The following is a summary from a candlelight vigil..for everyone who has been killed or seriously..

note: The following is a summary from a candlelight vigil held in Los Angeles Wednesday night for everyone who has been killed or seriously wounded in the Iraq war, and for their families.

Candlelight Vigil No. 155, 2/4/09 reposted with permission from http://saneramblings.com

"Happy 2009," said a 40 ish woman. "It looks like you're going to have to add Afghanistan to that sign," she added with a sigh as she shook her head in sorrow.

Last night, she was not the only one wishing for peace. Horn honks, waves and especially two fingered peace signs were common, as it appears people are tired of war.

"I'm doing pretty well," commented a 50 ish man as he walked-up. "But that sign really makes me stop and think." "That is its purpose sir," I replied with a soft smile, as he nodded his head in agreement.

"That war has to end," proclaimed a 45 ish woman from her car as the muscles in her face tightened and her frustration boiled over. "It has to end!"

Meanwhile in Iraq today, in a city 90 miles north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber walked into a crowded restaurant and blew herself up, killing at least 16 people and severely injuring 12 more.

In the U.S., heavy media coverage showed Iraqis voting in provincial elections, implying the nearly 6-year-old U.S. war and occupation has made a beneficial difference. But in 2005 nearly 80% of potential voters cast votes. Now it is 51%, a sharp drop and showing us the disillusionment the Iraqi people feel.

And why wouldn't they be disillusioned? They live in a police state, in which fear prevails and people can be instantly incinerated in the ear shattering impact of a bomb or they are left to die in pools of blood or they simply disappear, never to be seen again.

In many cases their children no longer have a school to attend, nor medical care as many doctors and teachers have fled the country for fear of being killed or kidnapped.

Electricity and clean water are in short supply, but then so are jobs in a war torn economy. Two story high concrete explosion proof fire walls divide Baghdad neighborhoods and there are numerous security check points one must submit to.

U.S. diplomats and many other people including some Iraqi government officials don't leave the U.S. Green Zone without very heavy security. That includes General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, his boss, Gen. David Petraeus and his boss Defense Secretary Robert Gates. for unless they are in the Green Zone or on a U.S. military base, it is far too dangerous for them.

For this hell on earth 4,238 U.S. soldiers have been killed while about 32,000 more have been severely injured and will need a lifetime of care. For this the Iraqi people have lost over a million men, women and children and millions more have fled their nation. For this the U.S. has spent so much money, it is risking its financial future.

But as for the vigil, the night's most compelling moment came when a 35 ish woman in an SUV stopped at a red light, looked at the vigil and spoke with her 8-year-old daughter.

When the light turned green, they rolled up slowly and she lowered her daughter's back window. "Thank you," said the little girl, as her eyes sparkled in amazement while staring at the vigil. It is a wonderful feeling to trigger a parent-child discussion about the human cost of war and to know it deeply touched both of them.

If our lives are not directly affected by this war's endless nightmare, it is too easy to ignore it, especially when the U.S. military continues to censor it. Yet those are your brethren and mine who are paying its severe price and it is up to you and me to bring it to an end, for we have voices and the opportunity to use them. We can turn a deaf ear or we can bring peace and reach out in brotherly love to those who so desperately need it.

Dick

<snip>If our lives are not directly affected by this war's endless nightmare, it is too easy to ignore it, especially when the U.S. military continues to censor it. Yet those are your brethren and mine who are paying its severe price and it is up to you and me to bring it to an end, for we have voices and the opportunity to use them. We can turn a deaf ear or we can bring peace and reach out in brotherly love to those who so desperately need it.
<snip>
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Well said, Dick.