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Every Thursday, protesters assemble for vigil on square

Peace Now Citrus County's message is always the same but the reaction of passers-by varies.

By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published December 26, 2005

INVERNESS - As they have every Thursday since the summer, a group of antiwar protesters plans to continue their Courthouse Square candlelight vigils for peace.

When Cindy Sheehan was camped outside of President George Bush's ranch in Texas, members of Peace Now Citrus County organized a solidarity vigil on the Courthouse Square. When the 2,000th U.S. casualty was recorded in Iraq, the group held a vigil, with luminarias for every fallen Florida soldier lining the sidewalk of the Courthouse Square.

Through heat, cold, rain and sometimes angry reactions, the group of mostly women have staked out their push for peace as the rush hour crowd drives past them on their way home.

Members of Peace Now Citrus County say they've felt the shifting attitudes from passing motorists. As the country's discontent over the Iraq war grows, the antiwar protesters who have been holding up signs and singing peace songs since August say their message is getting through.

"I feel there are far fewer negative remarks, and lots more shows of support for peace," said Renee Isabelle, who has been participating in the vigils since August. "At first, it was very bitter, but it's been much more positive lately."

At a vigil earlier this month, the passing motorists on Main Street seemed to be in strong support of the peace cause. The majority of motorists who registered an opinion seemed to be positive, with a thumbs up or friendly wave accompanying a short toot of their vehicle horn. Only a few gave them the middle finger or called out an insult.

The vigils are usually attended by about 30 people, some of whom hold up signs criticizing President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Others mourn the combat and civilian casualties and some just urge peace.

"We're making people aware that they have to start thinking about what the country is doing there," Isabelle said. "I feel that if we weren't here, those people who drive by may not be thinking about it. If they just hear it on the news, it's not the same as seeing it on their way home from work. It's real."

Beverly Wiskow, 61, calls herself "the reluctant leader" of Peace Now Citrus County. After a recent vigil, she hosted a meeting at her house in Inverness to further organize the peace movement.

"It's nice to see what we're doing on the Courthouse Square, but I think we need to have similar vigils in every community in Citrus County," she said. "We need to organize in order to be able to do this."

She also said the show of support for the Thursday vigils is "overwhelmingly positive."

Among the topics discussed at the meeting were to approach the county's religious leaders, through the Interfaith Council, to get some type of resolution from them in support of peace. They also plan to approach the Citrus County School Board and discuss forming a counter-recruitment program. Wiskow and others said they feel it's important for young people contemplating a decision to join the military to hear their views before making up their minds.

"We need to explain to students what's really happening. How the military is data-mining to target single-parent kids, who have no hope of going to college, and lay a big recruitment pitch on them," Wiskow said. "The parents are not aware they can opt out of this, but I think the laws should be changed that they have to opt in, instead of being automatically included unless they say not."

Beverly Wiskow's husband, Doug, 61, said the vigils have helped him think about what he feels is wrong with the Iraq war.

"The first Gulf War was a different war altogether," he said. "It seems to me that we had a mission, a defined objective. We did what we were supposed to do and then went home.

"This is Vietnam revisited," he said.

Julie Longhill, who, along with her husband, Tom, sings and plays peace songs at the vigils, said she's glad the community can talk about the war in a peaceful and mutually respectful manner.

"At first, people were ruled by fear. You put enough fear into people and you can keep them in line," she said. "But now they're opening up. I don't think we could have had these type of discussions eight months ago."

Wiskow said she believes the Peace Now movement, and others similar to it across the nation, are having an effect.

"What it means is that people are realizing that this war is a mistake, pure and simple," she said. "The American people are the most powerful entity in our government, and the American people have discovered the truth.

"We want to be that drip-drip-drip on the consciousness of the president and Congress, which prevents them from getting to sleep at night until they realize they have to fix something."

Peace Now member Isabelle said she doesn't believe the U.S. military is capable of winning the war in Iraq.

"There are 22-million people there. We have about 160,000 soldiers there," she said."That's not enough to control the country. We should just get out."

The group's next vigil will be Thursday at 6 p.m.

"And we'll be there every Thursday until the war is over," Wiskow said.

--Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or e-mail at sanchez@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 26, 2005, 00:43:13]