BTW, this was UPJ's agenda for the DC protest....

[LynneSin]

10:00AM All-Day Peace & Justice Festival Begins, Washington Monument Grounds
11:30AM Rally at Ellipse
12:30PM March steps off
3:00PM "Operation Ceasefire" Concert featuring Cindy Sheehan

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3091

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's obviously that International Answer somehow managed to shut them out of the event so they could force us to stand around for another 90 minutes listening to the idiots who wanted to push their pet causes and not stay focused on the War and Gulf Coast issues.

I'm almost getting to the point that I do not want to be involved with anymore International Answer protests. The only reason I organized a DU Protest was because what I thought was UPJ's involvement in the protest. United for Peace and Justice broke away from IA a few years ago because of IA's involvement with radical left-wing groups. UPJ wanted to focus on the war and getting Bush out of office, ideas I think we can all agree upon.

But anyone who was with me on Saturday knows that at 12:30 we were nowhere near starting to march and it wasn't until 1:45 that we slowing progressed. And no, we weren't at a stand still because of the number of people. Hell, we moved faster at the March for Choice and they had close to a million people. The march took that long because IA packed the speakers with these radical groups that most of us pretty much didn't give 2 shits about.

United for Peace and Justice has the ability to organize these massive protests and they need to keep International Answer out of it. IA ruined some of Saturday's events including coverage on CSPAN. CSPAN will usually provide a few hours coverage of the protest including some of the march and I'm sure they were working under the agenda that there would be an hour worth of speakers and then a few hours worth of march coverage. But instead they were stuck with 3 hours worth of speakers and believe me, by the end of the speaker coverage we looked like embarrassment. We had the radicals speaking to crowds of NOBODY. That isn't good for our cause.

So I'm hoping that many of you (I know I am) will write letters to UPJ and ask why they allowed IA to take over the protest and ask them to not work with IA in the future.

[moddemny]

1. Good Post.

.

[WilliamPitt]

2. "so they could force us to stand around for another 90 minutes"

Lynne, that wasn't what happened.

The pre-march crowd line got so huge that the police kept directing it around to the left and around to the left...and the front crashed into the back. It had nowhere to go and had to be unsnared.

That's why the march was delayed.

[LynneSin]

3. You were at the March for Choice

The crowd was larger and we moved without any problem.

And why would UPJ post a 12:30 march kickoff if they were planning on having speakers for another 90 minutes unless UPJ was forced out of planning this protest.

[WilliamPitt]

6. See my new thread on the topic

The speakers would have gone on regardless.

[DancingBear]

7. Just saw it - thanks

[LynneSin]

8. I'm not here to argue, I'm just fed up with International Answer

and btw, they aren't the only ones that can organize these major protests. UPJ is an off-shoot from IA that started because UPJ wanted to stay focus on the anti-war message. I'm hoping that enough of us complain to UPJ and ask them to not include IA in future endeavors.

Plus I'm also thinking that in 2006 we'll see another March for Choice and if anyone can put on a massive protest that tends to flow smoothly it's the Planned Parenthood/NARAL folks.

Does it mean I'll not attend anymore IA protest? Oh, I'm sure I'll be there, but if there is something local going on I'll hit those up first. Too many of these local peace groups are getting fed up with IA and would rather do it locally than to be involved with them again.

[DancingBear]

4. Would have started on time even with the speakers still on stage?

Will, I can understand the logistical reasons for the delay, but I am curious about one thing. Do you think it would have started "speakers be damned" on time had it not been for the Hannity-small crowd of 50,000 that delayed things? :)

[klook]

5. I refuse to participate in any more Yippie protests

I signed up for an SDS protest, and then these Yippie idiots show up, threatening to put LSD in the water supply, run a pig for president, and levitate the Pentagon. It's just counter-productive.

[DancingBear]

9. Plus Krassner keeps hitting on my girlfriend

I just can't have that.

[madfloridian]

10. We rally for UPJ every week locally. Picture included.

Our group is not always large, but we always have someone there holding signs. It has gone on since just after the war vote. I agree with your post, we so badly wanted to just see the march and the happy people. Thanks for posting. The pic is just to show we are always fighting, but just want the groups to do it who stick to issues.