Fayetteville Rally

Well, I've gotten way behind in blogging, since I am so very busy lately. I hope to catch up soon.
On Saturday, March 19th, I got on the bus and went to Fayetteville to protest. This was organized by United for Peace and Justice. Peggy picked me up at 4:30 AM, and then we picked up James. The bus left at 5 AM. I tried to sleep on the bus, but I couldn't sleep. There were 28 on the bus, and it took almost five hours to get there. It was very quiet on the bus.

We got to the gathering point for the march, and few people were there. I knew that would change. I rounded up five other people to help me carry my "I Want Peace" flag, and that made quite a display. I also got the Shimbergs to carry my "Peace Ribbon" (see Code Pink website for more information) panels - seven in total. That stretched across the road. I was interviewed while carrying the flag by a couple of TV stations. I told them that many people in Asheville signed the panels that I sewed together to make a flag, and Faiza Jarrar sent me the white fabric that said "PEACE" in English and Arabic. Faiza is a women from Baghdad who I started emailing.

There were about 5,000 protesters at the rally. The police searched our bags before we entered the park, and waved us down with metal detector wands. I heard that there was a bomb threat against the Quaker House, which is next to the park.

There were also some counter-demonstrators against the anti-war protesters. There was about 50-75 of them. When I read a report in the local paper later that night, they devoted equal commentary to both groups, and never mentioned the difference in size of the turnout. The anti-peace demonstrators started chanting during Medea Benjamin's speech (from Code Pink), which was okay, but they kept on making yelling when the next speaker came on. That speaker was a parent who's child died in Iraq. That was really disrespectful.

I bumped into Cindy Sheehan there and met her husband. I also got to talk to Camilo Mejia, and I told him what Faiza Jarrar had to say about him on her blog (which is called "A Family in Baghdad"). Camilo seemed a very humble man. A lot of the speakers at the rally touched me, but I did feel they got on and off the stage way too fast. It also seemed the program went on a bit too long.

I am glad I went.

There was only disappointing thing I encountered all day at this rally. One of the protestors there claimed that the "insurgents" in Iraq have a right to resist the US forces and policies (and she is correct about that). She also claimed that it is quite acceptable and necessary that the Iraqi resistance be violent. She is very wrong about that. She claimed this is "self-defense" and therefore justified. The first problem with her position is the fact that any Iraqi combatant is vastly out-powered by US combatants. They will pay a horrible price by trying to overcome US troops with violence. Secondly, as always, it is the civilian population that pays the greatest price, and faces the heaviest toll, in any war or conflict. Perpetuating conflict or war (or starting it in the first place!) is therefore highly immoral. Third, violence begets violence, so reacting violently to US occupation will only increase the violence in the country, and not lead to a solution that is helpful and hopeful to all Iraqis. Fourth, using violence against another human being is immoral, and not in line with what God wants for his children on this planet.

Yes, the Iraqi people have the right and the need to resist the US presence and policies within their country. I hope and pray they do so with all their hearts and minds - and do it in a non-violent manner. That is the only path to stability, justice and lasting peace. And I stand beside them in this non-violent endeavor.