by Penny Arcos
Opportunities are everywhere. Sometimes those opportunities present themselves when you least expect it. Our motto at CPI is Out of the Movement, To The Masses. Teams in various states go out of their way to find events where they can reach out to working families and share our message of breaking America free from the grip of Imperialists/Globalists that are waging endless wars and holding back development around the world.
Last Sunday, October 11, 2026, Minneapolis held an annual Open Streets event. A large area of town was closed to traffic. Food trucks, small vendors and non-profit organizations lined the sidewalks. Pedestrians and bikers meandered down the streets to enjoy some sunshine.
I hadn’t planned to attend because I normally work Sundays. But I had the day off and a neighbor reminded me of the event. What better way to pass out palm cards and sing some anti-war songs on the megaphone? I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get some fresh air on a gorgeous Fall day.
I knew that the Green Party would be there because they had previously invited me to attend.
Wisconsin Green Party Congressional candidate Matthew Arndt was recently arrested for yelling profanities at a Zionist who followed him into a gas station .Matthew expressed his anger about the Zionists and neocons pushing to integrate America’s military with Israel’s, as well as Israel’s genocide in Palestine and the Israel lobby. This speech was labeled a hate crime enhancer. Arndt stands firm on his position of putting America first instead of sending billions of dollars to a foreign country that is committing genocide.
The Center for Political Innovation stands in solidarity with Arndt and his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. We also agree that our government should invest our taxes in roads, schools and hospitals rather than sending billions of dollars to Israel every year.
At the Open Streets event, I wore a sandwich board to get people’s attention. One sign said Iran is Not Our Enemy: Epstein and the Israel Lobby Are. The other sign said America First: No WW3: No Police State. Since working families are paying the price at the pump due to the war on Iran, and anger at rogue ICE agents is rising, these messages are very relevant.
My first stop was Ilhan Omar’s tent. Democrats and Republicans are both controlled by Zionists and Wall Street. They are all complicit in the wars and are doing nothing to stop ICE from terrorizing our cities. I set up my tripod on the lawn behind Omar’s tent and sang Iran is Not Our Enemy to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic. I passed out palm cards with that same message to pedestrians passing by. Then I engaged in discussion with Ilhan Omar staffers in the tent about ending the Iran War and the Ukraine War. In the end, we could agree that our taxes should be funding infrastructure and education instead of war.
Ilhan Omar’s home was recently raided by the FBI. Although we do not support many of her policies, we stand with her as a matter of principle. Weaponizing the justice system against political opponents is unconstitutional. Biden did it to the Uhuru Three and Scott Ritter. Trump is doing it to Palestine supporters and other political opponents. This trend must stop.
I passed out hundreds of palm cards about ending the war in Iran, building the Bering Strait Tunnel, or the Peace Bridge, as we call it, and about Caleb’s new book Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism.
Some people were curious about the Peace Bridge and wanted to know more. Some people came up from behind me and shouted, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Even some former coworkers and a librarian friend of mine saw my signs and recognized me from behind. Who else would be walking around town with anti-war signs like that?
The highlight of the day was singing Battle Hymn of the New Republic with Green Party staffers. They agree that Russia is not our enemy and that we need to end the Ukraine Proxy War. They smiled as we sang:
Jobs and schools for America
Jobs and schools for America
Jobs and schools for America
Let's build the Peace Bridge now!
I invite you to sing Iran Is Not Our Enemy with me and to join CPI so you can compose your own songs for outreach events.
The lyrics are as follows:
IRAN IS NOT OUR ENEMY
(Tune: "Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Verse 1:
The price of gas is climbing
And we're told to fear Iran
Bibi's pulling all the strings
And we're taught to hate Iran
Our taxes are funding terrorists
Not the schools or hospitals
Let's bring our troops home now
Chorus:
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Iran is fighting Bibi for ya
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Let's bring our troops home now
Verse 2:
ICE is hunting immigrants
And terrorizing America
To normalize the violence
Of a police state with low wages
Democrats are blaming MAGA
But their hands are bloody, too
Let's end the Wall Street Wars
(Chorus)
Verse 3:
Zelensky's thugs are dragging dads
Into a war they won't survive
BlackRock buys the precious land
To get the minerals inside
Russia's fighting Nazism
Like they did in '44
Let's end the proxy war
Final Chorus:
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Russia's fighting Nazis for ya
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Let's build the Peace Bridge now!
