Comments on: March to Fort Drum, Watertown, NY! Join Us!

By: Florence Polverino

Florence Polverino — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:14:39 +0000

We The People, need to have the Winter Soldiers, and all our service men and women, know they have always been in our hearts. We have shed tears for them and their comrades when wounded or dead. We have prayed to the Creator for this invasion of Iraq and the theft of their nation to stop! End! We want to assure all forced to commit inhumane deeds to understand it is what war does to our souls, and that orders originated from the White House. We want them to forgive themselves and to forgive those of us at home for not being able to STOP the madness…we are all pained to realize that our voices were ignored by our local, state and worse of all our Congress!! for so long!! Perhaps now that our Veterans are standing with us we can have our dreams come alive to BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW! Thank you one and all

can make the end happen. Thank you dear soldiers for your service and for helping us BRING YOU ALL HOME NOW!

Creator, to keep them safe. Most of us on the homefront have been opposed to the
Iraq invasion and the theft of that nation.

By: Eli Yewdall

Eli Yewdall — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:55:36 +0000

Thanks to everyone who posted. We are working hard to get more information up here in the next couple days. In the meantime if you email nysmarchesforpeace@yahoo.com, I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I want to especially thank Dave, as your concerns are in fact very similar to many of the motivations for this walk. I want to be very clear, this walk is not about protesting soldiers. It is about supporting soldiers, while protesting a war in which they, as Dave says, the ultimate victim. The walk is being organized in very close cooperation with Iraq Vetarans Against the War and the Different Drummer cafe which is run by veterans, soldiers, and families of soldiers in Watertown, and other verterans groups. We will have an IVAW member speaking at each stopping point. We support all soldiers, regardless of their view on the war, and want to bring attention to the cost they have paid for this war, and to the need for better services for returning soldiers, especially for PTSD. We also want to create a space for those soldiers who are questioning the reasons for this war to do so and to feel supported.

We are planning this walk because we are tired of preaching to the choir and instead want to talk with the soldiers who are suffering so much from this war so we can work together to end it.

By: Dave Muffley

Dave Muffley — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:36:47 +0000

I have a question, perhaps even a concern about the method of this protest. As a disabled veteran of four tours in Vietnam and father of two sons who served in Iraq, no one is more opposed to the absurdity of this war than I. My concern, however, is that by aiming our protest at the soldiers, we may appear to be not merely preaching to the choir, but actually blaming the victims for the crime.
I believe that warfare, generally, is armed robbery and murder on a global scale, and that the ultimate victims of war are the soldiers – of both sides. The perpetrators are the politicians ands investors – of both sides! Ironically, those who honorably follow orders without choice and participate in war never stand anything to gain from it. Those who stand to gain never participate.
Let us please not make the same ignoble error which was committed to my generation of veterans again to our sons and daughters. We must learn to separate the war from the warrior. Don’t blame the tools; blame the fools!

By: ken howland

ken howland — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:48:10 +0000

A Vietnam Era Veteran, I live in the area between Rochester where I grew up and Syracuse where I worked . Are those coming from Rochester coming down Route 31 where there are more villages-Pittsford, Macedon, Palmyra, Newark, Lyons, Clyde, Savannah and Port Byron or are they taking Route 104- Ontario, Williamson, Sodus, Wolcott? I have a cottage 10 miles south of Wolcott and 10 miles north of Port Byron- I can put up 6 and more on the porch and floor. I attended the Winter Soldier Hearings as security with Veterans for Peace and will be as supportive as I can be. I will be in Hollywood ,Florida from 4/8 until 4/30. Toward Peace, Ken Howland –315 430 4439cell,315 776 86649(N.Y.),954 923 7144(Fl).

By: Brandon

Brandon — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:56:10 +0000

Indeed. I’d be interested in starting from Ithaca, but having no conclusive schedule or itinerary will likely discourage participants, including myself. This page needs more information.

By: wildclearing

wildclearing — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:25:43 +0000

Sounds like a great action … I might be in the area, or even could plan to be, from Chattanooga, TN … are there dates, and an estimate of about how long the march would take? … Wes Rehberg

By: Jack Gilroy

Jack Gilroy — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:50:19 +0000

I’m interested but when, where?
jg

By: James Rothenberg

James Rothenberg — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:10:34 +0000

There is a simple point I feel bears repeating as part of the Ft. Drum action — a message to soldiers everywhere and at all times.

Enlisted personnel should disobey unlawful orders. This is not controversial.

Officers should disobey unconstitutional orders. This is not controversial.

The Iraq invasion was unlawful in that we didn’t first engage in collective action with UN member states nor did we gain the prior assent of the UN Security Council. In violating the UN Charter we violated the Constitution because that treaty (UN Charter) became binding US law.

This IS controversial, but solely because the White House claimed special exemption on the grounds of self-defense, soon shown to be bogus.

Thus, so long as we recognize as controversial the claim that the invasion was unlawful, we are tacitly approving White House deceit.

By: Dan Wilcox

Dan Wilcox — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:25:16 +0000

It is difficult to sign on if there is no information about dates, itinerary, etc. The website should provide this information. “Logistics” page is even less helpful than the home page. I might paricipate if I knew more.
Thanks.

By: Jim Fulmer

Jim Fulmer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:09:46 +0000

I’m from Saratoga Springs and I’m interested in the peace walk! What can I do to help? Jim