Brian
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Post by Brian on Jun 1, 2012 23:40:18 GMT -8
Nine familiar faces participated in the first Montrose Peace Vigil of June, three peaceniks fewer than last month's average attendance. I met John, who knows vigil regular Jeanne from church and stayed to talk to us for quite awhile. He had protested the Vietnam War and said he'd come back to the corner on another Friday to hold a sign about Afghanistan. I hope to include John next time in our tally. Elaine arrived before 7 p.m. to help Mike take down his telescoping half-staff flagpole, so I have to count her. This Friday's compilation of the 12 military deaths announced by the U.S. Department of Defense -- which I get from this webpage, www.defense.gov/releases -- is the worst since I started posting my weekly printout in November. If you're registered and logged in to this message board, here's the PDF: Attachments:
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Roberta
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Post by Roberta on Jun 4, 2012 19:46:42 GMT -8
It has just dawned on my that my trip up to Oregon for niece's graduation and family reunion is upon me, meaning I won't be able to be at the corner this week. (Yes, I'm giving myself an excused absence ;-) )
Can I drop off the sign bag to a local peacenik who will be at the corner? Speak out, it canl come with a nice bottle of red vino that will go to waste I fear otherwise here.
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Post by Jeanne on Jun 5, 2012 5:09:04 GMT -8
Sorry, Roberta, I'll be at the ceramics sale in La Canada this Friday.
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anni
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Post by anni on Jun 5, 2012 7:48:54 GMT -8
And I'm driving the backdrops to Ojai...might be late to the corner...hope not...If no one else can, though, I will. Better late than never???
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jun 8, 2012 23:00:24 GMT -8
Roberta and Jeanne had to be elsewhere during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil. To let them know who they missed, I'll name all of the stalwarts who came: Nancy, Jim, Mike, Louisa, Terry, Linda, Anni and me. Four middle school age boys rode their bikes to the concrete bench, where they stopped to rest. One of them asked me what we were doing. I said that we've gathered every week, trying to bring our troops home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, for six and a half years. The look on his face made me realize that we've been on the corner for half of his life. Then a man called out from his car as he rolled past, "Military industrial complex!" The kid wanted to know what that meant. So I told him about President Eisenhower's farewell speech in 1961 warning that citizens in this country have to keep our big military and the huge corporations from calling the shots. We need to ask questions like he's doing -- and speak out. Posted on our flagpole, this week's PDF of six Department of Defense announcements of seven deaths: Attachments:
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Sharon W
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Post by Sharon W on Jun 9, 2012 10:30:48 GMT -8
Great job educating kids! Last night the Broadway & Brand vigil had Henry, Julianne, Marcel, Nancy and me.
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Post by Jeanne on Jun 10, 2012 20:17:48 GMT -8
So sorry I missed Friday and witnessing Brian passing wisdom onto the next generation.
Summer is just around the corner and seems right for bringing a guitar. i've been enjoying Woody Guthrie's Hard Travelin'.
Nancy and Bruce, it's just G, D7, and C.
It's a great song, but how many of us are working that Pittsburgh Steel? What if we wrote some new verses that apply to the wars and the vigil? Some say that parody occupies the lowest rung on the ladder of creativity, so we ought to be able to do this.
For example:
I been standin' on the corner in Montrose, I thought you knowed. Holding up peace signs as cars fly down the road. Fingers a flyin', car horns a honkin' Just trying to prevent another Gulf of Tonkin. I've been a havin' some hard travelin', Lord.
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jun 15, 2012 23:27:47 GMT -8
Jeanne brought her guitar along with two verses she wrote for Woody Guthrie's "Hard Travelin'." Nancy, Roberta and Anni also sang. It was wonderful having music back at the Montrose Peace Vigil after so long. Besides our spirits, our attendance got a boost this Friday, thanks to eight spontaneous demonstrators. Zari, who often hangs out to discuss peace and politics before her pilates class nearby, joined in this time. Before I arrived, a middle school age boy and girl picked up signs. So did three more girls later. Anni's brother in law Donn surprised us by stopping by on his way to play in a jazz band at a local sushi restaurant. Then an elderly man named George, who was visiting from Louisiana, held a sign for awhile, explaining that he's been advocating peace for his entire life. Ten of this week's participants were regulars: - June 1 - 9
- June 8 - 8
- June 15 - 18
Perhaps the finest moment was when a man driving by called out to us, apparently referring to the counter protest across the street, "Your desire for peace does not disrespect the veterans." We also seek to honor the men whose deaths were announced in the past week by posting the Pentagon's press releases on Mike's custom flagpole at half staff: Attachments:
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anni
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Post by anni on Jun 20, 2012 21:22:16 GMT -8
Already missing my beloved fellow Vigilers, I'm on my way to Ojai and celebrating my dear friend's 70th birthday (Thursday and Friday). Hope this is an excused absence. LOL, out loud...
Peace/Out!
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Brian
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Post by Brian on Jun 22, 2012 23:34:54 GMT -8
With no spontaneous participants this Friday, Montrose Peace Vigil's attendance returned to the lower than average level of earlier this month. Road traffic was inexplicably light, but all of the honks were for us since the counter protesters on the opposite corner were absent. Many pedestrians expressed support, some stopping to talk. And Jeanne brought her guitar and Kathryn her mandolin. Turnout should increase at next week's vigil as we gather before the party at Mike and Elaine's house in the Glendale hills afterwards: - June 1 - 9
- June 8 - 8
- June 15 - 18
- June 22 - 8
This Tuesday, June 26, members of the Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church and Montrose Peace Vigil will be wearing black to demonstrate for Torture Awareness Month, initiated by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., on our usual corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, Calif. I hope that I -- and you! -- can be there too. Thanks to Roberta for printing the compilation of the seven military deaths announced this week and for posting it on our flagpole, sadly always at half staff: Attachments:
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