« We Are Not Safer - by Amy Branham | Main | FEMA Retains Brownie to Investigate Himself »
September 26, 2005
Anti-War Protest - a Report by Stan Merriman
A REPORT FROM THE ANTI-WAR PROTEST
FRONT LINES IN D.C. SEPT. 24
Believe it. There were a MINIMUM of 300,000 people there according to the Park Police…..more likely 500,000. And that was with all the trains from the NYC area 3 hours late due to “repairs” !
Some stunning moments: we saw a crowd of demonstrators surrounding a young marine in full dress uniform at the pre-march rally who said he was there to lend his voice. As the march formed to step out about an hour late due to the crush of people making organization difficult, leading the march were Cindy Sheehan, Jesse Jackson Jr., Julian Bond and a host of other activist leaders. In the front ranks were the Gold Star Mothers for Peace, followed by Military Families Speak Out and then my group, the Veterans for Peace. I was so proud to be in the ranks of this superb group and it was huge. Naturally, we did outstanding cadence marches and chants sure to burn the Bushites. Behind us, a Native group all the way from Alaska with their drums and ritual dancing and another group from the Lakota Nation who gave Cindy Sheenan a beautiful hand-made quilt with their Star of Bravery design at the concert later in the day. As the march progressed, snaking around Pennsylvania avenue and adjoining streets, we passed in front of the White House and rendered appropriate middle finger salutes. Yea I know, the Bushies were off directing the Rita relief effort (yea, right) but the snipers on top of the White House saw us and got the idea.
Huge crowds all along the route especially applauded our Mothers and Veterans sections of the march. Virtually every state was represented with massive numbers, 5 times more than the United For Peace and Justice leaders had hoped for.
Cops were benign and unlike our Houston Police, bent on redeeming their earlier suppression of free assembly by cutting us much slack. The signs and costumed groups as well as drumming corps were awesome and the most creative I have seen. I bought a car magnet that says: “Ok, let’s pretend everything is all right”. The size of the march was so huge we were packed in like sardines for most of the route and the snaking procession went on for hours, even after the speeches and entertainment started later in the day at the Washington monument. Counter demonstrators? Oh, maybe 50. Media, Oh, maybe none. I heard Arron Brown, CNN say “ I am getting furious email…..but people have to understand that THE story is the gulf coast” ! Yea, we know, CNN has turned into a one story pony since Turner retired. Washington Post and New York Times did give us good front page coverage and acknowledged the massive turnout of 500,000.
At the rally later in the afternoon, with a massive sound stage we heard speakers like Cindy, Jim Hightower and Jesse Jackson. And marvelous protest music from, among others Joan Baez and Steve Earle. The Merriman’s left at around dinner time, exhilarated and exhausted and so grateful to be in the company of fellow Americans who love our country enough to once again get out in front of our leaders, including fellow Democrats to end yet another unjust and immoral war waged in our name.
Stan is the Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Populist Caucus.
Posted by Lyn Wall at September 26, 2005 08:08 PM | Permalink
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.houstondemocrats.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/581
Comments
Stan,
My dad (WW II vet) and hubby (Vietnam era vet) join me in thanking you for representing us Houstonians who had planned to be there but got diverted by Rita and other circumstances. Of course, we trust your description and crowd estimates much more than those of the Republican Noise Machine!
Peace, Marguerite
Posted by: Marguerite Reed at September 26, 2005 10:33 PM