Flasgstaff Citizens Speak Out for Peace...You Should Have Been There
by Blue Evening Star
Why in the world would nearly eight hundred people spend five hours in the cold and rain on the roadside near Flagstaff, Arizona on a Friday afternoon? It was in response to the unexpected visit of President George W. Bush to Flagstaff on September 27, 2002.
While great numbers of local Flagstaff residents flocked to Fort Tuthill that day to hear Bush’s speech, outside the entrance, in a field provided by the City of Flagstaff and with the co-operation of the Flagstaff Police Department, like-minded citizens also gathered to speak out saying, "We don’t want this war.”
Responding to the Flagstaff Activist Network’s “Call To Action” was a diverse representation of local Native American tribes, churches, families, the university, and community organizations who carried on a peaceful demonstration against wars and rumors of wars. The crowd seemed to have a common awareness about injustices being done all over the world (thanks to the Internet); yet, there was a general air of struggling hope in the face of the hard, cold realities of these times—realities such as weapons of mass-destruction, the call for a "permanent" war on terrorism, and the disintegration of civil liberties in America.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. once said, "There are two visions of America. One is that this is just a place where you can make a pile for yourself and keep moving. And the other is that you put down your roots and build communities that are examples to the rest of humanity."
These "two Americas" were having direct and somewhat antagonistic contact during the demonstration. As the speech attendees drove their cars into Fort Tuthill to hear Bush speak, many derogatory comments such as "Get a job" or "You’re lucky you’re in a country where you can do this" were yelled out and then windows hastily rolled up. The attitudes seemed to be saying that if you question the President in any way, you are questioning everything that America stands for.
Celeste Biles, a Flagstaff resident, was at the demonstration with her two sons. She told me that she is not completely opposed to war, just war without thought or support from our allies. Celeste said, "I have to read European or underground press to find out the truth about events in the world. The general American public is going along with all of this like cattle."
Norm Wallen (former Flagstaff City Councilman) and Gary Nabhan (NAU professor) started a fast for peace on September 20th. They intend to continue fasting on liquids until "the government changes its course of action or until our health deteriorates to the point that we must stop." Their issued statement says that "Going to war against Iraq is unacceptable: the inevitable loss of human lives, the long-term damage to communities and the associated environmental destruction will lead to more pain and misunderstanding in the world—not to peace, and not to more security for Americans."
Robert Flanders of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Flagstaff spoke and asked "Where are all the clergy today?" He also shared that "God is here with us—He is within us and within every person in Iraq."
The most poignant comment made on the day of Bush visit, however, was made by a four-year-old who asked her mother while a black military helicopter flew over their home, "Mommy, is the war coming?"