300,000 rally for peace in D.C.
Check out Stephen Fournier’s “Current Invective” for a first-hand account of the huge peace rally in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. Lots of photos too. According to Fournier:
Compared with other rallies I’ve attended–a couple of dozen big ones over the past 35 years–this one had a more diverse population, many more mainstream types, veterans, mothers, teenagers, whole families. Even active-duty GI’s in civvies (their haircuts are distinctive). Half the people on my bus (43 riders) were mothers, one of them marching with the group Military Families Speak Out, which had a very high profile. Lots of guys with military insignia, many of them in their 70’s and 80’s.
. . .
I saw peace groups and veteran’s groups with signs and banners from all over the east, south, and midwest, plus Arizona and California. One labor union, SEIU 1199, turned out at least 1000 people (they were wearing purple caps and assembled as a group, and you could count the ones you could see). No other union was prominent among the 100,000 or so people I saw up close. White-haired people in abundance, more women than men, all skin colors, more white than non-white, but less white than usual. Plenty of kids. One sixth-grader made an eloquent speech during the hour of speeches from noon to one.
And from Bob Herbert, columnist for the New York Times:
You can say what you want about the people opposed to this wretched war in Iraq, try to stereotype them any way you can. But you couldn’t walk among them for more than a few minutes on Saturday without realizing that they love their country as much as anyone ever has. They love it enough to try to save it.
When the people lead, the leaders will follow. I said that.
Monday, January 29th, 2007No Comments »
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