Peace group to mark 2nd anniversay of Iraq war

The Lambertville Coalition for Peace, along with other groups, will mark the March 20 anniversary with a rally and bridge crossing.

By: Linda Seida
   LAMBERTVILLE — The Lambertville Coalition for Peace is planning several events to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq March 20, including a rally in Mary Sheridan Park and a crossing of the New Hope-Lambertville bridge.
   The organization supports the nation’s troops and wants to see them brought safely home, but it does not support the war itself, according to the group’s co-founder, Christa Tinari of Lambertville.
   "The cost is too high. Our mission is unclear," she said. "We feel it’s really important that we’re a witness to what needs to be voiced."
   The commemoration will feature artistic representations of the cost of war in terms of human life. Among them will be a "portable wall" set up in the park, covered in the names of the 1,500 American soldiers who have died in the war along with their ages and dates of death. The text will be white on a black background.
   "The black connotes mourning," said the Rev. Bob Moore, executive director of the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action, one of the sponsors of the March 20 event. The wall itself "memorializes the cost our nation is paying for this ill-considered adventure in Iraq."
   The crossing of the bridge is symbolic and represents several things, according to the Rev. Moore. One is a "bridge back home for the troops." Another is "a bridge to peace."
   Along the bridge, the groups plan to display panels covered in handprints, some with as many as 200 per panel. The handprints, 100,000 of them, represent the estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed during the war.
   "The majority of casualties are women and children," the Rev. Moore said. "We’re trying to represent the war in a very tangible way."
   Part of what the groups want is the return home of the nation’s fighting troops.
   "Support the troops. Bring them home," the Rev. Moore said. "We’re calling for an exit strategy."
   He added, "More and more people are saying this is a quagmire, and we need to get out. The cost is too high, and we shouldn’t continue to be an occupying force."
   The Rev. Moore was reluctant to estimate the number of people who are expected to attend but ventured a guess of at least hundreds.
   The Coalition for Peace Action also supports the rebuilding of Iraq by international forces, perhaps including the United Nations or the Arab League, according to the Rev. Moore.
   "We still have a moral obligation to help the country rebuild," he said.
   In addition to the Lambertville Coalition for Peace and the Coalition for Peace Action, other sponsors of the March 20 commemoration include the Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, Trenton Peace Action, the Bucks County Community College Human Rights Club and the Bucks County Green Party.
   Lambertville is home to at least eight men who are serving overseas in the military. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Pittore, 22, is one of them. His mother, Spring Pittore, said she, too, is anxious for those serving in the military to return home.
   "They certainly have a right to protest," Mrs. Pittore said of the groups sponsoring the anniversary event.
   "It was an aggressive, unjustified invasion," she said. "But my son is there. I’m very, very proud of him."
   She said her views on the war do not detract from her support of her son.
   "I’m no less proud of his decision to serve his country," she said. "You can be opposed and still be supportive of the people sent to fight it.
   She added her son and others like him do not have a say in where they are sent to serve.
   The Rev. Moore and Ms. Tinari said they recognize their cause does not have everyone’s support. But the Rev. Moore said his group has support from an organization of military families called Military Families Speak Out. The North Carolina-based group describes itself as "an organization of people who are opposed to war in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military."
   Ms. Tinari said she has received an e-mail and a phone call from nonsupporters, and she welcomes further dialogue.
   "We respect all of our neighbors, but if we don’t talk to each other, the divide will grow," she said.
   The Lambertville Coalition for Peace meets the third Sunday of the month, starting with a vigil at Bridge and Union streets at 12:30 p.m., followed by a meeting of the group.
   For those who cannot attend a meeting but want to start a discussion, Ms. Tinari said she may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].