Peace Demonstration No. 248, 12/8/10

"I always honk my horn when I see you out here," said a 50 ish woman as she and her husband walked up to the vigil. "You have been out here a long time," she added with warmth in her voice and a sparkle in her eyes.

"We appreciate you doing this," stated her husband with an inspirational lift in his voice. And with that, they joined John Fortier and me in the vigil.

After they left, a 50 ish couple who often join did last night as well. These peace demonstration participants reflected the tone of the vigil, as did numerous horn honks and waves, two fingered peace signs and thumbs up.

But lest you think we receive 100% support, "They need a whacking," mumbled a 50 ish man under his breath, with a scowl across his face as he walked quickly around us. "Crazy people!" As he spoke, at no time did he look directly at us, his eyes staring down at the street as he sped by.

The occasional critic aside, it is a wonderful feeling to get out on a street corner and appeal to peoples' consciences about the Afghan/Pakistan and Iraq Wars and remind them of all those who have paid so severe a price.

While we and others who host vigils have not succeeded in ending the wars, one of which is over nine years old (Afghan/Pakistan) and the other nearly eight years old (Iraq), it is a start. To end these wars will take vast numbers of people of conscience to raise their voices to affect a political system that isn't listening and is borrowing more money to continue them.

But even now, it is as successful businesswoman, human rights activist and environmentalist Anita Roddick (1942 - 2007) said, "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room." We are that mosquito.

Dick