Posted on 03/25/2007 7:50:44 AM PDT by Lady J USA 1981
WINTHROP -- Instead of falling snow and sleet, there was wet pavement from melting snow, bright sunshine and warm weather on Saturday, ideal conditions for a rescheduled rally and march by people seeking an end to the war in Iraq. About 110 of them did a quick march up and down Main Street in Winthrop, carrying big peace signs on tall sticks and poster boards with such messages as "Support Peace; No Bush," to the lone beat of a drum made from a joint compound bucket.
"We're trying to stop the war by stopping the funding," said Tom Sturtevant of the Winthrop and Wayne Area People for Peace. "It's like the Vietnam War. If you stop the funding, you stop the war."
The gathering was part of a Maine-based anti-war movement labeled "From Every Village Green." Ice and snow forced organizers to postpone the March 17 Winthrop gathering until this weekend.
At a brief rally downtown following the march, Sturtevant read the names of the 16 soldiers from Maine killed in Iraq and also the names of 16 civilians from Iraq who have died in the war.
He paused after the names so Emily Perkins, a sophomore at Maranacook Community High School, could sound her drum, labeled "A different drum for nonviolence." Then the crowd sang "Down by the Riverside" with lyrics that included "I ain't gonna study war no more."
Perkins said about a dozen students came to march from the Maranacook school. "It's really exciting," she said. Perkins said she has taken part in other war protests as well.
At one end of the crowd, Sally Brotherton of South China, represented the Women in Black, who stand for peace each Friday at noon at State and Winthrop streets in Augusta.
"There are a lot of women and others who would stand with us they could," Brotherton said. "They should just wear black on Fridays and send their energy our way."
Tom Lane of Wayne came as a member of Veterans for Peace to protest the war in Iraq.
"We're behaving in a bizarre fashion," Lane said. "As a country we have to decide what we're doing, what our goal is and how to achieve it."
Two men, Lee Kimberling of West Gardiner and Don Duplessis of Augusta, both veterans, held a separate vigil Saturday in Winthrop. "We're just standing for our men and women in uniform," Kimberling said.
He said he took several pages of material about "the good things we're doing in Iraq" to Maranacook earlier in the week after reading about a student's effort to protest the war.
Duplessis, whose cap said "U.S. Army retired," took part in the "Gathering of Eagles" last week in Washington, D.C., in which tens of thousands of veterans gathered to show support for U.S. troops.
They offered a counterprotest to an anti-war rally in the nation's capital.
Betty Adams -- 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
Some in the group were expecting to have a bucket of joints.
I'm still laughing at the fact there was only 110 people.
Don't laugh...this is a ground-swell in Maine!
/sarc
At least they didn't report "thousands".
Hmm lemme see now .....
"They should.....send their energy our way."
Now that's reminiscent of the 60's and the pot they smoked for peace, enlightenment and strength in comradery. Right out of the Twilight Zone....
"They should just wear black on Fridays"
Yes they should. Get use to wearing something close to those stylish black burquas that are in their dumb futures.
"Then the crowd sang "Down by the Riverside" with lyrics that included "I ain't gonna study war no more." "
Hmm just like the musical line-up for the moonbats in DC on 3/17 No patriotic songs about America and American fighting men and women. And when did they study war? Eh?
"Sturtevant read ...... the names of 16 civilians from Iraq who have died in the war."
What about the 3,000 civilians from America killed in the WTC, the Pentagon and a field in PA by Moslem terrorists?
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