Lansing Peace Community's 2008 Holiday Peace Message

Cold winds and wet snow flakes characterized the Greater Lansing's peace community's weekly peace vigil on Friday. When noontime rolls you take what you get weather-wise and hope that you have dressed appropriately. On cold winter days, you hope the number of people who show up exceeds the temperature on the Boji Tower clock.

Lansing's peace community has now held 380 straight vigils -- more than a year's worth of Fridays supporting our troops and supporting peace. We'll be back next Friday, too, and the Friday after that. We'll be in the front of the Michigan Capitol, if necessary, throughout Barack Obama's term if U.S. troops are still warring in Iraq or Afghanistan. We'll be there rain, sleet, sun or snow.

For any of you readers who live and work in Lansing, especially downtown Lansing, you are welcome to join the peace vigil on Fridays at noon. You can stand with us in support -- or grab one of the signs if you like. Everyone is welcome. If you want to break the ice, just say "Rico Thomas Rico invited me," and get a laugh when they say "Who?".

On the occasion of the 380th vigil, I shot the group's annual holiday peace photo (see above), though turnout was lower than usual because of the day's snow storm. The picture will be sent with a holiday card to U.S. Senators Levin and Stabenow, our House reps, and President-elect Obama. To see all the photos shot at the peace vigil on Friday click here.

This year, I recorded an additional video message from the Greater Lansing peace community. In the video, I asked people what suggestions or resolutions they would have for President-Elect Obama for next year. Watch the video below or click here.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Words of Wisdom for Barack Obama

Pix of the Week: Friends at the Peace Vigil

Peacemakers in Lansing have stood at the Michigan Capitol building for 371 straight Fridays -- over a year's worth of Fridays -- in support of peace and in support of bringing our troops home. During that time, enduring friendships have developed among the brave people who have stood against U.S. military violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. The picture below captured a happy moment full of smiles, showing that hope among local peacemaker still thrives.

Join us next week at noon -- your membership to the peace community is pre-approved. We'll provide the signs, you bring the peace.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

(L- R) Ann Francis, Margaret Kingsbury, and Quess Derman

Grab Your Coat, You're Getting Snowed

Baghdad was 59 degrees today. Wanna bet that over 70% of our U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan would rather have been at the Capitol with us today?

The Bush dead-end defenders -- starting with U.S. Representative Mike Rogers -- refuse to acknowledge a vast majority of U.S. troops in Iraq, some on torturous second and third tours, would rather be home right now. But what would Bush, Rogers, and cronies know or care about the needs of our troops and the security interests of this country? These policy impostors have time and again proven they are complete amateurs in handling world affairs, and they've handily turned a blind eye to U.S. government illegalities like (all documented) torture, kidnapping, secret prisons, domestic spying, leaked CIA identities, evidence destruction and on and on.

So who is getting snowed here? Me. You. Our troops. The American public.

Grab your coat. Join us. We'll be back in front of the Capitol at Noon on January 4, 2008.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

To see all of today's snowy Peace Vigil photos, please visit:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/9042461@N06/4J0h66

Wishing for Peace on Earth

Below is my picture of the Peace Vigil at the Michigan Capitol Building in Downtown Lansing on December 21, 2007. This was the 328th straight Friday at the Capitol Building. Please come join us each and every Friday at noon until the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan end. Everyone is welcome. (Make it part of your New Year's resolution!) Signs are provided or bring your own. The next vigil: December 28, 2007, at noon.

-- Rico Thomas Rico