Whats so funny about peace, love and understanding? Activists say tide has turned with new Congress By Jim Lundstrom How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today? I answered that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. ~Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849 Thoreau talked much of the machine of government that he famously dropped out of because of the way that machine conducted its business. While the issue of slavery was foremost in his objections, he was just as disgusted by the slavishness to a then-young tradition in this country of mouthing high ideals while trailing your soul in the dirt. Thoreaus premise was simple: People of conscience should not live under such a morally challenged government. Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. Civil Disobedience Del Schwaller agrees. Sometimes you do things because your conscience takes over, the 82-year-old Appleton man said. It was that pesky conscience that in November 2005 made him join 36 others who broke from thousands of fellow activists and crossed the protest line outside the gates of the controversial U.S. Armys School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga. (the school is now called the Western Hemisphere Institute of Security Cooperation). That act of conscience-driven civil disobedience earned the World War II veteran a two-month stay last spring at the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wis. Schwaller, the father of seven and a former Appleton alderman (1970-80), said his activistism began in the 1960s with a fair housing movement in Milwaukee, but for more than a decade his focus has been on Central and South America and the havoc wreaked there by graduates of the School of the Americas. Its not always an easy route, but if you want to satisfy your conscience he says, his soft voice trailing off as if there were no other choice. Perhaps youve seen Schwaller among the activists of the Fox Valley Peace Coalition who gather the first Saturday of every month on a downtown Appleton street corner to publicly protest the war. He and most of the others have been advocating a peaceful solution since before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 20, 2003. Finally, they say, public sentiment appears to be changing from the post-9/11 intolerance for anyone not waving the flag and standing behind the president, to the realization that perhaps this war is costing more than its worth. A recent AP-Ipsos poll found a record 71 percent of the U.S. population disapprove of George W. Bushs handling of the Iraq war, 60 percent favor withdrawal of U.S. forces this year (immediate withdrawal was not offered as an option) and only 9 percent believe in an American victory. When this started, people used to call me a terrorist, said Ronna Swift of the Fox Valley Peace Coalition and organizer of the monthly peace rallies. I think were starting to mend. I just believe that things are starting to change. People used to drive by with thumbs down and worse, said Jaunita Makaroff, another member of the peace coalition. There will always be people against us, but were getting more positive responses. There used to be a small group that protested across the street from us. They called us unpatriotic. We dont see them so much anymore. Lessons learned in Vietnam forced Vietnam veteran James Bowman to take a place among the peace activists in downtown Appleotn. I learned there that political solutions arent solved very well with military action, he said. Yet, after his service, Bowman spent two years designing weapons for the Navy. I believe in national defense, he said. This is different. Even in the early days of the war, when the activists gathered weekly and were subjected to taunts and ridicule, Bowman said he went home feeling good for doing his part to raise awareness. He also confirms that recent public response to the monthly anti-war vigils has taken a turn from a majority of people giving the finger to the group to a majority now showing support with honks, waves and words. And like other peace activists around the country, he sees another pinprick of light in the long-dark tunnel. I see a change that happened after the election, he said. It was very satisfying. But fellow Vietnam vet and activist Clif Morton of New London fears the mandate for change can be ignored. Im very worried that this president is not going to listen to the people, he said. I think the people spoke very loud in November and now when I hear of this 20,000 increase (in troops), I remember Nixon during the Vietnam era. My heart breaks when I hear that direction is being considered. It is hope in a new Democrat-controlled Congress that has re-energized the peace movement, a fact which prompted the Fox Valley Peace Coalition to negotiate a recent sit-down with Congressman-elect Steve Kagen to deliver a position paper to him and hear his position on the war. If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations. HD Thoreau, Civil Disobedience Thirteen activists showed up for what turned out to be a lively hour-long meeting with Kagen in his campaign office in the basement of Appletons City Hall. After giving each a chance to give a brief statement on their activism which included everything from WW II vet Stanley Holcomb describing the destruction of Germany from his B-24 Liberator to others who simply felt it was their moral duty, such as Juanita Makaroff, who told Kagen, America is not the country I was taught to love and respect as a child. In the last six years, so much of what has happened has been un-American. Kagen thanked the group for their activism and proceeded to amplify the glimmer of hope they held for him and the new Congress. Washington, he said, is giddy about the new Congress. The incoming freshman are a tremendous group of people, he said. We were all elected because of change and new direction. I think this group of freshman are going to hang together. Theyre very outspoken. All of which means trouble for the Bush Administration and its policies. There are two kinds of law, Kagen said. Theres written law and jungle law. Which form of government do you want to live by? The president today doesnt believe in the written law. He disobeys the Constitution and writes his own laws. You know where I stand on that. Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice. Civil Disobedience And about the war? Our government is broke, Kagen said. Were borrowing money from China and spending it in the sands of Iraq, a fundamental mistake. We have a debt of $47 trillion. The big crunch is going to come in our lifetime. Its poor judgment that got us into Vietnam. Its poor judgment that got us into Iraq. The first big match between Congress and the Bush administration comes in February when Congress will be asked to vote on supplemental funding for the war. The Defense Department says it is spending about $4.5 billion a month on the conflict in Iraq, or about $100,000 per minute. Im going to be asked in several weeks to vote for a continuing resolution, looks like anywhere from 70 to 130 billion dollars, to continue to support the troops, Kagen said. Im only going to ask a couple questions. What are we getting for our money?... If the administration wants money, Im from Wisconsin. What are we going to get for our money? I think solving this problem means sharing the grief with other nations, he said. We clearly dont belong there. I dont know how I can vote to spend money, a) we dont have, and, b) where they wont show me what were buying. When Swift asked Kagen how the group could be supportive of him, he asked them to be good salespeople. You have to first be a good listener, and listen to the objections of your friends and neighbors, he said. They arent much anymore, quite frankly, Swift said. Then you have to go somewhere where you dont know somebody, Kagen said. Dont convert friends. Go to a coffee shop youve never been in, sit down. Hey, you see this, what do you think of that. Kagens performance, which included a hilarious story of a visit to the White House (see sidebar), was applauded by all in attendance. It was easy to see Steve is not waffling on the issue of war, Clif Morton said. Im personally very impressed by the man, Swift said. Will this energize our group? Ohmigod, yes.
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