Well over 100,000 people packed the Mall in Washington DC, most calling not only for an end to the war but for the impeachment and/or imprisonment of key administration figures. The AP characterized this as:
Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched Saturday in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.
Okay. That is not really accurate. There were many more people than ‘tens of thousands’. I can tell this by comparing the crowd to a Michigan football game. Michigan alum ejmw concurs with my estimate of well over the sellout crowd at Ann Arbor. There were people of every stripe. There were a lot more young people than there were in September 2005. But as far as the AP is concerned there was one only one protestor of note.
Marching with them was Jane Fonda, in what she said was her first anti-war demonstration in 34 years.
“Silence is no longer an option,” Fonda said to cheers from the stage on the National Mall. The actress once derided as “Hanoi Jane” by conservatives for her stance on Vietnam said she had held back from activism so as not to be a distraction for the Iraq anti-war movement, but needed to speak out now.
No one was much interested in Jane Fonda. Most of us never even saw her. If the AP underestimated the amount of people in the protest, they overestimated the number of people making trouble. The anarchists did threaten to storm the capitol, but there were no more than forty of them. Certainly there were nowhere near 300. And there was no scuffling.
We’re still uploading photos. Man Eegee, CabinGirl, ejmw and I are sitting in a the Froggy Bottom Cafe 21st Amendment Lounge with our laptops. Supersoling is milling around and Brother Feldspar is headed to get his laptop. We’re hoping to meet up with Auntie Peachy AP in a little bit.
We have some really good photos of me and my Brownback for President sign. Sam Brownback just has to be our next President, or I am going to quit blogging.
I’m tellin’ ya. MARCH ON THE PRESS!
We did that in Los Angeles once. Marched right outside the Los Angeles Times mammoth of a building, the theme being snow job re the CIA-Crack cocaine linkage. One guy came as a snowman and was hilariously sane and on point.
Today, in Los Angeles, only a few thousand marched. It was disappointing. What the hell are people waiting for? Or did they just not know?
Still, there were some great people there, including our own VeniceInCA, who cam up and introduced herself and her husband to me, and there was another woman from Kos who had defended my work there.
Here’s the sign I was carrying. I did it on the back of an old Jerry Brown for president sign – a “We the People/Take Back America” sign that would have been a collectors item eventually. But I figured this was a better use for it.
If you don’t watch the show heroes, you won’t fully get the reference. And it helps to know that Bush was, actually, a cheerleader at one point. So here goes:
Save the World!
A lot of people wanted pictures of my sign!
Ron Kovic and Cindy Sheehan led off our parade, followed by Iraq Veterans for Peace. But the rest of the crowd was maybe 5000 at best. It was a sorry contrast to the 500,000 who marched for immigrant rights.
One man marched in a business suit. He said there was nothing funny about the war and he wanted to be taken seriously. Interesting perspective. There wasn’t a lot of wackiness. Just a lot of good people who cared. I wish there were many more.
That should have read, “If you don’t watch the show Heroes” (on NBC. The story line mantra is, “Save the Cheerleader, save the world.”)
Brown was on your sign. I was surprised to learn it was Jerry because it looked to be in good condition.
I saw on television that the police estimated 1,500 at the demonstration. In comparison I went to Maxine Waters “Out of Iraq” teachin at a church that held 800 and there were another 100-200 standing or just outside the doors. The police are trying to estimate that 1 1/2 times the number of people were present at the demonstration as there were at the church? I think it is bullshit! There are high schools that have 2000-4000 students and this demonstration was no larger than a high school? I would like to do a Freedon of Info. Act to find out how many police it took, and how much it cost for security, including the helicopter for 1,500 marchers. I would guess the crowd was larger than 5000.
Scientists know how to estimate by photographing and counting. But this one was spread out because some were carrying caskets about a half mile in back of the main crowd.
The caskets were a great touch. And yeah – there were a large number of policemen.
Yes – I had been given that Jerry Brown “We the People/Take Back America!” sign by a Dean campaign supporter I had stayed with overnight in AZ on my way to Los Angeles. I had worked on the Brown campaign for president in 1992, but had not kept any signs. He had safeguarded it and it was a collector’s item. I felt a tinge guilty using it for this, but I felt the cause of war demanded it. I blued out (on the blue sign) the name of Jerry Brown and his famous “800 number” and then wrote on the back of the sign. It’s too bad it rained – I would have liked to keep it in someone good condition. It’s fairly trashed now!
And can I add how cool it was to meet some fellow BooTribbers there?
Very cool. I hope we all get together more often, in person!
For Lisa – from the LA peace march –
Great to have met you too! At the RFK/JFK conferences there are always so many people around, so when I saw the chance yesterday, I grabbed it.
Troops out now!
Hey, is that sign painted on in photoshop or did someone really wear that? What a cool idea!
Yes. It was nice meeting your husband too and finding he had been a Probe subscriber! Our subscribers were a pretty amazing bunch!
I think it is real.
I found it on the LA Indymedia site among the collections of photos from Saturday’s protest.
Glad you like it!
I think he’s serious about Brownback:
Man Eegee and I have agreed to troll rate this comment out of existence if you buy us each a beer BooMan.
that is such a sweet deal!!
Excellent shot of the hat. Just the kind of hat a Brownback supporter should be wearing. 🙂
Sadly, the cap brings back sad memories of the Dean campaign in Iowa! The volunteers were all wearing orange pompom hats!
In that outfit, Boo could pass for one of the McKenzie brothers.
Now I’d vote for those guys! Shucks they are foreigners…..well then I’d build a fence around em!
If I were them, I’d build one around us;)
Just a matter of time until we consider Canada a threat. Probably be in their best interests to start building that fence as soon as possible.
In my first-without-glasses quicky look at the thumbnail of the picture, I thot Booman was wearing a bathrobe & nightcap. Sort of “Flashing for Brownback” mode.
You have scary eyes, boo.
of the pre-rally…they cut away as the march started though to jump to covering Hillary’s singing in Iowa…
Take heart, though. CNN keeps calling the protest “massive”, and sprinkled in plenty of ‘just folks’ with the celebrity coverage. The local NBC affiliate did a pretty decent spot too …
Overall, the tone is much less dismissive than it was toward earlier protests.
Sen. Sam Brownback
I am glad the marcg went well and I wish I could have been there.
Greetings From Bladensburg, in a “broom closet” sized room it seems.
On behalf of the many fine members of the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance, a group I like on a mission I support, and with the miracle of the computer link up through my home box from this place so far away, Greetings!
I have sore feet. I was part of this “charge” of the Capitol, but at my age and level of arthritis, it was a very slow charge indeed, and by the time I limped and hobbled my way to the scene of this charge, there were only some police who asked me who I was and told me to look out for the demonstrators.
There were a lot of people. Lots of them! All ages, and in all conditions.
I thought Jane was wonderful. Well preserved too.
I am not sure what we will accomplish, but these things take time, but send a good message. Congress needs to wake up, take charge and put the administration on notice that they are are accountable and that no amount of spin, lie, and threat can stop the accounting that must come.
I don’t know who I saw, but I do think I saw John Aravosis, who is more handsome in real life than photos show. At least I think it was John, I didn’t speak to him, so I am not sure.
Please excuse me now, as I want to go soak my feet in the foot massage.
Later.
I hear you re the feet.
I wish I could have been in DC. Sounds like good times, all around.
And what is that about Rove being subpoenaed? Wouldn’t it be great to get him, after all this time?
Pictures from San Francisco here. Chronicle says we had 3-5000. I think we had more and I’m conservative. But I’d call the coverage basically friendly as they highlighted that Bush’s escalation brought out new marchers — and they even quoted some. Here.
Great pix jan – thanks!
Photos… from today’s rally in Bldr.
bad weather but a positive group showed up….maybe not as many [my guestimate 100 + -] as hoped, but it’s good to be among like minded people…
no info on Denver Rally/March.
Peace
John McCain: The truth.
Thanks for the link, dada. It’s good to see so many out everywhere.
It’s great to see so many attending all over!
And it does look brrrrr … chilly there.
’bout 20ºF and snowing…better weather woulda helped turnout….the roads were a mess
John McCain: The truth.
Thx for the link w/the great pics… and glad you made it home ok w/out incident! Does look f-in cold out there though. If it was anything like it was here today, not fit for (wo)man nor beast!
OT, but the regal HRC herself was in town here today… HA, like I’d have gotten out to pay homage to THAT ice queen! Unfortunately, about 1500 turned out to see it here, according to local media. At least I saw a couple of really skeptical folks interviewed on local news, so I think it still has an uphill battle here. Let’s hope so.
You and Bu stay warm, ok?
Brownback voted to eliminate the Federal minimum wage.
Heh heh, Its a joke…..or really bad acid. Relax he’ll just wake up tomorrow and murder 20 people at a bus station.