Sen. Feinstein Responds To Military Families Eating Dinner In Front Of Her House

Senator Dianne Feinstein emerged from her home late in the evening of December 25th to respond to an evening news reporter about a group of California MFSO members who sat down to a holiday dinner on the sidewalk next to her house.

The dinner had taken place earlier that Sunday, when both Christmas and Hanukkah were observed. The MFSO members sat at the sidewalk dinner while highlighting empty chairs at their table. The empty chairs signified the absence of loved ones serving in Iraq. Signs next to the tables urged Senator Feinstein to bring the troops home now.

The MFSO members at the sidewalk dinner included members from all three California chapters of MFSO. One member offered the blessing. She prayed, “God, please let our children be living.” Just a short time later, the group was saddened to hear news from Iraq. Two more northern California soldiers, loved ones of other families, had been killed in Iraq when bombs hit their humvees. This day, there was no holiday from war.

The diners ate turkey and tamales, sheltered from the heavy rain by a canopy. The rain created a somber mood, and, at moments, there were tears. However, a special closeness cheered the group, and they shared laughter and singing. Some said they could not possibly enjoy their holiday dinner in their own homes while their children were in Iraq, and that it was very meaningful to them to be with other MFSO families, in front of their representative’s house, for holiday dinner. Police, waiting out of the rain in their cars nearby, were kind, and a few neighbors walked by and offered respectful and supportive comments.

Senator Feinstein appeared on her porch later in the evening when a reporter went to her door. The senator made a statement on the 11 o’clock news. She said, “I have a message for them. Be of good heart. My estimate is that we will have 50,000 home.” She did not add any details, but said that she was expressing her “gut feeling.”

The California MFSO members appreciated that Senator Feinstein has directly addressed their concerns. They were hopeful that at least some soldiers can expect to return home soon. However, the members said that they would not accept that only 50,000 troops return. After all, they reasoned, 30,000 troops are “extras,” troops sent beginning last October to be present during the Iraq election. Senator Feinstein’s figure of 50,000 includes 30,000 election “extras.” The California MFSO members reject the proposed numbers, whether they are 20,000, 50,000, or, as Donald Rumsfeld has offered, 7,000.

The Vietnam War showed that a partial or “phased” pull-back of troops from war leaves remaining troops to be positioned as “sitting ducks,” vulnerable to increased casualties. From the start, U.S. soldiers sent to the Iraq war have taken on an unfair burden. Many of them have lacked adequate equipment and sufficient training, and many have been subjected to multiple deployments.

MFSO members do not want their soldiers exposed to a dangerous “phased” pull-back. Such proposed plans are tailored to serve the interests of our election-year politicians. For this reason, MFSO members in California ended their holiday observances this December 25th with this response to Senator Feinstein’s message on troop withdrawal: Bring them home now – all of them.

Judith Ross San Francisco MFSO, Bay Area Chapter Dec. 25, 2005