WITNESS AGAINST WAR 2008: From Chicago to St. Paul
By Rachel Primmer for the Daily Times
July 25 2008
LAKE MILLS - Several peace-minded individuals are putting their hearts into an endeavor that will likely touch the lives of many people before their goal is reached.
These individuals are walking 450 miles from Chicago, Ill., to St. Paul, Minn., encouraging others to participate in serious and meaningful discussions surrounding issues associated with the war in Iraq.
They have described their walk, titled “Witness Against War,” as “A walk from Chicago to Saint Paul to challenge and nonviolently resist the war in, and occupation of, Iraq.”
The walk was begun on July 13 in Chicago and will continue until Sept. 1 in St. Paul, where they will spend four days at the Republican National Convention. The group recently entered Jefferson County, walking the stretch from Wales to Sullivan, Sullivan to Jefferson and Jefferson to Lake Mills in three days. Their final leg through Jefferson County will take them from Lake Mills to Cottage Grove and into Dane County today. As of this week, they have walked 164 miles.
Those participating in the group as they passed through Lake Mills, Joshua Brollier, Mary Dean, Alice Gerard, Helene Hedberg, Tim Herlihey, Paul Melling and Dan Pearson, hail from Sweden, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Witness Against War project is part of a larger Chicago-based campaign called Voices for Creative Nonviolence. Dan Pearson, one of the walkers, is a co-coordinator for the Voices for Creative Nonviolence campaign. Pearson currently works with Iraqi refugees in Chicago and previously spent eight months in Syria immersing himself in an Iraqi neighborhood, learning Arabic and working with Iraqi refugees.
Pearson said, “One thing I’ve found is how forgiving Iraqi people are. After all that’s happened, they still want to be friends with Americans.” He believes that in many locations, American occupation in Iraq has made conditions worse than what they were before. He said surges have caused situations to escalate, have caused many to flee from their homes and have left neighborhoods vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. “I find it difficult to find an Iraqi who is in favor of continued U.S. occupation.”
Jeff Leys, a Watertown native, is also a co-coordinator for Voices for Creative Nonviolence. The walkers attended the recent Jefferson County Democratic Party Obama Fest at Commons Park in Lake Mills where Leys was among those who gave speeches. During his speech, Leys explained that the group is calling for the complete withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.
He also maintained that as a country, the United States needs to provide “the highest quality health care for all soldiers and all who live in the United States.” He also pointed out that the war in Iraq, just in 2008, has cost Wisconsin taxpayers $2.2 billion.
Melling, also one of the walkers, served 18 months in Iraq as a member of an Army Infantry unit. Upon honorably fulfilling four years of duty and leaving the Army, Melling became a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Melling initially enlisted to benefit the country, however, he found that in Iraq, “the war was in no way doing that.” He continued, “We weren’t helping anyone. We never won any hearts or minds.”
The Witness Against War challenge lists seven objectives for the walk. They include:
The complete and immediate withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from Iraq.
The complete end to all U.S. military action against Iraq, whether that action be from the air, ground or sea.
An end to any further funding for U.S. military action in or against Iraq.
Full funding for the highest quality health care, housing and education for U.S. veterans and their families; the end of stop-loss/stop-move orders in the military.
Provision of full funding by the U.S. for the reconstruction of Iraq following the damage caused by these past 18 years of economic and military warfare waged by the U.S. upon Iraq.
The unconditional cancellation of the remaining debt incurred by Saddam Hussein’s regime and of the reparations imposed by the U.N. against Iraq following the Hussein regime’s 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
Redirection of U.S. financial resources away from waging war and toward providing for the common good in the U.S. universal health care; free public education at all levels; affordable housing; etc.
Several events will accompany the walkers as they make their way to Minnesota. A peace vigil will take place in Madison at noon Monday. A Witness Against War Forum, “Should We Continue to Fund the War,” will occur on Aug. 5 at the Hatch Public Library in Mauston at 7 p.m. On Aug. 10 there will be a Witness Against War Vigil at Fort McCoy where the walk will include nonviolent civil disobedience. The walkers will ultimately be welcomed to St. Paul on Aug. 30.
For more information about Witness Against War go to www.vcnv.org.
