KINGSTON – Local peace activists gathered Saturday in Academy Green Park in Kingston to rally at an anti-war protest organized by Peace & Social Progress Now! of New Paltz.

The three hour protest was endorsed by over 20 local organizations and consisted of several speakers covering various areas of impact concerning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as performances by local musicians.

Rebecca Baker of Pleasant Valley served in the Army for five years and was deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months and 21 months in Iraq. She was at the anti-war protest.

“It’s an illegal, unjust, and immoral war,” said she said. “We are occupying the country illegally based on the Geneva Conventions. I really think we need to bring them home,” she said, “Too many people are dying for this war.”

Jack Smith, a co-organizer of the protest and co-chair of Peace and Social Progress Now, said they are calling for an end to the war in Afghanistan, not an expansion. “We say bring the troops home now and oppose occupation whether it’s in Iraq or in Palestine. We condemn colonialism, imperialism, and aggressive unjust illegal wars.”  

“We’ve brought together all the local activist groups,” said Co-Chair of PSPN Donna Goodman in order to, “try to get people to understand that the war isn’t just over there while we go about and live our lives. Our unemployment is related to war, the cuts in our student budgets are related to war, the foreclosures are related to war,” she said.

Goodman said “tons and tons” of money goes to support the war effort while “people in our country and people in other countries are suffering.”  

“This is the eighth year and there’s no end in sight,” said Kerhonkson resident and Vietnam War Veteran Ramon Puga. “For me it’s like déjà vu all over again,” he said. “I protested against the Vietnam War and 40 years later I’m back here and we’re still doing the same thing.”

“It’s outrageous,” Puga noted, pointing to the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama and subsequent decision to expand the war in Afghanistan. “I don’t believe he’s earned it and I don’t believe he’s going to earn it.”

“There’s potential for him to do more,” Baker. “I think it will take more than 40,000 troops to wrap up Afghanistan. We’re not going to win the hearts and minds with 40,000 extra troops, to have the Afghan people fight against the Taliban and fight against Al Qaeda to take control of their country.”

Baker said when she was in Afghanistan,” we lost 14 people in the 12 months I was there, and that’s 14 too many.”