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Tuesday, 09 January 2007 16:39 |
By DAVID FORBES
Waving flags, holding signs, singing and shouting, around 40 people gathered in Pack Square on Jan. 2 to mark the death of the 3,000th American soldier in Iraq and to demand an end to U.S. involvement in the Iraq war.
The protest was organized by the local chapters of Veterans for Peace, Women in Black and the Western North Carolina Peace Coalition.
Korean War veteran David Fillpot was among those at the protest.
"I
want our troops home," Fillpot told the Daily Planet. "I was for our
going into Afghanistan to get Al-Qaeda. But we turned away from that to
this distraction in Iraq. Itës strictly for oil. Bush said Saddam tried
to kill his daddy. So weëve had 3,000 killed and over a hundred
thousand Iraqis. Weëve also had over 20,000 wounded ÇƒÓ half so serious
they couldnët return to their units. We donët hear anything about them.
Bush dodged the draft. Cheney got five deferments."
Also among the veterans was David Ireland, waving a peace flag. He said that the purpose of the war has become cloudy.
"Weëre here to
support the vets and get out of Iraq ÇƒÓ itës an occupation, itës no
longer a war," Ireland asserted. "He (President Bush) was more right
than wrong when he said ǃÚMission Accomplishedë ÇƒÓ we did what we were
supposed to do. Now he keeps changing what he wants to do ÇƒÓ I donët
even know what it is anymore."
Meanwhile, Women
in Black has been holding a silent vigil every Friday for several
years, member Anne Craig said, and decided to pool its efforts with
other groups on this occasion.
"Because of the
tragic milestone of the 3,000th soldier being killed, weëve decided to
call as many together who would like to publicly mark this event and
show our deep mourning over the tragedy of this invasion and occupation
of Iraq," Craig said. "This is public witness to call for it to end and
we hope it will touch the hearts of passersby."
Some religious leaders also joined in the protest. The Rev. Brent Norris, rector of St. Maryës Episcopal Church, was among them.
"In the world of
morality, silence implies consent ÇƒÓ I do not consent to this unjust
war," Norris said. "We (the WNC Peace Coalition) met last year to plan
a rally for March, to mark the anniversary of the start of this war. We
hoped it would the last time we would have to do it. Weëre beginning
again to make plans for such a rally this year. Maybe this year it will
be the last time."
The Rev. Amy
Cantrell of Zacchaeus House, a local non-profit that works with the
poor and homeless, said that her religious convictions led her to the
protest.
"Iëm a follower
of Jesus and he said that weëre called to love our enemies ÇƒÓ war
doesnët really fit that profile," Cantrell said. "War hurts poor
people. It hurts them here in our own country and wherever itës fought."
Holding a sign
reading "Blessed are the Peacemakers," Kenneth Ray, a veteran of the
first Gulf War, said simply "I donët agree with what theyëre doing."
The mother of a
soldier, Nanci Mansfield, sat beside an impromptu display made of his
combat boots and helmet with a candle inside and held a sign that
asserted "3000 ÇƒÓ at what cost ǃÚvictory?ë"
While her son returned from Iraq, Mansfield said she attended the rally on behalf of those who did not.
"It seems to me
that just because heës home and out of the army now doesnët mean I
should just quit," she said. "Iëm here because I want to call attention
to the fact that weëre losing too many people. We, they, everybody."
Standing with a
black-and-white portrait of Bush with the word "Liar" emblazoned under
it, Daniel Clere said that the country deserves better leadership.
"I think weëre
by-and-large a better people than this," Clere said. "I donët think
theyëre representing us ÇƒÓ and I think itës time to let them know that."
Later, Jacob
Lawrence, a member of Veterans for Peace, said that the group and the
protesters were aiming to "live in the solution" and that such
solutions had to begin locally.
"We raise money
for orphanages in Afghanistan ÇƒÓ thatës living in the solution,"
Lawrence said. "Itës easy to bash Bush, he bashes himself every day
without even knowing it. But really the answer is in just love, period.
I really love these guys. Thereës not many young guys like me. Theyëre
mostly Vietnam vets, some from Korea. Theyëre living in the solution.
Iëm a young guy, I donët remember Vietnam. Thatës the problem. No one
seems to remember that s**t. But unless we remember, weëre doomed to
repeat our mistakes."
As the sun set,
a local band called The Ques brought in guitars, drums, megaphones and
a tambourine and began chanting and playing, while occasional passersby
honked their horns.
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