Peace Demonstration No. 266, 4/20/11

"God bless you," said a 75 ish woman who waved me over to her small gray sedan. When she couldn't get the passenger window down, she was so determined to speak, she leaned across the seat and thrust the car door open. "I wish there was more we could do," she said. She then raised her right hand to her chin, placed two of her fingers to her lips and blew a kiss to the sign.

This is how last night's vigil went, as the first supportive horn honked while John Fortier and I were setting the vigil up, the sign not yet displayed. That driver knew what the vigil was about as he honked and waved, as later did two other drivers on a cross street unable to read the sign but already knowing what it said. We received waves from three bus drivers, two of whom honked their horns, as did numerous other drivers honk their horns, among the waves and two fingered peace signs.

The vigil was also joined individually by the 50 ish couple that often joins.

John Fortier is a Korean War veteran and a retired school teacher and he spoke of his childhood memories of World War ll. "People were more aware and involved. My mother used to save bacon grease, tin foil, tie old sheets into bandages" and do other things to help the war effort. "She crocheted socks and sweaters and scarves for the soldiers."

John spoke of how the U.S. government is now in three wars and it does nothing to involve the American people beyond those in the military, keeping most Americans in the dark. If the government speaks of the wars at all, "it makes conflicting statements, lying to us and manipulating us." He compared what is being done to the American people as that of a frog sitting in a pot of cool water on a stove. The frog is passive while bit by bit the flame is slowly turned up until the frog is boiled to death.

"We move on and we forget these people," said a 50 ish woman walking two dogs. "Thank you for doing that." One of her two dogs was a German Shepherd she had recently rescued. "She was up for adoption for six months and no-one wanted her. She is the sweetest dog we have ever had."

Late in the vigil, the icy breeze and gray overcast sky that had brought a chill throughout the vigil suddenly turned to warm golden sunlight and to a bright blue sky, which was hard to predict until it happened. Maybe that will be true of these wars. All we see now is darkeness and thunder but as Washington pursues this path it will lead to moral and financial ruin. So it is with hope and with reason this vigil appeals for peace and as a result, for a better future for America and its military victims and for all of mankind.

Dick