Ashland, WI
Chequamegon Coalition for Peace and Justice: 6 dedicated people were present to speak out for an hour and a half in extreme cold weather. We had a good time, with lots of support from passing cars and plenty of hot soup and tea
Oakland, CA
Photos from Joseph Woodard Multimedia. website: http://woodard.freemanbusiness.com
20 people participated in the Living Graveyard on Inauguration Day as we asked President Obama to bring all our troops home, not to send them to Afghanistan and to support a just peace in Palestine. 8 people lay on the sidewalk covered with white sheets to represent the dead. Four people read the names of Iraqi, Palestinian and Californian dead. A gong was sounded after each name. About 400 informational flyers were handed out to the public.photos of past Living Graveyards -- and hopefully soon this one-- can be seen at http://www.epicalc.org/
Janesville, WI
We had 3 people walk in the mall wearing Peace T-shirts. We also had 2 very brave people stand on the corner with "honk for peace" signs despite a wind chill of below 0 degrees. I think they only last 15 minutes, but they were there!
Chicago, IL
Camp Hope and Clearwater to Stop Blackwater. Although the temperature was just above zero the spirits of those gathered in Hyde Park for Friday the 16th were high. With signs reading YES WE CAN STOP BLACKWATER and YES WE CAN STOP OUTSOURCING OUR SECURITY we hudled around a small fire and greeted passers by who honked in support. We stood marking this January Iraq Moratorium by bringing the message of the dangers of privatizing our security. Getting the word out that there are over 190,000 private contractors working for over 600 companies in Iraq. Also 70% of our billions of tax dollars spent for intelligence gathering is paid to private companies working in every agency of the intelligence community. For true security, for an authentic democracy we need to rebuild the pillars of accountability, transparancy, and oversight that a democracy depends on. We must turn the tide of privatization that has marked all agencies of the defense department and the intelligence community since 9/11. The peace and justice movement must widen our dialogue to include the issue of outsourcing our security.
Santa Barbara, CA
The event consisted of a mock cemetery of the U.S. Military Teen Dead, from the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts. Information on 309, 18 & 19 year old casualties from both conflicts were displayed. The "Tombstones" were set up by volunteers from the SB Vets for Peace chapter and SBCC students. Passing by pedestrians and bike riders were asked to come down on the sand to place a placard of the colored photo and information of a teen casualty on the "Tombstones". Signs & information on the cost of War & the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan & Palestine were shared. A petition to the next President of the U.S.to make nuclear disarmament an urgent priority was available for signing.
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley Gray Panthers & Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenants Assoc.: We had 18 people gather to sing, chant, hand out literature, and try to create a world without war. See you next month.
Eau Claire, WI
Like everywhere in the country, it was a cold night in Eau Claire, WI. We experienced wind chills around 20 to 30 degrees below zero. This limited the normal number of attendees, but we were able to get ten very committed peace activists out. We had a couple of war veterans and one man whose daughter is currently serving her second tour of duty in Baghdad. Our presence on the corner of a very busy intersection was quite a sight for passers-by. They knew we "meant business!" I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures in February and a larger showing of people who know that we have to keep up the pressure to end these immoral and costly wars.
De Kalb, IL
January 16, 2009: Local citizens brave the cold to send a positive message of hope and change for 2009. Members of the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice stood on the corner of 1st and Lincoln highway, as they do every Friday, with a special vigil to mark the beginning of a new administration, an administration they hope will bring positive change for the country and the world. Lolly Voss, one of the organizers of the event said, "We hope that this new administration works to end the war and invest in the needs of people here at home."
Superior, WI
" Oh, the weather outside is frightful!" Neither rain, nor snow, nor wind chills cold enough to freeze your backside could keep a half a dozen hearty souls from standing for peace in Superior WI on Iraq Moratorium Day. While usually the twin port cities of Duluth,MN and Superior, WI hold separate Iraq Moratorium pickets, due to a week of weather which rarely rose to get to be zero degrees, we thought we'd consolidate our forces for the sake of warmth! Participants convened afterwards at the Red Mug coffeehouse just across the street to plan for next months event, so wash those long underwear, make yourself a sign or two, call a friend or family member, and be on the corner of Hammond and broadway on Friday, February 20th. See you there!
Cornwall, CT
Make Art, Not War!
This was the theme of January's observance of the Iraq Moratorium:Cornwall Edition, one of the most successful events we've held, and one of the most unusual. It was an art show opening for a group exhibit at the Cornwall Public Library!
Over fifty people shrugged off seriously icy sub-zero weather to turn out and look at some stunning pieces by 25 area artists who had responded to the Cornwall Moratorium group's call for submissions. Professionals with many gallery shows under their belts, illustrators whose work everyone reading this has probably seen in print, and talented amateurs all chipped in.
Normally we keep a strict one-hour time limit on our events. This time the artists, the art-lovers and the regular folks sick of the war kept returning to one or another favorite piece hanging on the wall and talking among themselves, and we had to forcibly close it down at 9:30, two and a half hours after it opened.
Best of all, this powerful show will remain on view at the library through the end of February, exposing the greater part of Cornwall's population to works like Karl Saliter's heart-punch of a sculpture, which indelibly draws the links between the deaths of 4200+ US troops in Iraq and the drive to control Middle East oil.
More pictures here.
Rice Lake, WI
It was a beautiful day in the north woods of Wisconsin. After three consecutive evenings of windchills ranging from 40 to 50 below zero, a nice southerly breeze and a sunny sky raised the temperature to only 5 below windchill. Nice! And so it was that 11 determined "People for Peace" took advantage of the balmy weather and stood for an hour as motorists honked, waved, smiled, swore, and gave the occasional one fingered salute. We saluted back with two fingers and a smile. Let's hope this beautiful weather holds for our February event!
Milwaukee, WI:
About 20 hardy souls braved sub-zero temperature and winds for Milwaukee's abbreviated January Iraq Moratorium vigil. Several of us adjourned afterward to a nearby coffee shop to discuss plans for February.
Milwaukee, WI:
I cannot attend today's Iraq Moratorium vigil because of a schedule conflict, but I changed both my facebook and myspace pages in honor of the Moratorium.
Sheboygan, WI:
Sheboygan poet and Vets for Peace member Gerald W. Bertsch has committed to writing a poem for peace every day until the war ends. Here's today's poem in observance of the Moratorium:
Iraq Disappointment
There weren’t any bombs.
Surprised? Hard to believe.
Disappointed? Certainly.
But not deterred.We really wanted to find bombs.
We surmised they were there.
Finding them wasn’t necessary.
We’d did the war anyway.Sorry we didn’t discover bombs.
Sorry so many died.
Can’t let it get to you.
Compromised? Nah.
Madison WI:
I sent this to President-elect Obama at change.gov:
I worked nearly full time and contributed more than my heirs think I should have to elect Senator Obama. I was motivated by many things but Iraq was near the top of the list. While viewed by many as a liberal, I can't stand the waste of precious resources. The Iraq war is a waste of $1.4 trillion, our prestige, lives, bodies, and minds. Please end it as quickly as possible and rethink your views on Afghanistan. Thank you. -- Tom Krajewski.
San Francisco, CA:
The Iraq Moratorium in San Francisco distributed postcards at the San Francisco Labor Council, addressed to President-elect Obama with a pie chart of the U.S. budget on the front depicting U.S. military expenditures in excess of 50 per cent of that budget. The postcards were mailed from different workplaces on Iraq Moratorium day.
Sheboygan WI:
I was out in the cold/wind/ice/frost in Sheboygan for our weekly peace vigil after reading a book about Shackleton the past week. Then on to Milwaukee for a fundraiser to help with travel expenses for George Martin, UFPJ co-chair,then two house concerts wearing a black arm band for conversation starter.
Madison, WI:
Peace activists, Wis. Network for Peace and Justice staff (pictured: Todd Dennis and Steve Burns) and Iraq Veterans Against the War colleagues attended an event at the Veterans Affairs office today, as a way to honor the Iraq Moratorium. The event was called: A Day of Recognition of Gulf War Illness – put on by the WI Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Presenters there report that FINALLY there is recognition that there is a real “syndrome” of illness for one-fourth of those who served in Kuwait and the Gulf War in 1991 – affecting up to 200,000 veterans. Long-term effects of exposure in 1991 to depleted uranium (DU) and untested vaccines are still unknown. This group is advocating for more research and cures for these illnesses. As this information spreads out to the public through the VFW clubs, VA hospitals, and Veterans Affairs events and press, recruiters will have a more difficult time getting people to join up – countering the appeal of glory and adventure, with potential sentence of a life-time of illness. (Note: we went indoors today for our IM event – with below-zero temperatures in Wisconsin!)
