DIVIDED WE STAND What happened to our country?

Vigils Calling for End to Iraq War Begin

By Angela K. Brown / Associated Press

CRAWFORD, Texas -- Hundreds of candlelight vigils calling for an end to the war in Iraq lit up the night Wednesday, part of a national effort spurred by one mother's anti-war demonstration near President Bush's ranch.

The vigils were urged by Cindy Sheehan, who has become the icon of the anti-war movement since she started a protest Aug. 6 in memory of her son Casey, who died in Iraq last year.

Sheehan says she will remain outside the president's ranch until he meets with her and other grieving families, or until his monthlong vacation there ends.

Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan but has made no indication he will meet with her. Two top Bush administration officials talked to Sheehan the day she started her camp, and she and other families had met with Bush shortly after her son's death.

More than 1,600 vigils were planned Wednesday from coast to coast by liberal advocacy groups MoveOn.org Political Action, TrueMajority and Democracy for America. A large vigil was also planned in Paris.

As the sun set in Crawford, about 200 protesters lit candles and gathered around a wooden, flag-draped coffin at Sheehan's growing camp, about a mile from the Bush ranch.

"For the more than 1,800 who have come home this way in flag-draped coffins, each one ... was a son or a daughter, not cannon fodder to be used so recklessly," Sheehan told the crowd, which then sang "Amazing Grace."

Before the vigil, Gary Qualls, of Temple drove to Sheehan's camp site and removed a wooden cross bearing his son's name. He said he supports the war and disagrees with Sheehan.

"I don't believe in some of the things happening here," Qualls said. "I find it disrespectful."

Near Philadelphia's Independence Hall, a few hundred people strained to hear the parent of another soldier killed in Iraq. "This war must stop," said Al Zappala, 65, whose 30-year-old son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, died in an explosion in Baghdad in April 2004.

Karen Braz, 50, held a pink votive cup and a sign reading "Moms for Peace" as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with about 150 other people outside the New Hampshire statehouse in Concord.

"My son is 26. It could've been him," she said

Some critics say Sheehan is exploiting her son's death to promote a left-wing agenda. They say scores of Americans, including relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq, support Bush and his plans to keep troops there.

FreeRepublic.com, which holds rallies to support troops, held a pro-Bush rally Wednesday night with about 20 people at the same time and same Washington park as a candlelight vigil that drew about 300.

At one point, members of the two sides had a heated exchange over who was more patriotic.

"If they don't want to support it, they don't have to support it," said Iraq war veteran Kevin Pannell, who had both legs amputated after a grenade attack last year in Baghdad. "That's the reason I lost my legs."

In Cincinnati's Fountain Square, some 200 people sang "Give Peace A Chance" and lined one side of the square with signs, drawing honks of support from some passing motorists.

At a vigil in Charleston, W.Va., a banner bearing the name, age, rank, hometown and date of death of all Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan was unrolled _ stretching the length of a city block.

"Our pastors and preachers need to hear from us," said one of the speakers in Charleston, Mary Ellen O'Farrell. "Ask your pastor to preach it from the pulpit. This war does not meet the criteria for a just war."

Along with candles and flags, some of the 300 people who gathered at a park in Nashville, Tenn., brought banners of support for Sheehan. One read: "Thank you for your courage Cindy."

Marie Evans, standing on the steps of the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, said the rallies and candlelight vigils were a chance for those opposing the war to let their voices be heard.

"There was no question in my mind that we needed to make a statement in Oklahoma, which is a very conservative state," said Evans, who carried a sign that read, "Their blood is on your hands." About 200 people joined her.

In Hawaii, Kalihi Valley resident Charmaine Crockett invited scores of people to her hilltop house to light candles in sympathy for Sheehan. "I'm very moved by one person making a difference," Crockett said. "This isn't an anti-war protest. The beautyof it lies in its silence."

Actor Richard Dreyfuss attended a vigil in the Studio City area of Los Angeles with his son and about 500 others.

"Cindy Sheehan is making a starting point with the questions she is asking and it's not unpatriotic to ask them," Dreyfuss said. "It's actually a higher form of patriotism."

Tammy Markee, at a vigil in Madison, Wis., had some advice for Bush on how to handle Sheehan: "Be a man. Give her the respect she deserves. Sit down and talk with her."

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this