I was honoured to visit the Memorial Day display on 8th Avenue in Gainesville this weekend. It is put together and facilitated by Veterans for Peace with some help from local Code Pink and other peace groups. It was much smaller two years ago when I viewed it and very sad to see the number of the tombstones now, they go as far as the eye can see down this particular stretch of road near the University of Florida campus, along with obelisks representing the planets in our Solar System. The tombstone display has signs to mark where among the deaths we went into a new year or something significant occurred such as President Bush stating MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and when Barack Obama took office. We have had war in Iraq and Afghanistan for almost 10 years. People have forgotten, it is not even much of an issue on the news or a topic of conversation anymore. So many young lives wasted and lost. The meaning of the display really hit home. We need to bring the troops home now. I support the troops, by insisting that our government end the wars and occupations and bring them home! So what did you do on your Memorial Day weekend? Something to honour the troops and spread the message of PEACE?
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