"It's just not right," said an 18 ish man with anxiety in his voice as his facial muscles tightened after he read the sign. "No American should lose his life over this war."
"Nor should any Iraqi," I replied.
"It's crazy," he said as he shook his head.
And crazy it is. 373 Iraqi men, women and children were killed in June, almost three times the number killed in May. This was just short of April's 395 fatalities as the death and destruction continues.
On Friday, President Obama insisted "... Iraq's security situation has continued to dramatically improve." On that day alone at least 20 people in Baghdad were killed.
On Tuesday, as U.S. soldiers withdrew from Iraqi cities, with the unstated likely exception of the Green Zone in Baghdad, 36 Iraqis were killed and 97 more were severely injured. 4 U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad.
Also on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki assured the Iraqi people they would be safe, a car bomb exploded in a crowded vegetable market in the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk, killing 33 and wounding 93 more.
This was the second recent large scale bombing in Kirkuk. Two weeks ago a truck exploded, destroying a mosque and at least 50 nearby homes. 80 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded.
These sudden ear splitting explosions shake and frighten every living being near them. They destroy everything in their path leaving what an instant earlier were men, women and children, as just body parts, their blood spattered on some of the survivors and the rubble that remains.
Any sense of a community's security is gone and devastated families are left to bury their loved ones. While others stand vigil at an under staffed, under supplied hospital in the hope their loved ones will survive and recover.
Candidate Obama promised to end the Iraq war, but as President, he now says there will be "difficult days ahead." He insists this continuous horror will end when the attackers realize they are "on the wrong side of history."
It's doubtful his comments comforted the Iraqi people. Most are just trying to survive what is now Mr. Obama's war.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles from Iraq, numerous people honked their horns, waved or held up their hands in two finger peace signs in support of last night's vigil. It was joined by a 63 year old Haitian man who often joins.
Later it was joined by a 65 year old woman who sometimes joins. "It looks like they're pulling the troops out of Iraq," she said as she walked up. This is a common misconception.
"Actually," I replied, "They're just pulling them out of the major cities. Think of it as if Iraq occupied the U.S. and pulled their soldiers from Los Angeles. But instead of leaving, they put those soldiers in the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay and in Orange County, surrounding Los Angeles.
"The U.S. still has 130,000 soldiers in Iraq and as many as 180,000 mercenaries. I don't know the current number of mercenaries because it's not covered in the news. But including the mercenaries, the number of U.S. soldiers could be over 300,000. In any case, the U.S. presence in Iraq is still massive."
While speaking with her, I thought of the Iraqis as what all of mankind is: our brethren. And my heart ached for what we've done to them and to our own soldiers and to those allied with us and to their families as well. That this murderous affair is allowed to continue is a disgrace and it turned my stomach.
But as we talked of the cost in lives and in dollars, our hopes rose that Mr. Obama and Congress will finally see the light and end this senseless war. With that, I gave her a hug and thanked her for joining the vigil. And I thank you too dear reader for caring about all those who've paid so severe a price in this war.
Dick
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