[Peace-discuss] Welcome home

[Ricky Baldwin]

Unfortunately, time makes these things clearer only
for people who have the time or inclination or ability
to research facts.  Most people either do not want to,
or can't, or can't readily.  They get their info from
people whose job it is to tell them what to think, to
avoid the threat of democracy.  That's one reason what
we do is so important.

On the welcome home, I do think it's a good idea for
us to participate, but not as unidentified individuals
who will be assumed by everyone including the media to
be there to join the rah-rah for the war.  I'v ebeen
thinking about this since it came up in Urbana during
the discussions on the City Council resolution.  

I'm not proposing a protest.  There's no way I can
imagine, at least not yet, a protest on that occasion 
communicating anything other than disapproval for the
individuals returning. No, what I'd suggest is more of
a "presence", with signs more along the lines of - off
the gleaming top of my head - "Welcome home - from the
peace movement" with a peace sign.  I'm sure there are
better ideas for signs.  But I'd propose that the goal
is to communicate as sincerely as we can that we, as
anti-war activists, are honsetly glad they are home
and hope they all get home safe - ASAP.

It's a rare opportunity.  If we don't go, many people
will always believe that we were always insincere in
our opinions, as Carl said Tuesday, that we are not
against the troops, but the best way to support the
troops is to bring them home.  If we do go, and it
bothers anyone, we simply say, we're just here to
welcome them home.  Why identify ourselves as peace
activists?  Because otherwise nobody would know that
peace activists also welcome home the troops.

Moreover, I think we should apply to become an
official cosponsor of the event(s) in both cities and
make public our support along the lines I just
outlined.

My 2c.
Ricky

--- Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:

> >From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>  
> >As we heard at the township meeting Tuesday night,
> myths
> about Vietnam are being used to defend our
> aggression in Iraq.
>  --CGE
> 
> Can someone explain to me how so many different
> interpretations of Vietnam can still exist? The
> interpretations mentioned Tuesday evening were very
> odd to me.
> I would have thought that several years of hindsight
> would
> have made the interpretations clearer.
> 
> -karen medina
> 
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>
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