1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
Tue Aug 28, 2007 at 08:46:51 PM PDT
Tonight across the country, there were hundreds of vigils to Take a Stand against the Iraq War and urge Congress to bring our troops home. I went to a vigil in NYC's Union Square Park, which has a long history as a site of activism.
George Washington presided over the scene and I wondered what he would have thought of this George W. Would he have thought our country destroyed? Or would he have had faith that we could restore the rule of law?
I work near Union Square Park, and I often go to protests there. Usually there are about 50 people there. I got there a little early today, and wondered how many would show up. 
People started gathering. Slowly more and more came.
Memorize this woman's sign: "The war in Iraq costs $456,100,000,000.000. Instead we could have provided 21,925,000 students with four-year scholarships to Universities." ... and repeat it over and over to everyone you meet. It's a statistic that really hits home. Let's translate the cost of the Iraq War into other tangible equivalents and use that approach to talk to people who aren't yet actively against the war.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 ... it all adds up. By the time we got started this evening, there were at least 500 people there. There was a stirring speech by a young woman whose little brother is serving in Iraq. Then we were gifted with a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" courtesy of Dan Zanes and Laura Dawn, Moby's vocalist and Moveon's Cultural Director, and Moby's keyboardist (sorry, hon! I didn't catch your name!)
Right next to me was a woman and her young daughter. I'm always heartened when I see children at protests. Plant those seeds of peace early. Teach your children well and all that. There were a few more short speeches, urging us to protest and lobby congress to bring the war to an end. But then came the main portion of the vigil. The reading of the date and hometown of all those KIA this year. They were from all over this country. It was particularly heartbreaking to hear of those KIA from the U.S.V.I and other territories, in which there is taxation without representation, and yet these young people go off to fight for this country.
It is profoundly difficult to hear this litany of the dead and not want to cry or scream. So I cried. So did a lot of us. There was a long line of people wanting to read, Mark Green read; the crowd was silent, listening. And then it came to an end. We observed a long moment of silence.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 ... it all adds up. Let the crowds grow bigger and bigger, day by day, week by week, til there are millions of us on the Mall on September 15th. 
Protest your way, but protest. Coming home on the subway, wearing my button "Love the Troops/Hate the War" and a big "Stop the War" sticker on my stomach, people read those messages, most smiled and nodded. I got a couple of thumbs up, and talked to a few folks. Not too hard to find like-minded folks taking the subway to the Upper West Side, but maybe some of these people will wear a button now, or an armband, or go to a protest. 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 ...
On September 15th you can protest in the flesh with 100,000s on the Mall. For more information go here, and to discuss all manner of logistics and issues pertaining to this protest and how to get there, please visit Road2DC. Thank you, jlynne, for setting up and hosting the site. And it's a great pleasure to work with you, Got a Grip and nonnie9999 to try and gather as many dKers as we possibly can on the Mall on September 15th.
And finally, September 21st kicks off Iraq War Moratorium Day. Break your routine and protest. It doesn't matter if you're not the protesting type. Find the right type of protesting for you. But make yourself heard. 
Stand up. Witness. Speak clearly and with the force of justice and reason.
Let us end this war.
And that is all she wrote.
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