Thank you Wish list and Eddie
Spin Black Circles
Posts: 1
Hello!
I am new to the message pit, my name is Mercedes and I live in Chicago.
I'm not exactly sure where to start, I feel like I have to much to share, but I'll try stick to my topic :-)
A few weeks ago when Eddie did the last 2 shows of his tour here in Chicago the Wish list foundation donated to Iraq Veterans Against the War.
I had the pleasure of working the IVAW table and meet some amazing folks (Foxy mop, Evil Monkey...something or other :-) that helped out with the Wish list table.
My fiancee is a soldier in the National Guard who has applied for Conscientious Objector status, which basically means requesting a discharge based on the fact that he could not kill anyone and his decision to join was completely wrong.
A junior in High School and 17 years old at the time, he was romanticized with the idea of helping people and travel, not really understanding what signing away 8 years of your life meant at that time.
Lucky for us, he is almost out and by a miracle mistake just missed a deployment to Afghanistan.
A good friend of ours got us tickets at the last minute for the Thursday show on 8/21. We were sooooo thankful to even be there.
As we made our way up the 5 flights of stairs to our balcony seats a stranger pulled us aside and asked if we wanted an upgrade. We said, "sure!" thinking maybe we would get moved down a floor. This man had no idea who we were and after giving us tickets I thanked him and told him we were with the IVAW and had just met the Wish List folks. He said I work for Ed, enjoy!
We started making our way down and down and down.....all the way to FRONT ROW CENTER!!!! I still can't believe it, we couldn't believe it.
We didn't even know that could happen...that there ticket fairies in the crowd :-)
We've never had front row anything! I've been listening to the band since I was 12 in 1992. I am still in shock.
Our friend Tomas was there and we were really excited because we saw him trying to clap and move both arms, just a week before he could only move one since the stroke.
We've been visiting him while he's here in Chicago, he's been incredible inspiration to Tyler and myself and a constant reminder of why need to do our part.
Needless to say it was beyond amazing and we cried the whole way thru No War. Especially since just less than 24hours before that Tyler would have been on his way to Afghanistan.
Sorry I just went on a rant but I just wanted to share how amazing the whole experience was.
My reason for thanking Wish List and the band is that all the money that was raised was used for getting myself and many other Veterans to the "Veterans for Peace" convention in Minneapolis last week.
We were able to bring other folks that were not in Chicago and pay for food, hotel and transportation. We couldn't have done it without you!!!
The convention was powerful, I had to pleasure to meet many Vietnam Veterans, men and women. I met other families that have been affected by this war, mothers, wives, children, sisters, brothers.
There was a very strong police presence there. Everyday of the convention about 20 or 30 police officers in full gear, guns, handcuffs, billy clubs and mace continuously did walk thrus. We didn't even so much as march or protest..and they still hounded us.
I was able to teach a couple of Yoga classes which was great since it was the first of it's kind at this event.
The last Yoga class scheduled was canceled because once again the police surrounded our hotel after the veterans stepped outside for a group photo.
The class was scheduled outside, but after 4 or so squad cars surrounded the area we decided to go back inside. Nobody did anything but be friendly to them, I guess they just really wanted us to know they were there.
Regardless, it was a very healing experience for myself and many other people.
The fund raiser couldn't have came at a better time.
Again, Thank you!!
All of you who came out, those of you there in spirit, the band.. everybody.
Thank you~
You truly are making a difference!
Peace
Mercedes
I am new to the message pit, my name is Mercedes and I live in Chicago.
I'm not exactly sure where to start, I feel like I have to much to share, but I'll try stick to my topic :-)
A few weeks ago when Eddie did the last 2 shows of his tour here in Chicago the Wish list foundation donated to Iraq Veterans Against the War.
I had the pleasure of working the IVAW table and meet some amazing folks (Foxy mop, Evil Monkey...something or other :-) that helped out with the Wish list table.
My fiancee is a soldier in the National Guard who has applied for Conscientious Objector status, which basically means requesting a discharge based on the fact that he could not kill anyone and his decision to join was completely wrong.
A junior in High School and 17 years old at the time, he was romanticized with the idea of helping people and travel, not really understanding what signing away 8 years of your life meant at that time.
Lucky for us, he is almost out and by a miracle mistake just missed a deployment to Afghanistan.
A good friend of ours got us tickets at the last minute for the Thursday show on 8/21. We were sooooo thankful to even be there.
As we made our way up the 5 flights of stairs to our balcony seats a stranger pulled us aside and asked if we wanted an upgrade. We said, "sure!" thinking maybe we would get moved down a floor. This man had no idea who we were and after giving us tickets I thanked him and told him we were with the IVAW and had just met the Wish List folks. He said I work for Ed, enjoy!
We started making our way down and down and down.....all the way to FRONT ROW CENTER!!!! I still can't believe it, we couldn't believe it.
We didn't even know that could happen...that there ticket fairies in the crowd :-)
We've never had front row anything! I've been listening to the band since I was 12 in 1992. I am still in shock.
Our friend Tomas was there and we were really excited because we saw him trying to clap and move both arms, just a week before he could only move one since the stroke.
We've been visiting him while he's here in Chicago, he's been incredible inspiration to Tyler and myself and a constant reminder of why need to do our part.
Needless to say it was beyond amazing and we cried the whole way thru No War. Especially since just less than 24hours before that Tyler would have been on his way to Afghanistan.
Sorry I just went on a rant but I just wanted to share how amazing the whole experience was.
My reason for thanking Wish List and the band is that all the money that was raised was used for getting myself and many other Veterans to the "Veterans for Peace" convention in Minneapolis last week.
We were able to bring other folks that were not in Chicago and pay for food, hotel and transportation. We couldn't have done it without you!!!
The convention was powerful, I had to pleasure to meet many Vietnam Veterans, men and women. I met other families that have been affected by this war, mothers, wives, children, sisters, brothers.
There was a very strong police presence there. Everyday of the convention about 20 or 30 police officers in full gear, guns, handcuffs, billy clubs and mace continuously did walk thrus. We didn't even so much as march or protest..and they still hounded us.
I was able to teach a couple of Yoga classes which was great since it was the first of it's kind at this event.
The last Yoga class scheduled was canceled because once again the police surrounded our hotel after the veterans stepped outside for a group photo.
The class was scheduled outside, but after 4 or so squad cars surrounded the area we decided to go back inside. Nobody did anything but be friendly to them, I guess they just really wanted us to know they were there.
Regardless, it was a very healing experience for myself and many other people.
The fund raiser couldn't have came at a better time.
Again, Thank you!!
All of you who came out, those of you there in spirit, the band.. everybody.
Thank you~
You truly are making a difference!
Peace
Mercedes
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story and for your activism to bring more people out!
Wishlist has wonderful and dedicated people - have had the pleasure of meeting some of them in the past.
Kudos to them for raising the funds to help with your cause! ::thumbs up::
Thank you for the update on Tomas - I always look forward to the updates on his health and hoping he gets better!
Congrats on getting to the front row with a nice surprise!
Welcome to the Pit, Mercedes aka Spin Black Circles!
P.S. Hubby and I have been looking into signing up for Yoga classes but those are darn expensive! :( I think we'll probably just look at the library for DVD. I am also studying a little on Reiki...
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
Sigh. Why did they feel the need to behave like that if there were no signs of destructive behavior?
Talk about management by intimidation....
Do you happen to have some pictures to share with us from that convention in Minn?
*shakes head in disappointment with the police's behavior*
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
i wanted to thank YOU and the IVAW for being part of our Eddie Vedder celebration in chicago.
i'm glad we were able to raise funds and awareness for your organization and i'm EXTREMELY glad tyler didnt get deployed.
i wear my "I SUPPORT VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR" t-shirt with pride.
i fully support our troops (not the war) and i for one want them to get the care and benefits they deserve and that they were promised for their service.
through the work of organizations like yours, hopefully that will happen for all vets.
anyone who's interested in learning more or donating can go here:
http://ivaw.org/
for the chicago chpater:
http://ivaw.org/chapter/chicago
to get the t-shirt i mentioned:
http://ivaw.org/store
meeting and talking with all of you brings even more meaning to these words
NO MORE:
I speak for a man who gave for this land
Took a bullet in the back for his pay
Spilled his blood in the dirt and the dust
He's back to say:
What he has seen is hard to believe
And it does no good to just pray
He asks of us to stand
And we must end this war today
With his mind, he's saying, "No more!"
With his heart, he's saying, "No more!"
With his life he's saying, "No more war!"
With his eyes, he's saying, "No more!"
With his body, he's saying, "No more!"
With his voice, he's saying, "No more war!"
Yeah, nothing's too good for a veteran
Yeah, this is what they say
So nothing is what they will get
And there's no American way
The lies we were told to get us to go
Were criminal (?)... let us be straight
Let's get to the point where our voices get heard
And I know what I'll say
With his mind, he's saying, "No more!"
With his heart, he's saying, "No more!"
With his life he's saying, "No more war!"
With his eyes, he's saying, "No more!"
With his voice, he's saying, "No more!"
With his body, he's saying, "No more war!"
No more innocents dying
No more terror rising
No more eulogizing
No more evangelizing
No more presidents lying
No more war
With our minds, we're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts, we're saying, "No more!"
With our lives, we're saying, "No more war!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
peace,
~jeannette~
Get it now, get enough, before its gone, let's everybody carry on, carry on....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.wishlistfoundation.org
WE WANT YOU!!!!
join the street team
http://wishlistfoundation.fancorps.com
"headphones are highly recommended...." Jeff Ament
the police in this country are out of control! more and more police brutality is occurring every day!!
the FBI & police even preemptively raided local activists houses before the demonstrations!!!! can you fucking believe this??!! this country is rapidly turning into Nazi Germany and we all need to wake up and do something about it before we are all living under the boot of Fascism!!!
they think they can make us stay in "free speech zones" and raid our houses and scare us silent??!!
AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN PIGS!!!!!!!
And welcome to the pit!
28/09/04 - Boston, 20/04/06 - London [\\mm//Astoria\\mm//] - 18/06/07 - Wembley Arena, 11/08/09 - London [\\mm//Shepherds Bush Empire\\mm//],18/08/09 - 02 Arena, 25/06/10 - Hyde Park, 26/06/12 - Amsterdam, 27/06/12 - Amsterdam, 08/07/14 - Leeds,11/07/14 - Milton Keynes, 13/06/18 - Amsterdam, 18/06/18 - London 02 Arena, 17/07/18 - London 02 Arena, 08/08/22 - Hyde Park, 9/08/22 - Hyde Park - 25/08/22 - Amsterdam, 29/07/24 - London {*Tottenham Stadium TBC*}
I also practice Reiki
— Lao Tzu
— Lao Tzu
wishing you lots of success with your organization
and we hope to meet you along the road someday!!!
hugs from miami!
07 8/5 Lolla 8/2 VIC
06 7/22,23 Gorge 7/20 Ptl
04 10/8 VFC Kissimmee
03 4/11 WPB, 4/12 HOB Orlando, 7/8,9 MSG
00 8/24 Jones Bch 8/9,10 WPB
1998 9/22,23 WPB 1996 10/7 Ft Laud 1994 3/28 Miami
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcherub#p/a/u/0/N-UQprRqSwo
Hail Hail HIPPIEMOM
Wishlist Foundation-
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
info@wishlistfoundation.org
Check out the download threads
And I'm Veronica Corningstone, Tits McGee is off tonight...
Thank you sooooooooo much for sharing this wonderful story!!! Such a moving and inspiring story - I'm sitting here with a huge lump in my throat and my eyes are welling with tears
Peace
Kylie
the Wishlist folks are a sweet group of awesome people.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
My name is Tyler Zabel and I'm Mercedes' fiance, and I only feel that it is fair for me to tell her story as she has told mine here. She really epitomizes the words 'I'm still alive' more than anyone else I've ever met before, as she was born in El Salvador in the middle of a bloody civil war that our government helped to incite as the daughter of a rebel guerilla fighting against the government, a true dissident indeed (are all these PJ song references too corny?)
Her family sold all they had so their children wouldn't be drafted as soldiers or raised in an environment with explosions happening all around them their whole lives. There is nothing more sobering to a soldier than hearing war from the mouth of a child, and her voice had a very big influence on giving me the strength to resist this military machine I have somehow become a part of...
Although it sounds like this story ends happily ever after, unfortunately I've just been called up for a deployment, even against my conscientious objection packet that is still pending. I know as a CO I'll be put through living hell if I go on this deployment and dragged off to Afghanistan to participate in a war I don't believe in so I will most likely go AWOL and hide out for a while.
Soo... Any lawyers in the house?
Thank you again to Wishlist for donating to the IVAW and helping us get to the convention, as it was a beautiful experience for everyone involved. Thank you to Eddie for giving us the opportunity to experience the life changing concert in the front row, as it will forever be embedded in my mind as the day I grasped Divinity for the first time.
Peace and Love to everyone else, and thank you for all that you are.
Lots 'o Love,
Tyler Lee Zabel
Iraq Veterans Against the War
www.ivaw.org
Wow, Tyler...........I dont even know what to say. I was all ready to respond to your fiances post and then I read your post. My prayers are with you and whatever you decide to do. You two keep the faith............I hope to read about your wedding to your wonderful fiance soon! You two sound like amazing people and I'm glad you made your way to this message pit!
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
Iraq Veterans Against the War
www.ivaw.org
Tyler ... U and Mercedes are loving, kind hearted, amazing souls. You have both touched my heart so deeply, words just can't express. You have made it through many milestones of late and will work through this one as well. You are one of the truest peaceful hearts I have ever met and am trusting good things will continue to come your way. Always know that I support you and always feel free to ask for support when ya need it. With love and many blessings ... h&d