Tens of Hundreds Rally for Peace in DC

[Monte Smith]

By Jennifer C. Kerr
Salon.com


Oct. 25, 2003 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- To chants of "Impeach Bush," thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in the nation's capital Saturday and delivered a scathing critique of President Bush and his Iraq policy.


Demanding an end to the U.S.-led occupation and the quick return of American troops, the demonstrators gathered on a sunny fall day at the Washington Monument to listen to speeches and songs of peace.


One man's small cardboard sign gave his summing-up of the day: "This administration does not represent me," it said in black capital letters typewritten on white paper.


The Rev. Al Sharpton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, exhorted the crowd not to be content with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.


"Don't give Bush $87 billion, don't give him 87 cents, give our troops a ride home," Sharpton said to loud cheers from the crowd.


Hundreds of anti-war protesters also took to sun-drenched streets in San Francisco.


"We feel it's very important to keep our voices heard because we want our troops home," said Bill Nelson, a Burbank, Calif., bookstore owner. "We want the money here for health care and jobs, not a military industrial complex."


The rallies on both coasts were organized by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice.


The protest in Washington drew a diverse crowd -- young, old, veterans, relatives with loved ones in the armed forces and American Muslims. An activist group of older women called the Raging Grannies, singing anti-Bush songs, brought whoops of agreement from the protesters.


Organizers estimated that 100,000 people turned out for the demonstration, but police at the scene put the number much lower, from 10,000 to 20,000. Police no longer issue official crowd estimates, so the size of the protest could not be verified.


Waving signs reading "Make Jobs Not War" and "Bush is a liar," the protesters marched from the White House, down toward the White House, on to the Justice Department and then back to the Washington Monument.


But the activists weren't afforded the symbolic satisfaction of yelling protests to the White House gates, because the Secret Service put up barriers to keep them from marching directly in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Bush was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.


Michael McPhearson, a veteran from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, denounced the president, saying he had misled the nation. "You have butchered the truth, George Bush."


The D.C. chapter of Free Republic, an independent grass-roots conservative group, gathered dozens of people at the U.S. Capitol to show support for Bush and the troops in Iraq.


"Whether or not the war should have started is a moot point," said Eric Campbell, a 32-year-old who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "We have to stay, if anything for the Iraqi people."


Eternal thanks to Protest Warrior's "Belly Girl" Jenny!

[Ron Thorne]

The silence on this thread is almost deafening.

[BFrank]

Ron - That's because there's nothing to say. This thread has no point.

[Ron Thorne]

Agreed, BFrank.

The lockstep endorsements of virtually everything connected with this administration never ceases to amaze me, however.

[Gordon B]

Originally posted by Ron Thorne
Agreed, BFrank.

The lockstep endorsements of virtually everything connected with this administration never ceases to amaze me, however.

Monte is in favor of embryonic stem cell therapy, opposed by the administration.

I'm not going to post them here but some of the more vicious photos from the rally are here

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Gordon B
Monte is in favor of embryonic stem cell therapy, opposed by the administration.

Monte has also gone on record that he is an agnostic but, to my knowledge, has never reconciled his personal view with the appointment of Christian fundamentalists in key posts within the present administration.

Sumo has gone on record as being high minded and intelligent, but has yet to reconcile the vacuity of nearly everything that he posts here.

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Scott Dolan
Sumo has gone on record as being high minded and intelligent, but has yet to reconcile the vacuity of nearly everything that he posts here.

Who are you to judge?

Thanks, Gordon...

[Monte Smith]

Originally posted by Scott Dolan
Sumo has gone on record as being high minded and intelligent, but has yet to reconcile the vacuity of nearly everything that he posts here.

Har har har har! Thanks, Scott.

Wow, Gordo! Those are some frightening photos from the fraudulent peacenik rally. This is my least favorite:

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
Har har har har! Thanks, Scott.

You "laugh" but have continued to avoid how you have reconciled your agnoticism with the religious fundamentalists within the current administration of which you are so enamored.

[Monte Smith]

Originally posted by SinginSumo
You "laugh" but have continued to avoid how you have reconciled your agnoticism with the religious fundamentalists within the current administration of which you are so enamored.

Freedom of religion, FT. I'm tolerant.

[SinginSumo]

Guess again.

[bluenoter]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
Wow, Gordo! Those are some frightening photos from the fraudulent peacenik rally.

Wow, I'm trembling in my boots--not!

"Fraudulent"--If you're talking about crowd size, I could try to dredge up some pictures that will give you an accurate idea of the size of the crowd. The event lasted most of the day and included a march. Anyone could take a snapshot of a few people standing around, and someone did.

People with all kinds of agendas show up at such events. No one expels them. Perhaps you could ask the many veterans who showed up whether the event was fraudulent.

"Peacenik"--Monte, that's ancient slang! That's something that our parents might have said, if they were right-wing ideologues.

[SinginSumo]

Monte Smith - Interesting that you claim to be so tolerant of Christian fundamentalist zealots but not to followers of Islam.

[Monte Smith]

Followers of Islam, fine. Followers of jihadists--definitely not fine.

But I don't feel like arguing tonight, FT. Only half an hour to go until tonight's Democrat debate on Fox. I want to enjoy that spectacle in a spirit of bipartisanship.

Shalom and happy Ramadan.

[Underhound]

Oooh, tee-hee tee-hee !
Belittle those silly "peaceniks".

That'll show 'em what a great war this is.

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
Followers of Islam, fine. Followers of jihadists--definitely not fine.

Given many of your previous posts, this is either not the case or you have had a very sudden change of opinion.

RE: "FT" and name-calling:...for all your apparent education you still do not realize that being mannerly has a value.

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
Shalom and happy Ramadan.

Very inappropriate and very insensitive comments that again reveal your insularity. In my view sarcasm is only meanness masquerading as humor.

I find your post to be nothing less than thinly veiled prejudice.

[Monte Smith]

Please, Dobie. Don't attack. I'm watching the debate.

But here's more from the peacenik rally.

[SinginSumo]

I don't care what you watch unless it is your mouth.

[Monte Smith]

I appreciate you weighing in.

[SinginSumo]

Form and substance.

Monte, do you realize how obnoxious you often are? I realize that is increasingly evident that the trail you so faithfully and blindly follow is leading to a dead end. Your heroes are coming apart at their loosely-stitched seams and, as more Americans discover that they have been had by a bunch of court-appointed political transgressors, you and your fellow lemmings look even more foolish defending them. That you have to resort to silly posts and personal insults tells me that you have run out of valid points to make.

Being obnoxious and insulting is not the answer.

[Monte Smith]

I'm trying to watch a debate here.

[Uli]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
I'm trying to watch a debate here.

It's obvious that you're trying very hard.

[Monte Smith]

Sharpton is summing up right now. He wants more money for bridges and tunnels. As my father-in-law builds bridges, that sounds good to me.

Ooh, here comes Kucinich!

[Monte Smith]

Damn, I thought Kucinich could nail the nomination with a good speech, but he poofed out.

Now Clark is saying he's awesome cause he kicked a dictator's ass in Serbia but that Bush is bad because, uh, um, er.

And Gephardt says the country is at a crossroads and we're all tied together. Kinky!

[Salvador Dali Lama]

I watched some of this. Shit was majorly weak. I think a lot of these people, who so want to be part of some 1966 movement in oakland, do the anti-war cause more harm than good. they all bring along their other causes to the anti-war rally, so instead of having a large number of people who with one voice denounce war, you have a large number of people who all have some oddball ass other-agenda they want plugged.

instead of *people* against the war it seems like its *______ cause/plight/fight/struggle/activist group* against the war.

bah humbug.

and who that is actually serious about something like this would have al sharpton play any role in their rally?

I like wesley clark a good amount of the time though. I missed him because i didnt want to sit through the metrosexual alliance of dairy workers for equality in automotive testing give their spiel.

Originally posted by Monte Smith
I appreciate you weighing in.

They must have had to retire that ill fated scale!

Who are you to judge? - Stinky

Same as you I suppose.

GREAT comeback by the way.