The “Break it Down” Blog

When CODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin and retired Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright left for a peace talk on October 3rd to Canada, they were surprised to be denied entrance into the country because their names were contained in the FBI’s Criminal Database; a DB typically set aside for names of “sex offenders, foreign fugitives, gang violence and terrorist organizations, people who are on parole, a list of eight categories all together”… none of which these two were.

As it turns out Medea Benjamin was shown her “record” in the DB and describes it as:

“In my case, the border guard pulled up a file showing that I had been arrested at the US Mission to the UN where, on International Women’s Day, a group of us had tried to deliver a peace petition signed by 152,000 women around the world,” says Benjamin. “For this, the Canadians labeled me a criminal and refused to allow me in the country.”

Sounds like as good a reason as any to label someone a criminal in the United States… for trying to deliver a peace petition to the UN. Why not just shoot them in the mouth? You know, to get the riff-raff off the street.