Sep 24th, 2005, 06:27 PM
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.
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