So, you don't like ANSWER, Cindy is hurting the cause, and Pat

[Thtwudbeme]

Tillman's death isn't questionable.

Give me a flipping break.

The march was the biggest crowd I have ever been in in my entire 41 years--Answer and the Peace and Justice folks did a great job. I don't know what ALL of their positions are, and right now I don't give much of a damn. They brought moderates and lefties together for one weekend, and for those of you that bitch about "herding cats," maybe you all should be paying attention.

Cindy has gotten more attention from the MSM freaking FINALLY...but, now some people don't like her....and I don't give much of a damn. She isn't doing anything now that she wasn't doing before. "OMG! She got arrested!!!! The shame!!!" Bullshit; every single public figure I have ever admired has been arrested.

As far as Pat Tillman is concerned; I haven't seen ONE person on DU that was present when he died. The conspiracy theories in this administration aren't that hard to imagine are they? You can disagree with the "on purpose" people all you want, but at the end of the day, we don't know, because...face it....we don't even know if our pResident drinks, or if Cheney's knees are OK.

That's all.

Rant over for now.

[Skittles]

1. what Tthtwudbeme said

yes INDEED :thumbsup:

[Thtwudbeme]

2. Thank you!

I wrote that on one cup of coffee....not a usually good idea-

[shance]

11. You done good :)

Thank you for the post.

[ET Awful]

3. The ones that complain about "herding cats" are usually meowing

louder than anyone else.

That said . . . Hear! Hear!

I agree with you.

[tlsmith1963]

4. I Don't Think Cindy is Hurting the Cause

ANSWER is, but not Cindy Sheehan. She is one brave woman, & I admire her greatly.

Tammy

[Thtwudbeme]

7. Let's see...probably over 150,000 turn out for the march....other groups

signed on with them.

Maybe you could explain to me precisely HOW they are hurting the cause?

Oh. A relatively small group of people chose not to attend because of them. Please don't use this answer...the numbers alone will tell you that didn't matter.

There were several other groups present at that march; United for Peace and Justice was one; Code Pink....could you have not marched with them?

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. I walked with Code Pink

and the Raging Grannies were behind us. I had a great time.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Then maybe you should organize the next rally?

I was there and ANSWER was a minor component. At least half the people came just to march and it was an enormously successful march. There were some kinks but it seemed EVERYBODY had a GOOD TIME, except of course the freepers who were few and far between.

Just to be there with 100,000's of other people who all agreed that BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER was an amazing experience.

Too bad the naysayers missed it, their loss not ours.

[doni_georgia]

5. ::::::::Applause:::::::::::: Couldn't have said it better!

[Binka]

6. Yes!

[haroldgiowa]

10. Hurting the Cause?

I feel that willing to be arrested for the cause is one tool we have overlooked. You want MSM attention you have to do more then yell a few words. I am not advocating violent actions, but sitting down is not a bad thing.

[Binka]

13. Are you replying to me?

I was giving Miss Steph a HUZZAH. Not sure I have any idea what you are talking about.

[Thtwudbeme]

15. I don't think s/he was

I saw that too...but, it looks to me like a case of too early/not enough coffee, and hitting the reply button at the wrong time!

See....I recognize those symptoms easily.....

;)

[Binka]

17. I Think You Are Right Steph

It is 2:30 pm here in Sicily I forget how early it is there.

[Thtwudbeme]

18. SICILY????

OMG....I am so very jealous of you....already had good coffee; a siesta...almost time for a glass of wine----

Lucky you!

[Binka]

33. Check your PM Steph

[HughBeaumont]

8. I wasn't there because of ANSWER

I'm sure a majority of the people there probably were along the lines of my thinking. We hate this war and we hate this government that puts our troops in harms way . . . for LIES. I don't feel the message overall among the people was as diluted as the anti-ANSWER people were making it out to be.

[Thtwudbeme]

9. So, the only reason you did not attend was because of Answer?

?

[HughBeaumont]

25. Actually, I DID attend.

My point was that whether ANSWER was there or not didn't really matter to me either way, and I'm sure a majority of the people there felt the same way. I was there because I hate this war (having two friends in it) and especially this hijacking of government by corporations and neoclowns.

[Thtwudbeme]

29. Aha! Were you at the Hawk and Dove?

If I met you and don't remember your name, it's because I had too much to drink- thought I was 22 again! ;)

[HughBeaumont]

30. Sorry, I left for Silver Spring at 5.

When I'm visiting and my mother makes spaghetti, life comes to a halt until it's finished. ;-)

[leveymg]

16. I doubt many noticed the flaws until the ANSWER bashers let loose

This whole bash-ANSWER thing is the only black mark on the rally, as far as I can see. It seems to have been cooked up by some single-issue types.

Okay, fine, they made their point all-too-clear. Some of the beef may have some substance. But, enough, already.

[ima_sinnic]

23. looks like you won't be able to attend any rallies, then, because

ANSWER will always be there. ANSWER is nothing more than a coalition of a whole lot of other groups, many of which have been around forever. They are endorsed by Vietnam Veterans Against the War and they have also sponsored consistently huge rallies, early and often. You have to decide what is more important: to publically express your resistance and dissatisfaction with BushCo, or to stay home because of "what others might think" of some people at the demonstration whose causes you don't endorse.

I thank ANSWER for its drive and ability to rally the people. We're all in this together as far as resisting BushCo goes.

[HughBeaumont]

26. I think I worded this one badly.

I can see by reading what I wrote, one would think that I'm an ANSWER basher. I'm not. They have as much right to be there as anybody.

What I meant was that whether they were there or not didn't matter to me. I was there because this war is a consummate sham and so is our government.

[niallmac]

12. I whole heartedly agree because

for me the most compelling statement made at the march was the aerial photo of the mass of bodies in the mall and stretching down the avenue. The picture doesn't reveal who believes what just that it was taken of a lot of people who are pissed off with this war and this war mongering admin. I hope I can go next time and help out with the big picture.

[johnnie]

14. I agree with you about the march.

I was a little bored after a while watching C-span Saturday, but I was amazed at the crowd. I also understood that Answer put that together and C-span was there to cover the rally, not the march. There were too many people sitting at home complaining on here.

As for Cindy, she has more passion and drive than everyone that is whining about her put together. Getting arrested in protest is, and always has been a common tactic used to bring attention to a cause. Hell, how many times has Martin Sheen been arrested?

I think too many people complain a little too much. It makes me question what they are really supporting.

[LWolf]

19. Good rant.

I've typed and deleted 3 responses that were a little too strong for DU sensibilities, and I'm left with that.

Good Rant.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[shadowknows69]

21. I used to be in the anti-ANSWER camp

and to a certain extent I do think they have too much going on occasionally but being in the crowds on Saturday made me realize that it is the big picture the average citizen will (hopefully) see. Not the three speakers who made a couple rosy comments towards Castro but the other 199,997 people out in the Mall speaking truth to power.

[HughBeaumont]

27. What he said. n/t

[Mutley]

24. Cindy is not hurting our cause.

She's drawing attention to it, as many others have done in the same way in the past. Martin Luther King Junior was arrested several times, but that is not what we remember him for -- while still a major problem in this country, Civil Rights could very well still be in the stone age if not for MLK. Cindy Sheehan can be the same powerful voice for Peace as MLK was for Civil Rights, that is, if we don't turn our backs on her the first time she says something or does something we don't agree with.

[LiberalEsto]

28. Getting arrested for anti-war civil disobedience is admirable

Just look back at the Berrigan brothers (priests) and their followers who repeatedly allowed themselves to be arrested for their moral opposition to war and nukes, during the Vietnam era and beyond.

Look at all the religious people who have been protesting the evils of the torture-training School of the Americas for decades.

Think about all the Quakers who have put their bodies on the line against Vietnam and the Gulf wars.

Not only have these brave ones risked arrest, some of them have been beaten and imprisoned and roughed up in prison for the cause of peace.

[ima_sinnic]

31. can I please have a link to a thread where Cindy is bashed for

getting arrested?
I find this unbelievable!
Putting yourself in a position to be arrested proves ultimate commitment. "Fair-weather" demonstrators, who risk nothing, are a dime a dozen and getting anything done only up to a point.
I don't think getting arrested is done so much for media attention as to express the heartfelt conviction that enough is enough, you just cannot and will not tolerate things the way they are and "they" are going to have to bodily remove you, or change things. It makes those in the position of "removing" have to look inside themselves, too; the onus is on them now.

[zalinda]

32. Those who are against ANSWER

don't hate the group, I don't think. They hate the fact that ANSWER seems to get all the press. The fact that ANSWER shot guns out all kinds of grievances during what was advertised as an anti-war/anti-Bush rally and march, is what is getting to people. The MSM focuses on ANSWER and their various causes and labels all the people at the march as extreme left wackos, and not to be taken seriously. If they had stayed on message about the war, I don't think there would have been one complaint. We can only imagine that if ANSWER hadn't been so front and center, maybe the march would have been taken more seriously.

zalinda

[goodhue]

34. hear, hear!