Peninsula Peace Procession And Rally
10/19/2007 3:00 p.m.
Procession End Point/Rally is at Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 E. Charleston Rd., Palo Alto, CA US
Sponsored by Council of Churches of Santa Clara County, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Green Party - Santa Clara County, Los Altos Voices for Peace, Mountain View Voices for Peace, MoveOn District 14 Council, Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice, Pacifica Peace People, Peace Action of San Mateo County, Peace Umbrella - Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, The Rebuilding Alliance, San Jose Peace Center, South Bay Mobilization, Veterans for Peace, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom - Peninsula Branch
Iraq Moratorium
PENINSULA / SOUTH BAY PEACE PROCESSION
Connecting Our Communities for Peace
Friday, October 19, 2007
2:30 p.m. - Gather at starting points in Burlingame and San Jose
3:00 p.m. - Peace Procession begins
5:00 p.m. - Closing rally at Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
Northern Starting Point: Burlingame United Methodist Church, 1443 Howard Ave., Burlingame
Southern Starting Point: Calvary United Methodist Church, 729 Morse St., San Jose (enter on Naglee)
End Point/Rally: Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 E. Charleston Rd., Palo Alto (Wheelchair accessible)
Rally keynote speaker: Ray McGovern, Former CIA Analyst, Leading war critic
Also featuring Karen Meredith of Gold Star Families Speak Out and Iraq War Veterans from Veterans for Peace. Processionistas will gather for snacks and musical greetings from The Raging Grannies before the rally.
A procession of vehicles-cars, hybrids, electric vehicles, bicycles-will travel the length of the Peninsula, starting from points north and south, to symbolize the unity of all of our local communities in saying, "Troops out now!"
Decorate your vehicle with signs and black ribbons (provided at the starting points) to let our neighbors know we all stand together in trying to end the disastrous occupation of Iraq.
We will follow El Camino Real, the original route that connected all of our local communities. El Camino is also a vivid reminder of the devastation brought upon the indigenous population as a result of colonialism, a devastation that is being repeated in Iraq today.
Route maps, approximate schedule, midway joining points, and phone numbers to reach the procession in progress are available at http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php/Iraq_Moratorium_Oct_19
PermaLink: http://iraqmoratorium.org/events/listings/1/159.html
Reports, Updates, Comments
Sixty automobiles, six bicycles, and five pedestrians made up the peace procession to bring an immediate end to the war in Iraq. Processionistas followed two routes, a Northern Route starting in Burlingame, and a Southern Route began in San Jose.
The procession followed Highway 82, El Camino Real, the original route used by Native Americans and turned into a highway by the Spanish to transport missionaries and the military. El Camino Real now travels through mostly suburban areas and the caravan passed strip malls, motels, and gas stations. Along the route, demonstrators greeted the procession at several gathering points and held signs high. People waiting for the buses that barrel down El Camino Real observed the procession with curiosity.
The procession took El Camino Real to remember the bloody history of genocide and conquest on the highway. At the gathering afterwords, Rev. Kurt Kuwald remembered the bloody history of El Camino real. The vehicles in the procession carried large signs calling for the troops to return home now and black tassels decorated the antennas represented the deaths of Iraqis and Coalition soldiers and workers. The procession was dignified and had the atmosphere of a funeral. Karen Meredith, the mother of Ken Ballard, the 818th U.S. soldier to die in Iraq, drove in the procession and spoke at the ralley afterwards. Her vehicle bore a bumper sticker. BUSH LIED MY SON DIED.
One activist complained about the waste of gasoline by the procession.demand for oil drives U.S. strategic concerns. In defense of the procession, a single F-16 bombing run, such as the one that recently killed sixteen Iraqi women and children and fifteen men(or civilians and terrorists) uses over nine hundred gallons of jet fuel. If driving around in the suburbs can end the war, let’s save some gas, jump in an S.U.V. or mini-van, and cruise around the suburbs until the bombing stops.
Rally at UUCPA - Class Photo 1
The drive through the valley ended in Palo Alto, where the two routes joined. The activists were met with a table laden with coffee, cheese, crackers, and wine. They sat down and listened intently to an array of moving anti-war speeches delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Palo Alto. Paul George, the director of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, and Diana Gibson chaired the meeting gracefully.
Rev. Kurt Kuwald, of the Unitarian Universalist Church, lamented the bloody history of El Camino Real, as the highway used by missionaries and the Spanish military to destroy the native population of the American Southwest. According to Kuwold, the light trails of the natives were made into a road used by proslytising missionaries who provoked and justified military conflict. He named the tribes ravaged by the conquerers: the Uraq, Wyott, Caroq, Taliwan, Shasta, Shoshone, Achimowi, Matali, Nogupuplu, Wintun, Yana Wiloqui, Cato, Pomo, Miwak, Yapo, Ohlone, Sarono, and Costanoans were among the tribes slaughtered by European military forces traveling the El Camino Real.
Karen Meredith, a resident of Mountain View, lamented the death of her son Ken Ballard. He died on May 30, 2004 at age twenty six. She was disgusted by the army’s dishonesty her about the cause of death. The army originally claimed he was killed by a sniper in Najaf, but later was forced to disclose that he was killed by friendly fire.
Her son Ken’s division turned in their weapons on April third of 2004, under orders to return to the United States. On April 4, the Coalition Provisional Government shut down all Iraqi newspapers. Denying the Iraqis an independent outlet of expression provoked anger and massive demonstrations. The Army handed the GI’s in Ken Ballard’s division back their guns and extended their tour 120 days. Doing riot control duty in Najaf, Ken Ballard was killed.
Lenny Siegle, from Mountain View Voices for Peace, lamented the environmental destruction of the war. He works for the cleanup of Moffat Field, one of 150 superfund sites in the U.S. the military polluted. The military is one of the largest industrial polluters, particularly if the damage done by civilian defense industries is considered. The disposal of chemical weapons, the U.S. maintains large stockpiles, does untold damage. He said there are over 15 million acres of abandoned military ranges, covered in unexploded ordinance. These ranges are often mostly undeveloped and could make excellent parks or be added to the national forest system if it wasn’t for the wanton destruction. Many U.S. military ranges contain depleted uranium shells. “The same plagues we are bringing on Iraq, we are also bringing on ourselves.”
Steve Edwards, an Iraq war veteran from San Jose, quietly but boldly proclaimed his will to stand up against the war. He is a PTSD survivor and lamented the deaths of three of his military friends fighting in Iraq. He also lamented the veterans who were turned away from the VA because of lack of available services. All too often the vets turned away from the VA turn to suicide. When Edwards returned from Iraq, he suffered from migraines, nightmares, rage, sleeplessness, and anxiety. He felt guilty about surviving after seeing his friends die. Vets suffering these life threatening symptoms, or any other health problems, need immediate quality care.
Ray McGovern is the founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. He worked in the CIA for 27 years. He lamented the stubbornness of the Bush Administration for hardening their hearts and ignoring the counsel of the C.I.A. to avoid war. His upbeat well-written speech called for anti-war activists to be “disgusted, but not discouraged” by the situation. How can you be discouraged when Code Pink and the Raging Grannies are on your side? Or Ray McGovern, who’s been arrested for unlawful assembly in congress and directly confronted Rumsfield?
Ray’s insider knowledge and sharp analytical skills are a boon to the movement. I wish I could have his Intelligence Estimates on my desk every afternoon. Vice President Herbert Walker Bush was lucky to benefit from Ray’s reports. As an example, Ray reported that in 2002, CIA operatives turned the Iraq Foreign Minister into a reliable source, and the minister made it clear that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This critical information, in a country without any of the reliable sources an intelligence agency needs to provide real information, was ignored by the Bush administration. Andy Card, when confronted by an operative, who is now a member of V.I.P.S., replied “It’s not about WMD but about regime change.” According to Ray, Robert Gates is a yes-man who goes along with whoever is powerful, determined, and right in front of him. This is our secretary of defense? Ray gathered this intelligence while Gates was his employee. Ray passed on that the C.I.A.’s intelligence estimate made clear that there were no possible benefits to Coalition Forces or the Iraqi Government from a troop surge in Iraq, such as the one ordered by Bush in November 2006.
McGovern mocked the unwillingness of the administration to abandon their new military bases in Iraq and relinquish control of Iraqi oil wells. The contrived distinction between permanent military bases and enduring military bases disgusts him. He called for the U.S. to disavow all intentions of permanent military bases and disavow control over Iraqi oil