Standing on a Corner and Waiting for Peace

Every Friday in Iowa City, since the war in Iraq began, a small group of people have met at the corner of Washington and Clinton Streets between 5:15 and 5:45 pm to protest it. The number ebbs and flows. On really cold days, there may be one or two people out there.

My wife and I are relatively new to the group. There are at least two Iraq war Veterans and maybe a couple of Vietnam-era Vets, a mother of a soldier on his third tour, and a sister of an sibling who is out in the Persian Gulf on a naval vessel. Then there are the rest of us--a few college students, a professor or two, some retirees, and a handful of regular 9 to 5 people.

We hold up signs (including one that was cross-stitched by hand) and we wave to passing motorists who acknowledge our "honk for peace" signs. A couple of the protesters bang on drums and cowbells. Sometimes there are arm bands passed out. In fact this past Friday a dapper young fellow came by and passed out May 1 arm bands to all of us that would take them. Always there are kind words flowing, even if they sometimes come between chattering teeth.

Sometimes we deal with people who don't agree that the war must end--usually a weak drive-by epithet, and occasionally, an unbelieving stare. Sometimes people grab a sign and join us.

The best part of being there is that a community is forming, people look forward to seeing their Friday friends. We catch up on what's going on and support each other. But mostly we are there to speak for those who can't or won't speak for themselves; whether it is a soldier who wonders what the hell he or she is there for or the Vet who is dealing with the aftermath of their tour of duty or an Iraqi civilian that lives in fear of being killed or those blanked faced people we witness who scuttle down the sidewalk who, by their avoidance, allow this war to go on--we are there for all of them.

And, yes, we are there for ourselves. Each of us have our personal reasons. I am there because I can be. I believe in a just America, not the bellicose nation that others in the world may believe us to be. I believe, because we are a just nation, that we can stop our government's actions by our actions. Mostly, I believe in the power of insisting on peace.

I do not know where you live or what you can do, but I know that visible public protest is important. It says that we care what happens, we are participants in moving our government toward peace, and we believe we can affect change--even if it is showing up on a street corner in the heart of the Midwest and saying enough is enough.