Anti-War protest in DC

[KevinTheOmnivore]

FREE CONCERT!!

So I won't be riding my bike in the DC/White House/Foggy Bottom area, because I'll probably get tear gassed, or innoculated into some tribe of bike-riding Anarchists.

Anyway, Sheehan will be here, Jello Biafra will be here, and the president will not be. Sounds typical.

[El Blanco]

I'm just curious as to what they hope to accomplish with this. Bush can't be reelected, so thats not it.

We've already invaded Iraq, so it can't be to prevent us from doing so.

Impeachment just ain't going to happen.

Only a complete fool would be demanding that we pull our troops out instantly.

So, whats the message here?

[ItalianStereotype]

we're here, we're queer, we don't want any more bears?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

So I ended up at the protest, mainly to see some friends from New York, but I still got tricked in to carrying some banner....

The turn out was pretty damn good, higher than expected, I think. As usual, Leftists being Leftists, the message(s) was/were all convoluted, although better than most of the other protests I've been at.

My favorite chant of the day? "BUSH, PULL OUT, JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER SHOULD'VE!" Very nice, in front of the 11 yr. old quakers right near us.

Regarding what they want-- well, yeah, they want withdrawal. That message was pretty clear. I'm in a tough spot on the issue, because I initially opposed the invasion, and while I believe we need to stay there to finish the job, I don't know that this president is the right guy to have in the driver's seat. "Staying the course" is one thing, but having no coherent message beyond that is another.

The tone was of course, however, very dogmatic. Bush is the terrorist, end the occupation of Palestine, end the occupation of New Orleans (!!??), end racism, end everything bad, Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld are war criminals, etc. etc.

The best sign of course was "Condi is a sellout." Yes, using the race card on a black person. Classic. The tone was nasty at times, and not necessarily reflective of anything positive for the Democrats (I in fact got screamed at by an ex-girlfriend for voting for Kerry).

Overall? 3 1/2 stars.

[ScruU2wice]

Originally Posted by KevinTheOmnivore

My favorite chant of the day? "BUSH, PULL OUT, JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER SHOULD'VE!" Very nice, in front of the 11 yr. old quakers right near us.

[The One and Only...]

Originally Posted by KevinTheOmnivore

...I'll probably get tear gassed, or innoculated into some tribe of bike-riding Anarchists.

It's not a protest until both happen at the same time.

[Chojin]

Oao, how fast does your bike go

[Emu]

If you pronounced OAO as a word it would be pronounced "WOW!"

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by The One and Only...

It's not a protest until both happen at the same time.

Suck on some tear gas, then get back to me.

[The One and Only...]

Originally Posted by Chojin

Oao, how fast does your bike go

Well, if my bike were my hand while masturbating, my penis would light on fire.

[Emu]

so how bout that indian corn, why's it all those wacky colors indians

[mburbank]

I think the idea behind the protest is to let people running in the mid terms, and beyonbd that, people thinking about a run in the next Presidential, that a lot of people believe that the invasion was wrong and that we are making things worse by staying.

I think the conventional wisdom is 'only an idiot would support pulling out'. I think the point of a protest like this is to build momentum toward making an ongoing public statement that there are a growing number of voters (and if someone has the innitiative to show up at a protest, you can be pretty certain they'll vote) who disagree with the conventional wisdom.

If you stay silent, politicians will assume that you are onboard with the program.