Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Anti-war protesters unite to end Iraq war
By Sean Costello
Daily Orange (Syracuse)
09/26/2005

(U-WIRE) SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A diverse multitude of groups and interests united Saturday in Washington, D.C., behind Cindy Sheehan's campaign to end the war in Iraq.

Organizers said some 300,000 people joined the rally and protest, while the police estimated half that number. The protestors exemplified a broad range of viewpoints and ages.

Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a slain U.S. soldier, was credited by many for putting the protest together.

"This is amazing, you're part of history," Sheehan said to the crowd at the pre-march rally. "We need a people's movement to end this war. Media, Congress and Bush are not doing their jobs."

Camp Casey, the headquarters of Sheehan's supporters, was set up among a field of hundreds of white crosses and dozens of pairs of empty combat boots, each attached with a deceased soldier's name.

Hundreds of photos of deceased soldiers with their name rank and hometowns lay on the grass and were used to encircle hundreds of protestors during the march.

An iron cutout of the United States had the most recent count of 1,910 dead and 14,700 wounded chalked on it. A large map of the United States drawn on a piece of fabric was signed by so many protestors on their respective hometowns that by the end of the day it was largely illegible.

While Camp Casey sheltered activists from Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out and Iraq Veterans Against War, among others, from the few raindrops that fell without effect on the demonstrators Saturday, dozens of other groups were present on the Washington mall.

Wesel Lewis, an ex-marine from Virginia Beach, Va., was seeking support for a protest hike along the Appalachian Trail.

"We're doing it as an environmental and social-political walk," Lewis said. "The poorest people, not only are they taking away their land, they are taking away their rights."

The inspiration, he said, came as he fasted for 22 days on the Capitol steps in Tennessee to protest environmentally harmful mining techniques.

Grant Marcus, of Ventura, Calif., formed a group called Nurses for Social Responsibility about a year ago in reaction to the war. He said the government has deliberately misled the public and soldiers about the danger of depleted uranium.

"The government, using depleted uranium munitions, is like using a weapon of mass destruction," Marcus said.

Numerous political parties were on hand distributing literature, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, headquartered in San Francisco. The posters on the party's tent read, "Bush is the Symptom, Capitalism is the Disease, Revolution is the Cure."

"I see the war in Iraq as an imperialist war," said Shawn Garcia, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. "The U.S. is up to its old dirty tricks. I support the right of Iraqis to resist and anyone fighting for their homeland. Terrorists: That's just a label."

Numerous religious groups were present, including Christian, Islamic and Buddhist groups. The Restored Israel of Yahweh, based in New Jersey, protests war by not paying their federal income taxes.

"We're a Bible-based religious society; one of the stands we take is to not pay income tax, because it is a war tax," said Jason McKee of New Jersey, 26.

Some of the group's members have recently been tried and sentenced to prison terms for their actions, as U.S. law does not recognize strong religious beliefs as a defense in cases involving income tax.

With or without affiliation to the groups present, individuals came to express their views.

Barry Shapiro, 54, of Hollywood, Fla., rode 20 hours on a bus organized by one of the protest groups.

"I'm here to protest the whole kit and caboodle," Shapiro said. "I did the exact same thing 35 years ago. However, if we were to just pull the troops out now, it would be a bigger mess."

Many at the protest connected the war in Iraq with the response to Hurricane Katrina. People wore shirts that said "Make Levees, not War," and carried signs that said "Out of the Gulf, into the Gulf States," as well as "Hurricane Bush."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson also commented on the faults of the administration in their hurricane response at the pre-march rally.

"The Gulf states' policy at home and abroad has failed," Jackson said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said, "How do we have a president that chases weapons that are not in Iraq and can't find a hurricane in New Orleans? George Bush, you need to know that broken levees are weapons of mass destruction."

Sharpton also spoke about the situation of Gulf Coast parents of troops overseas.

"While their children are over in a war where they shouldn't be, their parents are called refugees at home," Sharpton said.

On bringing the troops home, Sharpton said, "You can't look for a dignified withdrawal when you had an undignified entrance."

Nancy Walforth, a member of the executive council of the AFL-CIO said, of the group's decision to reject Bush's Iraq policy, "This is a historic moment for the labor movement to take a stand against this war."

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said, "Does this president care about America? He has given tax breaks to the richest one percent of corporations while we still lack comprehensive healthcare."

Addressing her remarks to the nearby White House, where the President was not actually present, because he was supervising preparations for Hurricane Rita, Waters said, "We want you to stop throwing our money away and to stop vacationing every other weekend in Crawford, Texas."

While there were plans for a counter-protest expected to draw some 10,000 people in support of the war on Sunday, 150 to 200 counter-protestors were observed along the route of the march near the FBI building and near the Navy Memorial.

Brad Myhre, a junior political science major at American University, stood alone on the corner of 17th and Constitution streets. His cousin is a marine who was involved in the first wave of the invasion of Iraq.

He said that "this is about supporting our men and women at arms and I think some of these images are disheartening. At the same time, I think it will be wonderful when Iraqis and Afghanis will have the same rights as Americans to peacefully protest."

Rob McAvoy, of Glens Falls, said he was displeased with the anti-war protest.

"To tell the truth, I don't think this is a good thing to do, it isn't a good thing for our soldiers to see," McAvoy said.

McAvoy argued with a protestor about who was doing more to show their support for the troops.

"Go to the local National Guard barracks," McAvoy said. "Ask what you can do to support them. Letters, boxes, help out a wife whose husband is away at war, anything you can do."

A stage presented by a group called Operation Ceasefire held a concert, following the march, which was interspersed with speakers. Joan Baez, one of the performers, voiced her opinions.

"My feeling is that Michael Moore cracked that wall (of Bush's lies), and made fissures in it. The Gold Star Mothers made a pathway, and Cindy Sheehan put her foot in it," said Baez.

Other performers for the concert included Thievery Corporation, Le Tigre, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Wayne Kramer, Sweet Honey in the Rock and the Bouncing Souls, among others.

About Congress, Sheehan said, "Shame on you for giving George Bush authority to invade Iraq."

[ Back to Student Voices ]