Not One More Death! Not One More Dollar!

October 26, 2005
Not One More Death! Not One More Dollar!
Lansing, Michigan Recognizes and Protests the Costs of War in Iraq.

The day after the American Friends Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org/) confirmed the 2000th US military death in Iraq, the Lansing community gathered for a 4:00 - 6:00 PM public action. Together, we witnessed the tragic marker of 2000 US military deaths and at least 26,000 to 100,000 Iraqi deaths. Our signs stated: "Not One More Death; Not One More Dollar." I arrived late and heard supportive horn-honks along East Michigan Avenue as I unloaded my wheel chair and bundled in a warm scarf, coat, hat, mittens, and vest.

Lansing area people held large signs along Michigan Avenue in the late afternoon sunshine, each sign carrying one word in "Burma-Shave" style. We also had laminated the American Friends Service Committee's images of a boot with the name and age of each Michigan fatality in Iraq: sixty named boots plus the names of three more October deaths -- and nine photos of pre-war Iraqi individuals and families. These were spread out for pedestrians to see -- and for us to contemplate.

Most of us were from our local peace and justice group, the Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice (www.glnawi.org) and from the religious and community organizations represented in GLNAWI. (This includes our local Quaker meeting, the Red Cedar Friends Meeting.)

Over the 2-hour afternoon public action along East Michigan Avenue, Ann F. had counted 137 people. To close, we gathered together at 6:00, holding hands in a large supportive circle as Margaret K. and Ann F. spoke of the reasons we were present that day. We completed our public action with a silent circle and hugs.

Then, many people from our afternoon GLNAWI action went up Michigan Avenue to another moving event -- a 6:30 evening candlelight vigil in front of a US Representative Mike Rogers' local office. This evening vigil attracted about 70 people, including some from the afternoon GLNAWI action called by AFSC, some who had seen notice of the planned candlelight vigil in local television coverage of the afternoon event, and some who heard about this candlelight vigil from MoveOn (www.moveon.org).

By candlelight, Terry read names of Michigan and Iraqi dead -- and people shared poetry, music, and tears. (See the World War I poem quoted in August on this blog.) Many at the vigil remembered last year's Eyes Wide Open (at the Michigan Capitol grounds on Sept. 30, 2004) as we shared the losses and sorrow on Wednesday last week. Family members of a local soldier who died early in the Iraq war had also shared the Eyes Wide Open commemoration with us last year. The young soldier's grieving mother was present again at this candlelight vigil with her extended family, honoring, mourning, and remembering her wonderful young man, killed in the Iraq war. This mother spoke of her beloved son and of the importance of remembering and supporting both families and young people.

Both Wednesday peace actions were deeply moving -- and both reached out to our larger community.

Gratefully,
MargaretN
October 30, 2005

Posted at Sunday, October 30, 2005
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