Days of the dead

(published in La Prensa de Minnesota, 10/28/05)

I am writing this column on October
25, on the third anniversary of the death of Paul and Sheila Wellstone, and
on a day that also marks the death of 2000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The radio
reports more fatalities—three car bombs here, a suicide bomber there, and
also a battle between soldiers and "dissident Iraqis."

Of course, there are more deaths.
The Iraqi soldiers and police die, too—some 2,150 in 2005, and 1,300 before
this year, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count [http://icasualties.org/oif/IraqiDeaths.aspx].
The non-governmental organization, Iraq Body Count [http://www.iraqbodycount.net/],
estimates that between 26,000 and 31,000 Iraqis have died during this war. At
present, they estimate that about 60 Iraqi civilians are killed every day. For
the deaths of civilian men and women, of the children whose lives have been
cut short without compassion, without hope, without an opportunity for a future,
we do not have exact numbers, names or descriptions. We have only inexact estimates,
because they are not as important as the U.S. soldiers. They are "collateral
damage."

Outside Iraq, there are more victims
of wars. In Colombia the paid hit men assassinated the Guambiano leader, Francisco
Cuchillo, governor of the indigenous reserve of Cañón Rio Guavas
in the municipality of Ginebra in the departmentof Valle del Cauca. They assassinate
d him October 10, as he prepared to lead a protest march in his community, in
commemoration of the Día de la Raza. One day earlier, a squad of the
National Police attacked another demonstration of 6,000 Embera Chamí
people in Remolino in the department of Risaralda. They killed Marcos Soto,
a member of the Chamí community, and injured others. How many persons
die each day, each week, each month in the war in Colombia? We do not have precise
statistics—like the civilian victims in Iraq, they are not as important
as U.S. soldiers.

During this week we celebrate and
commemorate the Days of the Dead, also called All Souls Day and All Saints Day.
In Minnesota, we remember especially our Senator Paul Wellstone. If he were
alive, he would denounce these wars, he would cry for the dead, for all the
dead, and he would be a stroong voice and fighter for justice and peace. In
his memory, we can commit ourselves anew to continue with this struggle for
justice and peace. Some ways we can become involved are:

Every week: Vigils for peace
on Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge between Minneapolis and St. Paul every
Wednesday at 4:30 and at Snelling and Summit avenues every Friday at 4:30.

November 1: Minnesota Alliance
of Peacemakers annual meeting at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church,
511 Groveland at Lyndale, Minneapolis. Winona LaDuke will speak on "Visions
of Sustainability" at 7 p.m.

November 4: Remembering Paul
Pam Costain and Bill Lofy will present two new books, Politics: the Wellstone
Way and Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive. Come and share
in a celebration of the life and work of Paul at 7 p.,m. at the Resource Center
of the Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis.

November 5: Camilo Mejia
will speak about his service in the U.S. army in Iraw and why he refused to
return to Iraq at 10 a.m. at the Resource Center of the Americas, 3019 Minnehaha
Avenue, Minneapolis.