In Kalamazoo, a group of people who come together under the name Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents of War have successfully been holding a weekly vigil for peace for four years now. They’ve outlasted the proponents of war for a long time. Counter-protesters who advocated the invasion and occupation of Iraq simply faded away about six weeks after the Iraq War began, and haven’t been seen since.
The group includes members of a local chapter of Code Pink, as well as members of the international anti-war organization Women in Black. Of course, many other people come just as themselves, Americans against war.
About 40 people showed up to participate in the vigil today, and got a good show of support from passers-by. Although the peace vigil was heckled at first, today almost all the feedback they get is positive.
A recent focus of the vigil has been on applying the message of peace to this year’s congressional campaigns. The newest signs included in the peace protest read “Vote to End the War”, and feature an American flag.
To find out more about the Kalamazoo peace vigil, check out Olga Bonfiglio’s book Heroes of a Different Stripe: How One Town Responded to the War in Iraq.
i don’t know. The headlines, aside from portending doom for the Republicans in the House and Senate, keep saying nothing will change as far as policy (especially in Iraq) even if the Democrats win majorities in both. If that’s the case, and i’ve already seen that impeaching this criminal who occupies the White House is “off the table,” what are we actually voting for? What changes will come down if we let the Democrats try their hand at being a majority in Congress? If nothing changes then the election is a sham.