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Our Way Home Reunion
Submitted by Mark Johnson on July 7, 2007 - 3:37am.
This is the second annual gathering to celebrate war resisters in the greater Nelson area of British Columbia, Canada. Nelson is nicknamed Resisterville because of its role of welcoming Vietnam Era deserters, joined more recently by Iraq war veterans fleeing the United States for refugee asylum in Canada rather than return for additional tours of duty in Iraq.
Twice this evening speakers could not keep back tears in expressing their gratitude for the hospitality of this community as a refuge of peace in a war-driven world. The first was Corky Evans, an American who came to Canada at age 18 in the 1960s and went on to be elected to Parliament and to serve as a cabinet member. Having been rejected by family, church, and community for his decision not to serve in Vietnam, he clearly still bears the emotionally liberating welcome of the Canadian peace community.
The second was Tom Hayden, normally a pragmatic, good-humored, incisive critic of political issues, inspiring but not overly emotional, speaking with well researched and reasoned positions and anecdotes from a long career as a radical voice in the American landscape of political issues. He invited Americans to be more like Canadians and Canadians to be less like Americans, evoking a knowing laugh from the audience. But he could not complete his remarks with full composure. When it came to acknowledging his gratitude for Canada's willingness to take in war resisters throughout much of its history, and now again young men and women of conscience who will not continue to serve in the military, he sobbed. It was a sober moment in the evening's celebrations, and a widely shared sentiment.
Tomorrow Daniel Ellsberg and Leonard Weinglass will address the gathering.
Our Way Home Reunion II
Holly Near (http://www.hollynear.com/) and Emma’s Revolution opened their evening performance at the “Our Way Home Reunion” with the observation that no social movement in their memory has ever succeeded without a song or a song-book. The thought quickly leads back to the Psalms and the recognition that most faith traditions do include a strong musical heritage. In our time the continuing evolution of folk music, spirituals, Rap and Hip-Hop all add confirmation to the thesis. I recommend Ember Swift (http://emberswift.com/main.htm) and Emma’s Revolution (http://www.emmasrevolution.com/music.cfm) for currency and musicality. What music speaks to you of peace and social justice?
One of the striking balances of the Our Way Home Reunion gathering, a celebration of Canada’s support of the war-resisters movement during the Viet Nam War area and again, though more hesitantly, as a part of soldiers refusing to return to Iraq, was the balance of men on the podium and women on the stage. Largely a function of the era which attracted those in attendance, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden (Ending the War in Iraq), Leonard Weinglass, Stephen Zunes (Tinderbox), Arun Gandhi, and Isaac Romano dominated the presentations, while Holly Near, Emma’s Revolution, Ember Swift and Lindle Montgomery, Barbara Williams drove the music.
Peggy Mason, former Canadian Ambassador to the UN on Disarmament issues was also a featured speaker from the Canadian community, and music was provided by Tom Rawson, Bob Boisson and Country Joe McDonald. They were the exceptions that proved the rule. The gathering attracted nearly 300 participants, including a number of FOR members. It spoke equally of the ever deepening gratitude of those who pursue nonviolence for those who welcome its expression, and of the need to adapt nonviolent strategies in new ways to the challenges of war in the world today.
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