To honor the fallen is to
see that no more will fall
In North-East Indiana
We Are
Walking For Peace
Peace will not happen without your help
How Many More Will Die ?
The next action will be the monthly Demonstrate for Peace
at NOON on the First Sat. Each Month Courthouse Green (S.Clinton Street & E.Main Street) in downtown Fort Wayne
If you or a friend is soon to graduate from college, has the graduate considered taking part in the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility? It simply states, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." To learn more, click here.
Saturday, March 17 was the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq
We joined thousands of others to send a message to those in Washington, D.C.
Arrangements were made by IPFW Student Peace Action to take a tour bus to Washington, DC for the March 17th march on the Pentagon called by InternationalANSWER.org. We left Ft. Wayne at 10pm Friday night and arrived in Washington around 10am on Saturday. The march and rally are to protest the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the previous march on the Pentagon during the Vietnam war.
Our bus dropped us off just a few blocks from the rally point and we spent about two hours there until the march began at about 1:00. It was COLD ! ! Eighty busses could not bring passengers because of snow and ice, so the number of participants was less than expected, but thousands did make it and, despite the very cold and windy weather, made a statement that they wanted to protest the war and many policies of the people leading our government.
We got home before light on Sunday morning. Riding instead of driving allowed us to get at least some sleep on the bus ride each way, and we had the rest of the day Sunday and Sunday night to recuperate from our foray into peace activism before returning to the daily grind on Monday.
Everyone appreciated the efforts of Bruce Hall and the IPFW Student Peace Action group. The bus ride was much better than driving, but many felt that less time eating would have led to a shorter time with the busses. The drivers were competent, courteous and went out of their way to help members of our group as well as others who needed to sit in the bus until their busses could get to the pick up point after the rally.
These are some of Roger's pictures - it was just too cold to take a lot of pictures.
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John Good, his older daughter and his father-in-law all joined the march. It was a cold day and many of us had trouble taking pictures because of the weather. John held Samantha to protect her from the cold and it was a day where he proved his love, concern and care for his daughter. Bernie, Susan and Jim talked before the march began.
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Susan and Bernie tried to keep warm while waiting to march. Jim and Rebecca answered questions - if I ever find out who the questioner was I will put that up.
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This was the main stage after the march to the Pentagon. Cindy Sheehan was on stage when I took the pictures.
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A close up of Cindy Sheehan, many of those attending and a little bit of the camera stage for the press.
A video of her talk is below on this page.
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Robert Rouse has lots of good pictures and great information on Left of Centrist Obviously, Robert can function much better in cold weather than others of us.
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Look at the YouTube videos below . . .
It is almost the same as being there. (but not as cold)
Do watch the Watch "A Gathering of Eagles" - The other side of the issues at the end.
Intro video of the pre march events (0:30)
March across the bridge in DC March 17, 2007 (0:31)
Cindy Sheehan at the "March on the Pentagon" Rally (5:27)
Ramsey Clark (I like this guy) at the "March on the Pentagon" Rally (4:06)
Cynthia McKinney (Former member of Congress)at the "March on the Pentagon" Rally ( 3:35)
Watch "A Gathering of Eagles" - The other side of the issues
and so it goes - - will we ever all understand together ?
WASHINGTON D.C. WEATHER(updated every 12 hours) UPDATED FRI - PM: Saturday: Scattered snow showers after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Breezy, with a north wind between 16 and 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.. . . . . . . (Dress warm & bring a poncho just in case)
IT WAS COLD . . VERY COLD
Below is some of that was on the page before the event.
The dead and injured in Iraq are not just Americans. Iraqi children, their parents and loving relatives are the majority of those killed and hurt. Buildings and infrastructure has been destroyed as has been the image of the United States of America. We must be a part of the movement for change in policy.
We are concerned about all people and all who die in violent acts. They kill us, we kill them and they kill each other. We have started something that must stop. Please be a part of the message that is sent to the leaders of out country. Ride the bus, listen to what speakers have to say and March For Peace. If not us, then who will do it?
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located at 48 N. Rotary Road, Arlington, Virginia . As a symbol of the US military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.
Built by Philadelphia contractor John McShain, the building was dedicated on January 15, 1943. It is the highest-capacity office building in the world and one of the world's largest buildings in terms of floor area. It houses approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel. It has five sides, five floors above ground (plus two basement levels), and five ring corridors per floor with a total of 17.5 miles of corridors.
At five acre, the central plaza in the Pentagon is the world's largest "no-salute, no-cover" area(an area exempt from the normal rule that, when out of doors, U.S. military personnel must wear hats and salute superior officers). The open space in the center is informally known as "ground zero," a nickname originating during the Cold War when it was thought of as the most likely target of a nuclear missile. At the center of this plaza is the "Ground Zero Cafe," a snack bar.
To address our grievances to our government is one of the most important rights granted by the United States Constitution. This is your opportunity to participate in our Democracy. We have been on other similar trips to Washington and can assure you, based on our experiences, it is time well spent. Good people, great conversation and a wonderful experience. Oh, and if you are concerned about safety at such an event, almost everyone going is used to to doing this, and that includes our travelers and the people you will meet in Washington - the government authorities as well as other protesters. We have never had a problem - just a good feeling of being there to send an important message. - - r m
We thank the ourdems.org web site for letting us park this page on their space. Our efforts are open to
Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and everyone else who wants to do something positive for peace.
If not you, then who?
Our bus dropped us off just a few blocks from the rally point and we spent about two hours there until the march began at about 1:00. It was COLD ! ! Eighty busses could not bring passengers because of snow and ice, so the number of participants was less than expected, but thousands did make it and, despite the very cold and windy weather, made a statement that they wanted to protest the war and many policies of the people leading our government. 
