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NEWS & LETTERS, April - May 2007Thousands of demonstrators say "no more war"Memphis, Tenn.--Our annual anti-war march was smaller than it has been in the last three years--probably because many may think that the Democrats in office will do the job. Nevertheless, the spirit was great and determined in the close to 300 of us who did march: END THE WAR NOW! Brenda Pearson of Military Families Speak Out, did speak for most of us there when she began her talk saying, "I hope this is the last year we have to do this." This year our march began at the National Civil Rights Museum. At one point, Pete Gathje, who emceed our rally, began to yell the truth to the many visiting the Museum: "You won't find Martin Luther King in there, he's out here with us!" reminding everyone of King's opposition to the Vietnam War. Our demonstration snaked through some projects where mostly African Americans live. The most moving part of the march by far was when we stopped at the Military Entrance Processing Station. This building is the place that all military personnel in Shelby County, regardless of rank or military branch, check into before being deployed. All of us had photos of American soldiers who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan and we tied them to the perimeter fence. We felt that it was crucial to humanize the fairy tale told by the Bush administration by showing the human cost of the war. We left the military installation with new energy and marched up a crowded Beale Street packed with St. Patrick's Day celebrators. While most onlookers just stared, a good many gave us a thumbs-up and a few cheered us on by chanting with us. --Participants * * * New York City--As the United States entered the fifth year of the war in Iraq, opponents of the Bush administration policies spent three days voicing their opposition across the country. On March 18, thousands gathered in large-scale rallies held by the anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice and other groups in cities from cost to coast. At least 39 people were arrested, March 19, in protests against war profiteering at the New York Stock Exchange. Many of the New York City protesters in and around Wall Street were members of the local chapter of the War Resisters League, the country's oldest secular peace group, an endorser of the March 19 Coalition. "We come to the Stock Exchange today to call attention to the companies that are profiteering from the war," declared the coalition, "companies like Lockheed Martin, which has seen its stock price rise 116% since the start of the war." --Information from the War Resisters League * * * San Francisco, California--An estimated 50,000 people marched in San Francisco on March 18 to protest the war. Especially prominent were Iraqi veterans against the war and many sporting buttons supporting Lt. Ehren Watada, a war resister whose defense is based on his claim that the orders to go to Iraq were illegal. |
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