything else?
AHA!
That’s it!
Do you really want to know how to stop terrorism? It’s so incredibly simple! Think about it: the overwhelming majority of people are lazy, apathetic, and terribly difficult to motivate no matter how noble or important the cause.
Don’t you see?
If we left other countries ALONE, except to make sure the majority of people have a roof over their head, schools for their kids, and just enough employment to pay their bills, NOTHING could motivate them to suicide bomb ANYTHING.
Actually, I think there have been several CIA reports that say pretty much that: people are pissed off because we won’t leave them alone.
Osama would still be crazy, but he would never be able to organize enough people to threaten the U.S. if the majority of people in that part of the world had to get to work at 7am, and then home to catch their favorite TV program by 6 pm.
They would say, “Sure they’re infidels, Osama, but you’re boring me.”
Well I’m sorry, Heather, but I do come to this blog to be ENTERTAINED. If I wanted to read about the war, I would read The New York Times or watch the evening news which I do. Sometimes you need an escape and this blog helped provide that, but not so much anymore.
No need to apologize. You prove my point. You have to push people pretty far to get them motivated to do anything at all.
Of course getting our leaders to leave the rest of the world alone is going to be difficult.
I agree with the CieskoKid and Heather.
As far as this blog: “Living Out Loud” is about life and the reality is war – this unnecessary war – is part of that life. Talking about war belongs here just as much as listening to Emmylou Harris sing. Teri: get over it!
I would also like to add, in case I’m coming off a little too self-righteous here, that you don’t ME running out to get arrested. I to have a job and a family, and would require a more immediate threat to myself to motivate me to get off my ass and do something.
Human nature is what it is.
I also have a family and just can’t afford to be arrested but that doesn’t mean I don’t support those you believe in their cause. I think someone said here once that Mr. Flannery “walks his talk” and that’s right.
I’m sorry to say this, but Gregory Flannery deserves to be in jail.
This war we are fighting is a nobel effort by our country. All these protests and sit-ins underminds our country and our president. It makes us look bad in the eyes of other countries also. We need to be united when at war.
I firmly believe that our president is right. Many years from now, we will look back at this Iraq war and realize we did the right thing. We are bringing freedom to The Middle East.
Jacob Hicks
Mr. Hicks,
With all due respect, think about what you’re saying.
We invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
We found no WMD’s.
We are trying to turn Iraq into a Christian nation.
We are constantly lied to by our president.
Many years from now when we look back, I think we’re going to be saying we made a big mistake, that Bush was the worst president we ever had and that we will be paying for that for many years to come.
Mr. Hicks:
wow.
Yes, we are doing the Iraqi’s such a huge favor by invading their country and killing them.
They’re just ingrates.
The nerve of those people, not wanting us to shoot them! Why can’t they see that we’re in the right?
Oh well, we’ll just have to keep shooting them until they see things our way.
Anyone who doesn’t love America is better off dead.
Mr. Hicks needs to be get into the real world and stop watching FOX news.
In God or Bush we trust – eh Mr. Hicks?
Yes. In God I DO trust and I also trust our president.
I just got to say it. You had some pretty cute girls with you. I wouldn’t mind being locked up with them!
What’s with the huge picture now. Is this headline news? Hardly.
My dear Mr. Hicks. Someone has to tell you. You have your head completely up your ass. Have a nice day.
I like this web site at first, but it has quickly gone to seed.
Mr Flanery, I dont support the war. I appreciate anyone who takes the efforts to stand up for what they believe in but I must say that you have lost a lot of credibility with your readers. As a journalist you are supposed to remain unbiased. When you do something this extreme you expose your bias and loose any credibility that you have worked hard to earn.
Tom, you are exactly right. Flanery’s bias is to the extreme, to the point of being arrested. There is no credibility and it turns City Beat in a rag of a paper.
Is that Barbara Wolfe I see in the picture?? GOD BLESS HER!
All right. I’m a jerk. but the girl to the right in the photo wearing the blue is totally hot. I’m blaming Jeff -or -ly for this comment.
Okay, I have to speak to Greg’s credibility here. He knows the difference between editorial writing, where a journalist gives their opinion, and news writing, where a journalist reports the facts.
I didn’t write much news for the paper while I was in Cincinnati, but Greg did cut out anything that even hinted at an opinion.
Of course a person’s opinion will influence what they write about, but Greg has never been anything less than professional when it comes to the news, and he is unquestionably credible.
There is nothing wrong with an editor of a newspaper standing up for what he or she believes in.
I agree with Jeff-or-ly and Mark T. I think they have a unique, “feminine, artsy” perspective.
Oh, glad you’re out Mr. GF. Too bad you didn’t get jail breakfast…there’s pretty good a.m. feed in the doghouse.
Could everyone please desist from making leering remarks about the juveniles in the photo? Our group included five very brave women. Two of them are 15 years old.
civil disobedience is serious peace work. blessings to those working for peace. any effort to point out the efforts to shame and fear good people by those in positions of power impress me. someone said to me that it’s difficult to get off a moving train. our nation is made up of people who are collectively responsible for our dysfunctional government. chabot does not speak for me. peace workers speak my language. sadly, we must begin to change the winds and tides of war toward a gentler attitude. i apologize for submitting a lighter blog/poem to larry without having first seen the dialogue here, and mr. flannery’s post. i’m proud to know people who act out of courage and conviction. i don’t think mr. bush is capable of identifying with those who suffer loss. it makes me very sad.
I didn’t know the girl was 15, but I didn’t say anything dirty or negative about her.
Free speech, Flannery. It works both ways.
Good manners, Mark; they work to everyone’s benefit.
Good manners, Mark; they work to everyone’s benefit.
Do you think it is good manners to take over someone’s office and in order to get you to leave you had to be arrested?
Yes, with regard to the women, I was being sarcastic. I went to an all-women’s high school and college, and I certainly wasn’t downplaying anyone’s efforts. I was poking fun at the mens’ comments, which were ridiculous.
When Gregory Flannery starts coming to this blog and tells us what we can and can’t say, that’s when I’ll leave and say WHAT I WANT TO SAY some place else.
Agreed.
Jon, just relax. I think it should be clear by now that unless you are out and out nasty, comments get posted here.
So when’s the trail date?
Greg,
I hope you keep us posted as to what happens next. Some of us are interested.
Karen, you’re very kind. If Larry wants an update in the future, I’ll write one. The trial is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 6, but that will almost certainly be postponed.
“If Larry wants an update in the future, I’ll write one.”
We’ll discuss this and other serious topics at our very important business meeting this afternoon.
The first round is on you!
Phil Heimlich will be joining us, blowing his…………well, you get the point.
Drink 10 for me.
I didn’t have ten, but I had five vodka & tonics. Feeling pretty and thanks for asking.
Feeling pretty? Larry, you ARE pretty!
Yeahup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will be there pictures in next week’s citybeat of the arrest?
Way too many comments to look through, but did you really think Chabot would sign your peace declaration? Why go through all this?
anything new to report on this? when are you “bad eggs” going to trial?
Nothing new to report yet, Hard As Nails; we’re all free on bond andd awaiting trial, which hasn’t been re-scheduled. Eddie, we had no illusions about Congressman Chabot’s signing the Declaration of Peace, but wanted to give him another opportunity while showing how important it is to us.
Just kind of curious about something. Those 15 year old kids. They can’t be arrested can they?
Karen, the two young women were arrested, and their cases will be heard in Hamilto County Juvenile Court. They participated in civil disobedience with the permission (and support) of their parents.
Will the parents go to jail too if the kids are found guilty? I don’t know much about this kind of thing.
Will you go to jail if your convicted?
Karen
I’m not trying to speak for Mr. Flannery, but no, the parents won’t go to jail and the kids won’t either. Actually, civil disobedience is something to be proud of. You know, standing up for what you believe in
As far as Gregory Flannery, I pretty sure his case will get dismissed, like the last time he was arrested. He’s an editor at City Beat. The judge is gonna know that.
flannery belongs in jail. so does gross. such lovers.
numb – you’re an asshole.
who in the large photo is gregory flannery. the older guy with the white hair?
Yes, the devilishly handsome fellow who is down on one knee.
Yes, Greg is ‘breathtaking’!
(Snide nod to Seinfeld, and Greg will know I’m full of crap!)
Kudos to all who did the sit in for those of us who couldn’t for various valid and invalid reasons.
What’s going on with this? Anything new?