Thank you all for being here today.  It’s exciting to see the movement building and gaining momentum each day, each week, each month, and each year; swelling to unheard of crowds not only here in Northampton, but up and down the pioneer/pocumtuc valley, and across Massachusetts, the United States and even worldwide. We are the 99%.

Today, many are celebrating Patriots’ Day. While they choose to commemorate that shot first heard round the world, we gather to note that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.  A fog shrouds us in cognitive dissonance and what is supposed to be a well informed electorate has been replaced by a corrupt election system that has resulted in the people’s vote being supplanted by Wall Street’s vote; the evil, greedy 1% in 3 of the last 5 elections.

I am proud to be here today with my sisters and brothers; Veterans For Peace.  We have all raised our right hands, relinquished our individually to uniformity and vowed to protect the constitution of these now incredibly divided states.  

We have all placed our fingers on the trigger.  Some of us, aiming only at human silhouettes… targets… practice.  

Others have placed their fingers on triggers and buttons meant to kill.  I firmly believe that that death click instantly transmitted trauma from that finger, up that arm and into the hearts of these lied to keepers of peace.  That trauma then infected their brains, was passed to their loved ones, their families, their friends, their communities, their nation.

There, it festered and grew exponentially across the world and gathered steam intergenerationally until we have this; the man whose name need not be mentioned and whose name should not be spoken.  How did this happen?

For my part, I am learning the language and ways of Nonviolent Communication as first synthesized most eloquently by Marshall Rosenberg.  This will be my weapon in this war; a weapon of compassion, love, peace, understanding and example. It is the biggest, best, most effective MOAB; THE mother of all bombs in my opinion.  

I’ve been led to believe many of us may suffer loss because of this past election and will then grieve that loss and will then walk thru the valleys of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, and Depression and finally emerge at Acceptance.  Let’s work together to be there for each other, help each other and make this right.

George Aguiar

– Liberation Technologist: Traprock

– member: Veterans For Peace