2/9/13

Notes From Peace Demonstrations: John Fortier Peace Vigil, 2/8/13

At a time when the U.S. is in its 12th year fighting the Afghan War, a war it launched in 2001, and maintains its "Green Zone" in Baghdad, to keep the Iraq government in power, after fighting an eight year Iraq War it launched in 2003, the U.S. continues to expand its war effort.

What does the U.S. have to show for the many men, women and children that have been killed? More war, more weapons, more killing is necessary, as if the loss of all those lives is not enough. The latest war effort is to expand it's "Kill List," and continue its "Kill" teams and its killer drones to anyplace it decides terrorists are functioning, while never seeing itself as a terrorist, nor respecting the territorial rights of others.

But as he has done since before President George W. Bush launched the Iraq War in March, 2003, Korean War veteran John Fortier conducts his weekly, and occasionally more often, peace vigil on a busy Redondo Beach, CA street corner along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

John is a retired school teacher, husband of 55 years, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. And whatever the weather presents, such as the cold, windy and rainy day of yesterday, he is out there with his green peace flag flapping in the breeze, and his "War Is Not The Answer" sign in front of him, a sign that also includes his war metals.

Dear Reader, what follows are John's comments about yesterday's peace vigil, which I think you will find of interest:


Well, there's just no telling what the corner has in store for one.
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This ^ evening it had three very nice happenings; two were complete surprises.

In order: a 30ish lady in an A-shirt approached, told me she had seen me there for a long, long, long time, and had meant many times to stop, but... She asked if I would mind if she took my picture, and I told her I wouldn't mind as long as I didn't have to disrobe (my standard answer)and if my sign was prominently displayed.



She seemed to spend 15 or 20 minutes setting up and taking > half-dozen or so pictures with her little digital phone-camera. Said she was a photo-journalist in college but had to drop out because her mother became very ill. Now she enters photography contests and is currently in one for digital phone-cameras. Her name is Mary and my name is John, and that's all the information we exchanged.

The next happened at 5:40. I was in the corner of the parking loading my stuff off and over the fence, and I heard lots of tooting and yelling. I was glad I sat until the last minute, stood up and just looked around for a minute [a la P. Obama taking his last look], otherwise I would have missed a regular enthusiastic support group - a man driver with three kids hanging out the rear window putting on a show. It was great. I can't remember a Friday that they didn't come by. It's always heartening to see them.

The next was as good as it gets. I was still looking down PCH after my cheering section and a car pulls up right next to me and the driver's holding a big to-go cup out the window. He says that it's pretty cold out there and would I like a cup of hot chocolate. We visited a few minutes, me telling him how much I appreciated his doing what he did, and him telling me how much he appreciated me doing what I do. I'm thinking about saving that cup and displaying it somehow so that guy can see it when he comes by again. If I keep the poinsettia the anonymous lady left for me and the hot chocolate to-go cup the guy left for me, my corner will start to look like the bottom shelf of a carnival's weight guesser's prizes.

Oh - before the lady photographer, a slightly senior lady rolled up in the right turn lane, lowered her passenger window a couple of inches and was holding her hand out with folded up money in it. I think I'm going to have to start wearing a necktie or something so people won't be tempted to offer me money. Not that people are standing in line to do it. This is only about the 4th or 5th time in a dozen or so years, but it is really awkward and I dread offending anyone who is obviously trying to do what they think is right/nice.

I must give the weather some mention. It was cold and windy. Quite cold and quite windy. But the rain was negligible. I had on a t-shirt, a pretty heavy long sleeved shirt, a scarf, and a heavy jacket. When a drizzle started getting serious I put on a light rain jacket. It wouldn't close over all the other stuff, so I bent forward so the rain landed on my back and rolled off. Sort of like a tortoise. Ta-da !

What a night. There are so many cool people out there. I enjoy my Wednesdays, but I really look forward to my Fridays !

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