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By KASIA KOPEC kkopec@leader.net
Monday, March 17, 2003 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE – There were no signs, no chants, no marches, only the
occasional roar of a revving motor and a heckler’s rantings to compete with
the silence of a candlelight vigil for peace held Sunday night on Public
Square.
Holding candles while holding their tongues, more than 60 people – young
and old, peace novices and veteran protesters alike – encircled the flag pole
at 7 p.m. to show their opposition to the apparently impending war in Iraq.
The gathering, organized locally by the Peace Center, lasted about 40
minutes and was held in conjunction with more than 3,000 similar
demonstrations taking place around the globe, said Pat McCormick of Laflin.
As he handed out green taper-shaped candles to those who didn’t bring their
own, McCormick said he hoped his presence would serve as a message to those in
power and the public that “France is right; there is an alternative to war.”
Jeremy Stoshick of Luzerne, who attended the vigil along with his wife,
Bridget, and their baby boy, Dakota, echoed McCormick’s hope that diplomacy
will be embraced in the 11th hour.
“I’m only 23 and I only know what I read in the papers, but it seems to me
it would be nice to have our allies’ support before going to war,” said
Stoshick. “And the fact that we don’t have that support from our friends
should raise a red flag that, hey, maybe more violence isn’t the answer.”
For Mary Anne Quick and her daughter Amanda, 11, Sunday night’s peace vigil
was their first. They attended, even though Mary Anne is struggling with the
whole issue of what to do about Iraq. Quick’s sister is a member of the Army
Reserves and expects orders to deploy “any day now.”
“I’m definitely torn,” Quick said. “On one hand I want peace for myself,
my kids and everyone else, and on the other hand, I want safety for our
troops, who gave their whole lives for the safety of our country.”
Amanda just wants this all to end.
“I’m sick of wars,” she said. “I don’t want my aunt to die. I just want
peace.”
Kasia Kopec, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 970-7436.