Sunday, April 22, 2007

Peace Summit 2007

I attended the 3rd annual Midwest Peace Summit with my family. This year’s summit was once again a success. There were several organizations from the state advocating peace and social justice. It was filled with music, food, art, tabling, and a wide variety of workshops and speakers.


Keynote speaker Cindy Sheehan was sensational. She delivered a passionate speech about the death of her son and her experience as an international peace activist. She became very emotional when telling the crowd that she wishes her son did not die in vain fighting an illegal war for criminals in the White House. She stated that peace and love, rather hate, is the answer. She said, “I do not hate George W. Bush, because hate only hurts the hater.” She went on to say that Bush and all his cronies should be impeached and tried for war crimes against humanity.


James Yee, former chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, spoke out against human rights abuses taking place in the Cuban prison by sharing stories about the torture and beatings he witnessed. He described his experience trying to work for religious freedom for detainees. He also spoke about his experience being arrested, imprisoned, and falsely accused of working as a terrorist under the Patriot Act.

I was disappointed at the low attendance at this year’s summit. It is a shame that Indianapolis, a major metropolitan area, can only draw 200-300 people to see an international peace activist speak. This is, however, not entirely surprising considering how conservative and backwards Indiana has always been. Indiana is the northernmost southern state. The apathy Hoosiers show, however, is by no means a reflection of the size and strength of the antiwar movement, nor is it a refection of the overall mood of the rest of the country. In fact, the majority of the country opposes George’s War of Terror, and nonviolent direct action is increasing. Only in places such as Indiana do you find such apathy and complacency.