Vigils in October 2023

[Brian]

Inspired by the heat in the mid-90's, longtime vigil regular Justeen Ward loaded her car in westernmost Van Nuys with fellow musician and singer James Hendricks, two ukuleles and a kazoo and headed for the intersection of Honolulu and Ocean View to play at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil.  Dressed in Hawaiian costumes and bearing a bag full of leis and faux grass skirts for their audience, they performed "retro-tiki" Hawai'ian songs on the corner to the delight of passersby, frozen yogurt eaters and every kid in sight.  (We've long been fans of Justeen and her group The Honey-Lulus on this message board.)

A dozen peaceniks participated, a much better turnout compared to the nine demonstrators we averaged each week in August and September.  Anni, I, Jeanne, Dennis and Russell, in order of appearance, arrived by 5:35, followed half an hour later by Justeen, James, Terry, Bruce, Nancy, Mike and Frannie.

As a reminder, we stand on the northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue near the Vietnam War memorial in Montrose, CA 91020 every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. without regard to the weather or holidays -- we haven't missed a vigil since January 2006. Please stop by sometime if you can.

Since October 2011, we have printed and displayed every Defense Department news release announcing the deaths of soldiers, Marines, sailors and Airmen in our many ongoing military operations around the world.  About 2,500 troops remain in Iraq and 900 in Syria with countless more troops operating in Africa.  The Pentagon reported no uniformed U.S. casualties in the previous seven days.

[Brian]

This week I heard a rabbi say that when the world grows darker, it's our duty to shine a light.  So I showed up at this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil to advertise for peace as we have every week for nearly 18 years -- through the U.S. occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, the consequent emergence of ISIS, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the extermination of Artsakh and other long running atrocities.  Wars keep getting worse, yet I still walk away from each vigil feeling better and more hopeful than I felt when I arrived.  People seemed glad to see us, going by the dozens of peace signs displayed by drivers and passengers in passing vehicles, and we also got many more exuberant waves, thumbs up, shouts and honks.

Ten regulars came to the corner:  Anni, me, Roberta, John the Realtor, Frannie, Dennis, Russell, Jeanne, Nancy and Mike, in order of appearance.

In the previous seven days, the Department of Defense reported no military deaths in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria or in any of the other named U.S. operations underway around the world.

[Brian]

The official time of sunset was 6:13 during this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil yet the sun had already disappeared behind the Verdugo Hills before we got there at 5:30.  It was dark for the last half hour of the vigil.  When Daylight Saving Time arrives after the next two vigils, we will need to bring Anni's bag of candles out of storage.

Mary arrived at 5:35 with two new signs.  One of them depicted the peace symbol on each side, reading "(Peace) in Israel" and "(Peace) for Gaza."  The other said "Stop Genocide in Gaza" on both sides.  Roberta made a long, portable folding sign saying simply, "disarm."

The vigil had its best turnout in three months, 13 peaceniks.  In order of appearance:  Roberta, Anni, me, Mary, Dennis, Nancy, Russell, Terry, Jeanne, Bruce, Jim, Frannie and a young child who held a sign briefly just before we left.

The Department of Defense reported no uniformed casualties in the previous seven days.

[Brian]

Whenever somebody approaches me to ask the meaning of my "Imagine World Peace" sign, the resulting conversation is almost always positive.  I say that I'm asking people to think about peace because change only comes from individual thought, feeling and action.  At this Friday's Montrose Peace Vigil, an older gentleman and I wound up talking for an hour about wars, world history and religion, when he mentioned that he told his family in his home country everything that would happen when he emigrated to America in order -- a job, a home, a wife and two kids -- and sure enough it did.  "See?" I said. "It all started with your imagination."

On a cool fall evening with light traffic, a smaller cast of regulars came to the corner:  Anni, me, Roberta, Nancy, Jim, Jeanne, Dennis and Frannie, in order of appearance.  Turnout totals each week:

• Oct. 6 - 12
• Oct. 13 - 10
• Oct. 20 - 13
• Oct. 27 - 8

This month's weekly average rounds up to 11 participants, after averaging 9 in September and August, 11 in July and June, 12 in May, 13 in April, 12 in March, 10 in February, 12 in January, 11 in December and November and 12 in October 2022.

For the 22nd week in a row, no U.S. casualties in operations were reported by the Pentagon.