Big-City Pro-Peace Marches shift to Neighborhood Level eventsSunday March 20, 2005
Diamond14, DU Reporter in Washington DC
http://www.democraticunderground.com Pro-Peace events and Peace Vigils have rocked the nation since last Wednesday. By Saturday, people all across America were joined by the World, in an effort to stop Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring our troops home now. Flag-draped and black coffins meandered through Neighborhoods coast-to-coast, as Americans showed that they’re fed up with Bush’s wars.
For the past three years, Patriotic Americans have organized major big-city Pro-Peace Marches in New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other big-cities. But this weeks’ Peace Activism reflected a major shift to the Neighborhood Level. There were no big-city Pro-Peace marches. Two very influential groups merged with the Pro-Peace activists: the "War-Veterans and Military Families", and the “Main Stream” religious groups. Many more millions of Americans are now demanding an end to the wars of the Bush administration. At the Neighborhood Level, there’s no parade, the impact cannot be minimized, permits are not needed. Events have been spread out over the entire week, from morning to evening, in Neighborhoods everywhere. Many millions of Americans participated, as ‘Main Stream’ religions and Veterans organizations rallied their members.
Fed up with tiny right-wing radical-fundamentalist churches influencing our public policy, the “Main Stream” religious groups have now stepped up to lead America to Peace. In New York City, religious leaders were arrested, wearing the photos of dead American soldiers on their chests, surrounded by flag-draped coffins. They are proud to be “disrupting military recruitment” by acts of non-violent civil disobedience. ‘Military recruitment offices” were shut down across our country, as America refuses to sacrifice her children for “cannon fodder”. Military recruitment numbers have sunk very low. Peace Vigils were held in parks and on street corners all across the Nation, sponsored by communities fed up with war. The Baltimore Chronicle published “Hypocrite Nation”, by Catholic Priest, Reverend John Dear, S.J.:
“I am ashamed and appalled that so many Americans support war and systemic injustice, that they do it in the name of God, and that they feign fidelity to the nonviolent Jesus who gave his life resisting institutionalized injustice.”
“The empire needs the church to bless and support its wars, or at least remain passive and silent. As we Christians go along with the Bush administration and the American empire, we betray Jesus and renounce his teachings.”
“I believe war, weapons, corporate greed and systemic injustice are an abomination in the sight of God. They are the definition of mortal sin. They mock God and threaten to destroy God’s gift of creation.”The second major influential group is the American War-Veterans, with the Military Families, and active duty troops. Stunning the Bush Administration, a huge Pro-Peace rally was conducted right outside the gates of Ft. Bragg: the “Belly of the Beast” for the Iraq operations and American empire building. Flag-draped coffins were laid out in rows on a hill. The speakers included War-Veterans who lead the effort to help troops go AWOL, with Military Families whose children and siblings have been killed and maimed in Bush’s Wars. Over 6000 American troops have already left, and the numbers keep increasing as more maimed troops return everyday, and too many come home in a box.
The Ft. Bragg Pro-Peace rally was reminiscent of the Vietnam anti-war movement, when Vietnam war-hero John Kerry testified before Congress on behalf of our troops and the Vietnam people. During the Vietnam war, politicians ignored non-violent civil disobedience and the American People resorted to burning 30 Military Recruitment Offices to the ground. In 1967, Defense Analyst Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute, feared that “the U.S. might go the same route as the French did – that is rock bottom.” He was referring to the French Army revolt in Algeria in 1958.
As flagged-draped and black caskets meandered through Neighborhood streets, President Bush attempted to defend his wars, on the radio. Few Americans were impressed by that effort.
Active Duty Military join the War-Veterans and Military Families outside the gates of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
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