"Thank you for doing that," said a 40 ish woman as she walked up and shook my hand. "I met a veteran in Phoenix Monday night. He'd spent a year in Iraq. A year!
"He had issues. But who wouldn't after what he'd been through," she said as she raised her voice and motioned in the air with her left hand. Then her face turned from tension to laughter. "I have issues and I live here," she added as we both chuckled.
She then sighed, looked intensely at me and said, "Thank you for being out here" and again shook my hand.
A little later, the 63 year old Haitian man who often joins the vigil did last night as well. He'd missed the recent vigils because his mother passed away and he and his family were in Haiti for her funeral service.
While he was at last night's vigil, a 30 ish woman blasted her car horn and began vigorously waving. "I see you out here every Wednesday," she called out. "You are really consistent. Thank you for doing that. You're doing an excellent job!"
Meanwhile in Iraq, Muntather al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who last year threw his shoes at President Bush, was released from prison. At that time he yelled in disgust at Mr. Bush, "This is a gift from the Iraqis! This is the farewell kiss, you dog!"
On Tuesday, Mr. al-Zaidi held a news conference and he accused the Iraqi government of torturing him while he was in prison. He told reporters, he had suffered "... electric shock, beatings by cables, being beaten by steel bars."
He was missing a front tooth and after the news conference Mr. al-Zaidi was going to Greece to receive medical care for his injuries.
He explained the intense frustration that led to his throwing his shoes at President Bush. "I was seeing with my own eyes the victims' pain and the cries of widows and orphans.
"The cries were following me when I finished with my professional task in covering Iraq's daily tragedies from the demolished houses' ashes or from the victims' blood that left stains on my shirt.
"I vowed to our victims to avenge them, and the opportunity came and I did not miss it for every single drop of innocent blood that was caused by the occupation."
At the end of his news conference he added, "... there are hundreds and thousands of victims, all because of secret informers, that have been residing in those dungeons for years with no trials or [judicial] review.
"They have been brought from houses and streets and been sent to those prisons. Here I am - in front of of you, in front of God and in front of them. Maybe they [U.S. and Iraqi political leaders] might listen to me."
Earlier in the news conference, with an Iraqi flag draped over his shoulders, Mr. al-Zaidi said, "Here I am free and the country is still a prisoner." And a prisoner it is as the U.S. continues its 61/2 year old military occupation of Iraq.
The U.S. is adding 1,000 troops there, in addition to the 131,000 troops it already has in Iraq. The U.S. also has in excess of 130,000 mercenaries there as well, a huge military presence and more troops than the U.S. had before the 2007 "surge."
But thousands of miles away, the vigil was joined by a mentally slow 40 year old man, slow a bit like Forrest Gump was in the popular movie by that name. He joined after reading the sign but especially because of my build, which reminded him of "one of my heroes, Jack LaLanne."
He wanted to discuss his beliefs about the U.S. military, some stories of his troubled life when he was a student as well as my diet. When the vigil ended he said, "Some people make fun of me because I'm different. You don't."
"Thank you for joining the vigil," I replied, while patting his left shoulder. "No-one should make fun of you. I enjoyed your company." He smiled, nodded his head and turned and walked off.
In thinking about him later, it occurred to me that he is a fine example of what this vigil is about, compassion and respect for others. It was nice to have had his company as the vigil reached out with an open heart to the many victims of the war.
Dick
The source for Mr. al-Zaidi's quotes is the Los Angeles Times, "Iraqi shoe thrower says he was tortured in custody," 9/16/09
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