Editor:

Every Friday for 19 years we and others join together for a Peace Vigil on the Plaza across from the post office in Socorro, New Mexico, excepting the weeks we were all at home during the lockdown.

We’re dedicated to ending all wars; believing we can best support our troops by bringing them home. Unfortunately a large part of our economy makes a lot of money with war. So a lot of people view the loss of human life as merely collateral damage for the cost of the war economy.

Our group isn’t political, we don’t think there is a Republican or Democrat who wants to send their child off to war. It’s enough to try to convince people that war is bad, that war should be eliminated, and that we support the troops by calling for them to be brought home.

We appreciate all the people who honk or wave in support.

Socorro has always been a melting pot from our local cultures and religions to those added from around the world attending or teaching at NMT.

Lately we’ve added a placard “Black Lives Matter”. Peace, the elimination of war, begins with peace at home, justice at home. We’ve always connected racism, military spending in the economy, militarized police, the rich getting richer and the poor dying, with ending war. So it was natural for us to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

The “fight” for justice should not be a fight or civil war, but, a constant movement toward justice and peace by organizing together and speaking truth to those in power.

We at our Peace Vigil always understand “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.”

As Mother Teresa said, “Peace begins with a smile.”

Peace and justice do not begin with hatred, with violence.

Join us at the Plaza every Friday at 4:30 p.m. to start making peace by

smiling and waving to others. Hope to see you there.

Arf (aka Richard L. Epstein) for the Socorro Peace Vigil

El Defensor Chieftain Editor