[Peace-presence] Pledge Ourselves to End This War At All Costs

[Chesley Spring]

Thanks Laura for your challenge.  Thank you also for
the amazing description of the SF demonstration and
also all the info and energy you offered.  It is
beginning to remind me of the late 60's and 70s when
we were in the streets constantly, not allowing
anything to stop us.  What a great idea to curate an
offering of photos. My question  is when and where is
the meeting that you propose? The time is ripe!!!

Chesley


--- Laura Fillmore <fillmore4 at charter.net> wrote:

> Greetings to you all this fine Sunday:
> 
> The Reno A.N.S.W.E.R. van successfully made it to SF
> and back for 
> yesterday's march and action, it was not cancelled,
> it was not 
> insignificant, and it did happen.  We went with
> Union participation, 
> African American, Native American, Latina and an
> elder activist 
> representation, a reporter and photographer from the
> UNR Sagebrush, 
> accompanied by several Youth activists/scholars from
> Reno who continue 
> to keep up the fight.  We didn't break even, but it
> was well worth it 
> to me...I'll carry that bill through with great
> pride and am thankful 
> to those who were able to contribute as well.  We
> participated in the 
> mass die-in, which looked very much like direct
> action to me.  I hated 
> to use the fossil fuel to get there, but wouldn't
> trade the experience 
> of marching with 30,000-50,000 people for
> anything...it was, in a word, 
> awesome.
> 
> There was a sense of unity and the rawness of
> participation from 
> military families who have lost loved ones.  I tried
> to document our 
> viewpoint on camera.  I would (will) love to curate
> an exhibition of 
> photos between myself and the young man from the
> Sagebrush...as well as 
> a regal African American photographer who offered to
> share those he 
> took of us there.     There was a vigil most folks
> missed (we had 
> returned to City Hall for the van) with a giant RED
> dove of peace 
> flowing over the faith community members circled up
> there.  They 
> released several crates of white doves at the
> conclusion of their 
> prayers...it must have been a beautiful sight (we
> were down in the 
> bowels of the city, looking for our van :)
> 
> There were radical cheerleaders much like our own
> beloved troupe, as 
> well as a huge contingent from women dedicated to
> Code Pink.  A huge 
> contingent of Native Americans, with Dennis Banks,
> announced the start 
> of another Longest Walk across country.  An
> organizer says they'll go 
> through Arizona to the south this time, (they'll not
> be up here), but 
> they were the first to speak at the rally, a place
> of honor before the 
> crowd--as we should always honor the First Nations
> People who have 
> survived the waves of immigrants to this land over
> centuries now.
> 
> A highlight for me was the beautiful troupe of young
> women organizing 
> in Watsonville (I worked for ACORN to found Channel
> 25 there...a lot of 
> work needs be done with all the folks in that area);
> they were rapping 
> and singing as conscious beings who were extremely
> aware of the 
> downpressure from this government and their
> responsibility to rise up 
> and RESIST.  A highlight for my daughter was Isha's
> recognizing Alice 
> Walker behind us in the line to the portapotty, and
> Alice's graceful 
> thank you to Helen for being young and standing up
> for what is right in 
> these times.  Alice and her partner--a man in a red
> beret--sat in the 
> center of the lawn and seemed to draw the words of
> the speakers as the 
> power it truly truly was as we gathered at Dolores
> Huerta park at the 
> conclusion of the march.  Nobody worried that it
> took all day.  People 
> were cooking, and hawking their literature and
> viewpoints, and t-shirts 
> and the speakers and singers went on and on and on. 
> The crowd shifted 
> but the voices of resistance were clear.
> 
> Cindy Sheehan is running for Congress  now.  There
> were Longshoremen 
> and the "real" Clarence Thomas spoke, from the
> Ironworkers Union (maybe 
> he was a Teamster, we marched behind him in an
> Ironworkers 
> jacket)--they are tired of our "national security"
> dollars targeting 
> them.  Clarence called for a national strike by
> workers on the real 
> anniversary of the war this year:  March 19th--real
> resistance, not 
> just marching and singing--hit them in their
> ever-deeper pockets.  Can 
> we follow that call, Reno?  It falls on a
> Wednesday....
> 
> SF ANSWER organized brilliantly, embracing all
> complexity and all 
> partnerships--including the UFPJ Co-chair, who,
> alongside Richard 
> Becker led the rallies on the front and rear end of
> the march (do you 
> guys realize we've had Richard in town speaking to a
> handful of folks 
> at PLAN and nobody really gave him any respect
> because we are NOT 
> unified?) and also the Iranian scholar from SF
> ANSWER spoke--(Stewart, 
> help me out with his name) he also spoke at the
> conclusion of the march 
> Reno ANSWER organized on the anniversary of the war
> last March...we 
> have been in touch with the leaders of the
> resistance and have ignored 
> them here because "our" individual leaders didn't
> get behind a 
> concerted effort.  I think it is grossly sad...a
> great disservice to 
> our constituencies and to knowledge and truth in a
> more general way.
> 
> In terms of relevance to NOW:  There were huge calls
> for not bombing 
> Iran in SF yesterday.  Let's realize that they
> probably won't do so for 
> economic reasons before Christmas--oil is already
> pushing $100 a barrel 
> because of the threats.  Let's not let this
> administration in their 
> lame-duck, last bedraggled days, escalate war on the
> planet.  Focus, 
> folks, we need to realize that they are amp-ing this
> campaign in 
> exactly the same manner as they did before the
> "shock and awe" over 
> Iraq.  And Iran will not fold easily, and their
> allies will not put up 
> with an increase in military occupation in the
> region.  Cheney's effort 
> to fly nuclear weapons to Barksdale to stage a
> secretive first strike 
> was unveiled by military brass who have now been
> forced to resign...why 
> did they call the NYTimes?  I personally will be
> forever grateful.  Do 
> not believe we know the whole story at any point in
> time.  Do not 
> believe they will not use weapons of mass
> destruction against THEIR 
> enemies.  And John Auer is right:  this danger far
> eclipses whatever 
> the hell went on 9/11.  Didn't we know then that
> Bush wouldn't "turn 
> the other cheek" and collect the sympathy of
> diplomacy and compassion 
> for America that attack elicited?   Call for his
> impeachment, but let's 
> focus on what he is doing right now.
> 
> I remain a mother who refuses to be the enemy of
> another mother 
> anywhere.   Stand with me, please.  Raise your sons
> to understand their 
> own peace.  Speak out in your workplaces.  Become an
> "influencer".  
> Educate.  Resist.  Raise awareness.
> 
> SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO AS A COMMUNITY?  WHERE ARE OUR
> UNIONS HERE?  WHERE 
> IS OUR SOLIDARITY?  WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE TO JOHN
> AUER'S CALL TO ACTION 
> AS A FORCE TO BE RECOGNIZED IN NORTHERN NEVADA? 
> WHERE ARE OUR NUMBERS 
> OUT IN FORCE?  WHAT DOES SOLIDARITY MEAN TO YOU? 
> HOW COME WE CAN'T 
> RESIST IN LARGER NUMBERS HERE?  WHAT WILL YOU DO TO
> MAKE A DIFFERENCE?  
> I WANT TO KNOW IF BEING AGAINST THIS WAR MEANS YOU
> SEND A CALL OUT TO 
> YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES AND YOUR EMAIL LISTS.  I
> WANT TO KNOW IF WE 
> HAVE A MOVEMENT IN RENO THAT CAN SIT DOWN AND
> NEGOTIATE ALL THE 
> 
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