Press Realease from Justice Through Peace Initiative of Oswego

Oswego Peace Vigil and Open Forum to Commemorate Iraq War (Invasion and Occupation) Anniversary on March 29. <!--break--> Press Release from Justice Through Peace Initiative (JTPI) of Oswego: <br><br> Oswego Peace Vigil and Open Forum to Commemorate Iraq War (Invasion and Occupation) Anniversary on March 29. <br><br> Robin Miller and Winfield Ihlow, co-chairs of Justice Through Peace Initiative (JTPI) of Oswego, announced today that a Peace Vigil and an Open Forum will mark the Third Anniversary of the Iraq War on March 29. The peace vigil will be held on the west end of the Bridge Street Bridge at 5:30, and will be followed by an Open Mike in the River's End Bookstore (at the corner of Bridge Street and West First) at 6:30. All viewpoints will be respectfully listened to. <br><br> "Three years of violence have past and the fourth year is beginning with over 2300 US soldiers killed, as well as thousands injured and maimed, physically and/or psychologically," said Ihlow. "So, too, there is an estimated 100,000 Iraqis (by the respected British journal The Lancet) killed and many thousands more injured or traumatized. Why? Greed, mainly. Oil, principally. Arrogance, effectively. For our children's sake, we need to join together to express our dissent (the best form of patriotism, according to Thomas Jefferson). The world does not belong to us, we belong to the world. But it is ours to preserve or squander." <br><br> Robin Miller, who protested the war in Oswego from its inception, was at the Iraq War commemoration on March 19 in Syracuse, where she commented on the day when the number of US deaths reached 2000. "I was thinking about 2,000 mothers, 2,000 Thanksgiving dinners, 2,000 tables set and 2,000 empty chairs," she said. "2,000 Purple Hearts handed to 2000 mothers." She also wondered about the suffering of the Iraqi mothers. Ms. Miller, the mother of a son serving in the U.S. Navy, later commented, "It's OK to disagree with the war, while still supporting our sons and daughters who so honorably serve in our military services." <br><br> "Do you remember the Shock and Awe of the American air attacks on Baghdad?," asks Akira Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu, a JTPI board member. "Rumsfield promised that it would be a display the likes of which the world had never seen. He kept that promise. At that time, the average age of the population of Iraq was fifteen. With our bombing, invasion and war we traumatized a nation of primarily children. How many are now insurgents or police officers or soldiers involved in the war.. I believe that we are part of the problem. The best we can do is to bring our own soldiers home and allow the Iraqi people, the United Nations and the Middle East nations themselves to develop a plan for peace. Ours has not worked." <br><br> In preparing for the Peace Vigil, SUNY Oswego campus groups may march from the college campus to downtown Oswego. They will meet at the Hewitt Union at 3:45 and leave at 4:00 p.m. to walk down to meet others waiting on the Bridge Street Bridge. <br><br> We hope to see as many people as possible, those who want to make their distress about the actions of the U.S. government in the oil reserves of the Persian Gulf.

<p>Oswego Peace Vigil and Open Forum to Commemorate<br /> Iraq War (Invasion and Occupation) Anniversary on March 29.</p> <!--break--><p> Press Release from Justice Through Peace Initiative (JTPI) of Oswego:<br /> <br /><br /><br /> Oswego Peace Vigil and Open Forum to Commemorate<br /> Iraq War (Invasion and Occupation) Anniversary on March 29.<br /> <br /><br /><br /> Robin Miller and Winfield Ihlow, co-chairs of Justice Through<br /> Peace Initiative (JTPI) of Oswego, announced today that a Peace Vigil and<br /> an Open Forum will mark the Third Anniversary of the Iraq War on March 29.<br /> The peace vigil will be held on the west end of the Bridge Street Bridge<br /> at 5:30, and will be followed by an Open Mike in the River's End Bookstore<br /> (at the corner of Bridge Street and West First) at 6:30. All viewpoints<br /> will be respectfully listened to.<br /> <br /><br /><br /> "Three years of violence have past and the fourth year is<br /> beginning with over 2300 US soldiers killed, as well as thousands injured<br /> and maimed, physically and/or psychologically," said Ihlow. "So, too,<br /> there is an estimated 100,000 Iraqis (by the respected British journal The<br /> Lancet) killed and many thousands more injured or traumatized. Why? Greed,<br /> mainly. Oil, principally. Arrogance, effectively. For our children's<br /> sake, we need to join together to express our dissent (the best form of<br /> patriotism, according to Thomas Jefferson). The world does not belong to<br /> us, we belong to the world. But it is ours to preserve or squander."<br /> <br /><br /><br /> Robin Miller, who protested the war in Oswego from its inception, was at<br /> the Iraq War commemoration on March 19 in Syracuse, where she commented<br /> on the day when the number of US deaths reached 2000. "I was thinking<br /> about 2,000 mothers, 2,000 Thanksgiving dinners, 2,000 tables set and<br /> 2,000 empty chairs," she said. "2,000 Purple Hearts handed to 2000<br /> mothers." She also wondered about the suffering of the Iraqi mothers.<br /> Ms. Miller, the mother of a son serving in the U.S. Navy, later<br /> commented, "It's OK to disagree with the war, while still supporting our<br /> sons and daughters who so honorably serve in our military services."<br /> <br /><br /><br /> "Do you remember the Shock and Awe of the American air attacks on<br /> Baghdad?," asks Akira Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu, a JTPI board member.<br /> "Rumsfield promised that it would be a display the likes of which the<br /> world had never seen. He kept that promise. At that time, the average<br /> age of the population of Iraq was fifteen. With our bombing, invasion and<br /> war we traumatized a nation of primarily children. How many are now<br /> insurgents or police officers or soldiers involved in the war.. I believe<br /> that we are part of the problem. The best we can do is to bring our own<br /> soldiers home and allow the Iraqi people, the United Nations and the<br /> Middle East nations themselves to develop a plan for peace. Ours has not<br /> worked."<br /> <br /><br /><br /> In preparing for the Peace Vigil, SUNY Oswego campus groups may march<br /> from the college campus to downtown Oswego. They will meet at the Hewitt<br /> Union at 3:45 and leave at 4:00 p.m. to walk down to meet others waiting<br /> on the Bridge Street Bridge.<br /> <br /><br /><br /> We hope to see as many people as possible, those who want to make their<br /> distress about the actions of the U.S. government in the oil reserves of<br /> the Persian Gulf.</p>