ANTI-WAR VIGIL ~ Mar Vista ~ 08/28/2007

As part of a national "Take a Stand Day," Move-on.org called for Americans to gather at street corners all over the nation to express their disapproval of the Iraq war. One such group was meeting only 10 minutes away from my house.

As I drove towards the corner of Palms Blvd. and McLaughlin, I asked myself what have I done to oppose the war lately? The last demonstration I attended was in March for the 4th anniversary of the Iraq war (TACO photo coverage.) I'm politically active in Cyber space. I Cut, Paste and Send petitions on a weekly basis. But do I even read them or am I thoroughly informed about the subjects? No. I wonder if this instant protesting is not turning me into a lazy and sheltered activist. Inspired by Diane Lefer, a writer I recently interviewed for Taco, who bravely shows up at book readings in an orange jumpsuit and black hood, and by a picture seen on "Taco visits Buenos Aires and Mendoza," of the Mothers of the Disappeared who still gather every week in Buenos Aires, I decided it was time to get out in the open again.

A neighbor who preferred to remain anonymous brought drinks for the demonstrators and gave us a sign in Arabic. They told us the first line says BUSH, the rest are expletives! I personally have no way to confirm this, do you?

This man is one of the demonstrators who has been showing up at this corner every Friday more or less since the beginning of the war with an attendance ranging from 2 to 126. I was told some demonstrators who were senior citizens were harrassed on a few occasions! I wish I could sink my high heels into one of those guys!!! Tonight approximately 30 to 40 people attended the vigil.

With enough pictures in my camera and night falling, I was happy to grab a sign "Defend the Constitution" from a departing ally and take my turn walking on the wild side waiting for cars to honk in approval. Along with everybody else, I felt giddy as a little kid when they did. And they did! En masse!

Even the WALK/DON'T WALK sign seems to agree we should STOP THE WAR!

By 8:30pm, most everybody had turned in their signs and vanished in the dark, till next time. If you know a group in your neighborhood meeting weekly in protest of the war, leave us a comment.

I am also happy to report that, for the first time since I began writing for Taco, I have tamed my rebellious French accent and when my fellow demonstrators that night inquired about the magazine I was taking the pictures for, after months of hearing people repeat after me "LA Dyko?" or "LA Psycho?" I finally heard them say "LA TACO?"

YEEEESSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I yelled, with the scoring power of a Zinadine Zidane.

Till next time!