A simple yet powerful action: OPERATION EMPTY CHAIR, MARCH 19, 2006

OPERATION EMPTY CHAIR
MARCH 19, 2006

It is clear now that we will lose our 3000th American military member before the March 19th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Three years in, untold thousands of innocent Iraqis have also perished. And then there are the thousands upon thousands wounded, and those who will never be the same though they appear unmarked by the violence. These include soldiers and their spouses and children, parents and siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, cousins and best friends. All of these lives have been irrevocably reduced by the loss of what ‘should have been.’

We don’t notice much about this unless we have a family member or friend in the military. We have not been asked to sacrifice, or do much more than stick a decal on our cars. This is unseemly. Such catastrophic events deserve at least that we witness the sacrifices of so many.

Regardless of your beliefs about this war, whether you oppose or support its continuance, those who continue to bear the burden deserve our acknowledgement.

Please join me on March 19th, 2006 in placing an empty chair outside, in front of your home, where it can be seen by all who pass by.

Do this as an act of witnessing that we are a nation at war, to signify that you recognize and have thought deeply about the costs. It can only be a good thing for every street in America to be lined with empty chairs, so that those who fight and those who send them into battle know that we are not oblivious

Since it is only proper that a citizen should have an informed position on such a momentous act by our government, feel free to embellish your chair in whatever way seems appropriate to you.