Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
January 18, 2007 issue
Peace Advocates Gather at Jones House
Story by Kathleen McFadden
A self-described “spontaneously formed group” gathered on the steps of the Jones House Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to advocate for an end to the war in Iraq.
Displaying homemade signs opposing additional troop deployments to Iraq, reminding passersby of Iraqi children and carrying a quotation from King—“We have no alternative but to protest”—members of the group discussed their reasons for participating in the demonstration.
Pat Rusch pointed out that the group opposed the president’s call for more than 20,000 additional troops to be deployed to Iraq, “despite the fact that no one wants it.”
“I don’t have the answers about what needs to happen,” Julie Smith said, “but more of what we’re already doing is not right. The means are just as important as the end. It seems to me that together we could come up with some creative ideas.”
David McGuinn said, “The war is causing more terrorism than we’re actually fighting. Putting 20,000 more troops into Iraq instead of leaving is doing nothing but making the world hate us.”
Periodically throughout the demonstration, Dorothy Sagel read the names, ranks and hometowns of the 70 North Carolina soldiers killed in Iraq, along with the dates of their deaths, interspersing the names with quotations from King about nonviolence, peace, social action and individual responsibility.