 - Please join us -
- Silent Peace Vigils on
Friday Afternoons
5-5:30 - Rain or Shine, let your silence be heard! - Pro-peace or Anti-war messages only, please. - No personal nor political bashing. - Join those who share your concerns and take a stand for your convictions. - Signs are provided. - Meet across the street from the Post Office on College Street in Macon, Georgia. |
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| March on the Pentagon Saturday, March 17th 2007 noon Washington D.C., DC USA On March 17, 2007, the 4th anniversary of the start of the criminal invasion of Iraq, tens of thousands of people from around the country will descend on the Pentagon in a mass demonstration to demand: U.S. Out of Iraq Now! 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 anti-war march to the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. The message of the 1967 march was "From Protest to Resistance," and marked a turning point in the development of a countrywide mass movement. Here--> http://www.answercoalition.org |
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And/Or
Join a national Christian
vigil and march to the White House in Washington on Friday, March16th.
There will be workshops on non-violence, strategies for peace in Iraq
and much more. Various churches in the ATL area are promoting this
event, and the Peacemaking Committee of ATL Presbtery is chartering a
bus to take folks who want to go up on Thur. nite, Mar 15th.The 55 passenger bus will leave from Perimeter Mall Marta Station at 9 pm on Thursday. Cost is $ 80 (return). The bus will arrive DC in early morning in time for the group to attend the workshops and also the various festivities. There will be a worship service at the National Cathedral followed by a candlelight procession to the White House. The bus will arrive back in ATL on Sat. pm. Anyone interested can contact Jonathan Scanlon, Resident Pastor at Central Presbyterian Church TEL: 404-601-3120 E-mail <jscanlon@cpc.org> The web site is www.christianpeacewitness.org . Partner OrganizationsAdventist
Peace Fellowship |
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Congessman
Jim Marshall says he wants fewer troops in Iraq,
but he fails to support resolution against Surge The following comments were delivered on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Feb. 14, 2007, prior to the vote on a non-binding resolution that opposed President Bush's deployment of 21,500 troops to Iraq: I thank the gentleman. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're debating today a non-binding resolution to disapprove of the Iraqi/American military surge in Baghdad. We do so knowing Congress cannot manage a war, let alone micromanage one. We do so knowing the surge has begun and will continue despite our debate and vote. We do so hoping our debate and vote will not discourage those called upon to execute the surge. But we also do so knowing that it might. That's enough for me to oppose the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I will vote no on the anti-surge resolution despite the fact that, for three years now, I have consistently contended that we should have fewer troops in Iraq, not more. So the surge is inconsistent with my general view of how to make our effort in Iraq sustainable and winnable. But this anti-surge resolution is akin to sitting in the stands and booing in the middle of our own team's play because we don't like the coach's call. I cannot join mid-play naysaying that might discourage even one of those engaged in this current military effort in Baghdad. To those soldiers and Marines who are engaged, Mr. Speaker, I would say the following: Don't be discouraged by this debate and vote. It is birthed and sustained by the very democracy that you are defending. If you are successful, Iraqis might one day enjoy the same right to debate and vote like we are debating and voting. If they do, they may well look back at you as having birthed that right for them. Nearly 40 years ago, I was a grunt platoon sergeant in Vietnam, a kid who dropped out of college and enlisted specifically to go to Vietnam. And at the very time that I was fighting insurgents in Vietnam, our country was torn by anti-war protest and debate. I didn't worry about that. You shouldn't either. I didn't let it discourage me. You shouldn't let it discourage you. You should simply do your duty and be proud of the fact that you've done it. Do it to the best of your ability. Let others - the president and the Congress - debate what that duty actually is. There are legitimate differences of opinion in the United States, and among our leadership, concerning the best way forward in Iraq. Don't worry about that. No doubt, you have your own ideas. While in combat in Vietnam, I was convinced that the tactics we were using needed to be dramatically changed. Nevertheless, I continued to do the best I could, as I was instructed to do. I gave a eulogy for Sgt. [First Class] Victor Anderson, of the Georgia National Guard, about two years ago. Thirty-nine years old, disqualified because of diabetes when the National Guard was called up, he fought his disqualification; he went to Iraq. The week before he died, hit by an IED, he saw some of his men killed. [During his last week,] he sent an e-mail back to his family. In that e-mail, he explained this: "People ask me why I fight. I do not fight for some ideology. I fight for that man to my left, and the one to my right. They are men of their honor. When called, they responded and did their duty. They did not run away. If you believe in nothing else, believe in them." It's that kind of spirit that I hope you have. It's been 40 years since I was in combat. I [regret the many times] I failed [to do my duty]. Do [yours] as well as you can. Don't be discouraged by this debate. We're going to have additional debates. There will be laws, etcetera passed. Don't let this discourage you. Just do your duty as best you can. Thank you Mr. Speaker, I yield back. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Macon, represents Georgia's 8th Congressional District. |
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