COLO. SPRINGS- These past years have been a boon to our local defense industry. Despite the deployments and casualties, war pays the bills and builds corporate fortunes. For so many in Colorado Springs whose bread and butter comes from defending freedom, our little weekly peace vigil is a disquieting sight. There are always more smiles than frowns, but those displeased are pretty livid.
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This week’s count of friendly responses was eighty-four in a half-hour, up from 62 for the last children’s vigil.
Also new banner: STOP THE BOMBING IN PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ AND PALESTINE
COLO. SPRINGS–
Weekly noon vigil- keepers Peter and Warren braved the cold Monday at the corner of Nevada and Dale, to unveil a new banner: CHANGE MUST MEAN PEACE.
September’s 3RD FRIDAY IRAQ MORATORIUM is rescheduled/merged to this week’s MONDAY NOON VIGIL, where Colorado Springs’ most persistent antiwar loiterers will curse their THIRD YEAR. Please join us Monday at Noon, at Nevada Ave and Dale Street. –UPDATE 9/22:
Camp Casey Colorado Springs began in mid September 2005, and caught flack for conflicting with the Lavender Film Festival opening that evening (the 2008 PPLFF opens tonight!). Our first concurrent action was a counter-recruitment effort -more coincidence- at Palmer High School. After several months of nightly campfires, the full-time campers adjourned for the winter, but a daily vigil was continued out of concern for a Christian Peacemaker Team abducted in Iraq. After the CPT hostages were released, the vigil keepers convened weekly, and continue to this day.
Come when you can, every WEDNESDAY AT 4PM until the traffic subsides, to the very busy corner of Austin Bluffs and Academy. Traffic is comprised of regular commuters who’ve come to rely on our antiwar reminder. We get more and more honks and waves of approval every week. For those many who are still on the fence, we may present a last vicarious hope that advocates for peace (and reconciliation) will persevere.
Nine US warships are now in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran just 2 weeks after Dick Cheney threatened that country with an attack. What does it take to waken the international public to the reality that the US government plans to extend its illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq into new attacks on neighboring countries?
Meanwhile, the US’s allies in Lebanon have been bombarding a refugee camp in their own country of 40,000 people with the Bush Adminstration cheering this on. It looks like we might just be days away from a major escalation of the US-made war on the varying people’s of the Middle East into new countries, like Iran and Syria.
The Democratic Party has refused to act against the plans of the Bush Administration to spread their war throughout the Middle East and it is now up to the world population to act decisively in opposition to this US governmental terrorism. It is absolutely the wrong thing to do to await until after the bombing of Iran begins to show opposition. Unfortunately, that appears to be just exactly what the Peace Movement in the US is doing right now.
Act to end the Endless War now. It just takes a couple of people to do a corner peace vigil and show opposition to continuing the carnage. US Troops Out of the Middle East Now!
Protest is patriotic so what are you waiting on? And contrary to popular cynicism protest does work when done with sufficient numbers. Add yourself to those willing to protest this evil war. It’s not really all that hard to do a peace vigil, even on your own, so don’t sit around acting utterly paralyzed.
A MoveOn member got fed up with all the vigils being close in downtown, and called a street corner vigil late Monday afternoon in his out of the way (for many of us) neighborhood at Woodmen and Powers. It was a great success, and we even had one Iraq vet, who was passing by, get out and demonstrate against the war with us!
When asked if he wanted to hold one of the 2 remaining signs, he chose the one that said, ‘Stop US Torture of POWs’ instead of the one that just said ‘PEACE’. He kept repeating that he was worried about a frined of his who was still over there.
We had 8 people protesting The War in all. Not bad and many people were pleasantly surprised to see us protesting in such an unlikely, but well trafficked place. Earlier, in another peace vigil here in Colorado Springs, we even had a cop in a police car give us the peace sign. I guess the publicity about the St Pat’s day nonsense was part the reason why. People, even some cops, don’t like totally uncalled for abuse in the manner that happened last Saturday afternoon.
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Antiwar protesters repeatedly get told they are not supporting ‘the troops’. Yesterday, in fact, a woman screaming out “You Bastards!’ at our peace vigil from her car, claimed that we were not supporting her husband who was one of ‘the troops’ in Iraq. Our standard refrain has always been, ‘Support The Troops, Bring Them Back Home Now!’ But I have another reply on my mind, and that is simply to ask the pro-war hecklers when are ‘the troops’ going to support us Americans?’ What do I mean by this?
Simple. You ‘troops’ are part of a war machine that is bankrupting the funding of social programs for the elderly, children, and needy in our society. You are fighting a war that most Americans no longer want, and that will put our children into debt for a long time to come. Yet you and your families continue to want you to be considered heroes, when you sign up and join the war machine and go after the preferential benefits that are yours for joining the government imperialist team. And many of you even have the nerve to get angry at us peace activists that want money spent in better ways than in just killing foreigners for corporate profit! That takes a lotta damn gall!
Yes, when are ‘the troops’ going to start to support the American people themselves? We want you back home alive where you won’t be helping bankrupt us civilians through the love of Halliburton and your own pride. Putting on your damn uniforms does not make you heroes, a class above us tax paying commoners. You went into the military thinking that the military pseudo socialism was the way to help yourselves out, but you bargained with the Devil and he may well take your heart and soul and your very life, too, if you are not very, very careful. Reconsider what you are doing.
Troops, help the rest of us Americans out, and support stopping the Iraqi war and occupation. True patriotism supports less militarism, less imperialism, and less money spent on you the troops, to the detriment of America itself. Troops and families of troops, speak out now against this thuggery you have become part of, and we wish you the best back home alive for those in other folk’s lands.
Stop the bloated war spending to help out the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the peoples of Haiti and Colombia, too. And most of all, to help out us, the people of America. America needs less of you ‘troops’ in prison guard, police, and military uniforms, not more. Patriots support more peace in the world, and less war. So do your part as you can. And try not to let the government dehumanize you, through the insane war the government has you fighting in.
Best wishes, from the antiwar community. But there is no way we are going to ‘support’ you by cheerleading the killing the government has you engaged in. Stop the constant wars. Our money for the people, not The Pentagon!