WE MARCHED ON WASHINGTON--JANUARY 27, 2007

We did it--we were there, we marched, we made our presence felt but we would really prefer to never have to protest another year of war--or another war--ever again.

It was so heartening to fill two buses with over a hundred People of Conscience, mostly from the North Fork but many from the South Fork too. We were gratified by the demand for seats and amazed that we actually had to run a waiting list.

We even had a few people who, thanks to Steve of Green Earth Grocery, had to be shuttled to meet another Suffolk County bus at Exit 63.

The weather was grand, the crowds enormous, the mood a seemly mix of outrage and good humor. With the media continuing their outdated, coy policy of underestimating the crowd size, we will never know how many people actually traveled from all over the country to gather in our nation's capital. (Surely those hovering helicopters know?)

Perhaps most gratifying was the number of young people who joined us--high school and college students with their friends, parents and grandparents. We liked hearing that in some cases it was actually the kids who persuaded the parents to come. We hope East End classrooms this week are filled with students and teachers listening to these new activists' stories and points of view.

Thanks to those who volunteered to help us with downloading the photographs and obituaries of the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keeping up with the accelerating pace of the dead for the Honor the Fallen Memorial is an increasingly challenging task. More volunteers are welcome!

We have scheduled two events for displaying the Memorial: (1) the week of February 26 at Brooklyn Friends School and (2) March 18, the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, at the Southold Town Recreation Center on Peconic Lane. We will be sending out more information as the dates approach.

Thank you to everyone who made this such a successful and stirring day.

WE MEMORIALIZED THE 3,000

It was already 3,009 by the time we assembled in Southold, spoke our thoughts to each other on the open mic, held the panels bearing names and photographs of the dead for passersby to see and lit candles as it got dark. Southold Town was flying the flag at half-mast to honor President Ford. We wish this could have been intentional rather than serendipitous but we were grateful anyway.







At dusk, we lit candles and ended the vigil.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL SATURDAY JANUARY 6

A TIME TO MOURN

On Saturday, January 6 there will be a candlelight vigil,

from 3 PM to 5 PM at the Town Green,

at Silversmith's Corner, opposite IGA on Main Road in Southold.

The vigil will mourn those killed

in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and all wars.



We invite people to speak at an open mic

and to make musical offerings appropriate to the occasion.

Please bring candles and signs to express your feelings about the dead.



Sponsored by North Fork People of Conscience

(631) 765 4612 or 298 4912 or nfpofc@optonline.net

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This is what 3,000 looks like:

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/us/20061228_3000FACES_TAB1.html

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