Portland, OR

Maybe you marched this last weekend through downtown protesting the ongoing (and seemingly neverending) conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan…maybe you have been marching before, and many times throughout the last five years. Today marks the FIVE year anniversary of the official beginning of the US War in Iraq. Oh, sorry, I mean the allied coalition forces’ war in Iraq…or maybe it would be more accurate to write that it is the Halliburton-Parsons-CACI-Titan war in Iraq.

Either way you look at it, either the sunny Dubya optimistic (or just glaringly stupid) or the rational “this war was immoral and opportunistic” way, rabblerousers Moveon.org and local groups are calling for a national “New Priorities” vigil this evening.

You can go to the Moveon.org’s website to find a vigil near you, if you cannot find one listed below (or you don’t actually lilve in Portland). The vigils are taking place all over the country, so don’t think this is just a Portland, Oregon thing.

There is a vigil set for Pioneer Square, downtown, at Broadway and Morrison (720 SW Broadway to be exact), and as this is more centralized, it may turn out being the biggest. This description is included for this particular site/vigil.

This is a peace rally. Like Mother Teresa said: “I will never attend an anti-war rally. But you hold a peace rally, and I’ll be there.” So we will hold a peaceful candlelight vigil to end the War in Iraq and pull all troops out of the country. This war must end now! Are we going to wait around for another troop escalation by a desparate Republican war machine? No, we’re going to show ourselves and the world what it means to work toward a more peaceful world.

Other Portland vigils (I put my zipcode into the “vigil finder” and had it search for vigils within 30 miles of Portland Proper) are listed below.

NE 47th Ave and NE Multnomah, otherwise known as the overpass at NE 47th ave and I-84.

Jamison Square Park in the Pearl District

Outside Portland:

In Beaverton at SW 5th and Hall across from the Beaverton Library

In Vancouver at Ester Short Park at 555 W 8th Street

In Carlton at the Upper Park/Downtown (Carlton is quite small, so you cannot miss this one, despite only 8 people rsvp’ing)

Check out the Moveon.org website if you have any more questions. Most vigils are starting at 7pm, with the Vancouver and Carlton vigils starting an hour earlier at 6pm, and the Beaverton vigil will start at 5:30pm. If you didn’t “rsvp”, don’t worry about that, just go out and show your support for ending this war/occupation/new world order.

Iraq, Afghanistan, War, 5 year anniversary, Halliburton, Parsons, Caci, Titan, Iraq for Sale, Bush, Portland, Pioneer Square, Beaverton, Vancouver, Carlton, vigil, moveon.org