WHAT'S NEW?

What a difference a year makes. Media articles questioning origins and wisdom of the Iraq War have moved from grassroots peace publications to the cover of every major newsmagazine in the nation. As the casualty count rises and the quagmire thickens, Americans are wondering what to do next.

Here in the seacoast, for some dedicated activists, the answer remains the same – protest. The Seacoast Peace Response (SPR) continues to hold vigils, teach-ins, rallies and media events. They even have their own web site.

While the Iraq War is compared to Viet Nam with increasing frequency, the difference between the two is evident between the pages of the SPR web site.

These protests are not being staged by a radical fringe with a host of ancillary issues. This is about peace versus war, clean and simple. This group is well organized, even trained in the ways of civil disobedience. This group is peaceful and media savvy and includes the young, the Boomers and seniors working together. This time, the peace movement is not aimed at soldiers in the military, who are treated with respect.

Whatever one feels about the Iraq War, the SPR site shows people of courage, taking action, peacefully, in all weather, against great odds. That’s exactly the kind of alternative view that the Internet makes available for free. One has to wonder whether Viet Nam might have ended sooner if the Internet had been around.

The site is far from perfect, as grassroots as the peace movement itself. It is difficult to navigate in spots and is in need of a quick redesign. But drill down and you will find important information and some powerful images. A few of those photos – a protest that led to the trial of "The Newington Five" last year, are reprinted below.

-- JDR