Peace Coalition Vigil and Gaza Rally: Ditch the wars
Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/04/2026
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Location
Corner of Main St and Illinois Ave
Categories
MONTHLY PEACE AND JUSTICE VIGIL/RALLY FOR PEACE IN GAZA: WHEN YOU ARE IN A HOLE, QUIT DIGGING—DITCH THE WARS
SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2026, NOON TO 1:00 PM
The Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois will hold the Monthly Peace and Justice Vigil on Saturday, April 4, noon to 1 P.M. at the corner of Main and Illinois Ave., Carbondale. The weekly Rally for Peace in Gaza will be held in conjunction with the vigil on Saturday.
On April 4, 1967, one year before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his Beyond Vietnam speech. His message resonates today as we stare into the abyss of massively destructive wars—Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, all the Gulf region suffering the retaliation of Iran’s response to the U.S./Israeli wars of choice. Among other things he said: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” And: “The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. And history is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate.”
World Beyond War reminds us “Already the rule of law has been shattered, millions have been displaced, tens of thousands have been injured and traumatized, thousands have been killed, many billions of dollars of property has been destroyed, and many billions of dollars have been spent on this criminal enterprise — with much more lost through economic impacts and the failure to spend those resources usefully. Millions of tons of C02 has been emitted, and huge areas of land, water, and air poisoned. Urban areas and cultural treasures have been obliterated, and oil rained down on people and their homes.”
The Administration is seeking to send an emergency shipment of 20,000 bombs to Israel and will be seeking $200 Billion more to fund the Iran war, implying that there IS NO END IN SIGHT! There is an emergency, but not the excuse used to give Israel more fuel to continue their destruction.
The American people and the Congress must heed the words of MLK, Jr. and leave this self-defeating path. NO MORE BOMBS TO ISRAEL-NO MONEY FOR EXPANDED WAR! STOP THE WAR NOW-NO GROUND TROOPS!!
Appropriate signs will be provided at the vigil, but all are invited to bring their own. The next monthly meeting of the Peace Coalition will be held on ZOOM, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 6pm. For information about joining, contact georgeannhartzog@gmail.com.