A "Take Back America" Peace Sign - Our Family Project

I've posted the story of our Peace Sign in honor of Veteran's Day, November 11th, 2007, with a special nod to my father-in-law, who retired as a "Mustang" Lt. Commander after a thirty year career in the Navy, and my father, who survived a glider ride into WWII in Europe, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and suffered the after effects of combat for the rest of his life. Both of our beloved WWII veterans are no longer with us, but I would like to note that both of these honorable men firmly supported the anti-war movement. My father-in-law disdained Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq, and my father, after fighting the Nazis in Europe, would have been sickened by the rise of private armies like Blackwater Worldwide, in his own country. My husband and I are activists because we honor our fathers who continued throughout their lives to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic" by questioning the government and speaking their minds.

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Catfish and I started the summer with a very definite project in mind. Although the result looks as if it could be knocked out in a day or two there were many steps involved. Sandwiched in between the weekend Stop Blackwater encampment and rally in Potrero, and the beginning of San Diego's 2007 firestorms on Sunday, October 21st, our new Take Back America, red, white, and blue peace sign was finally completed on Sunday, October 14th

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Some of you may recall that last Christmas season (2006) our eldest son, a disabled vet, not only put up our regular holiday lights, but built us a giant colorful, blinking peace sign as well. It was quite a surprise. When the holiday season ended, friends and family asked me if we were going to leave the peace sign up. It was, after all, the only peace sign for miles around. It seemed to me that its bright beautiful message was shinning through the dark night and the darkness that has engulfed our country since the reign of Bush and Cheney began. We decided to keep the peace sign lights burning - until this war is ended and we bring our troops home.


Above is a photo of our original peace sign. We kept it on for many months. It was late spring when we noticed that it was deteriorating. My son had stapled several stands of multi-colored Christmas lights on an old partial sheet of plywood that had been out in the weather and set the lights on a timer. The sheet of plywood was beginning to mildew and fall apart and a strand or two of lights had burned out. There was no way it was going to endure through years of perpetual war in the Middle East as envisioned by Cheney, Bush, and their neoconservative cabal. What to do but make a new one.

Catfish and I talked it over and planned. It was decided that the lights on this peace sign would be red, white, and blue as we are both sick of war loving, profit hungry conservatives waving the colors of democracy while committing war crimes and trashing the Constitution. It was to be a Take Back America Peace Sign. The background would be blue upon which a white peace sign would be painted so that it would stand out during the day.

Our youngest son and a friend with a truck went down to town to buy a sheet of plywood which was then cut in half. My daughter and I went after the primer, the paint, brushes, and a roller tray. The four ft. square of plywood was primed and then painted with three coats of outdoor blue enamel. Next, my husband armed with a ruler and a piece of string penciled the peace sign on, masked around it and painted it white. When the paint was dry it was time for lights.


We liberated the chasing lights we had ordered from an online company from their boxes. What an intimidating tangle of lights!


My protest partner, however, was not deterred by the snarled mass of lights. He quickly came up with a system, went to work, and remained at his peace post until the project was completed.


It had taken several months from the time we began planning a new peace sign to its' completion in mid October. We worked on it, as time allowed, at a relaxed and enjoyable pace.


Finally, one week before the firestorms, it was finished, moved into position, wired to the timer, and ready to go! Come on Sunday night....we wanted to see our peace lights!


The lights came on but it was still not dark enough.


It got darker.....


And darker......



Until - Here it is! Red, white, and blue for democracy, for the Constitution, for our America!

You should see it in action. The lights chase around in a circle but at different times. It's beautiful every night!
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NOTE: Tomorrow we are going to march in San Diego's Veterans Day parade with Veterans For Peace and will later attend SDVFP's Arlington West in Oceanside. Then we are going to stay at our favorite place at the beach for several days. I will write when we return.

What if they gave a war and nobody came?

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....
.............Kitchen Window Woman................