Article Contributed on: 1/28/2007 5:17:52 PM
As I approached the capitol building yesterday, the first sign I read said, "Impeach the Escalator." Motorists honked their messages of support as they drove along Broadway. The temperatures were only in the 20s, and snow was falling, but it was a good day for a peace rally.
Just days after
President Bush announced his plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq, and only weeks before Congress will decide whether or not to give more funding to the war, 800 of us stood on the steps of the capitol in Denver chanting, "Bring them home." We acted in solidarity with the tens of thousands of marchers who flooded the streets of D.C., along with the thousands protesting in cities around the country, all of whom were calling for an end to this war and occupation of Iraq.
Unlike earlier local demonstrations, which were mostly put together by the activist community, organization for this rally came from political, religious and secular groups working together. The Public Policy Commission of The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado; the Peace, Liberty, and Justice Task Force at the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden; and local activists joined with Colorado State Senate Majority Leader, Ken Gordon, to create the event. I found this diversity of leadership to be an affirmation that opposition to this war is no longer a stance solely voiced by the activist community - a fact that is reflected in recent polls.
As volunteers passed around petitions to de-fund the war,
Senator Gordon stated that silence is consent, and those who had gathered at the capitol were there to register their disagreement with the policies of this government.
Joan Fitz-Gerald, president of the Colorado Senate, encouraged us to make the President understand that he is not the decider, but it is we, the American people, who get to decide.
Several clergy were also on stage and in the audience. Unitarian Universalist minister,
Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, called the occupation of Iraq immoral and unjust. He proposed that war and peace are not just political issues, but also moral and religious issues.
Other speakers included Reverend Paul Martin of the Macedonia Baptist Church; Rafael Noboa, an Iraq veteran; Vrnda Noel, mother of an active duty soldier and member of Military Families Speak Out; and Nelson Bock from the Public Policy Commission of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado.
We ended the rally by singing "We Shall Overcome". The air was still filled with honks of support from passing motorists.
It is important for every American's voice to be heard. Please send your own personal message to your members of congress. Contact information can be found at:
http://www.govtrack.us/