Glens Falls Post-Star
www.poststar.com/articles/2008/03/20/news/latest/doc47e1c710b2319328863640.txt

Local vigils mark fifth anniversary of war
By ALYSON MARTIN
amartin (at) poststar.com
Updated: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:10 PM EDT

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GLENS FALLS -- In a show of solidarity, peace activists gathered on Wednesday evening at City Park to read the names of fallen military personnel as they marked the five-year anniversary of the United States’ involvement in Iraq.

Frank Grassi, a retired South Glens Falls social studies teacher, began the event by reading the names of those killed from New York and Vermont.

Grassia taught Pfc. Nathan Brown and said he’s felt a personal loss from the war. Brown, a South Glens Falls native, was killed on Easter Sunday 2004 when his platoon was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.
"Many of my students are serving, Nate being one of them," Grassia said.

Grassia retired in 2002, but said if he was teaching today, he would have remembered the day in class, too.

"What will solve the problems in Iraq will not be the loss of American life," he said. "My feeling is that the political establishment of both parties has failed us, so it’s up to the citizenry to take charge."

Grassia said he realized recently that it’s likely more young people have died in the past five years in Iraq than the total number of students Grassia has taught during his 33 years as a teacher.

Larry Dudley, one of the organizers of the vigil and a member of Greater Glens Falls Democracy for America, said the local event was just one of many across the country and world.

"It’s sobering that it’s still going on," Dudley said of Iraq. "There’s profound disappointment that we haven’t been able to end the war before now. But there’s hope that so many people care."
With temperatures in the high 30s and a light drizzle falling, about 40 people huddled inside the City Park grandstand, holding lighted candles, listening as volunteers read the almost 4,000 names.

Dudley said he was inspired by the turnout.

"This has been going on for so long. We’re fatigued. It’s so hard after so many years of disappointment," he said. "We appreciate everyone here."

Dudley, like some in attendance, said he’s hopeful that change will come with November’s election.

"This, too, will end eventually. So there’s hope," he said.
Kate Austin, another organizer with Democracy for America, said she’s not sure who to believe, so she’s not sure if she should be hopeful.

"There are so many different sides to the story," she said.

Austin read names of men and women who died in 2004. She said she passed the sheet along so others could be involved, if they wished.

"Reading their names really made them seem like people, and not chess pieces, to me," Austin said.

A woman in the back of the small crowd wore several buttons, including one that read, "Unite for Peace." It was from protests of the Vietnam War, she said.
" ‘Arms are for hugging,’ that one is my favorite," said Joan Robertson, of Cleverdale, about her pins.

"You need to speak out. Citizens need to speak out," Robertson said. "We might better teach them to farm. They need to be taught, rather than killing them. We can learn from them, too."

Robertson said Iraqis need to make changes themselves, and American soldiers need to get out of the way and come home.

She’s lived in the area for 50 years, Robertson said, and she’s seen a progressive shift.

"People are becoming more involved in the community. People are caring," she said.
Following the vigil, the film "Winter Soldier" was shown at Rock Hill Bakehouse, a film chronicling the "Winter Soldier Investigation" conducted by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Detroit, Michigan in the winter of 1971.

A 15-minute version of "Winter Soldier," which presents testimony from Iraq veterans, was shown in Saratoga Springs at the Arts Center on Broadway.

"Even if one person comes in and their mind is changed about the war in Iraq because of the film, then I’ve succeeded in doing what I have attempted to do today," said Gail Capobianco, a member of MoveOn.org, who said she volunteered to run the movie in observance of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.

Capobianco planned on showing the film every half-hour until 9 p.m., when she would join other members of a number of peace groups in Congress Park for a candlelight vigil until precisely 9:34, marking the actual beginning of the war in Iraq.

A group of about 40 to 50 people gathered outside the Saratoga Springs post office on Broadway at 8 p.m.
They planned to form a candlelit procession down Broadway to gather at the Spirit of Life statue in Congress Park at 9 p.m. The group was expected to include war veterans.

They planned to disperse at 9:34 p.m. — marking the moment when the first U.S. missiles were launched at Iraq on March 19, 2003.

Staff writer Thomas Dimopoulos contributed to this report.

Hudson Register-Star
www.registerstar.com/articles/2008/03/19/news/news05.txt
Anti-war demonstrators wave signs at the “Five Years Too Many” rally held Wednesday on Warren Street. (Christine D’Agostino/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)
People rally together to get their message heard: end the war
By Christine D’Agostino
HUDSON — Cold and rain could not stop the “Five Years Too Many” rally that took place outside Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office on Warren Street Wednesday in opposition of the war in Iraq.
It has been five years since the war began — on March 19, 2003.
Supporters stood along the sidewalk holding anti-war signs and handing out flyers, while cars slowed as they passed, and several honked in support.
The event was organized by the Chatham Peace Initiative, which, according to committee member Susan Davies, is an organization that mainly focuses on ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as holding the government responsible for the crimes they’ve committed.

Albany Times Union:
www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp
Protest marks anniversary of war
Rally outside Capitol calls for bringing troops home from Iraq
By ROBERT GAVIN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Thursday, March 20, 2008
ALBANY -- On the the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, in a chilling rain outside the Capitol, more than 40 protesters demanded Wednesday that America's troops come home to save lives.
"The politics has just become really personal to me," said Mareesa Nicosia, 22, who drove from Oneonta to the protest at Eagle and State streets. Two weeks ago, her husband of less than a year, Sgt. Ian Golden, was sent to Iraq. "I just want the war to end and to bring the troops home as soon as possible," she said.


From seasoned activists dubbed Grannies for Peace and a local lawmaker shouting from a bullhorn to members of MoveOn.org and Citizens Action, the demonstrators blamed the war for the nation's financial woes as well the deaths of thousands.
Some held placards decorated with broken hearts. Others held signs proclaiming, "End the War Now, Support Our Troops."
Several motorists drove by, honking in support. One irked driver stopped, telling the crowd through his window they were supporting terrorists.
Laura Taylor, 56, of North Greenbush, said she understood the country's reasoning to go to war in 2003, even if she didn't support violence. The 9/11 attacks, she said, had been devastating. She called war in Iraq "much worse than Vietnam," which divided America in the 1960s and '70s.
In a reference to the prostitution scandal of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and admitted extramarital affairs of his successor, Gov. David Paterson, she questioned why people are "more concerned about our politicians with their pants down than waging a war that is totally meaningless."
The protest was one of several around the Capital Region and nation to mark the anniversary and to commemorate thousands of lives lost since March 19, 2003.
"Five years of war in Iraq is too long," said Albany County Legislator Doug Bullock. "Let's bring the troops home now." He led this rhyming chant: "U.S. out of Iraq, bring the troops back."
Grannie for Peace Mabel Leon, 67, of Schenectady wore a costume that included a crown and a broken heart.
"We need our young men and women to come home alive," she said. "I'm concerned for the Iraqi grandmothers also."

Schenectady Daily Gazette:
dailygazette.com/news/2008/mar/20/0320_rallies/
Rallies call for end to Iraq war
Thursday, March 20, 2008
By Jill Bryce (Contact)
Gazette Reporter



Photographer: Bruce Squiers

Gabriel Baskin, 7, of Ballston Spa, participates in a Wednesday night vigil marking the fifth anniversary of the War in Iraq, held at Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Baskin attended the vigil with his parents.
ALBANY — To mark the fifth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq, about 45 protesters held a rally in front of the Capitol on Wednesday and called for an end to the war.
“It’s the fifth anniversary. We need to remember what started five years ago and the lack of information and lies that we were told about weapons of mass destruction,” said Pat Beetle, who represents Grannies for Peace, which has 65 members in the Capital Region and is an offshoot of the group Women Against War.
She said the group held the vigil to call for an immediate end to the destructive Iraq war and occupation. “Our hearts are broken to think of all those in Iraq and the U.S. who’ve lost their lives, been wounded or driven from their homes in the past five, long years,” Beetle said as she stood in a cold, hard rain.
“We mourn especially the disgraceful treatment of the nearly 30,000 vets wounded in mind and body by the war.”
She said the group wants the Bush administration to increase resources to care for wounded veterans. “We call for an end to the killing and a commitment to the healing both in Iraq and here at home.”
Many motorists who drove by the noontime protest honked in support of the message, others just drove by and gave little notice to the group.
Beetle said chapters of Grannies for Peace were holding similar rallies nationwide in 20 cities Wednesday calling on the Bush administration to increase resources to care for wounded veterans.
Several different groups participated in the peace vigil that started at noon Wednesday, despite the cold rain and raw temperatures.
“I want this war stopped tomorrow if possible,” said Maude Easter of Delmar, also a member of Grannies for Peace and Women Against War. “I am heartbroken over the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis and nearly 4,000 Americans,” she said.
She got involved over concerns about her own godson who recently turned 20 years old. Easter said the U.S. should negotiate, rather than think it can solve problems by fighting other countries.
Elaine Klein, a member of Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, said the group was calling for an end to the war and new priorities for people, including health care and care for the veterans. “We pay a lot of money on taxes in New York, we want to see that veterans are taken care of and Iraq citizens are taken care of.”
The local rally came just as President Bush said Wednesday at the Pentagon he wouldn’t order troop withdrawals because he didn’t want to jeopardize the hard-fought gains of the past year.
Easter said that individuals should try to keep the pressure on Congress to stop the war and push the presidential candidates to make strong decisive positions on how to get the United States out of Iraq.
Beetle said there are positive diplomatic things that can be done. “We need to renew the belief in diplomacy and talk about solutions,” she said.
A rally and walk for peace will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the West Capital Park in Albany, sponsored by the Northeast Peace and Justice Action Coalition, a group of Albany-area peace and justice groups. In its fliers it said it supports the troops and wants them home now.

Ch. 9: capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/112644/anti-war-rallies-on-war-s-fifth-anniversary/Default.aspx (includes video)
Anti-war rallies on war's fifth anniversary
Updated: 03/20/2008 05:49 AM
By: Web Staff


SCHODACK, N.Y. -- Many people lined the streets in Schodack, protesting the War in Iraq on its fifth anniversary. People waved signs to honking cars driving by on Route 9 and 20.
Demonstrators say five years has been too long to be fighting a war that many say shouldn't be going on in the first place.

"I don't have anyone overseas. I have great empathy for the people that are over there," said protestor Wendy Dwyer. "We've lost about 4,000 soldiers, we've lost about a million Iraqis. We have destroyed a beautiful country. We have damaged our name in the world."


Anti-war rallies on war's fifth anniversary
Many people lined the streets in Schodack, protesting the War in Iraq on its fifth anniversary. Demonstrators say five years has been too long to be fighting a war that many say shouldn't be going on in the first place.



"And people in this area, there are a lot of young men and women in this area that have gone over and they need to be here, they don't need to be there. We need to bring our service people home. This does not need to become another Vietnam," said Ann Atwater, another protestor.
Similar rallies took place in Saratoga Springs, Voohesville and Albany to mark the day.

Ch. 23:
www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx
Small Protests Mark Iraq War Anniversary Around Capital Region

Reported by: Paul Merrill
Email: paulmerrill (at) fox23news.com
Videographer: M. Jackson
Last Update: 3/19 5:38 pm
Print Story | Email Story






Protesters hold homemade signs in front of Albany's Capitol on Wednesday. (Marc Jackson)
A group of about 50 dedicated war protesters rallies in the rain at Albany's Capitol to mark the five-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The downtown protest is just one of several held around the Capital Region on Wednesday.

President George Bush observed the anniversary, insisting that American military forces maintain their presence in Iraq but several soaking sign-holders tell FOX23 News that citizens need to be more outraged over the war.

"We're so interested in what politician has his pants down," says Laura Taylor of East Greenbush. "I don't care! I really don't. That's not killing anybody. That's not sending my brother into the line of fire. That's not maiming our kids."

Taylor tells us her younger brother is serving in the U.S. Air Force.

He's currently stationed in Florida.

Taylor tells us, "I don't know how people can wake up in the morning and know that their kid or their brother or whatever is in Iraq. I would be devastated."

Protesters chant on the corner of Eagle and State Streets: "U.S. out of Iraq! Bring the troops back!"

"Operation: Shock and Awe" began on March 19, 2003.

Since that date, America's involvement in Iraq has cost nearly 4,000 Americans their lives.

"I've been against the war from the beginning and it's not getting any better and it's time to bring the troops home," says Robert Walker of Cherry Plain.

A big topic on the minds of Wednesday's protestors is the upcoming presidential election.

Albany County Legislator Doug Bullock yells, "We have a mad bomber in the White House and he's got to go!"

Several protestors wear Barack Obama pins but all of them want the same thing from the nation's next president.

Marcia Hopple of Poestenkill tells us, "I hope any of the candidates will bring the troops home in a way that really is as fast as possible and as safe as possible."

Hopple is with a group called "Grannies for Peace."

She says the miserable weather couldn't stop her from coming to the Capitol to protest the Iraq War.

"I was determined to be here because I thought it might dissuade other people but I don't know if it did or not," she tells FOX23 News. "This is a pretty good turn-out."

Anti-war protesters will gather again on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on the west side of the Capitol.

Ch. 13: wnyt.com/article/stories/S384361.shtml
Ceremonies mark 5 years of war in Iraq
By: Abigail Bleck
Two very different ceremonies in the Capital Region marked the five year anniversary of the war in Iraq Wednesday.
Dozens of additional activists joined what's usually a small but dedicated group of anti-war protesters outside the Capitol. For these men and women, March 19 marks the beginning of what they call a brutal occupation.
"Every time we have another anniversary it's another year that's been wasted," anti-war activist Bob Alft said.
A different type of ceremony was held at a church in Greenwich. This one combined patriotism with religion and acted as a thank you to the men and women who have served.
The effort was appreciated, but the effects of war weren't downplayed there either.
"When I returned home after what I'd done and witnessed several things, I struggled," Army National Guardsman Rick Setzer said.
Setzer says he hasn't stopped struggling. This husband and father from Bennington, Vermont spent one year in Iraq. Two years later the adjustment is still difficult for him and every other service man and woman.
"The country needs to back those men and women no matter what their political views are," Setzer said.
Back in Albany, the protesters say they support the troops -- just not the mission they've been assigned to.
"Peace is of utmost importance in this and we've got to get the war mongers out of the White House," Alft said.

Ch. 6: www.cbs6albany.com/news/iraq_1254255___article.html/war_protesters.html
Protesters around the US hold signs and voice their opinions to stop the Iraq War.
Shawn Strack
Washington police arrest protesters scaling fences and blocking traffic, while others hold signs, "No Blood For Oil."

New Yorkers join the protest. In Binghamton, ten people were arrested yesterday during an anti-war protest. Today, Albany prepares for vigils to remember the fallen - and a rally at the Capitol.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the US occupation of Iraq. Reports say the 5 years of war are responsible for 82,000 Iraqi, and nearly 4,000 American deaths.

President Bush said today in a speech at the Pentagon, the battle is noble, just and necessary. Bush says the number of attacks in Baghdad have significantly declined since last year's troop increase, what he calls, "a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror."

From Fort Bragg, Presidential hopeful Barack Obama says the Iraq was has decreased safety in the US and empowered al-Qaida. He says the war must end.

Hillary Clinton says the US forces have already fulfilled their mission. She plans to start evacuating troops within 60 days if she takes office.

From Israel, Republican presidential nominee John McCain doesn't comment on his Mideast policies, but openly supports Israel's retaliation to Palestinian rocket attacks.

Recent polls show more than 60% of Americans do not support the war.

Vice President Dick Cheney tells ABC that public opinion polls cannot let the war be "blown off course." He relates the public opinion on the Iraq war to Lincoln's struggle uniting the nation in Civil rights.

Today in Iraq, police say a female suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings targeted a bus terminal. The explosion killed at least three and wounded dozens more.

Newsday:
NY protesters join country in marking war's 5th anniversary
By DEEPTI HAJELA |Associated Press Writer
March 19, 2008
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NEW YORK - New Yorkers around the city and the state joined their counterparts nationwide on Wednesday in rallies, marches and other protests to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Lillian Liffander of Manhattan crocheted a baby blanket as she stood in the rain in front of the military recruiting station in Times Square, a blanket she hoped might end up with the family of a war veteran.

She came out to the protest to register her continued disapproval of the situation in Iraq. "We are in a war that we got into based on lies," she said.
Nearby, other protesters from the Granny Peace Brigade sang and counted out the number of Iraqi and American war dead.

A few counterprotesters were also in the area, singing patriotic songs and speaking in favor of continued military presence in Iraq.

"I want our troops home but I want our mission to be accomplished," said Rock Peters of Manhattan. "I want democracy in the Middle East."

Earlier Wednesday, activists protested outside the offices of one of the military contractors in Iraq.

"Our troops are dying out there so ... corporations can make money," said Rachel Haut. "We don't just want to bring the troops home; we want to bring the contractors out."

Other protests were planned around the city and on Long Island.

At the Capitol in Albany, a few dozen people huddled under umbrellas and plastic ponchos. Protesters led chants, including "U.S. out of Iraq, bring the troops back," and "Bring the troops home now!" They've also planned a rally and march for Saturday.

Some passing drivers honked their horns with approval, but one man sped past while screaming: "You're fighting against my son! You're traitors!"

Audra Lynn of Albany said she brought her 11-year-old twins to the protest because she wanted them to be aware of the effect war has on all children, in Iraq and in the U.S.

"We're here to represent the families and children who are in the war and can't get out of it," said Lynn's daughter, Imani Brown.

"War isn't the solution to anything," added Ariel Brown, who held a hand-drawn sign that said "Stop the War!"

"I just believe war is wrong in general," said Pat Beetle of Albany, a member of Grannies for Peace. "There's so many positive things we could be doing instead. And it's affecting our economy in a very serious way."

"Our hearts are broken," said Beetle, who has held a weekly peace vigil in Albany with fellow Quakers for the past several years. "We're all in this together."

In Syracuse, police arrested 20 protesters who blocked traffic by creating a mock Baghdad street scene. One person dressed in camouflage lay on the ground. Another person was covered in a white sheet with red markings and a woman leaned over the person grieving.

None of the protesters resisted arrest but they continued to chant "Stop the war!" as they were loaded into a police van. Others stood on the sidewalk shouting, "No Justice, No Peace."

They were among about 100 peace demonstrators who marched in a steady rain through the downtown over the lunch hour.

The group, carrying signs, banners and effigies, made stops at the James Hanley Federal Building, an Army recruiting office, a bank and a newspaper office. Syracuse Peace Council spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell said each was symbolic of a contributor to the war.

"The president wants to say the surge has been effective. He's in denial again," said marcher Richard Zalewski, 59, a retired social caseworker from Syracuse.

"The sectarian differences still remain. There's still no workable system in place. The violence has only been reduced, it's not ended. We are just not helping the situation," Zalewski said, adding that the war, in the meantime, is crippling the U.S. economy.

Another vigil was planned later Wednesday on the Syracuse University campus.

Ten people were arrested Tuesday in upstate Vestal, N.Y., after police say they shoved officers at a rally. Town of Vestal Police Chief John Butler said some were charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, and others were charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

About 60 people participated in the demonstration Tuesday, which started at Binghamton University campus and moved into the street as demonstrators made their way to a military recruiting station.

___

Associated Press Writers Jessica M. Pasko in Albany and William Kates in Syracuse contributed to this report.