The description of this event was originally published, February 13, 2008 on the Falmouth Bulletin website. The video was originally posted to youtube on February 13, 2008
Jpe Bangert speaks in Falmouth:
United front: Anti-war activists pack Moonakis Café
By Sarah MurphyFALMOUTH - A large crowd gathered in Moonakis Café this past Saturday but, unlike the usual patrons, those in attendance wanted more than pancakes and home fries; they were hungry for change.
Proceeds of the fundraising event will support Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, a demonstration to be held in Washington, D.C. Thursday, March 13 to Sunday, March 16.
Sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War, the four-day anti-war protest will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences. Panels of veterans and scholars will also cover topics such as veterans’ health benefits and support.
The fundraiser was organized by Moonakis café owner Paul Rifkin of FalmouthPeace.Org and Mike Tork of Veterans for Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and FalmouthPeace.Org.
Members of Cape Codders for Peace and Justice, the Cape Cod Group of the Sierra Club and Iraq Veterans Against the War were also present to show their support.
The term Winter Soldier refers to Thomas Paine’s description of the Summer Soldier in his collection of articles, “The Crisis,” written during the American Revolutionary War.
“The Summer Soldier fights only when it’s popular, when the weather is good but the Winter Soldier fights year-round under all conditions,” Tork said.
History is repeating itself for Joe Bangert of Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
In 1971, Bangert testified with other Vietnam veterans, including current U.S. Sen. John Kerry, at the Winter Soldier Investigation. Bangert offered first-person accounts of atrocities, which he said, were committed against innocent civilians on behalf of the U.S. government in what he described as an “illegal war.”Bangert likened the Vietnam War to the Iraq War.
> “We need to fight this beast. We need to build a base of resistance,” he said to the cheering crowd. “We’re not waiting for pie in the sky and the government process. We need to stand up and tell people what is really happening.
“This isn’t the country we want to leave our children. The American Dream has been wrenched away from us.”Tork echoed Bangert’s sentiments.
“What is going on right now is completely illegal,” he said. “We attacked a sovereign nation. It completely violates the Geneva Conventions.”
Tork said war is not the antidote to terrorism.
“You’re not going to meet terrorism on the ground with an army. You have to fight it with diplomacy and intelligence.”
Pat Scanlon, a musician, activist and member of Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War, entertained the crowd with selections from his album “Songs of Peace.”
Scanlon addressed the crowd before he sang “Young Soldier Welcome Home (I Can’t Walk in Your Boots).”
“Every time I hear George Bush say ‘Thank you for your service’ it makes me sick,” he said. “He doesn’t mean it. We really do.”
Liam Madden and Carlos Harris of Iraq Veterans Against the War represented the younger generation.
“We are people who care more about the words in the Constitution than the color of our iPod,” Madden said.Madden described the potential impact of the D.C. protest.
“It’s not every day that ordinary people get to tell their version of history. No movement begins without the truth,” he said.
“Resistance is not controversial but going along with it is.”Harris said he feels betrayed.
“We are out there risking our lives and to violate that trust by waging this kind of war is something you don’t recover from.”
When asked if he were optimistic that things would change, Harris said he is waiting for action.
“I can’t afford to be optimistic.”
Joan Power and Jane Richardson, members of FalmouthPeace.Org, show their concern by participating in the anti-war vigil in front of Falmouth Post Office from 11 a.m. to noon every Saturday.
“I do it because I believe so strongly in the possibility of peace,” Power said.
Richardson said our government is engaged in a fruitless war.
“Winning this war is impossible,” she said. “We don’t even have a defined enemy.”
Frances Johnson and her husband, Charles, spearheaded the vigil, which started with a small group and continues to grow.
“We’re very upset about what our government is doing,” Johnson said. “We stand every week and we will continue to stand until our government stops invading other countries. Today we had 24 people out there. When the people lead, the leaders will follow.”
Charles, a Korean vet, was invigorated by the enthusiasm in the room.
“I haven’t felt the spirit rising this way in a long time,” he said. “We need it. I’m encouraged.”
