Walter Reed Vigil Report No. 7 |
War Day 926 It's no surprise that after the momentous events of the weekend of September 23-26, that there would be some fall off in attendance at the Vigil. Of course, the numbers are not important in any case. All the same, not only did people come out but there were new faces as well. The folks on the other side of the street were there too, many of them, and with new professionally made signs. The vicious hand written anti-Code Pink signs were replaced by mass-produced generic "We support the troops" and "Victory" signs. They can spruce up the signs but the people are the same. What started out as a quiet night changed abruptly when Rolling Thunder member Ted ("Squeegee"?) Sampley physically assaulted one of our vigilers. The DC 4th District police were called. While we waited for a police response, we kept Mr. Sampley engaged in talk, perhaps an unusual experience for him. His nervousness grew as he became aware that he could be in serious trouble and before the police arrived, he retreated to the Freeper side of the street. When the officers arrived on the scene, Mr. Sampley attempted to paint himself as the victim. One police officer who appeared to be in charge made it clear to him that he knew very well where the trouble stemmed from, and that was on the other side of the street. While Mr. Sampley was not placed under arrest, he did become more subdued and the vigil continued on without more trouble from him, for a time. However, apparently, as Mr. Sampley had not been able to disrupt the vigil by himself, he called in reinforcements. Half a dozen bikers arrived with their loud engines and parked along one corner of the vigil in the hopes of blocking our signs. However, drivers passing by still stopped to call out support for the vigil. The bikers waved large imitation flags (instead of the stars, the outline of Manhattan-imitation flags for imitation patriots) and strode among the vigilers who remained composed and on focus the whole time. Two police officers arrived a while later, rookie officers who sincerely tried to do their best but were clearly out of their depth and outnumbered. Recognizing the powerlessness of the DC police, the bikers kept up their disorderly conduct the remainder of the vigil-however, the vigil never broke. Some vigilers did engage in conversations with some of these bikers who alleged that they were opposed to the war but supported the troops. They refused to acknowledge that that was precisely the stand of the vigil so it is difficult to take them at their word. Earlier in the evening, before all the fuss, we were visited by a soldier from inside Walter Reed who came to shake all of our hands and warmly thanked us for being there. He said that he was not allowed to come out and stand with us but that he wanted us to know that the soldiers inside understood what "support the troops" really means, that it means bring the troops home. We also heard from the wife of a soldier inside Walter Reed who stopped for a moment to thank us for being there. She said the soldiers appreciated not being forgotten and our kind of support. Later, midst the ruckus with the bikers, a recovering soldier stopped to talk a long while with some two of us. The soldier shared some thoughts of those inside WR. Great credit goes to all our vigilers who stood their ground and did not respond to the antics of the bikers and the Freepers. Our strength is in our message and our commitment to delivering it. This is the second week in a row that a police officer has thanked us for being there. Thanks go to everyone who is coming out now to stand with us. We also had a visit from a dog walker purporting to be a local resident who threatened to complain to the police about us and have us shut down. This brings us to the lessons learned on this vigil night. Clearly, the Vigil before Walter Reed Medical Center has touched a nerve, a couple of nerves. One is the broad issue of the exercise of freedom of speech. The second is the issue of the war. The Walter Reed Vigil could not be a clearer example of the exercise of freedom of speech. It is a modest enough event, taking place for two hours one evening each week. The Vigil does not block the entrance to the medical center, nor does it aim criticism or vitriol at the hospital, its staff, or the patients within. There is no loud chanting, no bull horns, and no speeches. There is some occasional singing. The purpose is simple, to call attention to the fact that our sisters and brothers have paid a price, that they should not be forgotten, that they should receive the full benefits promised them when they signed up for their service, and that the best way to support all the troops is to bring them home right now. The administration does not want an action even this small to continue. It has unleashed its dogs to do everything possible to break up the vigil. So far, they have failed. The actions of their biker stooges this Friday night only call attention to how desperate they are to make us go away. AND WHY IS THAT? The administration, despite its rhetoric about a "war on terror", does not want to take the country to a wholesale war footing. The administration does not want to institute rationing, raise taxes, or return to the draft. Amazing as it seems, that while the administration paints such a dire threat from our "noseeum" enemies, it refuses to marshal the full capacity of the country to fight such a war. While the president compares his war to World War II, he does not call on the country to act as it did during that war. Industry is not called upon to do its patriotic duty and turn its production lines over to the needs of the war. Where are the wage and price controls? Where are the sales pitches for war bonds, conservation of precious resources, and the whole notion that we have to pitch in together for victory? They are not there because the administration knows that if it made the war as all consuming as that, the people might very well decide to reject it. The people might decide that this war for oil, power, and corporate enrichment is not worth such a sacrifice. If the people took the time to see the results of this war in Walter Reed, perhaps they would give this war a pass. In fact, one can rightly say, that with all our faults, the people of this country are still essentially a peace-loving, friendly, generous people-and the present administration does not trust us to embrace its agenda of world domination. So, it hands out dollops of fear and hate but pulls back from making the war the central issue. That is why the administration fears and hates the Walter Reed Vigil-because it does make the war the central issue. The woman with the dog who threatened to complain to the police overlooks that there is a greater issue here than peace on Georgia Avenue. The quiet vigil has drawn a crowd of loud, obnoxious "Freepers" (that is what they call themselves). The otherwise quiet Friday evening is broken by their outlandish behavior. That is unfortunate for the nearby residents but FOR GOD'S SAKE WE ARE AT WAR! There should be more acts of people speaking out not less. When people speak out there will probably be more efforts by the administration to overwhelm and suppress them. The air will become tense and rife with confrontation. Well, EXCUUUUSE US! Sorry, this is not a virtual reality show. We are not carefully scripted by television hucksters. Real flesh and blood is at stake here. There is no peace and quiet in Iraqi neighborhoods. There is no sanctity for our troops. No time off for margaritas. No month off vacations. No shoe shopping. (Note to Mr. Cheney-as long as you're having surgery, can you have something done about that perpetual scowl?) The war is a harsh reality for our troops. It's no game. Dismemberment and death, mental trauma, and memories of the horror are the permanent souvenirs of war. Our soldiers are so ready to do their duty. They have proved that they have an over abundance of courage and fortitude, possibly more than any US army has ever shown. This is as fine a generation of young people as any that have served before. They should not be wasted and so misused as this administration sees fit to do. Some of our troops have been put into situations of such brutality that they have temporarily lost their moorings. War will do that to people. Generals and presidents see bigger pictures. The troops are moved about like markers on their game board but these markers bleed. These markers will have their lives cut short or severely diminished by the consequences of the orders they are given. In a democratic society, those orders should reflect the will of the People. But the current administration is afraid to test that will. Lest we forget, when we say current administration, we mean the whole ball of wax-Democrats and Republicans. Where is the opposition peace party or caucus ready to take on the war? The war has to be acknowledged. The country has to grapple with the war. The Congress turned over its war making responsibilities to the president who took us to war without having to ask the People first. The People have to take that power back. Which brings us back to the Walter Reed Vigil (and all the other brave acts going on all over the country-protests, counter recruitment, defiance, education etc etc). We will not end this war without all the individual acts of resistance. A small group of dedicated activists and a few nationally renowned figures will not end the war. It does take a kind of catharsis to recognize that it is time to act, make a public statement, to become a part of an overwhelming tide that says no to this war. Many of us have already done this. The Walter Reed vigil, for example, is not made up of a bunch of muscle bound heroic figures with square jaws and windswept hair. We are quite ordinary people, some old, some young, some with long hair, some with short, some clean shaven, some bearded, some rather attractive, some on the plump side (that's me, the unwashed fat commie guy). Bottom Line We cannot bring an end to this illegal war of aggression and occupation in Iraq until the war becomes a conscious issue for all. No one can afford to be silent. We cannot lead normal lives while the carnage continues. We cannot cluck our tongues over the morning bombing reports from Iraq-or worse begin to let them recede into our subliminal consciousness like stories about fires and car accidents. We cannot let ourselves be distracted. If the disaster of the twin hurricanes teaches us nothing else-it should be that the people better start paying attention. We need to stop the war and the world domination policy of our government; we need to address the issues of workers' rights, health, education, and the environment; and we must shine a light on ignorance and intolerance. It's time to put down the toys and attend to business. It's hard. Especially in this society where most of us are consumed with making ends meet and seeing to the needs of our families. But if we don't act now, it will be too late after the flood. Bruce Wolf |
