Community Speak-Out on War

Finally, I got the gumption, after years of war and tens of thousands of deaths, to take some small "action" against the war: My wife and I attended an event at the SLC library this past Saturday put on by the "We the people for peace and justice." While I don't feel any more hopeful about the war situation or my long-term potential as an activitst, I'm still glad we went.

There were several speakers. The first was Kyle Wulle, from the United Steelworkers union, who was, as a friend remarked, quite angry: "unwrap the flag from around our heads." Still, he did the good ole union thang.

Dee Rowland, a social/economic activist (or at least that's what it says on the flyer), read a Catholic statment against the war; one line called out Bush for his lack of diplomacy: "we need a surge of diplomacy not an escalation of troops." In trying to find the exact speeech, it seems my Google results tell me many people have used this line. Unfortunately it doesn't seem Bush could pair together "surge" and "diplomacy."

Theresa Martinez, U of U sociology professor, spoke about her brothers who served in Vietnam and niece and nephew serving in Iraq. Her speech was surprisingly emotional as she read from a letter she wrote to her nephew whose unit was going to Iraq.

Kim Spangrude, of Utah Military Families Speak Out, spoke of her anger that Bush would even dare to speak of the "sacrifice" we must make; how can he speak of sacrifice, she repeated, when he knows nothing about it. In a letter to Bush she wrote: "our sons are not your sacrificial lambs and you are no King David." And that's, IMHO, for damn sure.

Rick Miller, Veterans of Peace, a Vietnam Vet, said, "I pulled the trigger and that separates me from most of you." He then retold how he took the wallet from the first man he killed; he still apologizes to it, to him, every single day. His comments made me wonder how my father feels about the men, probably boys, he killed in Vietnam. I'd sure like that part of my father back, the part he lost or covered up after the war.

Two Iraq veterans spoke. One had been a military reporter and was quite articulate as he compared Bush's use of the military to someone who uses a multipurpose tool in all situations rather than considering other kinds of tools; the other veteran was not so articulate but recounted a harrowing story. During the attack on (I'm forgetting the city's name) he was placed on a roof top. He described how at first they debated, they peered, they tried their best to decifer if the runner was an enemy or civilian. But eventually, as they realized some combatants were getting away and/or to a better defensed position, they began to fire indescriminantly. This innocent young man's face blarred regret and hurt: "I have to live with that decision. I don't want anyone else to have to face it."


The main event, one may say, was still to come: Terry Tempest Williams and a film. We were unable to stay and that's ok. I left with the young soldier's words and image in my mind rather than the well-practiced observer and activist TTW.



Equally important, I left with an image of all the different kinds individuals who are against this war, older men and women, young teens with nose piercings, conservatively dressed 30 somethings, head covered Muslims, women, as in this image, who remind me of my grandmother. That's heartening.