It’s Democracy Day in Barre — Come Meet Welch and Speak Out Against War

Here we go again, launching into yet another dance with democracy. This time, however, we’re actually going to have the opportunity to converse with our congressman, Peter Welch. Yep, today’s the day we throw open the barn doors of discourse, invite the public and our elected official to sit down for a long chat, and – hopefully – come together with a plan to jumpstart the anti-war movement and end the Iraq war NOW. Mmm, nothing like the smell of hope on a chilly November morning.

For those who’ve been donning their orange, scouting for their big buck or otherwise placing themselves in a self-imposed media blackout, let me repeat the specifics of the day: Peter Welch will be meeting with anti-war activists today (November 11th) at Barre’s Aldrich Public Library at 1:30 pm to answer our questions and talk about what we hope are our mutual plans to end the Iraq war.

We worked hard for this meeting. Many of us were arrested (twice) in our efforts to speak with Welch. And four of us are still facing a court appearance on December 4th to answer to the charge of trespassing in our congress member’s office while trying to have the conversation we’re going to have today. To Welch’s credit, he did reverse course and he has agreed to meet with us. And for that, we thank him.

Hopefully, today’s meeting will be about turning the page and breathing new life and energy into the task of stopping the war. It has been an unspeakable tragedy for countless people – the Iraqi people, especially, who have seen their homeland wrecked and ravaged. But thousands of U.S. soldiers have also given their lives for this ill-fated and illegal mission. Sadly, they followed the orders handed down by a Bush administration that has so obviously lost its moral compass and sense of justice.

There is no disputing the facts when it comes to how devastating and unjust this war has been. That’s why poll after poll shows that more than 70% of the public want it to end now. And it’s our duty – as citizens and, in the case of our meeting partner today, congressmen – to do whatever we can right here and right now to come together, to be creative, to be strong in our numbers, and to be relentless in the single-minded pursuit of ending this war. That, my friends, is what we owe our soldiers, the Iraqis, and the world on this Veteran’s Day.

People also need to understand that this meeting with Peter Welch is only a small part of what the newly formed ad hoc anti-war group has been working on. Yeah, it’s nameless and leaderless, but it’s been filling rooms with its energy and ideas for taking anti-war activism to the streets and halls of power. Because we’re not just working to get better votes from our congressional delegation, we’re working to create a peace culture that will reject future war endeavors (with Iran, for example). And if you want to be a part of it, send me an email (mcolby@broadsides.org) and I’ll get you on the list.

I hope you can get to Barre today to be a part of the meeting. It’s certainly got its fair share of media coverage (click here for the Burlington Free Press article). And, speaking of media coverage, I’ll be on WDEV’s Mark Johnson Show on Monday morning at 9:30 to discuss the meeting and whatever else Mr. Mark wants to discuss.

Let’s roll.