Vermont Patriot Sounds the Drum of Peace

Author: Megan O'Keefe

What does a Vermonter do when he is ready to stop complaining and start acting on his political beliefs? If he is Derrick Senior, he starts a nationwide organization devoted to voicing his concern over the growing threat of war with Iraq. Senior, a former businessman from Shelburne, Vt., is the founder of Patriots for Peace, an initiative aimed at voicing opposition to the possibility of U.S. military action in Iraq. Senior was motivated to start Patriots for Peace in January after realizing that the threat of war could not be ignored.
In an interview with The Middlebury Campus, Senior explained, "Basically, I was kind of a semi-retired, ex-businessperson who was trying to become a good photographer. I had been concerned about the situation building up since late December and early January. I had been complaining about the current situation to my wife a lot, and I have always been one to walk my talk." Senior, a father of a two-year-old and a four-year-old, continued, "I think part of my bringing up my children is to not complain about things. You need to face them head on and do something about it if you are going to complain. I sort of went on and on until my wife encouraged me, 'Well maybe you should do something about it, maybe you should take some sort of action.'"
On Jan. 17, Senior did exactly that. After reading an advertisement in the Burlington Free Press paid for by Burlington's Peace and Justice Center that announced bus transportation to Washington, D.C., for the national march that would be held the next day, Senior knew it was time. He said, "I kind of looked at that and it sort of struck me that, 'You know that is something I could do.' It all came rushing to me. I had never been a protester. I had never done anything like this in my life, but I just felt like enough was enough. I had read so much international press and I realized we were headed the wrong way. And I went to my wife and I said, 'Honey, I need to go to Washington. I know that this is crazy and a lot of people are going to look at me kind of funny.' But, she said, 'Yeah go for it. I fully support you and if that's what you need to do. Go!' So I went to Washington."
Senior was profoundly stirred by the anti-war march. He said, "I got totally inspired. It really brought home for me the depth of the problem." Senior developed a plan of action. "I saw a sign that said Patriots for Peace, and I guess somewhere on the bus on the way home it hit me. And I said 'I need to do something big,'" Senior said.
Back in Vermont, Senior quickly secured a web site, PatriotsforPeace.org, and with the help of a business colleague, Dave Harcourt, raced to develop a compelling, professionally styled homepage. Senior realized that his organization would have to depend both on the force of word-of-mouth and on national publicity. The first step was to develop a poster emblazed with the red, white and blue motto: "Patriots for Peace." The Patriots for Peace web site asks all supporters to download, print and post two posters, and then to send the name of the site on to friends, colleagues and associates. Senior said, "We handed out posters all over Burlington. Everyone took them. People loved them left and right. Are you a patriot? Do you stand for peace? Perfect. I said I need a lot of people."
The next goal was to secure massive media publicity by Feb. 15. Senior wrote letters to a huge number of media outlets. He said, "I wrote a lot of people, to Oprah. And low and behold, I get a call from Oprah's producers. They wanted me on the show! I went on the show with my wife three weeks ago, and that is how we got started. It has gone beyond my wildest expectations." After his national television debut, Senior said, "We just got slammed. The web site has gone from like zero to becoming a major portal for the peace movement. I have had a lot of people just walking in off the street here in Burlington to help out. It is just overwhelming."
Patriots for Peace has quickly evolved to fight against the fast pace of global events and international affairs. "We wanted to be recognized and know that it is okay to speak out for peace. It is also our goal to become the largest poster initiative," said Senior. Patriots for Peace has now changed its stance to demand a congressional hearing before a war starts. Explaining the changing nature of his initiative, Senior said, " We really feel a sense of urgency. Americans just don't get the depth of what we are getting into. We aren't looking at the long term. We could declare war next week. We are scrambling to stop this huge machination from going forward." The organization has also begun to sponsor rallies like the Patriotic Response on Main Street which will be held in Middlebury at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Despite the overwhelming momentum of Patriots for Peace, Senior has experienced setbacks. Describing his initial optimism and zeal, he explained, "I went back to the Burlington Anti-War Coalition. I said, 'Listen to me. I have a goal here. I need a lot of people.' And people thought I was kind of crazy. I just expected them all to come on board with me right away." While he now realizes that most supporters are confined by work obligations, Senior has seen overwhelming response. He says, "Our sign resonates with people. Some of our leaders are saying, 'Are you with us or against us?' I think this takes your patriotism back. It lets you speak your own mind. You can be a patriot and you can stand for peace. And that's okay. There is a different paradigm for how we need to look at the world."
Financial constraints have also limited the initiative, which has been funded almost exclusively by Senior. "We have been really lucky, so far we have spent about $30,000, but we have gotten $7,000. But right now the difference we are making for people, it is a good investment," said Senior.
An additional source of frustration has been a perceived lack of recognition from national representatives and leaders.
While Vermont State Senators Hinda Miller,D-Burlington, and Jim Leddy, D-South Burlington, and former state senator Jean Ankeney all spoke out in Burlington at an event organized by Patriots for Peace, national attention has been slow in coming. A new initiative to bombard representatives with hundreds of e-mails from supporters of Patriots for Peace may soon change this situation.
Despite these setbacks, Patriots for Peace has grown tremendously, driven largely by the passionate commitment of Senior and his firm opposition to war with Iraq. He said, "There is an urgency now. There are so many reasons to oppose war with Iraq. Number one I just don't teach my kids that using violence to achieve a goal is a legitimate response in any kind of conflict. Everywhere around the world we seem to just be belligerent and tell people what to do without really listening to them. We need to change that." Senior also rattles off shocking statistics and firmly planted beliefs when questioned about his opposition to war. He said, "Iraq is not a threat. We have been containing them for 10 years. Going after Iraq right now is a drafting poster. Everyone is going to come out of the woodwork and want to do terrorist activities if we go in there." The biggest reason to protest the potential war, said Senior, is that it is "completely illegal." He explained, "We went to the U.N. to ask them for permission and now we are going to go forward with it anyway."
Senior spoke passionately about the imperative for college students to add their voices to war protest. "They need to understand that this is their future," he said. "They need to recognize that their future is about to be taken away from them in a very serious way. This is not the time to remain silent. It is the time to take action."