Protestors drawn to the mall this weekend included some normal people. Most of them, in fact, were normal people. Many of them veterans or even current military. There were some 100,000 anti-war protesters, according to some estimates, despite strange problems with Amtrack which just happened to have problems with all it's train lines on Friday and despite other obstacles to even getting their message out.
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm6221_20050924.htm
I watched the TV reports and they focused on G. Gordon Liddy the few "pro-war" protesters -- all covered with the colors of the flag and some of them very violent. They also focused on the radicals who held a seperate protest at Dupont Circle and then marched on the White House to join the main protest. Liddy acted like the wackos were the only ones to show up. He gave a speach in which he implied that the people protesting the war were bad for morale.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0539,ferguscd,68201,2.html
"Their rally drew only several hundred supporters to the Washington Mall, where they held up signs like "Freedom Isn't Free" and "Saddam Is a WMD" as they listened to speakers like Watergate thief-turned-radio-pundit G. Gordon Liddy, who accused Sheehan of "whoring the good name of her son" and carrying out a 'left-wing socialist agenda.'"
I don't think these protesters would have been bad for my morale if I were over there fighting. But if someone called one of my comrades mom's a "whore" I'd be fighting mad. The protesters (at least the main-stream ones) all had signs saying patriotic things like "support the troops bring them home" -- anyone who is sent abroad among nasty people to do the nasty business of fighting welcomes that message. What is depressing is the notion that all this fighting might not actually buy democracy and freedom for the Iraqis or any oil for home.
I agree with the characterization the village voice gave his words. What is depressing is that burglars and cons like G. Gordon Liddy are free -- well he did his time but he's definately not reformed -- and still able to stir up discontent and defame people on TV with adoring crowds hanging on their words. I especially don't like his moustache. It reminds me of a certain German who died in 1944. I wonder if it's on purpose?
But what drew me to write about this was some incidents I heard of (and have experienced myself). One of the vets at the protest saw one of the two hundred or so "pro-war" protesters and went over to talk to him. He said to the guy "you know Bush has been cutting veterans benefits and not doing anything for military people." The guy just gave him a blank stare. Two different worlds.
"Mine is not to reason why,
mine is but to fight and die."
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the report on this. I have been wanting to let you know that I do read your blog, I just usually don't have anything intelligent to say in response. But I do appreciate your writing about these things.
I think as Nichiren Buddhists inspired by the Rissho Ankoku Ron we should all deeply question the kinds of values that our society as a whole is living by and the kind of collective karma that we are creating. I am glad to hear that there were more peace protestors than pro-war people, and I am glad the majority were ordinary folks and not just the fringe crowd.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei