Franklin County peace activists are expecting some unwelcome guests at their weekly vigil this Saturday: local Tea Partiers.
The peace vigil, which has been held regularly on the Greenfield Common since 2003, has been selected as the site of a competing rally on July 17 organized by the Western Mass 912 Project. That group, which claims about 180 members, is a local chapter of the national political movement spearheaded by conservative talk show host/demagogue Glenn Beck. Supporters have been called to the rally via the social networking site meetup.com. “Carpooling from the Holyoke Mall may be a good idea,” organizers suggest. “We’d arrive in bunches and let the ‘moonbats’ know we are not going away!”
“We need to show up en masse to show the liberals that we surround them,” one supporter added.
The 912 Project is based on nine principles and 12 values, defined by Beck on his website, with a heavily anti-government sentiment (“I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.” “The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.”) and a big dose of personal moral instruction (“I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.” “I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.”) Beck is organizing a “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, D.C., on Aug 28; that event, which Beck’s 912 website describes as a “non-political” tribute to “America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor,” will feature guest speaker Sarah Palin. And he’s also working on a “major new initiative”—known by the ominous name “The Plan”—which, he says, will result in an American “Refounding.”
The local Beck fans can expect to be met at the Greenfield rally by social justice and peace activists, including members of Western Mass. Jobs With Justice. In an email to supporters notifying them of the 912 rally, WMJWJ coordinator Jon Weissman wrote, “Since these folks are vehemently anti-union, racist, homophobic, and worse, I will come from Granby to support the Vigilers, and hope you will too. And spread the word.”
In response, a self-described veteran vigiler from central Mass. wrote to the WMJWJ list that she and a companion plan to come show their support of the Greenfield peace activists. “We learned from seven years of standing in silent dignity that silence will be the best counterpoint to the shouts and taunts of those who plan to ‘surround’ us,” she wrote. “We know that silence is not normally the way of the Greenfield vigil. I’m writing to urge that it be so just this once. It would be a tragedy to have a vigil for peace descend into a shouting match.
“It will be easier to restrain ourselves if we see the visitors as the frightened people they are. Perhaps our calm reserve can reassure them that we mean them no harm.”
The peace vigil takes place every Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Greenfield Common.
