Many peace activists devoted their weekend to protesting the policies of the Bush administration Saturday at Central Presbyterian Church in Eugene.
Keynote speakers at the Third Annual Oregon Peace Festival, organized by University Students for Peace, Oregon Progressive Alliance, Eugene Peaceworks and Justice Not War, told the audience to challenge President George W. Bush’s government.
“I’m very worried about the state of our democracy,” speaker and local activist Hope Marston said.
Marston, who started the Lane County Bill of Rights Defense Committee to oppose the USA PATRIOT Act, urged citizens to take a more active stance locally.
“The UPA shreds … our constitutional guarantees,” she said, referring to the alleged detainment of people of Islamic descent. “Our Bill of Rights is worthy of protection.”
Marston said if a war did occur, it would be as big of an embarrassment as the U.S. government’s opposition to the civil rights movement in the 1960s, or as the Holocaust of World War II was to Germany.
“Some day, you won’t be able to find anyone who supported the war in Iraq,” Marston said. “In 40 years, it will be hard to find people.”
Marston said it’s necessary for everyday citizens to make a difference.
“This is our democracy — this is our Bill of Rights,” she said.
Seattle author Paul Loeb said the president would “not be able to toy with the idea” of war without the occurrence of Sept. 11.
“We have to convince the ordinary folks that they have a right to speak out,” he said. “Part of the problem is we don’t know how to act.”
In order to be successful, activists have to be persistent, Loeb said.
“You don’t have to know everything before you begin,” he said.
Loeb said if the United States keeps acting like a bully, more terrorists will want to make it a target. He acknowledged that to stop the mistreatment of Islamic people in the United States, the government must find a way to help the Middle East.
“You have to admit Saddam (Hussein) is a murderous thug,” he said. “If you want to stop violence against Islam, bring democracy to the Middle East.”
Loeb said people must continue to build coalitions and keep fighting to defend civil liberties.
“A duty of a patriot is to ask the difficult questions,” he said.
Mario Africa, founder of the San Francisco-based Third World Outreach Program at the Center for Conscientious Objectors and the last speaker of the evening, discussed alleged mistreatment of new recruits in the U.S. armed forces.
He said that troops are sexually abused, and their salaries and education — promised at the time of recruitment — may be withheld.
“When you go into the military, there isn’t a grievance counselor you can go to,” he said.
About 200 people attended the event and gave each speaker a standing ovation.