Comes a time
Cindy Sheehan, Martin Sheen and Jackson Browne call for civil disobedience to end the war
By Carl Kozlowski , Joe Piasecki 03/02/2006
The movement to keep military recruiters out of public schools reached a crescendo Saturday night during a counter-recruitment fundraiser at Pasadena's All Saints Church, where more than a dozen notable activists joined Cindy Sheehan, Martin Sheen and Jackson Browne in calling for an immediate end to the War in Iraq.
A boisterous crowd of more than 1,000 packed the church, already threatened by the IRS with removal of its tax-exempt status over an anti-war sermon, with some watching the proceedings from its basement via closed-circuit TV.
The spirit of the evening reached a crescendo when, to an eruption of applause, Sheehan called for activists to "shut the country down" with acts of civil disobedience unless all American troops are withdrawn from Iraq by July 4 .
"We need to shut the country down, from Washington, DC, to the war profiteers. I'm already working on that with others," Sheehan, who captured world attention for her August visit to President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, told the Weekly. "Jesus was all about peace, and every church should be for peace. Like [All Saints Church Rector] Ed Bacon said, 'Every Christian church should be promoting peace, not war.'"
Browne, in an exclusive conversation with the Weekly, backed Sheehan's call.
"You have to shut things down," he said. "I think its reaching that kind of critical mass."
Earlier in the evening, Browne played an acoustic version of "Lives in the Balance," his 1986 indictment of American support for contra rebels in Nicaragua, which to him also sings true of today's war in Iraq.
"I came here to be inspired and receive a new sense of hope," he said. "There is a sign of hope. I think the people have come to a point where they realize they can't stand idly by, so I think events like this are really important."
Also of top priority is the IRS probe of All Saints, which many believe is an act of retribution for preaching on the eve of the 2004 presidential election that Jesus would have opposed the war.
"Another thing that's real important to me is the intimidation of the IRS on this church. I mean, every day there's some new outrage that this government is forcing people to accept, and you don't have to accept it," said Browne. "Where are the people in the streets? We're gonna have to get in the streets about this."
Before introducing Sheen, Bacon spoke of a natural disconnect between God and killing. "Peacemaking is an intrinsically sacred pursuit. God is not a warmonger or a fearmonger, but a peacemaker. Religion must stop blessing war," he said.
Sheen used his time at the microphone to communicate solidarity between his own Catholic beliefs and those of the Episcopal Bacon.
"Many churches will fly the American flag in their sanctuary, as if to imply that America has a closer relationship with God than the rest of the world. There is no flag in this sanctuary," he said. "We are living in an occupied country in which the Christian Right has allowed war to become a faith-based initiative."
The focal point of the night, however, remained "Arlington West," a documentary film about the makeshift Santa Monica memorial in which a flag-draped coffin and a sea of wooden crosses give stark honor to lives lost in Iraq. Screened that evening, the film features emotional and troubling reactions of visitors to the Veterans for Peace-maintained site. Proceeds from the event will go to showing the documentary in public schools where economically struggling students are often targeted by military recruiters.
"It's an expensive undertaking, because we're hoping to get this DVD into the hands or before the eyes of every high-schooler in [Greater] Los Angeles," said Peter Dudar, who co-created the film with wife Sally Marr. "Los Angeles is the No. 1 city in the nation for recruitment, and we've got to get another view out to those kids. We also have the expense of dubbing the film into Spanish to reach the Latino kids who are being most often targeted by the military and told that joining the service eases the road to citizenship."
Crosses from the Arlington West memorial were arranged in the yard outside the church. On the one that bore the name of Sheehan's son, Casey, was written: "You are always in my ™," signed simply, "Mom."
"The most important thing we can do as peace-people is counter recruitment," Sheehan said.
The night also featured speeches by several parents who, like Sheehan, had lost their sons in the Iraq War, Iraq veterans now opposed to the conflict and Pablo Paredes, an American sailor who faced court martial after refusing to board a boat headed from San Diego to Iraq.
In the audience were several candidates for local office running on anti-war platforms, among them former Pasadena Mayor and Green Party congressional candidate Bill Paparian, Libertarian congressional candidate Jim Keller, Democratic congressional hopeful Bob McCloskey and Green Party state Assembly candidate Philip Koebel.
As the church emptied, Browne contemplated the politics of war.
"Unfortunately [Bush] is masterful, and really communicates to those people [who support the war unconditionally]. He's the stupidest fucking person in this country, so they've got the right guy for the job. Morons unite!" Browne said, laughing. "That's what you're up against - the legions of ignorance and inferior intellect because they're feeding these people on incorrect info," he said.
"My heart goes out to those who believe we have to stand tall, stay the course, be loyal to our country. But there's nobody more loyal to the country than the people who spoke here tonight."
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