The Last Peace Demo

The Last Peace Demo

photos and words by C. A. Matthews

Sunday was the last peace demonstration sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition. At least for now it is. Hopefully by the time this blog is posted a local area activist will have picked up the reins and organized the next outing. It's not like there's been a total and complete ceasefire and an end to all armed conflicts on this planet in the last twenty-four hours. With Biden's administration launching bombs on Iranian-sponsored groups in Syria, peace protests and activism are needed now more than ever. (Read: Biden's Bombing of Iraq and Syria Only Serves the Weapons Industry Funding Both Parties.)

The demos in recent years took place on Sundays at noon at the corner of Secor Road and Central Avenue, in front of the Key Bank in the Westgate shopping area of Toledo. It's a very busy intersection. The "Honk for Peace" signs get a lot of responses. But the originators of the Peace Coalition feel that it's time for new blood--read, "younger blood"--to come in and take over and invigorate the group.

Many I spoke with last Sunday said they wanted the Peace Coalition to be known for more than just standing on street corners holding signs and waving at passers-by. They wanted to inspire others to take action. They wanted to teach others how to hold our government accountable whenever it takes arms against other peoples or even our own people, as in the case of police violence against Black Lives Matter marchers and indigenous oil pipeline protesters.

The Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition began shortly after the events of 9/11 and vigorously protested the start of the Iraqi War for Oil. There were large displays of tombstones and boots demonstrating the numbers killed. There were sit-ins of elected officials' offices and arrests made to call attention to the cause for peace. There were buses full of local peace activists heading to Washington DC to march in the streets.

There's great hope there will be similar anti-war activism in the area again--and possibly even greater activism. Now is not the time to be shy. Now is the time to speak out and show up. See you on the corner, in the streets, at the courthouse, sitting-in at your Congressmember's office...

Learn more about how you can be manipulated into supporting armed conflicts. Read Support the Tropes: How Media Language Encourages the Left to Support Wars, Coups and Intervention  https://fair.org/home/support-the-tropes/

Links to learn more about war from World Beyond War:

Guided Missiles, Misguided Policies, and Changing Direction Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love WWIII 

 

Profiting from Misery – A Conversation with the Researchers 

 

Talk World Radio: Michael Messner: Unconventional Combat 

 

Okinawa, Again – The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marines Have Poisoned Okinawa’s Water and Fish with Massive Releases of PFAS. Now it’s the Army’s Turn. 

 

How Biden Helped Hardliner Raisi Win Iran Election 

 

People-Powered Planet Podcast 

 

Peace Witness: Zelda Grimshaw, Disrupt Land Forces campaign, Brisbane, Australia 

 

Peace Foundation Criticises Rocket Lab New Zealand Government Response 

 

A World Beyond War – What’s There to Gain, and How Is it Possible? 

 

Remember to Forget the Alamo 

 

Talk World Radio: Julie Varughese on the Unending War on Afghanistan 

 

William Astore, Big Lies Have Consequences, Too

 

War is A Lie With David Swanson 

 

Goodbye to an AUMF 

 

Registering Women for the Draft: Equality in Barbarism? 

 

“Wake Up, the World is Dying”: Now Do Something About It 

 

Beware Atlantic Charters 

 

Activists Banner over Seattle Freeway with Clear Message: “Abolish Nuclear Weapons” 

 

The American Empire of the West Deploys Troops for Battle 

 

Why Democracies in G7 & NATO Should Reject U.S. Leadership

https://youtu.be/G4lZ_QxwAo0

A great person who called for an end to the war in Iraq as well as the end of the Vietnam War, Senator Mike Gravel, passed away this week at the age of 91. Here's a short video that shows some great clips of him in action. If only we had more like him office! Rest In Power, Mike.

If you as an American speak out against war and the Military Industrial Complex, you could be labeled a "terrorist." Jimmy Dore and Ron Placone discuss this disturbing situation.  https://youtu.be/AKGy2hmv8Xk 

Be sure to check out Beanstock's World this week for great videos on the housing crisis, Medicare For All,  and the mishandling of our economic crisis. https://beanstocksworld.wordpress.com/2021/06/27/wakeful-video-weekend-2021-06-27-18-videos/

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Monarch butterflies could become extinct as they wait in line to be listed as endangered. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect them NOW!

Sign Now

The beautiful, iconic monarch butterfly is introduced to most people in early childhood, whether it's in a picturebook or someone's garden. But they may be going the way of history books if the United States Fish and Wildlife Service continues their delay in designating these creatures as endangered, and affording them all the protections that status would give them. The agency wants to wait four entire years before considering legal preservation for monarch butterflies, even though many scientists say the species has reached the threshold of quasi-extinction — aka the point of no return. Beyond their beauty, monarch butterflies play a vital role in our environment and its various cycles. They are pollinators, bringing to life beautiful wildflowers and other plants. They are also an important food source for many other insects, birds, and small animals. But climate change, thousands of acres of habitat loss, and a decrease in milkweed — the sole source of food for monarch caterpillars — are leading to the quick demise of these important creatures. The two migratory populations of monarch butterflies in the United States have fallen by 80% and 99%. There is clearly no time to delay. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to classify and protect monarch butterflies as an endangered species NOW! Thank you, Lauren The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to wait another four years to protect monarch butterflies, but at this rate they could all be dead by then. Sign the petition.

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We're in the midst of a global extinction crisis, with the threads of the web of life disintegrating around us. Every hour a species is lost to extinction, and more than a million could disappear in the coming decades. It's time for Congress to act: Urge your representative to pass the Extinction Crisis Emergency Act. This legislation would direct President Biden to declare the extinction crisis a national emergency. The declaration, under the National Emergencies Act, would unlock key presidential powers to stem the loss of plants and animals in the United States and beyond. The Extinction Crisis Emergency Act would also direct the administration to protect hundreds of species on the waiting list for Endangered Species Act protection, curtail wildlife exploitation, and safeguard critical habitat from coast to coast. We must take bold action before it's too late: Tell your representative to pass the Extinction Crisis Emergency Act. Take Action

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