Friday December 30

Today was a welcome dry hour, even though we all came prepared for rain. There were six to eight of us throughout the hour. One visitor, an elder and combat veteran, suggested that there would always be evil in the world, and consequently war also. Another visitor wondered whether the chemicals we use in our wars contribute to disorders like autism and multiple sclerosis.

Thursday December 29

Another rainy evening at the vigil, almost a relief after the unusual dryness earlier this month. Several people came and went, including one occasional visitor, but there was six of us for most of the hour.

Wednesday December 28

Rain during the entire vigil, likely the wettest hour we have spent this month. Five of us at the beginning, nine or ten at the end. One man stopped to say, in a friendly way, "But now we are out of Kuwait."

Tuesday December 27

Today was a damp vigil. Nine people halfway through the hour, down to five at 6:00PM.

Monday December 26

Three people to start the hour, seven of us at 6:00PM. This Monday, the day after Christmas (Boxing Day), was even sweeter than the usual Monday; cookies arrived first, followed shortly by frosted brownies. And our spirits were more than usually hopeful, as we told ourselves the story of the Christmas Day visit by a six-year-old and his family.

Sunday, 25 December

A week left in this year!
Quiet and dark with a drizzle, I stood alone for a bit, signless. It feels like holding a space open when this happens.  It is important, to me at least, that someone is there - that the start of the hour is marked by a conscious choice to stand vigil.  Few cars.  One more person.  Then a family of four arrived.  The six year old boy carried his hand lettered sign, "No War".  They've come to stand for peace at this child's request that they join the protestors on christmas night.  Introductions were happening as the van arrived - signs were selected amid conversations about the signs.  it felt like a tremendous gift to have this family stand the balance of the hour with us.  The boy's hands were cold and 45 minutes is a long time to stand in the dark; yet, he persevered and spoke with brightness about ending war and his intention to come again.  His grandmother said she might make a sign saying, "Bring our troops home from Japan."  Germany too, all those places we occupy.  that would be an interesting turn for the passers-by - provoke some new thoughts and questions.
The clock tolled six and we moved to the van with our signs; our new young protestor tossed his sign in with the rest, saying he'll look for it next time but others can use it.   makes this woman's spirit smile to think about the brightness of that child and the family who nurture him.   would that all children could be so fortunate.

Saturday, 24 December

Arrived late to find 3 I knew and a stranger. We had a total of 5 over the hour.  Talk circled on matters of holidays and religion, commerce and diversity, prejudice and ignorance.  What good were read this year?  If you could do anything for the next 24 hours what would it be?

Friday December 23

Four people at 5:00PM, then seven or eight at the end. Some of us talked with a woman who had a personal vigil just down the street, to call attention to the loss of her son to governmental care. And two separate caroling groups sang at the courthouse.

Thursday December 22

Two at the beginning. People came and went throughout the hour, and there were four of us at 6:00PM. We finished the hour talking about prosthetic aids, including a one-handed walker and a "sock-putter-on" for when you can't bend at the waist.

Wednesday December 21

Winter solstice. Four of us at the beginning, then six at the end. Our friends from Oakland returned to keep us company, noting -- as did we all -- how cold the afternoon was. They had visited Avery Park Nature Center and Willamette Park during the day. We appreciate their accompaniment.

Tuesday December 20

Two people at 5:00PM, then ten at 6:00. We had two visitors from Oakland, environmental educators. We talked about what is happening in Oakland and in Corvallis. I was reminded both of how much is happening here and how much more needs to be done for peace and justice in the world.

Monday, 19 December

Three, then me and soon three more - through the hour we had  11 who came to stand.  Are we still here?  Isn't the war over?  The troops are out of Iraq.  We leave an armored embassy and how many mercenaries?  We leave an ancient civilization shattered and scattered with the land poisoned from our weapons of lingering destruction.
Is the "Home for the Holidays" smoke and mirrors to confuse and distract?
One of our number points out a miniature tableau amidst the shrubbery - a clever depiction of an "Occupy"  occupation.   fine piece of work.  A photo tomorrow is hoped for.
Excellant cookies and decadent truffles.

Sunday December 18

Six to nine of us throughout the vigil. Someone from Eugene stopped by to regale us with stories and opinions from the Occupy group there.

Thursday December 15

One person and no signs to start the hour, six of us, and signs, at 6:00PM. Early on we were visited by four enthusiastic supporters who knew nothing about the vigil. I was reminded how much I miss in the world around me. Today's news included the departure from Iraq of the last US troops. Now, if only our government would de-fund the mercenaries there ...

Wednesday December 14

Seven people at five o'clock, eleven at six. One of several conversations was about laying chickens, particularly how to care for them in winter.

Tuesday December 13

Six to eight of us throughout the hour.

Monday December 12

Four at the beginning of the hour, ten or eleven at 6:00PM. It was a cold afternoon in front of the Benton County courthouse; one person suggested an "Emperor penguin vigil", where we all huddle together and take turns being in the center.

Sunday December 11

Four or five at 5:00PM, about eleven at 6:00. One vigil-er showed off a home-sewn Christmas gift: a flying saucer, complete with space alien. It seemed at home at the vigil. :)

Saturday December 10

Half a dozen during the first half hour, about eight at the end. One end was a small book discussion group (In the Garden of Beasts and The Borrower are recommended), and the other end talked generalities, including how each of us plans to spend Christmas.

Friday December 9

Two of us at 5:00, still two when I left to catch the 5:30 bus.

Thursday December 8

Two of us to start the hour, then four folks when I left halfway through the hour.

Wednesday December 7

Pearl Harbor Day. Half a dozen of us throughout the hour, briefly as many as eight. With no rain and little fog, the afternoon was comparatively clear, and in addition to a good many supporters, we saw a couple of drivers who definitely disapproved.

Tuesday December 6

Half a dozen in the first half-hour grew to ten or eleven at the end. A couple of participants described with enthusiasm the weekend model railroad open house, sponsored by the Corvallis Society of Model Engineers at the clubhouse in Adair Village. This is the last appearance for the current track layout. For the rest of us, maybe in 2012.

Monday, December 5

Cold fog: at least it is not raining - it would be warmer if it was.
 Moon was a ghostly glow.  Clock is back with accurate time and holiday carols.  Through  the hour - 13 people with some variations in the configurations.  A delicious buttery rich cookie treat came with two vigil-ers.

A young couple in white jeep pulled up to us.  The passenger, male, asked: "what does that mean?"  with a gesture to "END ALL MILITARY OCCUPATIONS".  The sign holder answered with a summation of the point.  The following comments from the young man were confounding:  "where would you be without that?" "my grandfather died for that." "can't you find anything better to do with your time?"  and several more "where would we be without that?"  He was in utter disbelief that there would still be a Corvallis or an Oregon or a nation we would recognize.
Later a driver in a passing car gestured with the back of his hand held toward us.  We speculate as to the meaning.  Is he Italian?

Sunday December 4

Six vigil-ers today. The courthouse clock has been restarted but not set, so we depend on a cell phone to mark the end of the hour.

Saturday December 3

Ten or eleven of us on a very cold afternoon. Even the hardiest sandal wearers had socks.

Friday, 2 December

The local Zonta Club had a candlelit vigil from 4:30 to 5:30 to mark the United Nations Day calling for  Abolishing Slavery.  As our 5 o'clock gathering time arrived and our peace signs came out the others moved to the North end of the courthouse block saying they didn't want passers-by to confuse the signs.  We puzzled that one between the four of us; did some one of their group not want to be associated with our signs?  I'd found one of our signs that said "No More Victims"; it seemed appropriate.  But we also said our usual : end all military occupations & veterans for peace & peace (in Chinese) .   We talked a bit about the global issue of slavery and human trafficking.  What role does the disruption of war play in increasing the incidence of children being preyed upon?  Is there increased sexual slavery in areas where we have military bases?
what with arrivals and departures we counted 6 for the hour - but the hour itself was poorly counted as the county turned the electricity off in the courthouse for repairs and the clock was stopped at 12:15.  It was as if one of the regulars was missing.

Wednesday November 30

Eight or nine of us through the hour. There were family visitors from Australia. And some discussion of organizing around climate change.

Tuesday November 29

As many as fifteen people at one point in the hour. Likely the drier weather helped, along with the treats for a birthday celebration.

Monday November 28

About seven at the beginning, growing to a dozen at 6:00PM. A young woman of Mexican ancestry from Los Angeles joined us for the first half hour, a welcome mark of wider support. The Monday treat was tasty pumpkin bars.

Sunday, 27 November

A steady rain and a steady 7 people and then we were 6 for the balance of the hour.  A grinning head mask of George W. is looking out at the traffic from the van's trailer hitch these past two nights.
Brownies, with a mystery ingredient,  are offered.  If we were the old hippies some detractor's like to label us there might be no mystery - but this is a new century and no one can guess that black beans are the key ingredient.

Saturday November 26

Seven of us for the first half hour grew to ten at 6:00PM. We talked about far-away relatives and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

Friday November 25

Seven of us for much of the hour. The street in front of the Benton County courthouse had one lane closed for the annual Corvallis holiday parade, so that even not much traffic felt busy. Some passing wondered whether the vigil was part of the parade.

Thursday November 24

Four, briefly five, of us for the Thanksgiving hour. Rain hung in the air but mostly stayed there, and we did not get wet. Traffic was light, with an occasional honk of support and no disagreeable disagreements that we could see.
Three of us had attended community potlucks for the holiday, one in Albany and one in Corvallis, a custom to be affirmed and supported.
One of us had just read In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson, an account of the Nazis' first years in power from the viewpoint of the American ambassador to Germany William E Dodd. She sees the book as a cautionary account of missed opportunities to unseat the Nazis and so possibly to avert World War II.

Wednesday, 23 November

I was a late arrival - as I walked up I saw our faithful first arrival heading home - so I count myself as the replacement.  Seven for the first 1/2 and five for the remainder with one Dog for Peace. Tasty seasonal muffins were a still warm treat.  Talk was about the recent SOA Watch gathering in Georgia.  A man shouted from a passing car.  Did he tell us to "go home" as we thought we heard or "bring 'em home"?

Tuesday, 22 November

One waiting as the clock chimed and I blew across the street with the flurry of wild wet leaves.  We stood in the darkening day behind a solid line of parked cars. Then, as if on cue, the sign-bearing van arrived and several cars pulled away and two became three and the nightly accretion continued with 8 gathered to stand in our various ways and intentions, for peace.  We spoke of the local "occupy movement" - the larger purpose and how it might gain in consequence.  Our newest 'regular' sees the vigil as representing a steadfast presence and she joins us with a clear sense that this is "doing something".  I am heartened for I hear other comments that suggest this is an empty gesture.  I remember a man I met who, for many years maintained a vigilant presence in protest of nuclear weapons made and transported from the Pantex factory in Texas.  He knew his presence led others to questions and some to change their attitudes.  I believe this little cadre of people outside the county courthouse has a similar consequence.   We also spoke of food.  I'd seen the German documentary film, Daily Bread, last night - all about the miserable practices of factory farm food production.  Why, we asked, are we unable/unwilling to feed people; heathy sane food? How is it that the government subsidizes corporate food not small farms?  How is it that we are so mesmerized by the cultural myth of Getting Ahead that we forget to care for one another?  What, really, would it take to have food security in our community?  I recall taking an elder friend from Appalachian Kentucky on a trip to Philadelphia.  Grace had not traveled before and her commentary of sights along the way was engaging.  As we explored Washington DC she looked at the expanses of grass and noted that they "were not even cemeteries; just think of all the food they could grow on that flat ground!"  Indeed.  lawns into food production.  how hard would that be?  And, is not that part of creating peace?
As the hour ended our injured companion stopped to wish us all a happy day of thanksgiving.

Monday, 21 November

Warmer & wet - 6 to enjoy the cookies - which are a Monday tradition.  The illuminated snowflakes are up on the light posts.  Winter holiday decorations festoon the courthouse - soon the lights will be lit and the cheer will spill over the sidewalk.  We spoke of fantastical devices to facilitate holding a sign and an umbrella and responding to waving people.  And, how about an umbrella engineered to scoop in the sound so conversation can be unhampered.  Maybe lights for the signs.  More seriously, we marveled at the bravery of the Egyptian protestors.

Sunday 20 November

Startlingly cold.  6 hearty folks stood the hour.

Saturday, 19 November

Conversations circled - "the Occupy Movement"  - the younger generation's engagement; the diversity of people engaged.  Albany Peace Seekers intend to sponsor an essay contest - starting around Martin Luther King's birthday.  I am impressed.  What else might some of us in Corvallis do?

Friday, 18 November

Blustery rain persists - five for the hour, six for a portion of it.  Conversation on my end of the line circled the ideas presented by Bill McKibben last night.  The vital importance of local action feeding into national and global change.  Could someone design equipment appropriate to recycling plastic in the community of use rather than shipping it distances?  Keeping carbon sequestered in trees and buried "fossil fuels" - changing forestry practices...
Another side of peace.

Thursday, 17 September

One waiting under his umbrella and two more arrive with the clock chiming the hour.  serious rain for a bit.
four for the remaining time - one arrives and the faithful first at the curb person bids us good evening.  Several people pass and make the effort to let us know they support peace.  We speak of hostility and steps one takes to live safely in a culture of violence.

Wednesday, 17 November

A blustery evening with leaves sailing golden in the street lights.  We seven marveled at the beauty around us.  We were prepared for the big rain with our array of umbrellas.  4 more joined us for the later 1/2 hour.  Conversations are compromised by the umbrella barriers.  One of our regulars is off to Georgia for the annual SOA watch gathering.  Another was having surgery to repair a broken wrist.  And, in this hour, how many people I will never know suffered  because of the wars my government sustains?

Tuesday November 15

Ten or twelve people throughout the hour. It seems to me that the traffic was unresponsive this evening, with few honks or gestures, but maybe that is just my impression. I do not ask the others what they think.

Monday Movember 14

Eight to ten people throughout the (blessedly dry) hour. We talked about caring for horses and dogs, and about the impact of medical technology on how we die.

Sunday November 13

A man who only recently began joining the vigil chose to celebrate his 31st birthday today by posting an invitation on his Facebook page. So the hour was an invigorating mix of "old regulars", many of whom do not have a Facebook identity, and hip younger folks. Is "hip" even the right slang nowadays? We all enjoyed being and witnessing together.

Saturday, 12 November

Still here despite the portentous 11/11/11 with various dooms foretold.  It seems there is enough everyday doom -what with the ongoing wars and all manner of nefarious political posturing.   6 this Saturday night in the dark rain.  Many friendly toots and headlight flashes.  These are the nights it feels particularly important to stand the hour - with winter's darkness closing in and the blusters of rain squalling about.

Friday, November 11

Darkness is again part of the vigil.  It is harder to see the people who wave as they pass us.  With this visual  uncertainty we can choose to declare all gestures to be affirmative for the cause of peace.  A man with a 99% sign joined us for the hour after giving the afternoon to standing at Bank of America in the spirit of the growing Occupy movement.  11 for most of the mostly wet hour.  We heard about the annual veterans day parade in Albany - which included a contingent of nuclear test site veterans.  A young man offered us the 1/4 sheet flyers that VFP passed out - giving the Armistice Day history of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918,  as the end of that "war to end all wars".   Here we are 93 years later with a deep habit of war as a fact of our national policy.

Thursday November 10

Only one vigil-er to start the hour, but folks trickled in until there were seven of us at 6:00PM. One interesting conversation was about people's strong reactions to traffic roundabouts, in particular the proposed roundabout at SW 53rd Street and Western Boulevard, as opposed to stoplights and stop signs.

Wednesday November 9

Half a dozen to ten people throughout the hour. An account of a 21-year every-Friday peace vigil in Concord, Massachusetts; encounters with coyotes in Corvallis and in New York's Central Park; discussion of whether there will be any effective response to climate change -- we do not lack for things to talk about. It is easier to talk when the weather is dry than in the rain. :)

Tuesday November 8

Only two at 5:00PM, about eight at the end of the hour. A faithful long-time supporter stopped to give us a sliced loaf of banana bread. We are appreciative and thankful.

Monday November 7

No rain today. Four or five at 5:00PM, a few people coming and going throughout the hour, seven of us at 6:00. On Sunday the time changed from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time, and now we mostly cannot see the people driving by, so that now the vigil's interaction with passersby feels much different.

Saturday November 5

Guy Fawkes Day had steady rain throughout the vigil, but it was still well attended, with eight at the end. A couple of us wore the Occupy-style Guy Fawkes masks. We had a visitor, a man very concerned for the welfare of veterans. He said, "They don't how to be civilians." When we asked what we could do, his suggestion was to "help one veteran".

Friday November 4

Hard rain for the the first half hour, then dry at the end. Three of us to start the hour, seven at 6:00PM.

Thursday November 3

Three people at 5:00PM, seven at 6:00. We shared Halloween candy (still) and green tomatoes.

Wednesday November 2

Four people to start the hour, fourteen at the end.

Tuesday November 1

Five people at 5:00PM, nine at the end of the hour. One person brought Halloween candy, and we had a birthday celebration.

Monday October 31

Six to nine of us throughout the hour. One vigil-er brought a box of costumes for this Halloween vigil. We thought that the scariest costume was the George W Bush mask. :)

Sunday October 30

Five people at 5:00PM, seven at 6:00. An uneventful hour, and luckily dry.

Saturday October 29

Today's vigil was a small group -- three at 5:00PM, five at 6:00. Again a gray and cloudy day, but without rain until after the vigil.
A young man pedaling a four-wheel cycle stopped to ask directions to a motel. He was from England, near the end of a cross-continent trip raising money for wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that, riding all across Canada and through Washington state, his trip had been well received, but that in the leg from Portland and Corvallis drivers had "chucked" things at him and even run into the back of his cycle. That was dismaying to us, though we enjoyed the talk.

Friday October 28

Three vigil-ers at the beginning of the hour, seven of us at the end. The day was gray but warm, and the rain held off until after 6:00.

Thursday October 27

Cool and sunny with marvelous fall colors. Two people to start the hour, nine of us at the end. Today I brought my two dogs; they set out after an inoffensive dog passing by. :(

Wednesday October 26

Today was a gray fall day. Seven or eight of us at the vigil for much of the hour.

Tuesday October 25

Three or four at the beginning of the hour, eleven at the end. Early in the vigil we were briefly joined by three young men on their way to the bus station across the street. They did not stay long, but they had energy and enthusiasm.

Monday October 24

About a dozen people throughout the hour. Ann Staley, a Corvallis writer, read a poem for the daily witness at the vigil, particularly for her neighbor, who attends regularly, and for the American soldiers who have died in Iraq.

Sunday October 23

Half a dozen people at the beginning, ten at the end of the hour. We talked about Occupy Corvallis and about preparations from Corvallis for the SOA Watch witness in Georgia the weekend of November 19-20.

Saturday October 22

Half a dozen people at the beginning, eight at the end.

Friday, October 21

Clouds and crowds this late October Friday.  There was a steady hum of energy around the Presidential announcement of troop withdrawal from Iraq.  Folks were dropping by to celebrate. Some among us had less enthusiasm than externally expected.  My cynical side was muttering about mercenaries remaining and the horrors we are leaving in our wake.  Still there was a dozen regulars and 3 who came to mark the day when the end was announced.  Then, near the hour's end,  five others who from the volume and tone of their holding forth had a grievance or several to vent upon any willing listeners.
In the passing traffic I noticed an unusually high percentage of jolly waves.  Even the negative "commentary" was leavened - a sedan passed with two young women, the driver leaning hard and long on the horn with an emphatic finger thrust our way.  Two cars back a woman honked with sprightly energy and waved with enough zest to drive away the prior hostility.

Thursday October 20

Two people at 5:00PM, and folks came steadily throughout the vigil until there were nine or ten at 6:00. There were three younger activists, a welcome addition to "the regular crowd". A man with his own sign, "Poverty is the worst form of violence -- Gandhi", said that he hoped to show people that our problems -- violence, the economy, war, the environment -- are all interconnected. Indeed.

Wednesday October 19

I walked to the vigil and arrived fifteen minutes late. About a dozen people throughout my time there. A passerby talked about the World Series with us.

Tuesday October 18

It was a lovely fall afternoon in Corvallis, and the vigil was well attended, with as many as fifteen people. Some have their own signs. We welcome all the newcomers, perhaps we can talk about stories behind the signs.

Monday October 17

Four of us at 5:00PM, people coming and going throughout the hour, ten vigil-ers at 6:00. Some of us read the poem Buyer Beware by Marge Piercy. And we talked about, what are the local impacts of our wars? and is there something we could do to respond to those impacts?

Sunday October 16

I walked to the courthouse and arrived halfway through the vigil. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, with about ten people.

Saturday October 15

Three or four at the beginning of the hour,  nine or ten at the end. There was a football game at the university, so there was heavy traffic in Corvallis, but most of the cars did not pass by the vigil at the courthouse.

Friday October 14

Numbers about a dozen throughout the hour. We had visitors from Portland, two dogs, and a personal sign: "Poverty is the worst kind of violence -- Gandhi."

Thursday October 13

Five at the beginning, twelve at the end. A vigil culture brief for Thursday the 13th was a lively discussion of favorite films, particularly movies based on the science fiction novels of Philip K Dick.

Wednesday October 12

Four at 5:00PM, eight at 6:00. It was a lovely fall afternoon, welcome after two weeks of showers. A passing driver raised a handmade sign, "YOU ARE AWESOME." We are honored.

Tuesday October 11

Four at the start of the hour, eleven at the end. Two or three new folks joined us -- everyone is more than welcome! If you are against the US wars, thanks; if you are in favor of the wars, come for a discussion.

Sunday October 9

Half a dozen people at the start, a dozen at the end. I left my headlights on when I got out of my car, fortunately one of the vigil-ers pointed it out to me.
Today's Corvallis Gazette-Times had a lengthy front-page article about the vigil. The story was generally positive. It raised a question that I think about often: the point is to end war, not to have vigils -- what could we be doing more effectively?
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_56c6973c-f23a-11e0-abc5-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story

Saturday October 8

Maybe fifteen people on year 11, day 2. The war goes on.
In the afternoon there was a display of the Remembrance Rug, a latch-hook rug done by Rodger Asai from Albany to remember all the people, American, Iraqi, and others, who have died because of the war on Iraq. There is a design in the rug, such as a cross or a triangle, for named individuals. Rodger associates the countless strands of yarn in the rug with the million-plus Iraqi casualties of the war.
It was several years after the Vietnam War ended that the United States erected the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington. We are "fortunate" to have a memorial before the end of fighting in Iraq.

Friday, October 7 - 10th Anniversary

This was the 3,653 day of the vigil and, of course, of our war on/in Afghanistan.  I wish I could report a vast out-pouring of people filling the block.  Even more I wish I could report a cease-fire and brilliant diplomacy and humble withdrawal of our militant presence from all foreign lands.
When I arrived a few minutes before 5 today only the press was there waiting - a reporter and a photographer.  Slowly, slowly the numbers grew and signs came out of the van and photos were taken. A new "sign" swayed from the back of the van - white on black, stating : "honor the dead, heal the wounded, stop the war."  A woman from Philomath came for the first time, drawn by a recent letter to the editor about the purpose that motivates one vigil regular.  This woman said she feels powerless to know what to do in the face of the many huge problems.  The vigil was something she could do, taking a public stand.  Someone brought an eye-catching arrangement of an american flag hanging side-by-side with a beautiful blue and white peace flag. The passers-by were friendly. A young man with a peace flag joined us, saying it was important to remember this day.  Two international students stopped to ask what it all was; briefly they stood with signs then said farewell as they went on.
21 to mark the end of a decade of war.  I left glad for those who came.

Thursday October 6

Today, October 6 2011, is the end of ten years of the courthouse vigil.
Three people at 5:00PM, seven or eight at the end of the hour. A young man in a pickup stopped, to tell us that war was good for the economy. I think two reasonable responses would have been, peace is better for the economy than war, and, is it OK to kill people for the sake of the economy? But we did not find either response, and he drove away swearing at us.

Wednesday October 5

Today's vigil had threatening clouds, but the rain held off until after 6:00PM. About half a dozen of us, the number increasing and decreasing through the hour.
A passerby remarked that the vigil-ers are the most persistent people he had ever seen. Someone responded, people keep dying in our wars.

Tuesday, October 4

The rain arrived just in time for the vigil, umbrellas and rain gear are getting much use these recent days.
Ten this day.  We are remembering the tricks to hold the signs, umbrellas and wave to the friendly passers by.  A fine statement from Carlos Mejia on courage and leadership and war resistance circulated.
I am counting days toward the 10th anniversary of vigil beginning in response to the bombing of Afghanistan: today is 3,650.  How much longer?

Monday October 3

Another rainy vigil. Eleven people by the end of the hour. One passing truck tooted its horn in encouragement, a drawn-out sough which some of us wanted for our own cars.

Sunday October 2

A damp hour before the courthouse, but not as rainy as Saturday.

Saturday October 1

Only one of us there at 5:00PM, but over the next half hour several vigilers and the signs came. On the first day of October, after a cloudy but dry-ish day, we were soaked with rain. I remember that in the winter of 2010-11 just past, on many rainy days the rain quit for the hour of the vigil. This winter is starting off the other way around.

Friday September 30

Two people at 5:00Pm, eight at 6:00.

Thursday September 29

Four or five at the beginning, increasing steadily throughout the hour until there were fourteen at 6:00PM. Someone told me about In Depth, a three-hour C-SPAN program which airs in Oregon on Sunday mornings. This Sunday, October 2, the guest will be Michael Moore, the film director who has recently written a memoir Here Comes Trouble. You could find out more at the website booktv.org .

Wednesday September 28

Four folks at the beginning, eight or nine at the end. Someone stopped by to tell us that Senator John McCain wanted to cut defense spending by cutting veterans' benefits. I think that he meant an obscure-to-me 2008 argument about the best way to structure college tuition benefits for veterans. Our visitor's proposed solution is to encourage Howard Dean, one-time government of Vermont, to break off from the Democrats to form a new political party, maybe called the Pragmacrats, emphasizing campaign finance reform. It would take a lot of work to make that real -- maybe even more than the hour a day which the vigil asks.

Tuesday September 27

Four at 5:00PM, half a dozen at the end. Just at the end of the hour a young man in  a truck shook his head violently. There were many gestures of support, but I remember the disagreement more.

Monday September 26

Half a dozen people at the beginning, thirteen at the end. A friend who left Corvallis three years ago has returned and is again joining us.

Sunday September 25

Around a dozen people today. As is usual for Sunday, traffic was light on Fourth Street.

Saturday, September 24

Brightly colored Pinwheels for Peace lined the edge of the courthouse lawn today.  Their spinning beauty inspired families with young children to stop and look closely at the designs drawn on them.  One dad was eager to figure out how to make one with his small daughter (who was enjoying an ice cream cone).

8 'curb people' standing vigil this day.  The town was bustling what with Fall Festival & an OSU football game.  Most of the parking was occupied.  This necessitated us standing in a different portion of the block. I noticed this gave me a different view of the passing traffic. I wondered if people who see us frequently saw us in a different way as well.

Autumnal Equinox, Friday, September 23

Eleven for this late September heat wave.  Cardboard squares arrive in a cardboard box: we could make new signs (for fair weather).  We could make "burma shave style signs"  to share our points of view in a different graphic way.  Some of us note the rising number of positive responses to our presence.  A convertible with  two children in the back seat passed us, all four occupants waving enthusiastically.  Judging by their appearances the vigil has been happening nearly the entire life of those children.  And, no end in sight.

Thursday September 22

Four people at the beginning, nine at the end of the vigil. Two vigilers wore International Car-free Day T-shirts. For the day, an electric cart replaced the vigil's trademark van.

Wednesday September 21

From half a dozen at the beginning to thirteen at the end, including participants from Albany and from Independence.

Monday September 19

Four or five at 5:00PM, ten at the end of the vigil. A theme was "Waiting For Charlie". Many a Monday Charlie brings cookies to the vigil, and today some of us were looking forward to treats even more than usual. :) Thanks, Charlie.

Sunday September 18

Four at the beginning of the hour, nine or ten at the end. It was a pleasant late summer afternoon. Conversations turned to gardening, particularly winter gardening.

Friday September 16

Half a dozen to nine people throughout the hour. There was a "companion vigil", organized by the Corvallis Amnesty International letter-writing group, about the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia next week. Seems like it is very possible that Troy Davis is innocent, so that the other vigil was to urge the state of Georgia not to carry out the execution. The Corvallis giant peace dove made an appearance.

Saturday, 17 September

Quiet day - friendly folks from Beaverton stopped to say hello.  They've heard of us daily vigil folks.  They participate in a weekly vigil, Wednesday nights in Beaverton - usually about 20 people!  They chatted for a awhile & continued on their way.
Seven for us this day with one Peaceable Dog.

Thursday September 15

Half a dozen at the beginning, increasing for most of the hour until there were about a dozen at 6:00PM. Among other topics, conversations about the development of human language, about friends who have moved from Corvallis, about the local pedicabs.

Tuesday September 13

Four at the beginning of the hour, maybe ten people and two dogs at the end. A long-time friend, now living in Salem, came to visit.

There will be a potluck supper for the Corvallis peace community, on Sunday September 18 at 6:30PM, at the meeting room at First Alternative south store (the meeting room is just behind the little espresso cafe northeast of the store). We would be happy to see you there.

Monday September 12

About ten of us throughout the hour. It has cooled down since last week, which is welcome for many. We are beginning to make plans for October 6, the tenth anniversary of the US attack on Afghanistan (and the tenth anniversary of the vigil -- thanks to all who have taken part). What can we do to include more people, particularly "the other side"?

Sunday, September 11

West winds set the flags snapping - 2 Peace flags & our well used Earth flag as well as the peace themed prayer flags that stretch across the sidewalk.   Twelve for a while & for the majority of the hour, ten  - a goodly number for a usually quiet Sunday.  Some commentary on the commentary in the news regarding 9/11/01 and the catastrophic aftermath (my word choice - but most agree that the events of that day were swiftly turned to justify long simmering political agendas for war/occupation.  & today the media mostly followed the standard plot lines).  Some speculation - who can actually get us out of the moral morass of these wars....

Saturday, 10 September

Four in the shade.  Socialism & contemporary Cuba - an upcoming talk on that topic is discussed as a friend stops briefly.  A man approaches and stands a few feet behind us.  "I don't understand why you don't support Ron Paul!  He's the only one who will end the wars."  This man has been here before  full of the Libertarian reading of history.  He tries again.  Funny how one can always find a crooked path to defame what is feared and support what you hold dear. "Just read history," says he.  Degrees in history say two of us.
Second Saturday Benefit Concert follows vigil; raising money for the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.

Friday, 9 September

Seven for much of the hour; with eight for awhile and two beloved latecomers shortly before the bells.
A treat arrived - fresh garden cucumber in crisply chilled slices.  The bounty of summer - maybe one of the wages of peace - the privilege of a home garden, good soil, none of the lingering detritus of years of military "action"  to imperil the innocent wielder of spade & hoe.  How would it be to have cluster bombs and depleted uranium dust to complicate the pleasure of sowing seeds to feed family & friends?

Wednesday, 7 September

Phew,  the heat from the pavement was unmitigated by even a wisp of breeze.  I found myself thinking of shortened tempers under the weight of combat gear in the Iraqi summer.  Degrees of suffering; to what point and with what consequence?
It is suggested that people are beginning to see these wars from different perspectives.  How hard is it to change your mind about something so visceral as believing in the "rightness" of your nation's wars?  What if someone you love is/was in the military?
Five early on in the hour, then four, back to five and down again to four with two, no three, more to round out the hour.

Tuesday, September 6

A wedding party bustles about on the courthouse steps; photos are taken.  Laughter and the bubbling voices of happy people float toward us.  Three waiting for the signs to arrive.  We each hold the two finger V in lieu of printed statements.  I am ambivalent about this "peace sign"; elders tell me they view it as militant - Victory, is how they remember it from WWII.  Yet, it seems the common currency of contemporary Americans to indicate Peace.  
The van arrives bearing signs & flags.  We are soon 5 and then we are 8.  Three of our cadre celebrate this date as their birthday; one is here this day as are cookies in honor of the occasion.  Conversation rises and falls.   We notice at the half hour that the planetary angle has shifted sufficiently to cast a long shadow over the whole area where we stand.  We've been clustering in the shade of the cherry trees to avoid the late summer heat.
A few loud but garbled shouts of hostility from people in passing cars are balanced by the abundant numbers of enthusiastic carloads of young men.  Has the 10 year duration of slaughter, maiming and anguish finally tipped the broader opinion of what we once would have called the "draft age" population toward non-violence as a national policy?

Monday September 5

Three or four folks at 5:00PM, about ten at the end. Some of us talked about how to respond to passersby who disagree with the vigil, for example the two men who argued on Sunday that we should give war a chance. We came up no clear answer; perhaps it will be an ongoing discussion.

Sunday September 4

Three people to start the hour, half a dozen at the end. One vigil-er brought two Peanuts comic strips, featuring Charles-Schulz-birds "demonstrating" by carrying signs with punctuation marks. In one strip the question-mark birds got into a scrap with the exclamation-mark birds. :)
At the very end of the vigil a couple of men stopped by, proposing that war actually benefits some groups, as for example the Kurdish people in Iraq. We did not make time to sort out the question.

Saturday September 3

Eight or nine people through the hour.

Thursday, September 1

1 to start, then the van & signs arrived and in a few minutes a third person arrived. Slim numbers for the hour - 6.  A question asked: "Are there plans to mark October 7th?"  10 years of war - I want to call it state sponsored terrorism.  10 years of the daily 5pm to 6pm presence at the Benton County Courthouse.  It seems we might consider how to (dare I say it?) capitalize on this upcoming occasion to draw attention to our position(s) regarding peace & war.

Wednesday August 31

I arrived late, about a dozen people were in front of the courthouse.

Tuesday August 30

Three of us at the beginning, ten-ish throughout the hour. Some discussion of the proposed student housing development at Witham Oaks.

Monday August 29

Two of us at 5:00PM, people coming and going throughout the vigil, five at 6:00. A young man stopped to ask (I think in response to the "NO WAR" sign): if a foreign country invades the United States and we don't fight, won't our people be enslaved? One answer was, nothing like that has happened in fifty years; instead the United States is using its military to oppress and to exploit other countries. What do you think?

Sunday August 28

Nine or ten of us throughout the hour. An uneventful Sunday afternoon.

Saturday August 27

Ten or eleven of us throughout the hour. Only today I returned from the Tarsands Action in Washington, in which about 50 people a day are getting arrested to try to convince the US government not to permit a pipeline from Alberta's tar sands to Texas. The Tarsands folks spent much effort to present the message clearly and to attract publicity. Here in Corvallis we do less of that. Is there something for us to learn? I am not sure.

Friday, 26 August

Two holding signs & opinions beneath the prayer flags when I arrived.  Two more soon after me and one just paces behind.  We six were later joined by 4 more and one of the first departed.  It is rather a dance we do with greetings and departures, signs and commentary. What flag is this?  Palestine? Iraq?   Shouldn't we know?   Blackberry picking & green tomato relish. Senator Merkley spoke for ending the (catastrophic) war in Afghanistan.  We appreciate our newest Senator for many reasons.  A long angry blast of a car horn passing by; driver's finger jabbed up above the roofline.  Inevitably, I ponder what it is about our presence that prompts such fury.  

Thursday, 25 August

7 folks talking about heat and harvests and the insanity of the current political climate.
1 left & another arrived - 7 for the hour.
 The daily newspaper was circulated for the front page story highlighting local activists and the civil rights movement and the new Martin Luther King Jr.  Memorial on the Washington Mall.  Change (that we regard as positive) does happen!

Wednesday, 24 August

Our numbers were amplified by the return of two travelers - regular vigil folks who've been visiting kin. 12 to stand for peace.

Tuesday, August 23

Summer is really upon us.  Visitor from Monmouth brought his visitors from Michigan.  Interesting conversations.  Books. Education. Violence & the alternatives. Egyptian Coptic Christians in peril.  How will we respond to the wounds of these ongoing wars?  There's always money for the profitable waging of war.  Where is the money for healing the wounded?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Ten of us this day. One came bearing homemade chocolate cookies.  Delicious, homemade chocolate cookies!  Verbal assault was much less welcome; a hostile intoxicated man confronted us by standing in the parking margin and shouting "Excuse me.  What are the wages of peace?"  But he was not really wanting our answers; only our attention to his angry religious tirade.  I have great difficulty with intoxicated men who shout at me from a close range.  The violence of it is painful.

Sunday, August 21

Winds returned this afternoon and fluttered the colorful peace flags we stretch across the sidewalk these days.  9 folks with conversations flowing through a wide assortment of topics.  Several hostile shouts and a car sending mixed messages with the backseat passenger giving us a cheery wave & thumbs up while the driver scowlingly flipped us an angry thumbs down.  I pondered the conversations that might ensue in that car crowded with four men.
how many acts of hot & deadly war punctuated the decades of the Cold War?  we recited a list of what we could name. grim & ugly behavior on the part of our government.  Did the placement of the Shah as Iran's ruler count as war - hot or cold?

Saturday August, 20

HOT on the pavement.  No breeze.  We four celebrated the gift of the cherry tree's shade.  The gardener turned the sprinklers on around the courthouse & we availed ourselves of the cooling spray of water.  Visited by a young man from Rome, Italy.  His American friends said he wanted to take our picture as they'd told him we'd been out for the vigil for two years.  We clarified the duration & frequency; welcomed the photo session and happily posed with him holding our "peace is the way" sign.  He said he believed it was true. We closed the hour with five and a conversation about Tunisia and the October elections there.  And, what are Tunisians saying about the crisis in Libya?

Thursday August 18

Seven or eight people throughout the vigil.
Some of us had a long conversation from a family, recently moved from Long Beach to Corvallis. The pre-school children were some of the youngest vigil-ers we have had.
We had some discussion of the Tar Sands Action, a civil disobedience action in Washington DC which will try to convince the US government not to grant a construction permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta Canada to Texas.

Wednesday August 17

A quiet afternoon at the vigil. Two folks to start the hour, eight or nine of us at the end.

The results of the penny poll at the Benton County Fair

At the Benton County Fair, August 3-6, the Corvallis peace community, with the leadership of the local Linus Pauling chapter of Veterans For Peace and the help of several vigil-ers, sponsored a penny poll. 

Passersby were offered ten pennies, representing the roughly one trillion dollars which the United States has spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and asked, how would you spend that money? Each participant divided the pennies among six labeled jars. Here is how some Benton County residents chose to spend the money.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya                           $1.07      4%

core military, courts, nat'l government     $1.84      7%

fire and police, infrastructure                   $5.04    18%

foreign aid, building peace                      $4.09     15%

health, human services                           $9.01     33%

renewable energy, climate change         $6.48      25%

Thanks to the volunteers who staffed the booth and to the fair visitors who stopped for conversation.

Tuesday August 16

Two people at 5:00PM, eight people and two dogs at 6:00. There were a couple of honks for drivers of commercial trucks. It is interesting that an air horn noticeably encourages us vigil-ers.

Monday August 15

Half a dozen people throughout the hour, with several people coming and going.

Friday August 12

Two people at the start of the vigil, eight at the end. Today, as occasionally other days, we saw a car in which the driver and the passenger have different opinions about the vigil. Often they are "three-finger cars". :)

Thursday August 11

Four people at 5:00PM, ten to end the vigil. A Tucsonian, temporarily in Corvallis, commented that in Tucson, it is very hot at the end of a morning protest from 8:00AM to 9:00. Corvallis is fortunate for its temperate weather.

Wednesday August 10

Four to seven vigil-ers throughout the hour. A pleasant and quiet day.

Tuesday August 9

Nagasaki Day. Three started the vigil at 5:00PM, ten ended it at 6:00. We got reports from different people about health checkup results and looking for jobs, both hopeful, so the day was encouraging for us.

Monday August 8

Four or five to start the hour, ten or eleven at the end. There were only a couple of signs today, but lively conversations among interesting people. We had visitors, a couple from eastern Maryland and a man from Tucson, an uncommonly wide representation.
The Maryland folks are members of a long-term once-a-week vigil. They reported that once or twice they have had visitors with videocameras, posing provocative questions and perhaps trying to elicit thoughtless responses to embarrass the vigil.

Sunday August 7

Three or four of us throughout the hour.

Saturday August 6

Half a dozen of us throughout the vigil. On this day in 1945 the United States dropped the first-ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan. And we are still at war 66 years later.
Just at the end of the hour a young man stopped by. He said, "I've got something to say to you. And before I say it, I want to say that I don't want to be an a***. I have walked by you several times, and your presence here is a deep insult to my brother-in-law, who died in Iraq." The young man turned to leave, but one of the vigilers, a veteran, caught him and was able to explain at least that the vigil intended no disrespect to his brother-in-law. We hope that there was some reconciliation in the encounter.

Friday August 5

Half a dozen vigil-ers throughout the hour. At the end, a young man passing on a bicycle said, "I'm on your side, but this is ineffective! Anything else you do, I would help you." Sometimes we too think about effectiveness. As we said to the young man, if you want to do something concrete, come on down and help us think about what to do.

Thursday August 4

Four at 5:00PM, nine when the vigil ended.

Wednesday August 3

The first day of the Benton County Fair. Vigil participants are spending a lot of time at the peace booth at the fair. Today we had four or five vigil-ers. A visitor from Great Falls, Montana, reported that a driver-by had fired shots at a peace demonstration there.

Tuesday August 2

About ten people for much of the hour. We had a visitor from Tucson, a man who also visited Corvallis and spent time with the vigil in the 2011.

Saturday July 30

Six to eight of us throughout the hour. Some pedestrians across the street waved peace signs, otherwise it was a quiet evening.

Thursday July 28

Ten or a dozen of us at the end of the hour. Because of an accident which blocked the eastbound bridge over the Willamette River, a lot of traffic was sent down Fourth Street, and many people who normally do not pass saw the vigil, maybe for the first time. Several of our new audience objected loudly.

Wednesday July 27

Five to start the hour, nine at the end. A young woman passing by said, "Thank you".

Tuesday July 26

At the start there were two, at the end seven. An every-day participant is going on a month-long vacation and will be missed.

Monday July 25

Two people to start the vigil, nine at the end. Today, talking about the shootings in Norway, we realized that the massacre is in one sense comparable with the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center: the 76 people killed in the shootings are a higher percentage of Norway's population than the 2,977 people who died in the Sept 11 attack are as a percentage of the United States' population.
We hope that Norway's response to its tragedy will be more healing than the US' military response to the Sept 11 tragedy has been.

Sunday July 24

Six or seven people at the vigil today. One vigil-er announced a contest, for the best short response to the "one-finger peace sign" flipped by some passersby. Ideas? Bring them down to the vigil.
The decision of the judges is final. :)

Saturday July 23

Two people at the start,  eight at the end. Today the courthouse vigil was the face of Corvallis to a newly married couple who stopped to ask directions to the post office and a Nevada family looking for a restaurant serving healthy and locally grown food. And we enjoyed a birthday celebration for one of the vigil regulars.
Today in Albany the peace group exhibited a hooked rug remembering all the deaths, American and Iraqi, since the official end of combat in 2003. The rug is 140 feet long(!) by 3 feet wide.

Friday July 22

Three people at 5:00PM, eight at 6:00. For a second day, we hung a line of peace banners above the sidewalk, with "peace" written in half a dozen languages.
No one encountered the Interfaith Peace Walk during the day. We wish them well on the rest of their pilgrimage.

Thursday July 21

Four at the beginning, eight at 6:00PM. Some discussion of the hot weather in the eastern United States; while we wondered if summer would ever come to the Willamette Valley, most of us escaped from the sun into the shade. :)

Wednesday July 20

Four at the beginning, nine-ish at the end. One of "our" students from Western Oregon University paid us a visit, along with a friend. Also, we had a visit from an occasional but faithful vigil-er who stops by whenever she finds herself downtown about 5:00PM -- hugs all around.

Tuesday July 19

Three to start, ten or eleven at the end. We got more information about the walk which will pass through Corvallis on Friday. It is not the "Longest Walk", but an Interfaith Peace Walk -- for a nuclear free future and in respect for Mother Earth. The walk starts in Eugene on July 20 and ends at the Trident submarine base in Bangor Washington on August 8. This is the first reminder at the vigil that Hiroshima Day is coming soon.

Monday July 18

Thirteen people for much of the hour. About the halfway point an SUV pulled into the parking space by the northern "platoon". We are nervous about visitors in SUV's, but this time the occupant was a veteran representing the "Longest Walk", a long-term project for peace which will be passing through Corvallis on Friday. We did not get any other schedule information, but maybe there will be an opportunity to visit.

Sunday July 17

Four people at the beginning, eleven people [and four dogs :)] at the end.

Saturday July 16

Six people, no bikes, an interesting conversation about life without air conditioning.

Friday July 15

Eight people, six bikes. Several participants regularly come on bikes. Today's bicycling majority is evidence for a lovely summer day in Corvallis.

Thursday July 14

Half a dozen at the beginning, a dozen at 6:00PM. An uneventful hour, some reflection on the discussions with the soldier visitor yesterday.

Wednesday July 13

Three people at 5:00PM, maybe nine at 6:00. A bit before the end a soldier stopped by, a man who served two tours in Iraq. Some of his friends died in Iraq. He wanted to talk about a couple of our signs, "VETERANS FOR PEACE" and "THE HEROES ARE THOSE WHO REFUSE TO GO TO WAR". The question which he most wanted to talk about was, in as close to his words as I remember: "A young man who joins the army to defend his country, who goes to Iraq, who takes a bullet for you -- do you think that young man is a hero or not?" Although the talk went in several directions, we never really answered the question. The conversation was at least courteous, which is different from some of the vigil's other visits from opponents. At the end of the hour some of the vigilers shook hands with him, some left displeased. I wonder, beyond opposition, what is the vigil about? Confrontation? Compromise? Conciliation? Likely it will be an ongoing question.

Tuesday July 12

Four people at the beginning, thirteen at six o'clock. An uneventful day.

Monday July 11

Five people at 5:00PM, thirteen of us at 6:00. We missed the regular Monday cookies, but we had a visitor from Monmouth in celebration of a friend's birthday.

Sunday July 10

Eight people for much of the hour. On the hot afternoons recently, there has been a clear division between the sun-lovers and the shade-seekers.
I see that we missed mentioning another new sign which a visitor from China gave us last week: he wrote "peace" in Chinese characters. The sign has an inconspicuous label at one edge "up↑".

Saturday July 9

About ten people at the vigil today. The cooling breeze was more than welcome. There were several small-group conversations, but no one focus to bring us all together.
One participant brought a new sign written in symbols, not words, "peace equals dollars". To me it raises an interesting question: if people believed that peace was less costly than war, would we stop having wars?

Thursday, 7 July

Brisk winds from the West with cooler temperatures, brownies & cookies from "The Woman in the Red Minivan" a fine way to mark the end of the first week of July.  13 people with some going and others coming.  Since the time change to daylight savings the clock on the courthouse tower has added music to the hour counting chimes.  It was an odd situation at first as if there was a student up there practicing random bits somewhat out of key - but the practice has recently shifted to performance with a shaky "You Are My Sunshine" yielding to an increasingly tuneful "Happy Days Are Here Again."
The underline seems to have a mind of it's own, sorry.  
I mention the music at vigil closing because this evening three folks linked arms for a random chorus line dance.  Another act for the touring show?

Wednesday, 6 July

The heat clustered the 9 of us in the shade again today.  A young woman sitting on the bench some 15 feet (more perhaps) away was popping gum with a rhythmic snap that was remarkably loud.  She could put that Hollywood stereotype of the slang talking gum chewing waitress into a new context.  Her 'talent' inspired a display of ear wagging, tongue twisting, nose wiggling, mouth popping, cheek thumping antics.  "We could go on the road!"  "Might have to take some time off from the vigil and pile into the (vigil's trademark) VW van."
Another young woman road slowly by on a laden bike; she was clearly a traveler.  She paused at the edge of our group.  She and a few other "girls" (her self-descriptor) are riding their bikes to San Francisco.  They  car-pooled from Massachusetts to Cougar, Washington and the Rainbow Gathering. Then started on their bike trip.  at that moment she was headed across the street to Browser's Books to find "a good read.

Tuesday, 5 July

Oops, a day late here - the vigil was on time.  5 pm found us gathering in the shade of the lovely cherry trees.  15 folks to stand for peace and listen to various shared tales.  The community, which is the vigil, thrives on the small conversations; they are the threads weaving us together.  I am noticing this flow of words today as I am thinking much about silence; wishing I'd remembered the virtues of silence yesterday when the angry young man brought his well honed aggression into my (our) faces.  I used to stand with Women in Black in NYC and there learned that silence is strength in the face of hostility.  That hour of silence in the midst of rush hour on 5th Avenue taught me how to let words dissipate into the air.  I can't imagine this vigil in silence for 5 hours a week; but I can reclaim the promise to not escalate tension with my words.
I am a bit haunted by the stance the young soldier took as he confronted us - very much the posture of someone expecting danger and accustomed to using his body language to intimidate.  Was I seeing what the Afghans see when an American soldier talks to them?  Minus the armaments, of course.

Monday July 4

Independence Day at the vigil, four people at 5:00PM, fifteen at the end. Halfway through the hour, drawn by an upside-down American flag, a man who had served in Afghanistan (and perhaps in Iraq also) stopped to challenge our presence. He was offended, and the talk was loud and passionate. From his personal experience, the visitor was sure that life in Afghanistan is better than it was. I heard nothing from the man's quieter companion.

Sunday July 3

Four people at the start, fourteen at the end. Two young men on bicycles brought us drinks from MacDonald's as a gesture of support.

Saturday July 2

A day even livelier than usual at the vigil. Today the government of Greece turned back the Audacity of Hope, the ship sailing to Gaza from Greece. Several activists around Palestine issues joined "the regular crowd". More, one of the regulars is having a family reunion, and all the family joined us, making up about half the vigil.
And, though the vigil continues to get lots of support, a couple of passing cars advised us that we should "GO HOME!"

Friday July 1

About ten people to mark the first of July. Three Western Oregon University students, as part of a project for their class "Causes of Peace", visited the vigil and interviewed participants throughout the spring. One of them is going to graduate school in Edinburgh Scotland this fall; he and one of his colleagues paid a goodbye visit to the vigil. We wish all of them good fortune.

Thursday June 30

About a dozen people today. A couple from Lebanon stopped by after visiting the bookstore across the street. One of them commented that she had hoped that electing Obama would have been enough to end the war in Afghanistan. We had hoped so, too.

Wednesday June 29

Four people to start the hour, about ten at the end. An uneventful and pleasant day at the vigil -- "no news is good news".

Tuesday June 28

Three at the start, to a high of 18, with fourteen people at 6:00PM. Today's visitors included three people from Monmouth and two dogs. There were several younger folks, which we always appreciate.

Monday June 27

Half a dozen at the beginning, fourteen at the end, including two visitors from Portland. In one car, an enthusiastic female passenger flashed her breasts. We think that what she yelled was "F... War", but the men at least were in no condition to testify.
Some vigil-ers remember that in 2001 and 2002, supporters of the US wars several times mooned the vigil.

Sunday June 26

Today was as animated as Saturday was quiet. Four people to start the hour, thirteen at the end. Some vigil-ers brought snacks, which made the hour even more a social event than normal.

Saturday June 25

A quiet day at the vigil. Four of us kept a presence for the entire hour.

Friday June 24

One person present at 5:00, and he started the hour by taking wedding pictures for a couple who had just gotten married at the courthouse. By six there were nine -- and a few strawberries left from the just-picked contribution of one of us. :)

Thursday June 23

Three people at the beginning, about ten at the end. Toward the end someone drove by with an impassioned plea: "I SUPPORT THE TROOPS!" So we continued the discussion of, what does it mean to support the troops? and do we? One popular answer is that we want to support the troops by bringing them home, but some vigil-ers think that answer somehow misses the point.

Wednesday June 22

Three people to start the vigil, eight when the courthouse clock struck 6:00PM. I repaired a worn-out sign today -- WAGE PEACE. And, like yesterday, another lost comment, this one from a passing bicyclist.

Tuesday June 21

The first day of summer. Three present at five o'clock, eleven or thirteen at the end. One woman driver passed shouting passionately and angrily. We heard only the end, which was perhaps "... live with no war". It is too bad that we did not hear, but someone pointed out that indeed we would like to live with no war.

Monday June 20

Five people at 5:00PM, a dozen when we ended at 6:00. One person commented, the vigil really doesn't have a sign to express my feelings about today's wars.
Some folks driving by were happy to see us, and we were glad for them.

Saturday June 18

Four when we started, six at the end. Conversation moved from Michael Gruber's novel The Good Son to questions of at what age and move from an individual house to a residential facility.

Friday, 17 June

Blustery winds sent me scurrying to catch blowing trash.  Bright sunshine and seasonably warm temperature sent us all to the shade for the first time this year.  For varying amounts of time 8 stood the vigil  - 3 of us for the whole hour.  A significant number of people passing in pick-up trucks wave and signal with horns and 'peace signs.'  School is out and the traffic is less - do I notice those friendly truck drivers more because there are fewer vehicles overall?  One angry young man in a sporty red car jabs his middle finger skyward and, when I wave, he lays hard on the horn....clearly miffed that 'the old lady missed his message.'  What part of our presence inspires such hostility?

Thursday June 16

Three people at 5:00PM, eight when the courthouse clock struck six. There was a birthday celebration with snacks.

Wednesday June 15

Three people at the beginning, eight or ten at the end. Just before 6:00PM we were joined by a man who crossed the street "to join the winning side". We hope so.

Tuesday June 14

Four people to start the vigil, about a dozen at the end. We had a couple of visitors, one a woman veteran now living in Albany and one a man who sat on the bench to hold a sign and to study at the same time. We were happy to have them.

Monday June 13

A cool sunny afternoon at the vigil. Four people to start the hour, fourteen at the end. It was a quiet and friendly time, made more sociable by the usual Monday cookies.

Sunday June 12

A rainy summer afternoon. Half a dozen people at the beginning, fourteen people at the high point, and about nine at the end.

Saturday June 11

About eight people present for most of the vigil. Toward the end a young woman came by to ask what we were doing. To a couple of the vigil-ers, not to the entire group, she voiced strenuous disagreement with the vigil's basic positions: in her words, as best as I can, she is a Republican; war is good because only by making war can we stay free; and President Obama has greatly damaged the country by spending money elsewhere, instead of working to repair the economy of the United States. Whatever one thinks of her arguments (I agree with her to some extent), I think that the heated "conversation" did not build bridges or change minds. But I do not know whether that is why the vigil goes on.

Thursday, June 9

A quiet start with 4.  A man stopped, saying that he sees us all the time & wanted to ask if we knew why we were at war.  His answer was international bankers funding both sides.  The government has to be taken back from those banking interests.  Well, just wanted to know if you knew why we are at war.  And, off he went with his guitar case.

Some conversation arising from Wednesday evening potluck for peace.  Wellstone Action Project was outlined for us.  A few of us are inspired by what we learned.

We finished the hour with 8.

Wednesday, June 8

Slim numbers, but still we stand - I made 5 when I arrived a few minutes past the hour (delayed by my I can do one more thing habit). One of the four was new, a woman with an ideological agenda adrift from  the intent of standing for peace or even the inverse of being against these wars.  But,  free speech and all such rights.  Recently a few of us talked about signs held that were counter to our intent - especially when the individual clearly identifies as being part of the vigil.    A curious quandary, one that we might need to visit again.  Three more brought us to a brief 8 and we closed with 7.

Tuesday, 7 June

As I note the date two thoughts arise: first, "Already?"  followed swiftly by "Again!"  The Tuesdays - like all days, really - pile up into a somewhat staggering accumulation of vigil hours.  And, I'm only 3/4 through my third year here.  A few have been here night upon night for nearly a full decade.  Today makes it  roughly 500 Tuesdays (and Wednesdays through Mondays)  of what I think of as bearing witness to the nation's choice to make war upon innocents.
14 people; no one brought dogs.  Stories slip between us.  It is noted that we've a variety in our wardrobe this breezy June day - bermudas next to winter jacketed people, shirt sleeves, sandals, fleece, a wool hat, turtlenecks and windbreakers.  A truck passes with a friendly driver who cranks up his stereo in greeting; as he stops at the signal we note in the back of the truck are monster speakers - about 15 inch diameter in a wooden box.  What a peculiar culture we inhabit.

Monday, June 6

15 of us by the half hour - good to have a strong turn out.  Two dogs for peace were there as well.  Ice cream bars for the early birds!  Some conversation about what "support the troops" means.  Some of us think that we do not support "troops".   We support peace.  what if there were troops of people engaged in non-violent work?   many friendly waves punctuated by one angry single finger salute; prompting a comment that he's the the person we are there for not those who support us.  By seeing us the angry man is confronted by different ideas and opinions.  I think we are also there for those who believe in peace - the steadfast presence of the vigil affirms their position.

Saturday, June 4

Bright sunshine on our first hot day brought out 12 people and one peaceful dog (who may have had a pass with poison oak and did not get her usual loving pats).  Fresh strawberries were an delightful treat.  An "older" man pulled his car to the curb near where our newest regular was standing.  They had a long conversation through the window.  We all agreed it was good it was our youngest vigiler as none of our knees could have sustained that posture.

Sunday June 5

There were ten to thirteen people present during most of the vigil. We had a couple of visitors, one from Lebanon and one a young man who comes occasionally. Just before the end a young man stopped his car and walked up to ask what we were protesting. We said, maybe this is a vigil, not a protest, but the vigil-ers agreed that we are generally against war. The young man was a soldier, recently returned from Iraq and about to deploy to Kandahar in Afghanistan. He said that the vigil's signs made him feel that we did not support him. Someone explained that we "support the troops by bringing them home", but I think that was not satisfying to him. Six o'clock cut the conversation short. I very much respect his courage in stopping to talk. I wonder if we could have responded more effectively? or more sympathetically?

Friday June 3

Four people at the beginning, eight or nine at the end. Just after 5:00 four high school students from Corvallis borrowed one of our peace flags and took it off to use in composed photographs. During our conversation someone commented that the courthouse vigil had been present for much of their growing up. They also grew up with the most recent installment of the United States' permanent war.

Thursday June 2

Ten or eleven people for much of the hour. There was even more support for "no war" than usual; we happily wore ourselves out waving to acknowledge the encouragement.

Wednesday June 1

We had eight people for much of the vigil. The day had been very very rainy, and our umbrellas were out, but we were fortunate to stay mostly dry.

Tuesday May 31

Today at the courthouse, we joined the "I Am Bradley Manning" campaign. See iam.bradleymanning.org .

Monday May 30

Four at the beginning of the vigil; eight at the end. We were visited by a motorcycling couple from Seattle; they told us that Seattle has a vigil from 11:00AM to 1:00 each Thursday, in front of the city's Federal Building.

Sunday May 29

A crowded evening at the vigil, with 15 people at the end of the hour. There has been some sickness and even death in the Corvallis peace neighborhood recently, and we spent some time talking about that and wishing us all well.

Saturday May 28

Three to start the vigil; eight at the end. Again the rain held off until the last ten minutes. The gardeners had a discussion: if you have a dog and a flock of chickens, and the dog kills chickens, which do you get rid of?

Friday May 27

Three people at the start; six at the end. We were lucky that the rain held off until just after 6:00PM.

Wednesday May 26

Four people at 5:00PM, nine at 6:00. Rain during the vigil, but at least it was not snow. A couple of dogs looked bedraggled.

Wednesday May 25

Four people to begin the hour, ten at the end. One man who attends "once in a blue moon" comes because he has not seen a video of an airplane crashing into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Indeed, videos posted on youtube show only a ball of fire erupting from the Pentagon.

Tuesday May 24

About eight people for much of the hour. We had a new sign, "Honor the dead, heal the wounded, end the war".

Monday May 23

Three people to start the hour, seven of us at the end.

Sunday May 22

About a dozen people at the vigil. There was an almost-rowdy birthday party with homemade juice and healthy Rice Krispie treats.

Friday May 20

Eight people in front of the courthouse for much of the hour.

Thursday, 19 May

Sunny & warm - two of our six took to the shade, the rest savored this first of the season warm hour on the sidewalk.  Midway in the vigil a young friend, the exchange student from Chile, stopped to say hello.  He was with a young woman and both were pleased to pass a few minutes coaxing friendly waves from passersby.

Wednesday May 18

Four at 5:00PM, eight at 6:00. A quiet day at the vigil, thinking about the results of Tuesday's elections.

Tuesday May 17 -- pups for peace

Two dogs and four humans to start the vigil, four dogs and twelve humans at 6:00PM. More than one passerby stopped to visit the dogs. Some vocal opposition and many supportive peace signs.

Monday May 16

Five people at 5:00PM, ten at the end of the hour. Cookies were brought and shared. A little before six o'clock we were visited by a bird who left a calling card -- one of the perils of a street vigil. :)

Sunday May 15

Seven people to begin the vigil, eleven at the end. Without our trademark VW van, we were short on signs, long on people, and long on interesting conversations.

Saturday May 14

Five to start the hour, eight at the end. One bicycling friend lengthened his trip to include a SHORT visit -- "Hello, now I'm leaving." And a local organizer stopped by to announce tomorrow's history lesson, about the Movement for a New Society -- Sunday May 15, 3:00PM to 5:00, MU109A. For background, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_a_New_Society .

Friday, 13 May

Quiet start, just 2 for much of the first 1/2 hour.  Then our eldest friend of peace came round the corner; her first visit of the season.  We were delighted to see her; but concerned because the van which has a folding chair was not there.  Luckily there's a bench at the edge of the sidewalk and she sat there, holding a sign.  We moved ourselves and signs to stand beside her and hear the news of her life - 91 years, this summer I believe.  About 5:30 a friend from the Eastern Oregon came from the North end of the block and soon one more, stopping on his way home from work.  With the later addition of 2 we finished the hour with six.

Wednesday May 11 and Thursday May 12

Wednesday, a chilly wet day. Chocolate chip cookies to carry us through. About eight people for much of the hour.
Thursday, cool and sunny. Several vigil regulars were away, in Texas, Colorado, Portland, and even Corvallis. Two people to start the hour, eight at the end. Three big trucks showed their appreciation -- even one truck is a special day.

Tuesday May 10

On a sunny afternoon in Corvallis, twelve people for much of the hour. A young man and a young woman joined us for the first half hour. Unfortunately we did not find out their thoughts, but we were grateful for their company.

Monday May 9

Seven people at the beginning of the hour, fourteen at the end. Corvallis has an Amnesty International writing group, and today the group brought colorful posters and letters of petition asking for the release of Iranian political prisoner Majid Tavakkoli. Thanks.

Friday, 6 May

Burr!  A bundled up group gathered in a steady rain - four to start, three for the duration joined early on by four more - 1 a newcomer with strong opinions. And, two that split the last 30 minutes between them.  Six o'clock found 8 still at the curb.  A curious mindset causes people in passing cars to shout out things like "Obama is a war president." What were those two men in that black truck telling us?  Is it a challenge to why we are there or is it strictly a comment on the current administration?  But, the tone was accusatory as if we had not noticed that the addiction to violence crossed Party lines.

Thursday, 5 May

Three at the opening bells; 11 to finish the hour.  Politics circled the conversation.  Responses to Francis Moore Lappe's  talk of the night before bounced between us.  A report on a recent excursion through Zion National Park and to Escalante shifted the focus to distant beauty and the wonder of wild places, preserved.  What could we preserve if we did not invest our wealth in destruction?

Wednesday May 4

Five people to start the vigil, eight at 6:00PM. In the evening some of us attended the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling lecture, delivered by Frances Moore Lappe. She argued that, to create a better world, we should work on changing the way we look at the world, from seeing scarcity to seeing sufficiency. What do you think? Does the vigil fit into that? and if so, how?

Tuesday May 3

A mild and sunny day at the vigil. Five people at the start, eight at the end. A passerby observed,"Saddam's dead" -- which is true but old news. Maybe I heard wrong.

Monday May 2

Four people to start the hour, nine at the end.
Yesterday US soldiers assassinated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, and today a Gazette-Times reporter stopped by to ask the reaction of vigil folks. Some of us think that his killing is irrelevant to the vigil, because the War on Terror will continue. Time will tell.
A young man came with a sign "WHAT NOW?" The "A" was an anarchist logo, and the "O" was a peace sign. His view is that anarchism and peace activism are opposites. We had an interesting conversation. Thanks for coming!

Sunday May 1

A lovely spring evening at the vigil. Half of us were without socks. Five people to start the hour, eleven at the end.
You may remember that students from a peace studies course at Western Oregon University are visiting the vigil each Sunday; this evening they brought a copy of their text, Approaches to Peace, edited by David Barash. The study questions at the end of each section were provocative.

Friday, 29 April

Sunshine for the hour!  Five at the curb at 5.  Four at 6. Two more for the middle portion.  A man stopped to ask: (I paraphrase)with a democrat as President who somehow seemed to represent something better, a different perspective [Change & Hope] and now we are bombing Libya; what do you do?  He talked quietly with one of our group and left.    Is that not the question we all ask in one form or another?

Thursday, April 28

Slim numbers - 7 for the majority of the hour.  7 and one visiting crow commenting upon our presence from the arching street light support above us.

Wednesday, April 27

If the tales were true the wind today might have carried us and our signs over the rooftops. And, if the tales were of the folk & fairy variety we might have landed at the ogre's doorstep or the hag's hearth... Or maybe in a postmodern tale we'd end up in a corporate boardroom or the halls of Congress where, with our mythical 3 wishes and our combined wisdom, we would dismantle the Oligarchy and transform the habits of war into compassion and selfless generosity.
As it was this blustery day found 11 of us holding firm to the curb in front of Benton County Courthouse, signs in hand and the Earth flag flying high.

Tuesday April 26

Nine people when the clock chimed six o'clock. Discussions included, what do people think of Wyoming? and scoring in golf. Tomorrow we will work on ending the war.

Monday April 25

Eleven people when the clock struck six. No VW van this afternoon. The Monday treat was gluten-free brownies.

Sunday April 24

Five of us to start the hour, seven at the end. The students from Western Oregon University brought the reading list for their courses Causes of Peace.

Saturday April 23

A lovely warm Saturday turned chilly about 5:00PM. Five people at the start of the hour, ten when we ended. Several of them were visitors from Portland.

Friday, 22 April, Earth Day

Two for the first long stretch of the hour - just us and the wind whipping about the Earth flag. Well, there were numerous friendly passersby.  A man walked over from the bus station wanting to ask some questions.  He said he's seen one of our signs naming Israel and he wondered what we had to say about that country.  He told us he's just getting informed from reading Facebook about issues around Israel.  We gave our varied opinions.  I suggested he visit End The Occupation.  Then he asked what we knew about HARP and how it is responsible for all these bad storms.  I invited him to join us anytime he wants to talk.  He did not say ay or nay to that.  As he left more folks arrived and by my count there were ten people and 2 dogs. And, a second visitor - a young man on a bike, curious.

Thursday April 21

Sunny but chilly at the vigil. Five people at the start, seven at the end. Some discussion of the relationship between Christianity and paganism, and of a talk by Sam Richards on "a radical experiment in empathy".

Wednesday April 20

About nine people at the vigil tonight. Some folks went to Eugene, where Noam Chomsky spoke to a crowd which filled three medium-size lecture halls.

Tuesday April 19

Fourteen people ended the vigil at 6:00PM. We had two visitors from Vancouver, Thomas and Barbara. Visitors are always welcome [as are regular attendees :)].

Monday April 18

The deadline for filing income tax returns was a slow day at the vigil -- two people at 5:00PM, seven when we ended.
A young mother wheeling a pram stopped for five minutes to hold up the two-finger peace sign. She let us look at her baby, 4-1/2 months old. It was a bright spot of the hour.

Sunday, April 17

2 dogs and 15 people, one a visitor from California.    Almost sunny with pink petal drifts in the flower beds.  Our young researchers from the Causes of Peace class made their Sunday visit.

Saturday, April 16

Was it the fact of income tax time that brought so many to the vigil today?  It was not the bright sunshine.  We began with 6 and grew to number 16.  Discussion about the tea party presence in the morning - I'd walked by and read some of the usual libertarian slogans - all their flag waving seems contrary to the intent to defund government.

Friday April 15

Five people to start the vigil, nine when we ended.
The man holding the Israeli flag has been back at his post for a couple of days. We bid farewell when the clock strikes 6:00.

Thursday April 14

Cold, windy and showery. Four people at 5:00PM, six at the end. An enthusiastic discussion, what was the weather like in February?

Tuesday April 12

Four people when the vigil started at 5:00PM, nine at 6:00PM.
On April 4 a lone man held up an Israeli flag at the northeast corner of the courthouse block. Until today, he has returned every day since April 4. Agree or disagree politically, I do admire his courage to stand alone.

April 11, 2011

A quiet day at the vigil. Three people at 5:00PM, seven when the hour ended.

Saturday April 9

Just after we gathered at 5:00PM, a friendly fellow ambled across 4th Street to ask, Can I hold a sign that says, "Shut down the schools and fuel the army"?! With the budget agreement, it seems like that is the way the United States is going.
Later in the hour a lady passing by thanked us for our presence. We appreciate the encouragement.
Five people to start the vigil, seven at 6:00PM.

Friday April 8, 2011

An early spring day at the vigil. Four folks came at 5:00PM, seven at 6:00.

photographs from March 19 memorial for 2003 invasion of Iraq

10 circling the intersection at Circle and 9th

01 Iraqi social worker speaking before the procession

02 pups for peace

03 the head of the funeral procession

04 the funeral procession by Harrison Avenue

05 coffins at the National Guard Armory

06 coffins at the National Guard Armory

07 Stop the War at the National Guard Armory

08 silence at the National Guard Armory

09 walking circle at Circle and 9th

April 5, 2011

Seven of us for much of the hour, including a visitor from Los Angeles. It was cold, but there were oatmeal raisin cookies for an un- birthday celebration.
A woman stopped to inquire, "What are you doing?"
"We are against the war."
"Which war?"
"We are against all war."
"Well, so am I, but I don't know what else to do."

Monday, April 4

March winds still blowing, holding one of  the wooden signs aloft I was nearly tipped over by a gust of wind; a comic moment.   Laughter is a regular part of our peaceful vigil.  4 when I arrived - 8 for most of the hour. 9 people in all & yummy chocolate brownies.  Occasionally a woman with a sign linking cost of war and our local economic woes stands alone at the corner of Monroe; she says her sign is seen better when the traffic stops there.  She was there this blustery April 4.  And, late in the hour, near to the corner of Jackson a lone man unfurled an Israeli flag.

Sunday April 3

Fourteen people to end the vigil. We had an interesting discussion with two young folks, enrolled in a course Causes of Peace at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. We are always happy for visitors, young or of any age.
One car drove by and yelled, Kill them all. The next encouraging gestures were particularly welcome. I wonder, where do those angry words come from?

Saturday April 2

Lots of people at today's gathering, with a weekend attendee from Albany. Maybe eight people to begin the vigil, thirteen at the end.
We noticed more gestures of disagreement from passersby today, and are wondering what was different.

Friday April 1

Four people to start the vigil, twelve when the hour ended. Yesterday's spring weather was gone, and traffic jams made some drivers impatient.

Thursday March 31

Clif Kenagy passed away this week. Thanks for your work, Clif.

Thursday March 31

It seemed like the first day of spring. We had our gloves off, passing cars had windows rolled down. The trees in front of the courthouse looked completely in bloom.
There was a passionate discussion of the pros and cons of wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. Now if we could just stop the war(s) ...
Four people at the beginning, eleven at the end.

Wednesday March 30

Four people to start the vigil, eleven when the clock chimed six. A couple of children went by with two-handed peace signs! And the trees in front of Benton County Courthouse are blooming today.

Monday March 28

Four to start the hour, nine at the end. We shared gummy bears and cookies. An infant in a passing car gave a definite peace sign and raised our spirits -- thanks to him and his family!

March 25, Friday

Four, then me as the second round of clock tolling 5 chimed out.  One left, one arrived. With two more coming from opposite ends of the block and two more needing to leave 10 minutes early we closed with five on a sunny afternoon.  This started to read like a 'story problem' from grade school math and it seems it needs to end with a question: what was the maximum number standing vigil on 3/25/11?

Thursday March 24

Two people to start the vigil, eight of us at the end of the hour. The rainy weather brought a rainbow, and a passerby brought a flower from the star magnolia at the end of the block.

Wednesday March 23

Four people to start off the vigil, but one faithful sign, Troops Out of Afghanistan, was missing. Nine people at 6:00PM.
Now the United States is involved in another war in Libya. Someone asked, what (should/could) the United States do in that situation? Any thoughts?