In Riverhead activists filled a theater to capacity to view films about the war and military recruitment, to hear speakers and to help pay for "Honor the Fallen",
a growing photographic memorial to US soldiers dying in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Among those who spoke were Carmen Trotta of the Catholic Worker Movement. Trotta said
"I am deeply fearful because in the last couple ofViet Nam Vet Joe Giannini of East End Veterans Against the War spoke about Marine General Smedley Butler:
years I have come to believe that we can no longer
reform this country...
Republican Party, Democratic Party ..they both want
this war, they both need the oil. There is no way to
reform this country yet there is a world begging.
The strongest political voice is the voice of the
American people if they would begin to speak and if
they would speak articulately"
"Smedley Butler left the Marines in the mid-30s. He wrote an essay. 'War is Hell: the profits are measured in dollars and the losses are measured in lives'."But is the message of the Peace movement getting to Washington?
... I have made a decision .I won't support any polititcian unless they stand with another Marine, John Murtha who's already come to the conclusion ... we have accomplished our mission ... Bring them Home Now".
Pat Hovey of North Fork People of Conscience, an organizer of the Riverhead event said:
"I think the message is getting to the American people. ..it hasn't got to Washington yet. Bush's polling numbers are so low .. and the American People are against this war"For information about the memorial exhibit and North Fork People of Conscience visit
www.nfpofc.blogspot.com.
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From a report prepared by WPKN's East End Volunteer News Team for WPKN local news Mon-Fri 6:30pm 88.7 Montauk, 89.5 Bridgeport
