Arlington West Santa
Barbara decided to change their focus from the invasion of Iraq to the
invasion of Afghanistan. Still called Arlington West, the signage has
been changed to a large banner that says "Rethink Afghanistan" (after
the DVD of the same title). The reason for the change in focus is due to
the eventual withdrawal of troops from Iraq and the increase of troops
in Afghanistan, the increasing number of deaths (both military and
civilian) in Afghanistan (in July alone there were 66 US military
deaths), and the recent Wikileaks revelation. Also included in the
demonstration are tombstones denoting the teenage deaths in Iraq and
Afghanistan (the same are displayed on a once-a-month basis at the local
city college as well.) The change is still evolving, and there are
discussions of how to continue recognizing the deaths in Iraq, as
members feel that they should still be remembered also. The local media
were notified of the change, and there was much attention paid to it,
with segments appearing in the local news.