Editor,

The people are leading the way out of this illegal and immoral war. Meanwhile, the politicians continue to appropriate more funds, and the insurgents increase their numbers and their murderous activities. Our congressional representatives are not listening to their constituents.

On Friday, July 7, members and friends of Peace Action Maine and Veterans for Peace gathered in Tommy’s Park in Portland to again “Read the Names” of all the U.S. soldiers and an equal number of Iraqis killed in Iraq. When we first began the Reading of the Names a year and a half ago, it took four hours. On Friday, it took a full eight hours to complete the reading. We began at 1:10 p.m. and finished at 9:10 p.m.

As the reading began, the sounds of the passing traffic seemed to fall into the background, all but forgotten. The intoning of the endless names created the sense of a cathedral, the trees overhead our skylit ceiling, the grass our carpet, the heads bowed – listening, listening, listening – as the congregants. After each name was read, a cross was marked on the Cloth of Chaos, a 12×15 painter’s cloth – a red mark for each U.S. name, a black mark for each Iraqi name. Simultaneously, a bell sounded to commemorate the person slain. As the afternoon progressed, the readers took turns reading until some voices become hoarse.

Some stories from the day illustrate the power of the reading:

A woman came by at 1 p.m., and listened momentarily to the reading. When she came back at 6 p.m., she was incredulous that we were still Reading the Names. Tears welled in her eyes, as she realized the significance of our continued reading.

A young woman came early in the afternoon with her two children. She paused before leaving to read a few pages of names, her children crowding near her. But the gravity of the event pulled her back to the park at 7 p.m. She was amazed and saddened when she found us still there, still reading. She stayed for more reading, her voice ringing out across the park to the passersby, to those standing and those who paused to listen.

One elder gentleman, who until recently would not have been seen with us, spent the entire day with us. He stood holding signs on the sidewalk, or sat and patiently created the crosses on the Cloth of Chaos, or Read the Names.

A hero from the struggle of South Africa, Ken Carston, stopped by to cheer us on.

An African American man on a bicycle, came close and explained to his young son what we were doing. He explained that this war is similar in so many ways to the Vietnam war, and that the lies of our president was the major reason we are losing our men and women in Iraq.

A veteran of the Vietnam war stood listening to the reading. He seemed lost in thought, his brown eyes sad, as he remembered what he did not want to remember.

Another Vietnam veteran stood for hours on the sidewalk with the sign that explained what we were doing. He remembers too well the Tet Offensive.

Dexter Kamilewicz was there most of the day. He read the names of American GI’s who had been stationed with his son Ben in Ramadi, Iraq. As a member of the Vermont National Guard, Ben escaped death several times. As Dexter read the names of Ben’s fellow soldiers, one could hear the heartbreak in his voice as familiar names reminded him of the agonizing year he spent closely following every report of casualties from units in Ramadi.

Bruce Gagnon, executive director of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, noted that, though many people were thoughtful and compassionate about the significance of the event, many, many others went about their Friday business or pleasure. He commented, “Entertainment is always a good salve for the aching soul of a nation at endless war.”

A one-page explanation of The Reading was handed out to almost 1,000 people as they passed by or stopped to listen. During the day, contingents of participants visited the offices of Sen. Snowe, Sen. Collins and Rep. Tom Allen. They seemed to remember vividly the other times when we had occupied their offices and Read the Names inside their offices. Our message to them all is, “Stop funding the way. Support the troops by bringing them home by the end of 2006. Don’t let this war drag on for seven more years like the Vietnam war, when everyone knew the war was wrong.” As Jack Bussel, a member of Veterans for Peace, told Cheryl Leaman, Senator Snowe’s aide, “War was wrong yesterday, war is wrong today, and war will be wrong tomorrow.”

Currently, this war is costing U.S. taxpayers $8.5 billion per month, and Maine’s share of that is now over $870 million. Meanwhile the world is facing global warming disasters, our children need better-equipped schools and better-paid teachers, our infrastructure is crumbling, and the national debt rises to unknown heights. Where is the logic? How long before masses of people demand an end to the senseless slaughter? When that happens, this war will end.

Sally Breen

Windham