Here is a message that I
sent to the people who have already registered for our vigil in Great
Barrington. I'm hoping that we will have more than 100 people there. Please
forward this message to your email circle, whether in this area or not.
There will be a similar
vigil in Lee at the Congregational Church, as well as vigils in Pittsfield and
Williamstown.
These and other vigils can
be located by visiting:
This is a key moment in
history. Be a part of it.
Thank you for registering to be part of our vigil at the Great Barrington
Town Hall at 7 PM on Sunday night. As of now, we have almost 50 people signed up
via the
MoveOn.org website, and I
know that many more people plan to attend. Please round up friends, family and
neighbors and bring them with you, whether or not they have registered.
Please visit http://berkshirewinwithoutwar.org/ for
more information and to sign our on-line petition. By registering your email
address, you will be kept abreast of local activities such as this one, so that
you can participate if you are so moved.
Our general plan is to line
both sides of Main Street with people holding candles. You may want to arrive
early so that you can be in position for the "official" starting time of 7
o'clock. We would like to maximize the impact of our presence by spacing
vigilants about 3 or 4 feet apart, but if you choose to stand in a group, that
is fine, too. Just be sure to respect the public right-of-way on the sidewalks
by leaving at least half the sidewalk available for passers-by.
Please bring your own
candle, and bring some extras in case some of our participants forget. The
weather forecast is for mild, dry weather, but this is New England, so dress
warmly, wear gloves or mittens, and put an umbrella in the car just in case.
Bring paper cups or some other protection (such as a small paper plate) to
prevent hot wax dripping onto your hands. Remember, if you light one candle from
another, dip the unlit one, to avoid hot wax running onto your hands or
clothing.
If you have a digital
camera, please take photos. Crop and resize your photos to fit on a Web page and
send them in .jpg format to: photos@moveon.org and to photos@alfordinc.com so that we can post them on the BerkshireWinWithoutWar.org website.
We will also report the number of actual participants to MoveOn so that they can
compile a worldwide total.
We have notified the Great
Barrington police and town officials of this event, and our experience with our
weekly Saturday vigils is that more townspeople support us than not, so we don't
expect any trouble. Be reminded, however, that there is always the possibility
of hecklers, and if that happens, we strongly recommend that you not respond to
taunts or other harassment. Here are the ground rules promulgated by the
organizers:
- This is a peaceful vigil, not a rally. The power of
this event lies in its numbers and its silence. The tone of a vigil is somber
and strong.
- Ignore counter protesters or hecklers. Inevitably, at
a few events, someone could show up to give the group a hard time. Remember:
"If you ignore them, they will go away." They came to get a reaction out of
you. Don't give them one. Ignore them and watch them disappear.
The vigil will last for one
hour, but participants are free to leave sooner or stay longer, as they see
fit.
Please feel free to email me
if you have any questions or concerns:
This is a key moment in
history. Be a part of it.