Posted on 01/16/2005 5:56:44 AM PST by clyde asbury
Published on: Sunday, Jan 16, 2005
On the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, hundreds gathered in Fayetteville for what some called the city's largest peace rally since the Vietnam War.
Even more people are expected for the second anniversary.
A rally set for March 19 at Rowan Park is being advertised nationally by United for Peace and Justice. On its Web site, the group is promoting a ''major regional protest in Fayetteville, N.C.''
The day after the rally, Iraq Veterans Against the War plans to hold its national convention here. Mike Hoffman, a former Marine who lives near Philadelphia, is the group's national coordinator.
''People talk constantly about numbers and strategy,'' he said. ''They're forgetting the individual stories of people.''
Organizers said the highlight of last year's rally was the stories from veterans and military families. Chuck Fager said he expects veterans, military families and perhaps even active-duty soldiers to give talks this year.
Fager is director of the Quaker House, an organization that helps soldiers who want to leave the military. It helped plan last year's rally. This year, the Quaker House and Fayetteville Peace for Justice decided to invite people back. Other groups sponsoring the rally include the North Carolina Peace and Justice Coalition, North Carolina Council of Churches, Military Families Speak Out, Bring Them Home Now and Veterans for Peace.
Lou Plummer, co-founder of Fayetteville Peace for Justice, said one of the main reasons he supports the rally is that he has friends and family serving in the military.
''This is my hometown; I grew up here,'' he said. ''This war is not something abstract I read about in the newspaper. It touches my life in a small way every day.''
Plummer and Fager said this year's rally will be similar to last year's. It will start with a march and feature speakers, music, poetry, art and dancing. Fager is hoping for a celebrity speaker.
Last year, many people were scared to come to Fayetteville, Fager said. But the rally - and counterdemonstration across the street - passed without incident.
''People who wanted to come last time but were too nervous to do it probably won't be so nervous this time,'' Fager said.
Fager said it is difficult to measure the rally's influence, but he and other war protesters receive support whenever they are out.
They held their last Fayetteville peace vigil in November.
''We had the same reaction then that we've had since the summer of 2003,'' he said, ''more favorable responses than unfavorable. That reinforces our sense that there are a growing number of people uneasy about the war.''
Plummer said last year's rally was effective because it gave people a voice.
''It was not effective in that we're still in Iraq,'' he said. ''If this rally doesn't help stop the war, we'll have one next year, but I hope not. I want this to be the last one.''
Staff writer Allison Williams can be reached at williamsa@fayettevillenc.com or 323-4848, ext. 331. Copyright 2005 The Fayetteville (NC) Observer
I misread your post ... "15 or 20 *more*"
Der Prinz seemed affirmative about this event, although he hasn't checked the Scouting calendar yet. The girls and I will make matching Frumpy Fundamentalist FReepin' Frocks ... maybe Hobby Lobby will have their 4th of July fabric on clearance :-).
I was thinking we should confuse them this time by going dressed in long, hippy, tie-die skirts or T-shirts and ripped jeans with
"Peace signs" and "smiley faces" on our jewelry...
Flowers in our hair...
Put giant pink and purlple flowers on our vans...
Hemp necklaces...
No showers for a week...
Lunches packed in a 55 gal oil drums and "trash looking" wraps...
Babies running around naked...
We also need to have lots of non sequitors on our signs:
"No oil for food in our name!!"
"Peace through weather manipulation"
"Bush knew Cheney before 9/11!"
"Stop the tsunamis!"
"Halliburton - It's not just for breakfast anymore!"
"We gave peace a chance, we got the tsunami!"
"Stop global washing!"
Hey, Upchuck,
It was great seeing you and Snoopy on Saturday, and it's great to know we can look forward to seeing y'all in March!
Well, we could get the clothes at the thrift store, and you could paint peace signs and flowers on the 747 if you want (as long as it washes off, eventually ...) but I'm not going anywhere with people who haven't taken a bath, or babies without diapers!
BTTT for tomorrow. I will ping the NC list then.
We've got plenty of time to organize this, which is GREAT!
I hope the Rolling Thunder group will be involved!
CD
I'm glad you posted this. I saw it in the paper this morning but I didn't have time to post it before heading out to work. I hope we can get something going.
Let me know if you need any help with the organizing or whatever. I've already mentioned this to Bobsbabe but she'll be in MD. Her husband will be taking some leave time before he retires from the military. I can let my mom and sister know. I'm sure they will want to do it again. Mother is a constant lurker and might even see the thread before I can tell her tomorrow. I'll round up as many persons as I can. I said something to my dept. manager today that I might need this particular date off.
I just want to know who will go dressed in the belly dancer outfit.
Here's a pic from their site announcing the Mar, 19th protest. Nice, huh?
Bush lies? Oh, and it's all his fault, too :)
"Bild skools, not boms!!!"
"Busch Lite!!"
Belly dancers? eek...
Didn't they have a guy on stilts, too?
I made it to Fayetteville last year and enjoyed meeting some fine FReepers the night before the protest. Had to leave the next morning due to a family emergency but am willing to try again.
So please keep me on the ping list!!!
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