Associated Press - September 29, 2007 5:53 AM ET
WHITE HOUSE (AP) - Anti-Iraq-war protesters have staged a small, but eye-catching, demonstration at the White House.
Five women and one man from the group Breasts not Bombs staged the event in Lafayette Park across from the White House. And it wasn't the bombs that were on display.
Spokeswoman Janine Boneparth (BOH'-nuh-pahrt) says going topless is just another way to oppose the Iraq carnage. She says what's obscene is not the protest, but President Bush's conduct of the war.
Nearby Secret Service agents made no move to intervene.
Breasts Not Bombs returns to confront the Boobs in the White House
Photo by Diedre Lamb
After a year of contemplation and just a few demonstrations of B's not B's,(March on the Pentagon last Spring, at 32 degrees we only lasted five minutes)
My wife and I are about to embark on yet another journey East to Washington DC to bring special attention to the maddening political crisis that we find ourselves in. From a criminal Executive Branch (including Cheney) to a shifty judicial branch to impotent Democrats to the erectile dysfunction of Republicans to permanent war, to Global Warming, Our response is Breasts Not Bombs. We will be demonstrating for two days in front of the White House starting Thursday the 27th. We will stand bare breasted to bare witness to the unbearable sorrow of the world, much of it brought to you by the Bush Regime and their Sponsors. From Bechtel, to Halliburton, to At&T to General Electric, to the FDA, Exxon, Chevron, Coca Cola, Eli Lilly, Merck, Archer Midland Daniels, Blackwater, Custor Battles, etc, etc, etc, etc. We will reveal our most vulnerable, flesh, our humblest selves. We choose to be in solidarity with the billions of women and children who are in peril from the ongoing violence, that in some places never stops. The oppression of women is a worldwide epidemic, from war, to poverty, disease, to rape, to sex trade; women and children are in danger. We stand for women who cannot speak out, perhaps shackled by oppressive religion, or shame. We will exercise our freedom to the fullest extent in the name of their freedom and safety, We call for their liberation into a world that holds them in the highest esteem. As they, being Women, are the creators of life.
Though some critics may say that we are acting inappropriately, indecently, immorally, we say that it is our right, guaranteed by the constitution to express free speech, using our bodies as signs and symbols as long as we pose no danger. We believe that breasts symbolize the most non-violent representation of the world at peace. Our breasts never hurt anyone and never will. The juvenile response of the police, media and socially retarded audiences are other reasons to restore respect and protection to women. In our effort to create a safe haven we bare our breasts, this is a simple way to bluntly explain our vulnerability. This action is simple and lends itself to easy participation., It does not exclude any woman because of age, size, color, economics. Every woman has breasts. Even if they have been removed because of cancer, that scar points another finger toward the environmental violence, toxicity and cosmetic attacks on our bodies. Our world is completely out of balance, the masculine has dominated our global consciousness since the beginning, at least the beginning according to the Bible.
But before that, maybe three thousand years before that, the culture of the mother was supreme and life revered and Her breasts were her glory and her temple. It is not merely our request for the Troops to Come Home Now!, or the Impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes, it is the demand for a shift in the paradigm. We want to bring safety to every woman and child. because our entire existence is at stake and a shift to insure or at least prioritize the safety of women and children will tip the balance,and will bring the earth back to balance as well, it will be a natural outcome. We invite women to join us. and the men who mean well may take off their shirts. Please don't ask us about full nudity. We are not interested in exposing genitalia, that is a whole other ball game. We intend only to use our breasts to symbolize what peace is. Baring our breasts is a peace demonstration. . This is not indecent exposure. This is life.
Written by Sherry Glaser on Nov 20, 2006
A couple of weeks ago Breasts Not Bombs staged a demonstration outside the Military recruitment center in Ukiah, California because we feel that office is the first introduction to our young men and women as to what it means to be a soldier. We felt the need to find the root and address the aberrant and excessive violence that has led our military to commit war crimes like rape and murder. Though there were ten of us on the street that day, we opted not to take our shirts off. We blamed it on the weather and well, it was a major street and we had concern about traffic. But the truth is I was afraid. Afraid to bare my breasts to again be subject to judgement and ridicule for my outrageous behavior and my bountiful bosom. Although it was a spirited and well supported action, It felt disappointing. We even took the opportunity to go into the recruitment office and converse with the Sergeant in charge. Although he could not take responsibility for the troops run amok or even point me in the direction of those who might be, besides a "few bad apples." It felt like we built a bridge. He could see our humanity and we could see his. We were civil, kind and very calm. But, inside I'm bursting with terrible rage and sorrow. It's so strong that I'm compelled to tear off my shirt, pull out my hair and weep. Yes, it's dramatic, but it feels like this really is an emergency. I mean why is so unacceptable to bare my breasts. Why does the public at large have such a definitive and immediate reaction to my flesh, but the death of 2,900 American Soldiers and upwards of 200,000 Iraqi's elicits little response. Every day that our government debates and hem and haws there are REAL PEOPLE being violently killed.
What keeps me under wraps is also the simple size of my breasts, how they look. They are enormous, yes. It feels like I am carrying the sorrow of the world right under my nose. I wonder if so much of the breast cancer we are seeing is the unexpressed grief of this world. I dream of weeping, bare breasted with a million other women on the White House Lawn. I long for a world wide weep. Why are women kept in such restraint. What is so scary about our breasts. Last week a young mother named Emily Gillette, flew on Delta Airlines out of Burlington Vermont. She began to nurse her child before take off. The flight attendant was so deeply offended she brought the woman a blanket to cover her breasts, which would then include the baby's head. The woman refused and she was ordered, with her family off the plane. Was she a threat somehow to the other passengers? Is she a terrorist? As a response 30 or so new mothers came to the Airport and had a nurse in. There was a beautiful photo in the paper with the happy babes tucked sweetly into their mother's laps enjoying the elixir of life. What could be more comforting? What is more representative of peace?
Then, I see on the front page yesterday. that the FDA had lifted the ban on silicone implants. That seems like a subtle form of terrorism to me. Yes, ladies, though we are offended by the nature of your mammaries, if you want to enhance them with our handy dandy little picker upper, then step right up. The FDA seems to ignore that Dow Corning Corporation paid out 3.2 billion dollars in a class action for women who suffered awful diseases as a result of leaky silicone. They've endured cancer, autoimmune diseases, pain and discomfort of all kinds. Still they re-approve this misogynist product that serves the idea that without perfect breasts women are worthless, ugly, unlovable,nothing. We are still being brainwashed to believe that everyone's tits look like Brittany spears and that we all are never been nursed upon 36 B's. This lie is dangerous. It puts our lives in jeopardy. If a woman loses her breasts to cancer, can we not see the beauty in the scars? Can we spend the money that we will spend on "enhancement" to get to the source of this epidemic? Can we empower women to love their bodies as they are or are we all sentenced to anorexia, diet pills, and silicone? We are different. My mother says that the body is the physical expression of the soul, especially in illness. The soul is communicating that something is wrong and it needs out attention. Imagine women of all sizes, shapes and configurations safe to be bare breasted, without judgement, no grand prize just to be. I've been in circles like that at women's gathering's and the comfort is indescribable. It's the truth, we are flesh and we all have stories to tell and they are written on our bodies. I believe it is in our breast that life sustains. And the threat to our bodies, particularly our breasts is real and constant. Just eating seafood, we take the risk of infecting our breast's milk. This is serious folks. Its the root of destruction. We must revive and recover the mother. With a simple shift in focus to the mother and child all other things would fall into place. The naked truth that we are human and dependent on the mother, (earth) is really what matters. I would love to capture the imagination and courage of women. But, there is a shame that keeps us in our place. It dominates. So, I will muster my courage, heal my shame, bare my breasts and bring this dialogue to the table so we can at least have the conversation. It's a matter of life.
More Sites with Pictures of Our Protests:
