Then and now - no more war

Shaun Mullen posts the best account of Saturday's peace march I've read so far. Contrasting it with the 1967 march that he also attended, he not only gives an honest and neutral account of the current event, but also an interesting historical perspective. Read the whole thing, really, but here's a couple of choice grafs about Saturday's event to get you started.

There also are many different kinds of flags. They are carried by veterans groups, church groups, gay and lesbian groups, 9/11 conspiracy theory wingnut groups, and members of the ever present Socialist Workers Party, who probably have been at every protest rally and march I have attended. Who are those people?

Funny, I've often wondered that myself. Where do they go when they're not marching? You never hear about them otherwise.

The wind gusts as we walk onto the bridge. A Park Service helicopter makes noisy loops overhead. Mounted officers ride parallel to the march, their horses practically prancing. An officer on a bay black steed, its magnificent head sheathed in a riot visor, raises his right hand and gives the peace sign. A roar goes up from the crowd – the loudest of the day.

And unlike 1967, there are the counter-protesters, many of whom had gathered at the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial because there were rumors that protesters would try to deface it. That is ridiculous. We are here not to tear down but to bear witness. The feeling of respectfulness among the marchers -- to the military, the police and counter-protesters, even to the Park Service clean-up crews -- is palpable.

It doesn't matter what ANSWER is or how poor a job it has done. We are there to declare that we have had enough. No more killing. No more troops deployed. No more lying and deceit.

Amen. Reading the post makes me wish I could have braved the cold and attended myself.