Saturday, January 27, 2007


Protest in Washington, again. Photo: NY Times.
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A soldier's boots and a coffin symbolize the thousands of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, and the tens of thousands maimed. Photo: New York Times.
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Today in Washington

But soldiers aren't the only victims of this insane war. These shoes symbolize the tens of thousands--and perhaps hundreds of thousands--of civilians killed and maimed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion. New York Times photo.
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Again

“I grew up during the Vietnam War, but I never protested it and never had my lottery number called to go fight,” said David Quinly, a 54-year-old carpenter from Prairie Village, Kan., who arrived here Friday night with about 50 others after a 23-hour bus ride.“In my view, this one is a war of choice and a war for profit against a culture and people we don’t understand,” Mr. Quinly said. “I knew I had to speak up this time.”

That's from the New York Times report on today's antiwar demonstration in Washington, where "tens of thousands" of protestors focused on the Iraq war. From the podium, Susan Surandon said, according to the Times:

“We need to be talking not just about defunding the war but also about funding the vets,” Ms. Sarandon said, adding that more than 50,000 veterans had been injured while benefits for them continue to be cut.

The Washington Post has this quote:"When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent," said Iraq war veteran Garett Reppenhagen.

Reuters reports that similiar demonstrations in Los Angeles and San Francisco today were attended by thousands.

Antiwar protests are all too familiar to baby boomers. On the plus size, many of us are still involved, still standing and marching. On the negative side, after Vietnam we perhaps did not significantly recognize that ending a war did not mean peace--that peace is a process requiring skills and attention. And of course, it was boomers who got us into this insane war. When will we ever learn.