Today marks the beginning of our 5^th year of silent vigils.

We began standing to communicate that it was possible and necessary for the death and destruction of September 11, 2001 to be responded to with compassion and hope rather than death and destruction.  Since that time thousands of our own and countless tens of thousands of others have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

During these years we have, each week, distributed a flyer with news, information and options for those who want to change the cycle of violence in our country and the world.

Our presence is a weekly reminder that there are alternatives, and that we are among those who will not step aside and let the status quo stand unchallenged, but will bear silent witness to the necessity for change.

During these 4 years you have acknowledged our presence in many ways.  You have smiled and waved, thanked us and flashed peace signs, stopped and encouraged us.  You have greeted us with profane epithets, shouts of anger and disdain and sometimes frightening gestures of near assault.  You have walked by, seemingly oblivious of our presence.  You have photographed us and stood with us.  You have taken our leaflets and read them, discarded them, returned them with thanks and with anger.

We hope that we have had some influence on your life and your perspective.  We will continue our work in concert with those many others who work for peace and whose voices are so seldom heard.
 

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 24, 2005

Thanks to everyone who made the march and rally in Seattle a huge success, with a turnout estimated at 5,000.  In Washington, D.C., 200,000-300,000 anti-war protesters, including Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan, marched to the White House.  Protests were staged in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, as well.  They were generally peaceful, and many onlookers cheered the speeches and signs - quite a change from earlier demonstrations!

For more flyers, click on the links below: