Two Marches - Same Hopes & Dreams

On April 29, my youngest daughter (age 12) and I marched with 300,000 other people to express our opposition to the Iraq war. My Be Patriotic Impeach Bush bumper stickers (which I gave away in under 30 minutes) were displayed on hundreds of signs by those who shared this sentiment. There were A LOT of Vietnam era folks there. They know the horrors of a war and desire to have a path that allows them to heal from both seen and unseen demons.

On April 30, I joined my fellow board members at a banquet honoring our GWOT veterans along with 400 attendees. There was no conflict within me on this event. Our military personnel and their families deserve our 100% support for doing what they were ordered to do. Politics is for the elected, not officers and their troops. I felt that way when I was in the Marine Corps and still do.

On May 1, the anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" claim, I had the honor to stand on the steps of the State House before the 15,000 - 20,000 immigrants who shared what my grandparents did - the desire to be part of the American landscape, attend public school, pay their taxes, raise their families and pursue economic opportunity. I welcome the diversity and their sense of cultural pride because among those I know, they very much want to be Americans.

The path where these two ideas meet is a short story. One of my supporters is an older gentlemen from Colombia, a soccer coach and also the father of a son who was awarded a silver star posthumously in action in Panama. This is one Latino killed by another for American interests. This is not lost on me. I hope it is not on you either.