The Peace movement is alive and growing fast
I just returned from a major gathering of the peace tribes in Los Angeles called
It’s a Free Country
A Gathering for Civil Liberties and Peaceful Tomorrows
And quite a gathering it was. Inspirational speakers and a much larger crowd than expected had many, including me, thinking, wow there’s a whole lot more of us than we thought.
Speakers included:
Kelly Campbell & Barry Amundson who lost family members in 9/11 and who oppose going to war in Iraq in a misguided act of revenge. Kelly’s husband was military who was killed at the Pentagon, Barry lost his brother on Flight 93. Kelley said she became a peace activist because she got tired of going to memorials that turned into calls for war and vengeance.
Medea Benjamin, tireless activist, who spearheaded the plan to take those who lost familiy in 9/11 to Afghanistan to meet those who lost family in the bombings. She repeatedly detailed how the Bush administration has no moral authority to tell anyone anything.
Bob Sheer, syndicated columnist, pointed out the many lies and distortions of the Bushies as they try to steamroller us into a lunatic war.
Fact: Saddam runs a secular state, and is not an Islamic fanatic at all.
Fact: There is no evidence linking Saddam with Al Qaida or 9/11.
Fact: Bush has given no verifiable facts showing Saddam has nukes.
Maria Elena Durazo, President of HERE Local 11, restaurant and airport workers, who pointed out that non-citizens who lost family in 9/11 received nothing from the government. Nothing except immigration raids that is. And yes, they do pay taxes.
Ra’id Faral, Council of American-Islamic Relations, read from the Koran where it says if you kill an innocent person you kill all people, and that Islam is peaceful, but was hijacked by loonies who do not speak for Muslims.
Several ministers, rabbis, and priests spoke. All working towards stopping the madness and stopping the war before it starts.
Readings of religious texts emphasizing peace were interspered the event, with the readings coming from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scriptures.
There was also a jubilant Baptist choir, a solo gospel singer, and a video about how Peaceful Tomorrows, the peace organization founded by those who lost family members in 9/11, was founded.
Parking was chaos. They were expecting maybe 500 people and 1,200 arrived. Afterwards, many people were saying, “I thought I was alone, but I see I’m not alone at all”. There’s a whole lot of people opposed to an Iraq War, opposed to the gutting of the Constitution, opposed to the erosion of civil liberties.
Meetings like this are happening across the country now. I was of age in the Vietnam War, and the level of opposition to an Iraq War is already much higher and better organized than in most of the Vietnam years. I seriously doubt Bush has even fifty percent of the population – if you ask people if they favor a war without an OK from the UN or a war that could result in heavy US casualities. Even people I know on the Right are leery about it.
There will major anti-war demonstrations soon. Nationwide. I think the numbers will surprise people. Something IS happening, a spontaneous upswelling of people is creating a serious peace movement.
Links:
Not In Our Name (NION) Major umbrella group, aiming at a nationwide Oct 6 mobilization.
Peaceful Tomorrows Those who lost family in 9/11.
Voice 4 Change Similar to NION.
International ANSWER Tireless. Workin on a DC demo Oct. 26.
Pax Protest Net Nationwide calender of events.