  CHAPEL HILL-- Sunday, Sept. 23, 2001 They came with strollers and dogs. They came on foot and on bikes. They came alone and they brought their friends. They all came for the same reason. They want the U.S. government to rethink the way they are handling our current crisis. They want "testosterone put on the back burner and common sense put on the front." They do not want war. These are patriotic people. They just want a peaceful resolution to the situation at hand. They want to work to stop the misguided hate all around us. On Sunday, September 23, 2001, an estimated 450 people gathered at McCorkle Place in a peaceful rally against the war. Contrary to what you see in most newspapers these days, not everyone believes that military retaliation is the right course of action in response to the recent attacks on the United States. This rally for peace was organized in 5 days and sponsored by the Coalition to End the Cycle of Violence. People on the planning committee include representatives from the Peoples' Alliance, the Orange County Peace Coalition, UNC's Student Peace and Reconciliation Network, Surge, NCWarn, Democracy South, and other concerned individuals. 
The diverse group of speakers ranged from noted authors, to representatives of the Arab community, to clergy, to students, to community leaders. Author Dan Coleman reminded us that the United States is the "greatest purveyor of violence" in the world. Rani Masri thinks President Bush's speech was "so full of crap I could pick it up with a shovel." She warned against thrusting guilt upon any particular person or group before the facts are uncovered. She also reminded us of the acts of horror that have been perpetrated by the United States against humankind. This "open ended war" can only result in suffering and death for people involved, many of them completely innocent. She expressed dismay at the fact that Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the only person with the courage not to stand up during Bush's promise of war. Rani got a standing ovation. 
The group gathered signatures on a petition, and information about the bus going to Washington, D.C. next Saturday, September 29, was available, as well as a sign up sheet. The bus will be leaving the Carolina Inn at 5 am. Cost is $21 per person.People brought signs and made banners. They spread out their blankets and unfolded their chairs. They sat on the grass and leaned against towering oak trees on the UNC campus, as the speakers expressed their opinions. Drummers drummed and people clapped and whistled in agreement. This is a war that none of these people feel should happen. 
Next, they marched. They chanted, "Break the Silence! Stop the Violence," as the group marched down Franklin St. and around the block. They marched up Cameron Avenue past historic South Building, making history themselves. They want it known that we cannot play dumb in this movement for war. We must make our voices heard. We don't want to see the people we love who are in the military go to war. We don't want to see innocent people many miles away terrorized by our government. That's all war is, terrorism with a different label. We think working toward ending the hatred directed at the U.S. will achieve more than a war, that will ultimately take more lives.
The truth is, declaring war against any country will not end terrorist acts against the United States. As our government continues to support foreign military regimes, hatred toward our country continues to grow. We back them with our money, train and arm their soldiers. We teach them well, and more often than not these are the very people we end up fighting against.Now is not the time to act without thinking, to retaliate out of anger or fear. Now is the time to remember atrocities perpetrated in past wars in the name of peace. We can't keep making the same mistakes. 
During the late sixties and early seventies, many of us can remember the horrors of the war in Vietnam. We sent our brothers and sisters off to fight in a foreign land in the name of freedom.Every male over age 18 was subject to the draft. Many burned their draft cards. Many went to Canada in protest of the war, and became criminals in the eyes of our government. They were not given the luxury of deciding for themselves if they wanted to participate in the war. If they were drafted it was their duty to serve. Their freedom of choice was stripped from them. Are we on the brink of seeing this happen again? 
Many went to Vietnam, never to return. Many returned after spending time in combat, never the same. We should remember the pictures we saw of the victims in Vietnam. We should remember the men, women, and children who were forced into being soldiers. We should remember the killing fields.When I think of Vietnam, I think of FBI agents at the door of a 16-year-old girl, seeking her friend who had left for Canada the week before. I think of a 20-year-old man who was on the front lines of combat, killing innocent people in a country half a world away. The 16-year-old girl was me. The 20-year-old man was an old friend of mine. To this day he sleeps with a gun under his pillow. This is what war does to people. Chatham County Commissioner and long time friend Reverend Gary Phillips closed the rally with a call for peace, and a prayer for sanity in these days that are crazy with fear. If you agree that the United States is wrong to enter into war, make your voice heard by calling Senator John Edwards at 919-856-4245 and Representative David Price at 919-967-7924. Let them know you are against the war. For more information on peace vigils and the movement against the war, e-mail rania@nc.rr.com. Computer Stuff | Downtown Carrboro Map | Events | Prices | Restaurants | UniqueOrn Enterprises 
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