I wrote this letter to a local paper about tonight’s candlelight vigil for Cindy Sheehan, and they published it this morning. My original title was “Circles on the Green,” but they renamed it to “Vigil for Peace.” I thought that was unfortunate, especially since my original title would have grabbed more eyes. But they seem to like to redo the titles for some reason.
I wish I had been able to mention Cindy’s supporters as well as Cindy herself, but the letter just squeaked under the 250-word limit. In any case, this letter is dedicated to all of you who traveled to Crawford, as well as those who are organizing vigils and making sure the world pays attention. Here’s to you!
On a cold March evening two and a half years ago, I joined a circle of people on the Framingham Green quietly holding candles to mark our opposition to the war that was threatening to begin in Iraq.
I hardly believed that my presence would cause George W. Bush to put the brakes on his rush to war. But I had to state publicly that I believed invading Iraq was a bad idea. I was clearly not alone, though the ten million of us around the globe were to be dismissed by Bush as a “focus group.”
This Wednesday, I will join another circle on the Green, and I ask myself whether anything has changed for the better. Then I remember the woman we are honoring. A mother from Vacaville, California has put her life on hold to travel to Crawford, camp in a ditch, and endure blazing heat and thunderstorms in order to ask our president what purpose it served for her son to die in Iraq.
While Bush hides, Cindy Sheehan’s message has caught fire. Most Americans now believe Bush has been less than honest, and are finally ready to listen to a mother giving voice to their own doubts. No one can be cheerful at this moment: not those who feared for the worst, and certainly not those who hoped for the best. But I find myself turning to George Harrison’s words for hope: “I look at the world and I see that it’s turning. With every mistake we must surely be learning.”
(cross-posted at Daily Kos)
