Local Protest Planned Against "General Betray Us"

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We all know how well it worked out when MoveOn.org took out an ad in the New York Times in 2007 calling General Petraeus "General Betray Us." (President Bush called the ad "disgusting," polls indicated a majority of America found it distasteful, and the Senate even passed a resolution to formalize its condemnation.)

But that's not stopping a women's-based peace and justice organization called Code Pink from organizing a protest of Petraeus when he comes to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach to give a speech as a guest of the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. Protesters plan to meet at the corner of Okeechobee Boulevard and Parker Avenue at 10:30 a.m. on April 9th. The Green Party of Palm Beach County, calling Petraeus "the general who betrayed us," is also supporting the protest.

Forum Club executive director Gail Pallesen told the Juice that General Petraeus was invited to speak because the Forum Club is "Florida's largest non-partisan political and public affairs organization" and that inviting key figures in world affairs is "what we do."  The Forum Club was the last stop for General Tommy Franks before he flew to Qatar to oversee the invasion of Iraq, Pallesen said. She expects Petraeus talk to serve as an update on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Pallesen said the Forum Club's speakers have drawn protests a few times before (like when Governor Jeb Bush came to town), and she's not worried about them. There are plenty of paying guests happy to hear Petraeus out -- all 740 tickets have been sold. A representative of Code Pink was not immediately available for comment.