Dover-Sherborn Press

State Radio broadcasts message of dissension

By Jackie Demling/ Correspondent
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Photos by Joan Hill for the Peace Abbey

SHERBORN - State Radio shared its musical message of political dissension at the Peace Abbey on Feb. 10. Chad Stokes, formerly a member of Dispatch, Chuck Fay and Brian Sayers provided a punk rock beat, dominating a crowd of all ages. From songs like "Mr. Larkin," which focuses on the disabled and elderly, to their hit song of the evening, "Camilo," which addresses strong anti-war beliefs, State Radio shed light on many controversial subjects.

    "As musicians, we have the ear of the youth," said Sayers, the band’s drummer.

    The concert was not the only event of the evening. Nancy Lessen and Charlie Richardson, the founders of Military Families Speak Out, an organization that encourages military families not in favor of the war to come together for support and to speak out, were being honored and presented with the Courage of Conscience award. The presenter of the award was previous recipient Camilo Mejia, a former staff sergeant of the Florida National Guard who decided to go AWOL from his duty in Iraq.

    When Mejia left the Army, he turned to the organization Military Families Speak Out; Lessen and Richardson came to his aid and brought Mejia to the Peace Abbey. While in Iraq, Mejia saw the birth defects from depleted uranium exposure: children with missing facial features and extremities. He also recounted his actual war experience, the violence of innocent Iraqi civilians and invading Iraqi homes. He stressed that Iraq did not want the American forces there, and this was a war for oil.

    With these factors in mind, Mejia realized at the Peace Abbey the immorality and tragedy of the war. "Tragedy - not my tragedy, but the tragedy of Iraq; my sacrifice is nothing compared to theirs." With the help of Lessen and Richardson, Mejia realized there was support out there, and he was not alone. When he went to turn himself in and pledge as a conscientious objector of the war, Lessen and Richardson stood by his side along with his family members. Camilo’s sentence was one year in prison for desertion.

    Camilo is one of the 3,000 families that Lessen and Richardson have supported through their organization, which embodies a great diversity of families opposing many different conflicts. Lessen explained how many families fear freely speaking out against the war because of the possible repercussion that their loved ones could face. The act of speaking out can be taken on by various approaches Lessen shared: "Some families speaking out means being in touch with us ... [while others] are getting arrested in front of the Capitol building. If we don’t speak out the harm that could come would be incalculable. Kill or be killed."

    Lessen added, "It has never been a politician to end a war. A social movement ends a war." Upon being presented the award, Lessen and Richardson invited fellow members of their organization to come up to the stage to share the honor.

    "Ordinary people step forward and do extraordinary things," Richardson said as the members stepped forward. Each member shared his or her connection to the war. One mother’s shaky voice sent chills through the audience: "My son joined the Tuesday after Christmas ... he could be in Iraq by Mother’s Day unless we can end the war." Then with Mejia on the stage, everyone had the opportunity to recite the Conscientious Objection statement and the documents were available for signing after the concert ended.

    After the ceremony, State Radio took the stage and performed "Camilo" as one of its final songs. Stokes’ lyrics capturing Mejia’s experience once again possessed the crowd, "Woke him up with a barrel to his head/His eyes shut tight bracing for the blow/Resigning his life/To the metal in another man’s hand."

    Mothers with children, high schoolers, hippies, veterans, college students, grandparents and others stood up, sang and bounced along to the music. Stokes shared that his political views began to develop when he took a six-month trip to Zimbabwe. Why did State Radio choose Mejia’s story? Stokes’ connection to Mejia’s story happened when he met him at the Peace Abbey before Mejia turned himself into the military. Stokes is a Sudbury native who is affiliated with the Peace Abbey.

    State Radio donated all profits of the concert to pay off the 10,000 pages the Peace Abbey purchased from the National Conscientious Objector Registry.

    State Radio’s big picture, according to Stokes, is, "to make music. If the band and the music drives changes in the machinery of social justice, then we will."