Another year of war, another peace demonstration

This Saturday, a peace demonstration is planned for the South Park Blocks in Portland. Here's the information:

March 15 World Without War: A Day of Resistance and Hope

Stop the War,
Bring the Troops Home Now!
South Park Blocks, Portland
March 15th, 2008

PDX Peace coalition is hosting an all-day event with an action camp, march and rally, and more opportunities for Portland to explore what we can do to end this war and prevent the next one. Can you help build a World Without War? Spread the word! New posters, flyers, handbills, stickers and buttons are now available! Download flyers or find pick-up location.

Speakers at the 2:00 PM rally include:

• Zahra Sultan, Iraqi Social Worker, director of Saverefugees.org
• Sean Lewis, First Gulf War Veteran, member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace Chapter 72
• Bob Watada, father of Lt. Ehren Watada, the first Commissioned Officer to refuse deployment to Iraq
• Andrea Cano, Executive Director, Oregon Farm Worker Ministry
• Youth organizers Terell Wilson, freshman at Madison H.S. and Lizo Wallace, United Voices Youth Program
• Barbara Dudley, Professor in the Hatfield School of Government, former Executive Director of Greenpeace USA
• Tom Chamberlain, President of Oregon AFL-CIO

This is the sixth such annual demonstration, including the demonstration that occurred 2 days before the commencement of the invasion, on March 15, 2003.

March 15, 2003

At times, it is very hard to imagine that these demonstrations make any difference, as I mentioned in a previous post. But, at the very least, they do serve to remind those of us who hate this war that we are not alone.

March 15, 2003

The first of these demonstrations was a glorious affair. Some 15 to 20 thousand people filled Waterfront Park and closed down the streets of Portland. It was an awesome event to see and a very proud moment in my life. Some 25 of my friends and family gathered at my house and boarded Tri-Met buses (which were filled to capacity) to go to the demonstration to demand that we be heard.

Well, they heard us. And they chose to ignore us.

March 15, 2003

But now, after 5 long, hellish years of war, upwards of $2 trillion, nearly 4000 American and God-knows-how-many Iraqi dead, the scales have fallen from the eyes of even the most ignorant or dogmatic of Americans.

March 15, 2003

I contend that even those Americans who still support the war do so out of shame for themselves and hatred for their smarter countrymen --even war supporters no longer believe the Bush administration's claptrap about "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here." (I base this contention solely on my own interactions with war supporters, so take it for what it's worth.)

March 15, 2003

I hope that the people who know me best know that I will be there. Even if I were alone, I'd be there. And I expect that is true of the others that I know will be there. It's the right thing to do.

Peace!