[Peace-discuss] News-Gazette: Candlelight vigil held over proposed strikes against Syria

[Robert Naiman]

Nice picture at the link of Kristina Boerger holding a sign behind Tim
Johnson. Welcome home, Kristina!

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-09-09/candlelight-vigil-held-over-proposed-strikes-against-syria.html

Candlelight vigil held over proposed strikes against Syria

Mon, 09/09/2013 - 9:28pm | Tim Mitchell

URBANA — Former U.S. Congressman Tim Johnson said he believes it is not the
United States' role to impose its values and way of life on other countries
around the world by killing people.

"The cost in an overall sense to our involvement from Korea through Syria
is mind-boggling," Johnson said. He was among about 80 people who took part
in a candlelight vigil Monday evening at the Champaign County Veterans'
Memorial, in opposition to the idea of U.S. military strikes against Syria.

The vigil was organized by MoveOn.org.

"Not only have we lost American men and women to the tunes of hundreds of
thousands around the world, but ... we spend trillions of dollars to fight
wars that we can't win," said Johnson, who served six terms in Congress.

"We have domestic needs here at home — our education system, our
infrastructure, our health care system — that are badly in need of dollars
that are being drained by wars that we can't win and kill people. We have
taxpayers that are paying too much money. You can't tell me that's worth
the price."

Johnson said that decades of military involvement by the United States has
shown that more than the lives of American servicemen and women are at risk
due to war.

"We also kill innocent Vietnamese and Syrians and Africans and Asians whose
lives are just as valuable as ours and their families are just as valuable
to them," he said. "So we're going to fight a war that was ill-conceived
from the beginning. That's just wrong."

Former Champaign Mayor Dan McCollum said he also opposed air strikes
against Syria.

"We simply can't get out of the habit of sticking our nose in militarily
around the world," he said. "This is especially egregious because of the
lack of international support."

Doug Clough of Urbana said he has been taking part in anti-war events like
Monday's vigil since the Vietnam War.

"It don't think war is an appropriate activity," Clough said. "The
president shouldn't get us involved in that country. We seem to always add
more killing to what is going on."

Moonyeen Carlyle of Champaign said she also opposes the proposed bombing of
Syria.

"We should leave it alone," she said. "We should take care of our own
country. What is going on in Syria is heart wrenching, but it is not our
business."

Chuck Segard of Champaign said the United States should consider
alternatives to military action.

"We shouldn't be so quick to start another war," Segard said. "I don't
think we have exhausted all the things we can do. I don't see what the rush
is all about."

Robert Naiman of MoveOn.org urged those taking part in the candlelight
vigil to contact members of Congress to provide their views.
-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace-discuss/attachments/20130910/e3cfba06/attachment.html>