STONEWALK 2004: BOSTON, MA to NEW YORK, NY.

DAY 1: July 25th SUNDAY, BOSTON SOCIAL FORUM
By David Potorti

It's impossible to think about the Boston to New York Stonewalk without considering the Veterans for Peace National Convention (www.vetsforpeace.org) and the Boston Social Forum (www.bostonsocialforum.org), which preceded our first walk on July 25.

Members of Peaceful Tomorrows have always felt a special bond with veterans, and the fellowship and energy I experienced at this gathering reached new highs. Vets for Peace titled their convention, "We the People: Defeating Militarism and the Politics of Fear," and their seminars covered topics ranging from defense of civil liberties, to war on the environment, to gender and militarism.

We met members of a new group, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), a group of veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Their mission statement says, "We are committed to saving lives and ending the violence in Iraq by an immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces. We also believe that the governments that sponsored these wars are indebted to the men and women that were forced to fight them and must give their Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen the benefits that are owed to them upon their return home. We welcome all active duty, reservist, and recent veterans into our ranks." Their website is www.ivaw.net.

In their speaking, and the speaking of so many other veterans and military family members, I heard over and over again their horror at the killing of innocent civilians. Dorothy Mackey, USAF/Capt./CC, who was raped during her military service, spoke of the high incidence of rape and sexual abuse in the military. She is now executive director of STAAMP, Survivors Take Action Against Abuse by Military Personnel (www.STAAAMP.org). We appreciated the courageous witness of Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson of Military Families Speak Out (www.mfso.org). In a Friday night speaking event in historic Faneuil Hall, historian Howard Zinn, in addressing the war on terrorism, reminded us that war IS terrorism.

The Boston Social Forum brought together a dizzying array of topics and speakers from around the US and around the world. I was fortunate enough to participate in a panel sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee entitled, "The World Says No to War." Speakers included Dennis Kucinich (Ohio Congressman and presidential candidate), Phyllis Bennis (Institute for Policy Studies), Leslie Cagan (United for Peace and Justice), Jim Massey (Iraq Veterans Against the War), Nancy Lessin (Military Families Speak Out), along with Agneta Nordberg, vice chair of the Swedish Peace Council, Tony Donaghey, President of Britain's Rail, Maritime and Transport union, and Yves Jean Gallas, (Mouvement de la Paix). When American political dialogue seems frustratingly limited and polarized, I always get a jolt of energy from peace activists outside our country, who remind me that people can, and do, have control of their own destinies.

It was also great to talk about Stonewalk at both VFP and BSF sessions, and to meet many new and old friends who joined us in our first, short, pull UMass Boston to Old South Church in Copley Square. We gathered a little past one at the University, where I was joined in making remarks by Peaceful Tomorrows members Terry Rockefeller and Andrea LeBlanc, the Peace Abbey's Dot Walsh and Lewis Randa. We even made a special plea to fans of the Yankees and Red Sox, whose fisticuffs the day earlier were pictured on the front page of that day's Boston Globe. If the Yankees and Red Sox could get along, we figured, so could the rest of the world. We await their response.

After learning how to pull (and steer, and brake), a group of about two dozen made the shor t-- but new and challenging -- trek to historic Old South Church (www.oldsouth.org). We were greeted by their gracious (and patient!) staff including Carl F. Schultz, Jr; Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, and Kate Lazer, and were honored with a blessing from the Rev. Dr. Nancy Taylor, Minister and President, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ. We extend our thanks to all for getting Stonewalk off to such a welcoming and exciting start.