PHOTOS: Laramie Wyoming STANDS UP against bush* wars and demands peace

March 19, 2005

Laramie, Wyoming Pro-Peace activists gathered at the train depot in downtown Laramie and then marched about twenty blocks to Washington Park in the middle of town. At the park, "Food not Bombs" served bread and fruit to the crowd while we listened to speeches from six of our best community resources. The speakers included Nicki Elder and Alanna Elder, award-winning poets, Garth Massey, the Director of International Studies at the University of Wyoming, Burt Muller, a retired UW physics professor who worked on the Manhattan Project, Sadrul Ula, a UW engineering professor and leader in the Laramie Islamic community, and Jeff Lockwood, a UW entomology professor, who delivered a very inspiring speech. The event also included the first appearance by Laramie's own "Ragin' Grannies."

I'm an alum of UW.

.. coming out of Texas.
What's Laramie like?
How's the School? (she's an archaeologist).

any words will be appreicated...

I believe I can fill you in since I went to UW and now live in Tex.

Laramie is a good town, about 25k population with a real small-town atmosphere. The winters are harsh, but you can't ask for a better summer season, albeit short since Laramie is at about 7500 ft. elevation. Next to Jackson, Laramie is definitely the most liberal city in the state. If your wife is into the outdoors (hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, etc.) there's plenty of that around with the mountains only minutes away.

Although UW is the only 4-year university in the state, it's still relatively small compared to other state universities (student pop. about 10k), with small class sizes and a very nice consolidated campus right in the middle of town. Just about everything is within walking distance. As I remember, UW has a well respected Archeology/Anthropology school.

Let me know if you have any quesitons...

I didn't go there, but I'm from Wyoming and had plenty of friends who did. I can't speak specifically about the archaeology program, though.

Laramie can be a pretty nice town if you don't mind the isolation. It's in the high plains, with an elevation over 7000 feet. The winters can be extremely cold and bring plenty of snow, but the summers are mild and they really do get all four seasons. I think the wind is almost always blowing, but other than that the weather isn't really too bad. (Of course, being from WY, I was always used to the snow.)

If you like to ski, you can get to the lifts in less than 40 minutes, and if you enjoy the mountains it's a short drive in any direction but North. The drive north of Laramie, through Medicine Bow (where The Virginian was set) and the Bow Basin has a rugged beauty as well. Denver is about two hours away, and Ft. Collins CO, one of the great college towns, imo, is a short drive over the mountains. For a small Wyoming town, Laramie has a decent bar scene (if you're into that thing) and a few good restaurants as well. I'd particularly recommend Grandma's on the east side of town, which serves great ice cream as well as food (i'm plugging it because my aunt owns it :))

Good luck to your wife and you with the decision. :)

good info all around.. she's leaning more and more to UW (target Fall'06) and I'll pass this along... a small 'college town' is just what we're looking for..

That's hard-core stuff coming from a RED STATE....I feel like our country is slowly turning against bush* wars....my dad used to tell me, it's like turning a BIG ship...it takes enormous effort to get it to start turning and you push and push, and for the longest time, it looks like nothing is happening, but when once a big ship starts to move, and gains it's momentum, it turns very quickly....


Here's the web site for STAND UP FOR PEACE WYOMING....they'd love to have you send along a note of support....I carried their banner in NYC, and you can see those photos there too...we should support the Pro-Peace people everywhere, especially in the red states....
http://www.sufpw.org/index.htm

Special thanks to the guy holding the sign in the first photo. "My nephew is seriously wounded..."
:kick:

so much pain inflicted by bush* and his crusades for oil....the pain inflicted on an old man in wind-blown Wyoming...likely a Veteran, who may have encouraged his nephew to get out there and fight for America....


that old man KNOWS that he got took by bush*...

I've bookmarked all these threads and is reposting them back here. Important to show that not all Americans are supportive of the war.

:hi:

It is in Norway, though.

It has some merit to show that the US isn't all religious madness these days, and that there's a 49 million (plus!) that maybe wants Bush sent to the same place that WE want him sent ;-)
Apparently, a lot gets lost in translation...

The American peace movement is virtually invisible in the media here, and I'm thinking of writing some articles at the communities where I hang out, and tip off a couple of journalists.

You've done a great job with these postings, and I've really enjoyed all the pictures of ordinary Americans exercising their democratic rights. Good stuff! :-)

you are also welcome to use any part of this you want...the American Pro-Peace movement is actually HUGE...the old cowboy with the cardboard sign "my nephew..."....he represents his entire extended family in that area...maybe 150 relatives who also feel that way...and he's telling everybody around too....



Big-City Pro-Peace Marches shift to Neighborhood Level events

Sunday March 20, 2005
Diamond14, DU Reporter in Washington DC
http://www.democraticunderground.com

Pro-Peace events and Peace Vigils have rocked the nation since last Wednesday. By Saturday, people all across America were joined by the World, in an effort to stop Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring our troops home now. Flag-draped and black coffins meandered through Neighborhoods coast-to-coast, as Americans showed that they’re fed up with Bush’s wars.

For the past three years, Patriotic Americans have organized major big-city Pro-Peace Marches in New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other big-cities. But this weeks’ Peace Activism reflected a major shift to the Neighborhood Level. There were no big-city Pro-Peace marches. Two very influential groups merged with the Pro-Peace activists: the War-Veterans and Military Families, and the “Main Stream” religious groups. Many more millions of Americans are now demanding an end to the wars of the Bush administration. At the Neighborhood Level, there’s no parade, the impact cannot be minimized, permits are not needed. Events have been spread out over the entire week, from morning to evening, in Neighborhoods everywhere. Many millions of Americans participated, as ‘Main Stream’ religions and Veterans organizations rallied their members.

Fed up with tiny right-wing radical-fundamentalist churches influencing our public policy, the “Main Stream” religious groups have now stepped up to lead America to Peace. In New York City, religious leaders were arrested, wearing the photos of dead American soldiers on their chests, surrounded by flag-draped coffins. They are proud to be “disrupting military recruitment” by acts of non-violent civil disobedience. ‘Military recruitment offices” were shut down across our country, as America refuses to sacrifice her children for “cannon fodder”. Military recruitment numbers have sunk very low. Peace Vigils were held in parks and on street corners all across the Nation, sponsored by communities fed up with war. The Baltimore Chronicle published “Hypocrite Nation”, by Catholic Priest, Reverend John Dear, S.J.:

“I am ashamed and appalled that so many Americans support war and systemic injustice, that they do it in the name of God, and that they feign fidelity to the nonviolent Jesus who gave his life resisting institutionalized injustice.”

“The empire needs the church to bless and support its wars, or at least remain passive and silent. As we Christians go along with the Bush administration and the American empire, we betray Jesus and renounce his teachings.”

“I believe war, weapons, corporate greed and systemic injustice are an abomination in the sight of God. They are the definition of mortal sin. They mock God and threaten to destroy God’s gift of creation.”

The second major influential group is the American War-Veterans, with the Military Families, and active duty troops. Stunning the Bush Administration, a huge Pro-Peace rally was conducted right outside the gates of Ft. Bragg: the “Belly of the Beast” for the Iraq operations and American empire building. Flag-draped coffins were laid out in rows on a hill. The speakers included War-Veterans who lead the effort to help troops go AWOL, with Military Families whose children and siblings have been killed and maimed in Bush’s Wars. Over 6000 American troops have already left, and the numbers keep increasing as more maimed troops return everyday, and too many come home in a box.

The Ft. Bragg Pro-Peace rally was reminiscent of the Vietnam anti-war movement, when Vietnam war-hero John Kerry testified before Congress on behalf of our troops and the Vietnam people. During the Vietnam war, politicians ignored non-violent civil disobedience and the American People resorted to burning 30 Military Recruitment Offices to the ground. In 1967, Defense Analyst Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute, feared that “the U.S. might go the same route as the French did – that is rock bottom.” He was referring to the French Army revolt in Algeria in 1958.


As flagged-draped and black caskets meandered through Neighborhood streets, President Bush attempted to defend his wars, on the radio. Few Americans were impressed by that effort.

There was a lot also in the earlier threads about the Military Families and several articles about protesting Army personnell, both from motherjones and alternet.org.
The peace-movement is surely growing.

It is astounding that there's so little written about this in our local media? After the election debacle they have settled in a wait-state regarding US news, and produces only 'smarty' articles about the Repub oddities.
And we all know what a never-emptying source that is ;-)

Thanks man, I'll see what I can do.

shut down of military recruitment centers all across America, on March 19th....

THOSE sets of photos need to be converted to lower resolution pics, so they can be seen on 'low speed phone line' connections all over the world, in rural areas of America...some have told me that the photos won't load up and they can't SEE them, on their computers...

so other DUers are working on that...trying to get the military story into a easy to load up and SEE message...same photos, less pixels....


thanks for your help...I've been impressed with all the people who have also PM'd me, and are working on various aspects of getting the REAL American message out...a message of REAL American Patriotism, and real hope for Peace.....

noteworthy is that several active duty military have contacted me, because they love the Ft. Bragg pics too...they KNOW now, that America is supporting her troops, by SHUTTING DOWN BUSH* WARS...and bringing our troops home NOW....it will still be a tough battle, but the turning point was Ft. Bragg, and the SHUT DOWN of military recruiting stations....all across America, we are FED UP with bush* wars....

Who woulda thunk it...Laramie?

I haven't been through there in many decades. Last time in Laramie was like a postcard from the wild west. Pretty, raw, independent, cowboys wearing gnarly western hats with bovine droppings on their spurs all over town.

My impression was that Wyoming is too independent, too God and Country to ever host something like this. wOwOwOw!! :wow:

GO LARAMIE!!

I grew up in and went to school (college) in Laramie. After the Matthew Shepard incident, I was ashamed and embarrassed to admit that. I'm glad some are attempting to come back from that abyss. However, there was obviously a sale on beige quilted jackets at the Walmart!! LOL! Nevertheless, Laramie is a town of 20,000+, mostly friendly and moderate people. It is cold and windy and fiercely independent and proud.

would you want to do the honors?

the more votes the merrier, right??

Fantastic, all these threads diamond14!!
:yourock: Thanks!!!
DR

How do I do that???

"recommend for greatest post"....if TWO DUers recommend, then it goes up onto the 'GREATEST' page, which is THREE BLACK HANDS, Thumbs Up on the top of the GD page...

posts can only stay up on the GREATEST page for 24 hours...

looks like 6 people gave the THUMBS UP to Wyoming...so it's already there...but the more votes, the HIGHER UP on the Best page it goes...until 24 hours, when it drops off....so give Wyoming a VOTE...

THUMBS UP to Wyoming....

Thanks. Sorry to be so ignurrant...

Thanks so much for posting. Another vote for greatest.

:kick:

:nuke:

I have a nephew attending university up there. I think his parents are RW'ers, though, and I don't know what his political leanings are.

I too am an alum from UW and a native of Wyo. Great to see some of the local progressives standing up for what's right!

Go Cowboys!

I grew up in Sheridan, but now live in Oklahoma. I always find it interesting to see other Wyomingites, since there are really quite few of us :)

:nuke:

stands up! Thank you, Laramie, WY.

I grew up in Sheridan and though I didn't attend UW, I still have friends and family there. It's great to see folks there stand up :)

for going to all the trouble of putting all of these up this past week. It's been good to see.

What's amazing to see is all the diversity in these crowds marching for peace and yet people drive by at times and call us commie hippies or one of the local talk radio DJ's who looked at the big pic at the RNC demo and said he didn't see himself (as in someone like him) in that crowd.

this is a great site for Wyoming....

STAND UP FOR PEACE WYOMING !

There's lots of photos here, and the PEACE activities in Wyoming...

this was the FIRST group to protest dick cheney, when he attempted to come and speak at his alma mater...they did a DIE-IN for dick

They also made a banner for the New York Pro-Peace Rally in 2004...I carried it for them in NYC...you can see PHOTOS and read the story on their web site...GO WYOMING !

http://www.sufpw.org/index.htm

:nuke: