BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, August 11, 2006 7:00 pm
Most of the time the sound of cars honking in downtown Lincoln is just an annoyance. But for people who line the sidewalk by the Federal Building every Wednesday afternoon, the horns are music to their ears.
The weekly peace vigils have been taking place from 5 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday since early June. A week ago, nearly 50 demonstrators were there, holding signs with messages such as “U.S. Out of Iraq!” “End War!” and “No More Blood for Oil!”
Only a couple of signs read “Honk for Peace,” but lots of motorists sounded their horns as they drove by. Many exchanged two-fingered peace signs with the demonstrators.
Lynn Darling, who has been attending the peace vigils for most of the summer, said the positive response is growing, especially since the war in Lebanon began.
Darling noted that the public response was a lot different back in 2003 when many of the same people gathered to try to stop the U.S. from starting the war in the first place. Back then, she said, a lot of people gave them the “silent finger” instead of a peace sign.
The peace vigils are sponsored by the Nebraska Coalition for Peace and endorsed by the Social Action Committee of Lincoln’s Unitarian Church.
“A basic principle of Unitarianism is the inherent value of every human being,” said Mark Weddleton, vice-president of the church and organizer of the vigils. “More and more Iraqis and Americans are being killed every month. We feel a call to conscience. We need to speak out because our government is occupying Iraq.”
Many demonstrators used the word “occupation” rather than “war” to describe the ongoing conflict. They also drew comparisons between U.S. actions in Iraq and Israel’s response to Hezbollah, which has resulted in the deaths of many civilians in both Lebanon and Israel.
“I believe this (the conflict in Iraq) is no longer a war. It has turned into a violent, reckless occupation,” said David Frenzel, 16, a member of the Unitarian Church and one of the youngest participants in the weekly vigils. “It’s wrong and it’s cruel. No matter what your stance was before, this has grown out of hand.”
In Lebanon, he added, “We should be pushing for an immediate cease-fire.”
Andrew Losh and Jackson Meredith also have participated all summer.
Losh said he’s been opposed to the Iraq war since it started, but until this summer there weren’t any organized protests in Lincoln to join. “It’s been really frustrating,” he said.
Meredith, whose sign said “No Blood for Empire,” believes the peace movement is gaining momentum. “Israeli aggression against Lebanon has hammered home how things are worsening in Iraq,” he said. “A lot of people are not wanting to have another war against Iran or Syria.”
Besides Unitarians, the vigils include people from other faiths and of no religious affiliation. The Unitarians recently sent a letter to leaders of all churches, temples, mosques and other religious bodies asking them to join in the vigils as an “interfaith collaboration for peace.”
The Rev. David Orr, pastor of First Mennonite Church, attended for the first time on Aug. 2. His sign said “Seek Peace and Pursue It —Psalm 34:14.”
Orr came to Lincoln from Ohio, a state that President Bush won by a narrow margin in the 2004 election. Nebraska is a staunchly “red” state, he said, so he assumed everyone here would support the war. “The reason I feel I need to be here is that our nation is relying more and more on brute force and violence and seems to have abandoned any work for peace.”
Tom McCormick, a Quaker, had a sign with a picture of Martin Luther King and his words “I Have a Dream” plus the message “No government can stop the dream.”
“I’m traditional enough to say I want to defend the U.S. of A. against all enemies foreign and domestic,” he said. “We don’t want injustice here and we don’t want injustice abroad.”
Unlike the Vietnam era, most of the demonstrators were middle age or older. “My wife and I came and our son wanted to stay home and watch TV,” said Alan Worth. “This is not the ’70s.”
Anneice Jones, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Jeannette Jones, professor of history and ethnic studies at UNL, were driving by, saw the demonstrators and decided to join them.
The two black women noted that the all-volunteer military has a disproportionately high number of blacks, Latinos and low-income people, who are making sacrifices while fewer sons and daughters of rich white Americans have gone to war.
Many who participated in the vigils also attended the Peace Lantern Float on Sunday at Holmes Lake, on the 61st anniversary of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The event, sponsored by United Methodist Ministries — Lincoln District, Nebraskans for Peace and the United Nations Association of Lincoln, focused on ending the production and spread of nuclear weapons.
Paul Olson of Nebraskans for Peace called on other churches to join the United Methodists in supporting the Peace Lantern Float.
Before the conflict in Iraq began in March 2003, most major Christian denominations issued statements opposing the war, said Marilyn Mecham, executive of Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska.
After it started, many ministers were less vocal, but denominational positions against the war have not changed. In February, Mecham attended a meeting of the World Council of Churches in Brazil, where representatives of 34 U.S. churches signed a public letter criticizing the war in Iraq and acknowledging their churches’ inability to stop it.
“We confess that we have failed to raise a prophetic voice loud enough and persistent enough to deter our leaders from this path of pre-emptive war,” the letter said.
“The U.S. churches felt a sense of responsibility,” Mecham said. “It was very humbling to be in that setting, in dialogue with people from all over the world,” many of whom demanded to know why the United States was still in Iraq and when troops would be withdrawn, she said.
Unitarian Universalists are among several groups supporting an interfaith “Declaration of Peace” calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, reparations to support rebuilding the war-torn country, increased support for U.S. military veterans and prohibition of “pre-emptive” war. Other endorsers include United Church of Christ, Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist groups.
Weddleton said he has heard from some religious leaders who question the wisdom of leaving Iraq now, arguing it would precipitate a full civil war with more bloodshed. He responded that while no one knows what will happen if the United States pulls out, the current situation can’t continue.
“With the U.S. military there, some tens of thousands of Iraqis have already died and each day means dozens more deaths. Iraqis are fleeing Baghdad, afraid not just to be out in the streets but even in their homes. The situation seems intolerable,” he said.
One minister questioned what good it can do for people to stand on the street and protest. Weddleton replied, “Don’t we have a moral obligation to bear witness to injustice, to not let the suffering go unchallenged, to not be silent about a war that is carried on in our name?”
Protests helped end the war in Vietnam, he noted. Polls show growing opposition to the Iraq war and “a new upsurge in willingness to take action on this issue,” he said. “Now is a time to assert the power of a mobilized populace. People of faith should take a lead in this, bringing a moral dimension to it and helping it reach out to the mainstream.”
The vigils will continue through the fall, and anyone who wants to promote peace is invited, Weddleton said. Cooler weather should bring more people out, he believes. “Some days have been really hot. People brought ice water to share,” he said. “There’s a real sense of community, from joining together for a common cause.”
If the vigils accomplish nothing else, several participants said, they will show that many people do not support the war or the administration’s policies. “I hope people will go home and talk to their families about the issues,” said Carol Smith, a Unitarian who has joined in the vigils all summer. “Public discussion is the only way we’re going to end the violence.”
Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or breeves@journalstar.com.