I just came back from a Veterans For Peace meeting, and once again I am energized. There is so much committment from these folks, and such true compassion for our men and women in harm's way.
The annual elections were held, and the slate of officers for the next year is ready to take the helm.
Several things are coming up of importance:
Arlington West
The next event is on December 9th. This is in Oceanside either just north of or just south of the pier, depending on foot traffic, and how crowded the beach is. We really need volunteers for this, especially veterans, to interact with the public, and especially with active duty people.
The following are a few pictures from the last Arlington West held in Oceanside:
It is important to emphasize that this is a non-political event, supporting our troops active in Iraq, and honoring those that have fallen.
Truth-telling in a Time of War: A Call to Civic Courage
with guest speaker Daniel Ellsberg
This is not a VFP event, but is sponsored by the Peace and Democracy Action Group.
This will be Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 7:30pm, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Hillcrest. Please click the link for more details.
Candelight Vigil
San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice (SDCPJ) is planning a candlelight vigil near Balboa Naval Hospital when the toll of those of those Americans killed in Iraq reaches 3000. This will be soon, probably late December or early January. Please click the link above for a map to the location.
San Diego Veterans For Peace is encouraging as many of our members as possible to attend. In the meeting tonight it was emphasized that a strong presence by our group will strongly demonstrate respect for our troops. In addition, the Navy Hospital Corpsmen working out of Balboa will be reassured by a visible presence of Veterans For Peace, and counter-protest is sometimes diffused if we are seen as a large part of any gathering.
We will be setting up a very small version of Arlington West, with thirty markers, each marker representing 100 people. What was finally decided on was 28 crosses, 1 star & 1 crescent, to fairly represent the fallen.
It has been mentioned that there is a possibility of counter-protest, and it is important to remember our Statement Of Purpose:
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
We, having dutifully served our nation, do hereby affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end we will work, with others
(a) Toward increasing public awareness of the costs of war.
(b) To restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations
(c) To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons
(d) To seek justice for veterans and victims of war
(e) To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.
To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace.
We urge all people who share this vision to join us.
That's all for now. My next entry is planned (for now at least) to be more generally political, and will look at the makeup of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress.
Peace
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