Braving mid-thirties temperatures and a cold, steady rain, a group of 21 of us held a vigil this evening in Gill, Massachusetts, a very small town on the banks of the Connecticut River.
The vigil was held at the Turners Memorial, which is a big rock with an inscription on it describing how Captain William Turner massacred 300 Native Americans in 1676. Sadly,the atrocities continue to this day, don't they?
I hope with everything I have that we won't need to hold this vigil again next year.
I'm going to warm my toes and put the kettle on now. Peace.
Thirty years later, you're out there again, demanding an end to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is so heart-breaking.
But I'm just as proud of you now as I was then.
Thank you for being The Real Deal, Gurrrl.
I hope with everything I have that we won't need to hold this vigil again next year.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Sister Sphinx!
TCR,
The real deal indeed...
CR - wow. It IS almost thirty years ago that my friends and neighbors and I were out there on the town green in Westfield, protesting nuclear madness; which is still a concern and one that we must stay in sight of. It was not then nor now remotely romantic to protest. A lot of grunt work. Though it seems the freeze movement was better organized. We did more grassrooots stuff. There were local newsletters written, stapled and mailed. There were study groups held. There was more media attention to the cause on a local level. I don't know...I'm trying to figure it all out and do something about it. I just wish it wasn't always the same people. I want to reach out to people who would otherwise not participate in dissent. Seems a daunting task.
ReplyDeletethepoetryman: I just love you and your awesome artist friend Ben Heine. What a powerhouse combo!
Thank you both for stopping by.
Peace and love,
the P.S.
Oh, and CR...you know that if my father were alive and here in the states, he would've been out there in the rain with me, holding my umbrella while I took some photos. Sheeesh. I'm tearing up a bit now.
ReplyDeleteIt is always the same people, isn't it? Thank God for them - for you! Please, don't ever stop being there. The world needs you
ReplyDeleteWell done you. A brave and principled stance.
ReplyDeleteThe cry for peace is loud and unending, still there is no peace.
ReplyDeleteBut there were blogswarms, protests and further expression of our collective need.
Thanks for posting this. Thanks for doing that!
doormanpriest: thank you for stopping by! I look forward to dropping by your blog when I have more time.
ReplyDeleteFranIAm and bobbie: hello, dear ladies! Thank you both for your supportive comments!
Peace to all,
the P.S.
We had a vigil here in Point Reyes with a pretty good turnout. Joey wore a sign "End the War"--he was the official peace dog. There is a very loyal & dedicated group here that gets out there with signs on a regular basis. I am going to post some pics on my blog.
ReplyDeleteFun reading your blog! I LOVE Alice Neel--I met her when I was a freshman in college. I was at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia--she had gone to school there & they had a big retrospective show of her work. I remember it being quite the wild opening, with some of Andy Warhol's group there. Many moons ago..........
Christine
Christine! Hello! So good to hear from you. I loved Point Reyes when I visited California last year. So glad to hear you had a good turn-out at your vigil. I'll be visiting your blog to see the photos.
ReplyDeleteAnd to other friends: go to Christine's blog. It is beautiful. Not only is it graced with her gorgeous paintings but her equally lovely and peaceful spirit shine right through as well.