10/26/05,
Community Peace Vigil and Open Mic Speak-Out,
San Jose, CA
Dear friends,
The people of the South Bay marked a somber
event tonight, the reported death of the 2,000th
US soldier in Iraq.
However, that is only a drop in the genocidal
bucket compared to the number of US caused Iraqi
civilian deaths, which is more than 125,000
since the US invasion, 3/19/03. If you include
the 11+ years of brutal US sanctions on Iraq,
the death toll for Iraqi civilians is over a
million deaths.
The Community Peace Vigil and Open Mic Speak-Out
started early at 6pm and went until 9pm in front
of the steps of the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Library in downtown San Jose, CA.
South Bay Mobilization and many other peaceful
people from the South Bay and from as far away
as Santa Cruz spoke out against the War and
Occupation of Iraq.
In front of the speaker table, volunteers lit
candles and placed them on the ground in the
shape of a large peace sign, which formed a
"centerpiece of peace" during the
Speak-Out.
A large crowd of over 250 people from diverse
backgrounds attended and formed a natural circle
around the large peace sign and the speaker
table. People driving by honked throughout the
evening to signify their support of our peace
vigil and speak-out.
Some of the people who felt moved to Speak-Out
included Nadia McCaffrey, whose son, Sgt. Patrick
McCaffrey, was killed in action in Iraq on 6/22/04.
David Ledesma spoke out against the War on Iraq
as well. David also lost a family member to
war. He lost his brother, Joseph, to the Vietnam
War in 1967. Both Nadia and David, along with
Cindy Sheehan, are members of Gold Star Families
for Peace (www.gsfp.org).
The new San Jose chapter of the Raging Grannies
sang anti-war songs, and many people spoke against
the US War on Iraq, including several students,
labor activist Fred Hirsh, university professors,
Students for Justice, many citizens, anti-war
activist and ex-Marine Dennis Kyne (just back
from New Orleans where he has been helping people
both survive and recover from Hurricane Katrina),
Veterans for Peace, and even a local stand-up
comedian took his turn at the microphone to
ridicule Bush. Channel 11 news was there and
the San Jose Spartan Daily as well.
A heart-felt thank you to all those who attended
tonight and to those who made this event a success
by creating an even stronger anti-war presense
in downtown San Jose.
Until we stop this war, tomorrow will only
bring more death because,
Only the People Can Stop the War.
South Bay Mobilization
Educate, Involve and Mobilize
for Peace and Justice
Related Articles and Information:
Please visit our website for more information
about tonight's event,
http://www.southbaymobilization.org/calendar/2005_10.htm#1026NotOneMoreDeath
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1026-06.htm
Published on Wednesday, October
26, 2005 by OneWorld.net
2000th U.S. Death in Iraq Sparks 'Bring Them
Home' Protests
by Niko Kyriakou
See Amy Goodman's 8/19/05 interview
with Nadia on Democracy Now!.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/19/1441257
Friday, August 19th, 2005
Mother Nadia McCaffrey Showed the World a Casualty
of the Iraq War
Amy Goodman interviews Nadia McCaffrey.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42498-2005Feb21.html
For Some, a Loss in Iraq Turns
Into Antiwar Activism
Gold Star Families Band Together to 'Make People
Care'
By Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 22, 2005; Page A03
U.S.
Military Deaths Reach 2,000 in Iraq
By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated
Press Writer
U.S.
military death toll in Iraq reaches 2,000
Iraqi draft constitution
passes, election officials say
Tuesday, October 25, 2005; Posted: 1:49 p.m.
EDT (17:49 GMT)
U.S.
death toll in Iraq nears 2,000
Some expect momentum
to grow for withdrawal of U.S. troops
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Saturday, October 22, 2005
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