"Bless you," said a 45 ish man as he walked up and read the sign. "And bless them as well," he added in reference to those who have paid a severe a price in these wars.
Last night's vigil was joined by a 50 ish couple who often stop by and by John Frontier, a Korean War veteran who holds a peace vigil every Friday night nearby.
For a brief time earlier, it was joined by a 35 ish man who came at the request of a Haitian man who for a long time had come regularly. He's "in Haiti right now," he said, "But he wants you to know that he intends to be back in a month or so and will rejoin you then."
This young man explained that this 64 year old man is doing well but of course is dealing with the enormous problems of the Haitian people.
Meanwhile, in Baghdad the Hell continues. On Monday, a female suicide bomber blew herself up, killing 41 people and injuring 106 more. A wounded man described what he saw as blood "falling like rain"* from the blast.
Later that day, a roadside bomb in one location and a grenade in another injured 16 others.
On Wednesday, the day of our vigil, near Baghdad, a bomb killed at least 23 people and injured 120 more.
This is a continuation of last week's bombings near the U.S.'s heavily protected Green Zone and those that rocked Baghdad in August, October and December killing hundreds of people and reminding everyone that no place there is safe.
But thousands of miles away, our vigil was greeted with horn honks and waves and some people as curious as a bus driver who, during a red light, stopped his bus well behind the traffic so he could carefully read the sign.
The U.S. media gives these wars, and the millions of families affected by them, little coverage. But these people matter to us who conduct vigils and peace demonstrations and judging by the response to the vigils they matter to many others as well.
Dick
*http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?scp=1&sq=%22Scores%20Killed%20in%20Attack%20on%20Shiite%20Pilgrims%20in%20Iraq,%20%222/2/10%22&st=cse
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