August Vigils 2012

[anni]

My how time flies when
"All we are saying is
Give Peace a Chance"

[Brian]

August is a blue moon month, which also means that we will have five vigils. Eight stalwarts came to this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, along with a pastor named John and five enthusiastic kids ranging in age from 3 to 10, two of them his children, who happened by then stayed to wave signs and jump around for awhile.

Each week, we post the Department of Defense's press releases announcing military deaths at www.defense.gov/releases on our own flagpole. Our flag was at half staff for these ten men:

Attachments:

[Sharon W]

You had double our turnout. With founder Julianne relocated to Palmdale and other founder Nancy hosting out of town visitors we had only 4 participants the past two weeks. Bill, Henry, Marcel and I did manage to hand out a bunch of flyers for the "Mother: Caring for 7 Billion" screening on Aug. 10. Since Bill and I are hosting that the Glendale Peace Vigil may be down to just a couple peace vigilers next Friday. If you know any central Glendale peaceniks send them to Broadway and Brand between 5 and 7!

[Brian]

Aug 4, 2012 10:06:20 GMT -8 Sharon W said:

With founder Julianne relocated to Palmdale and other founder Nancy hosting out of town visitors we had only 4 participants the past two weeks. Bill, Henry, Marcel and I did manage to hand out a bunch of flyers for the "Mother: Caring for 7 Billion" screening on Aug. 10. Since Bill and I are hosting that the Glendale Peace Vigil may be down to just a couple peace vigilers next Friday. If you know any central Glendale peaceniks send them to Broadway and Brand between 5 and 7!

We will miss seeing Julianne, who was part of the Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade last December. Do Pearl and Norman still come to the Glendale Peace Vigil?

Since I read Sharon's post, I've been trying to arrange to leave work early this Friday, so I could stop at Broadway and Brand on my way to the Montrose Peace Vigil, but right now it doesn't seem likely. One of these weeks, I'll be able to demonstrate again with the wonderful folks in Glendale.

I'm hoping for a bigger turnout in Montrose this week, if Nancy and Jim return after extended absences. And Jeanne's back in town, because her name is lighting up the message board. But it's gonna be hot!

[Jeanne]

Aug 8, 2012 23:00:13 GMT -8 Brian said:

Aug 4, 2012 10:06:20 GMT -8 Sharon W said:

With founder Julianne relocated to Palmdale and other founder Nancy hosting out of town visitors we had only 4 participants the past two weeks. Bill, Henry, Marcel and I did manage to hand out a bunch of flyers for the "Mother: Caring for 7 Billion" screening on Aug. 10. Since Bill and I are hosting that the Glendale Peace Vigil may be down to just a couple peace vigilers next Friday. If you know any central Glendale peaceniks send them to Broadway and Brand between 5 and 7!

I'm hoping for a bigger turnout in Montrose this week, if Nancy and Jim return after extended absences. And Jeanne's back in town, because her name is lighting up the message board. But it's gonna be hot!

Yes, I'm back and I'll be there tomorrow night. LIghting up the message board also lightens up my life.

[Sharon W]

Thanks, Brian, for trying to come by our vigil - too bad you can't be in two places at once!

Norm and Pearl with all their wonderful rainbow flags and signs have joined the South Pasadena vigil near where they live. They use public transportation to get around so it's a lot more convenient for them to demonstrate closer to home. We're thinking of ways to attract new members. Nancy is planning to talk to KPFK folks about getting more publicity for us.

[Roberta]

Aug 9, 2012 7:36:16 GMT -8 Sharon W said:

We're thinking of ways to attract new members.

If I can get hold of Bill Beam I'll tell him this would be a good time to get to Broadway and Brand.

[Brian]

It's still too hot five hours after this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, so I'll keep this report short. Traffic was light on both the sidewalks and the streets. With the counter protesters missing, all of the honks, waves and peace signs were for us, seven of our most dedicated stalwarts.

Mike and Jim were away, so our auxiliary flagpole was not mounted this week. Still, Anni posted the PDF attached below on the shopping park association's barren flagpole, with the top part folded under, to omit the line that reads, "This flagpole is at half mast." Four branches are represented in our weekly compilation of official press releases -- Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines --announcing ten deaths in Afghanistan:

Attachments:

[Brian]

The American flag topped the shopping park association's flagpole during the Montrose Peace Vigil for the first time in more than four years. I'm happy to report that two of our regulars had seen the man who takes down the flag every week around town on both Thursday and Friday, looking well. We hope the flag will fly again 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as it had for decades over the Vietnam War Memorial.

The temperature wasn't as extreme as last week. Although the humidity was much higher, the cloud cover shaded us most of the time. The counter protesters were absent again, but our attendance was up:

• Aug. 3 - 14
  
• Aug. 10 - 7
  
• Aug. 17 - 9
  

Mike kept his portable flagpole in the car. Still, Anni posted our weekly compilation of the Department of Defense death announcements during the vigil, with the top line of this PDF attachment folded under. When I went to press Thursday night, the DOD had yet to name the seven troops who died when the Taliban shot down their helicopter and the two men who were killed by an Afghani police trainee. So this week's edition has eight deaths -- and next week's printout will start with nine:

Attachments:

[Sharon W]

Wow - no word on why the flag was left in place? Hopefully a change of heart!

Glendale Peace Vigil was just Henry, Bill and me last night. Henry reports it was only him on Aug 10 when Bill and I were busy screening www.motherthefilm.com/ at the Glendale Central Library.