Support our Troops, not the War - Apr. 26, 2008

We were able to lead about 20 people into the Salute Our NC Troops parade on April 26. We requested the organizer to be allowed to march in the parade, but he did not respond one way or the other. So we entered the parade at the front and were promptly told by the police to leave the street or be arrested. Patrick O'Neill, who had just joined Veterans for Peace, remained in the street and was removed by the police but no charges were brought. Daniel Lee Foster, not a Vet for Peace, was taken away in handcuffs because he lay down in front of an armored vehicle. We gave contributions for his bail.

The lesson we learned from this is we need to protect those who wish to protest war, even if they are not members of VFP. The fact that we are veterans tends to deescalate hostility. I think if Patrick O'Neill had been wearing a VFP tee-shirt, someone would not have ripped up his sign which said, "Jesus said, 'Love your enemies'".

The Humility of Peace - Apr. 30, 2008

I am a member of Veterans for Peace and I did stand up for peace during the Salute Our Troops parade.  David Ranii’s article “Military Majesty …” was an accurate snap shot of the overall event.  But I have a different interpretation and a closer perspective of the events.  The title Military Majesty I consider Glorification of War, with heroes, spotlessly clean and disciplined troops, and the powerful weapons of war.  I too felt that pride in our military; but if we are ever to disenchant ourselves of this war mentality, then we need to step back and ask “To what purpose are these feelings directed?”  Is this glorification of war also an attack on peace?

On closer perspective, we see the attack on peace occurs by stealth and acquiescence.  Two veterans’ organizations apply to be in the parade, the pro-war Rolling Thunder, with their motorcycles, is allowed but Veterans for Peace is officially ignored.  When the Veterans for Peace march in the parade anyway, they are commanded by the police to leave the street.  The attack on peace proceeds by marginalizing the peacemakers. 

War heroes are on parade and cheered and saluted; but when a peacemaker lies down in front of an oncoming armored vehicle, he is arrested.  I remember such bravery when one lone hero stopped the tanks in Tiananmen Square, China.  The attack on peace continues with arresting its heroes.

While standing on the side of the road, the guy next to me decided to stand in front of our Veterans for Peace banner.  The silencing of peace is engaged with patriotic fervor.  When one of our members holds up a sign that says, “Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies’”, an American flag is used to block it.  His sign is then pulled from his hands, ripped up and thrown on the ground.  The philosophy of the Prince of Peace is destroyed.

I don’t belief that any of these actions represents what is best about our country.  But it does point out that we must look at the mentality of war glory that justifies a silent war on peace disguised as patriotism.

The Unfortunate Truth

"The unfortunate truth is that we are conditioned to regard warfare as something exciting and even glamorous: the soldiers in smart uniforms (so attractive to children) with their military bands playing alongside them.  We see murder as dreadful, but there is no association of war with criminality.  On the contrary, it is seen as an opportunity for people to prove their competence and courage.  We speak of heroes it produces, almost as if the greater the number killed, the more heroic the individual.  And we talk about this or that weapon as a marvelous piece of technology, forgetting that when it is used it will actually maim and murder living people.  Your friends, my friend, our mothers, our fathers, our sisters and brothers, you and me."

The Dalai Lama