I was against the Iraq war before it started exactly five years ago tonight.
Working then as director of academic resources at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in Fort Lauderdale, I joined the Broward [County] Antiwar Coalition, which had its meetings at Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida, and Peace South Florida, which had its meetings at St. Maurice Roman Catholic Church in Dania Beach.
In January and February 2003, as millions of other Americans did in their towns, I attended rallies at Bayfront Park in Miami and in downtown Fort Lauderdale and I marched with members of Pax Christi and other organizations in downtown Hollywood. I recall being heckled by bar patrons who'd come out to yell at us, "What about 9/11? What about 9/11?"
Unfortunately, even today a lot of people believe our invasion of Iraq had something to do with 9/11. It didn't. But then Sen. McCain said yesterday that Iran was training Al Qaeda in Iraq, a ridiculous notion to anyone who knows the difference between Sunni and Shi'a.
Because of the stupidity of Sen. McCain and others, five years tonight I found myself at St. Maurice’s chapel. Father Roger had called for an interfaith prayer meeting on the eve of the Iraq war.
The few others attending were from Peace South Florida: our leader Myriam Velez, a Colombian immigrant with a nephew headed for Iraq; an old New York Jewish couple from Century Village at Pembroke Pines; two elderly Quebecois snowbirds who wintered in Hollywood; three high school students with piercings and tattoos; and two others my age whom I’d seen at the futile meetings and marches.
Father Roger distributed prayers from various religions he’d gotten online that afternoon. For the first time since a 1964 performance at Flatbush Park Jewish Center, I got to recite something in a house of worship. That night I asked for peace about ten times in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
* * * * *
According to today's Miami Herald, there's a vigil tonight at St. Maurice to commemorate the last half-decade of shame and death:
Dania Beach vigil: A Stand for Peace will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at St. Maurice Catholic Church, 2851 Stirling Rd. Participants are encouraged to wear black. The event is sponsored by St. Maurice Pax Christi and Women in Black.
Here in the Valley, peace groups are protesting this evening outside Sen. McCain's office on North 16th Street. The End the War Coalition meets every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of Grace Lutheran Church, 1124 North 3rd Street, Phoenix.
As strongly as I opposed the Iraq war before it began, I never foresaw how badly it would turn out and never imagined that I'd still be protesting the war five years later, after nearly 4,000 Americans and countless Iraqis have lost their lives.
This war must end.
At the Take Back America conference currently going on in Washington DC, ten progressive Democratic congressional challengers have endorsed a Responsible Plan for Iraq.
The plan, which calls for no residual troops and a diplomatic “surge”, will be announced formally here at the Take Back America conference in DC at 5:30 Eastern today. Brig. Gen. John Johns has also made a video supporting a Responsible Plan.
These Democratic House candidates are headed by Darcy Burner (WA-08).
According to the Mother Jones blog,
A former Microsoft middle manager who is taking her second run at Congress in Washington State, Burner said that she was fed up with telling voters she wanted to end the war, only to be stymied by the question of how she planned to do so. So she met with Paul Eaton, the retired army general responsible for training the Iraqi military between 2003 and 2004, and developed a comprehensive withdrawal plan.
Other Democratic House challengers who are supporting A Responsible Plan include:
Jared Polis (CO-02)
Donna Edwards (MD-04)
Eric Massa (NY-29)
Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
Tom Perriello (VA-05)
George Fearing (WA-04)
Larry Byrnes (FL-14)
Steve Harrison (NY-13)
Sam Bennett (PA-15)
I've read the plan and ask you to read it too. Nobody's asked me, but I join these candidates in supporting Take Back America's Responsible Plan for Iraq.
The Responsible Plan will:
End U.S. military action in Iraq
Use U.S. diplomatic power
Address humanitarian concerns
Restore our Constitution
Restore our military
Restore independence to the media
Create a new, U.S.-centered energy policy
Sen. McCain says American troops may have to be in Iraq for a hundred years. That is madness.
Stop the insanity.
Five years is enough.
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