Many here are upset over the Washington Protest.....A.N.S.W.E.R/United for

[KoKo]

Peace.

Many of you feel that the "speakers" were too fringe for your tastes (maybe for my tastes), but I just wan't to remind you all that ANSWER/UNITED FOR PEACE gets the Permits and Organizes on their websites to give US/ALL the ABILITY to come to Washington and wherever in the US to PROTEST!

Those "naysayers" who are shocked at the "Free Mumia" and "whatever" speeches with screaming folks (yeah some of them turn me off and tune me out, also) BUT.......those are the folks who have allowed our "Peace/Anti-Iraq Invasion Movement" to have a VOICE at all!

So when we get upset that the "pure anti-war voice of those of us on DU and elsewhere" is somehow sort of diffused by the folks at ANSWER/United for Peace and their "Socialist" leanings, then we need to figure: Do we really wante to Knaw and Bite the HAND THAT FEEDS US?

Do we want to trash ANSWER/United for Peace.....because on our own we can't get our "Permits" cleared?

Even though many DU'ers have problems with some of the participants (many of the participants)......didn't you just buy your ticket to get on the bus?

How can we get angry if our "Peace Movement" has to rely on those who've done much legwork before us? And, why should we?

This movement is greater than all of us......Anti Globilization and anti-ASSCROFT Detainment?

There's lots of work for us to do........Getting angry at "Screamers (much as I dislike them myself) is the "LEAST of OUR PROBLEMS!"

It's not worth getting worked up about. As long as ANSWER/UNITED FOR PEACE can BUILD IT........We SHOULD COME.....until we find a voice of our own.....That's all I'm saying here. :shrug:

[alexwcovington]

1. Yeah

The protest was cool enough, despite the relatively high concentration of "fringe" groups.

Just being out there on the National Mall, rallying for a just cause... it's a great thing.

[loudnclear]

2. I was turned off too...but then it came to me that these are the people

who care deeply enough to do the hard labor. And I began to wonder if my feelings had anything to do with the fact that the "screamers" didn't look like me? I, for one, was ashamed within myself. Most people scream because they are frightened and want to be heard. Maybe we just aren't frightened enough. Maybe it is going to take much more for even us at DU to respect (though we disagree) a difference of opinion and perspective. For those of us who are not black, hispanic, Asian, Native American, Muslim, gay or mentally or phsically challenged...we just don't have to face the things that make one scream?

[jokerman93]

5. Thanks for That loudnclear

smart and wise and possibly prophetic

[EastofEdon]

3. I'd love to see other

demonstrations, but I haven't seen anyone organising them. Sometimes I wonder how much a lot of us folks here at DU really accomplish besides sitting around and gabbing.

[Pastiche423]

4. W/all of the whining

and chastising on the board today, you'd think no one had ever attended or heard of an ANSWER protest.

Did none of the naysayers attend last Ocotber 26, or this past February 15, or any of the other ANSWER protests? The speakers and the format was very much the same. Why start trashing it now?

Today's purpose was to get as many USians out to show their collective outrage at the policies of the WH squatters. From what I have read, that purpose was accomplished.

During the Viet Nam era, I attended many protests. There were "extremists" then too. It din't stop anyone from continuing to protest against another fucked up war. In fact, the protests were the reason (along w/the thousands of body bags) that the war finally ended.

Ask yourselves, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO END THIS INVASION/OCCUPATION?

If so, quit acting like fucking purists and worrying about how "others" might view the people that truly want change and are willing to prove it by making their voices heard - even above those you don't want to hear.

[ursacorwin]

6. part of the plan

1-demoralize activist base with screaming, fringe-concerned plants who dominate the event and take attention away from the issue at hand.
2-spread word back at meetings of activists concerning their 'failure' and the need to 'tone down the issues' in order to reach the middle.

this is jst the electronic version of the old meetings.

[qanda]

7. I just came back from the rally

And it kind of hurts that there are so many willing to complain about what took place when there is no other venue open to us to express our thoughts and ideas. The right wing sets the agenda, controls the agenda and forces their agenda upon us. They don't worry about how radical it is or how it may offend someone. What's more radical than dropping 35,000 bombs on a country the size of California?

The reason the movement won't go anywhere is because there are too many people sitting around complaining and pissing in the corn flakes of those who are getting off their butts and doing something about their anger. I am NO leftist, but I actually thought there was a great range of speakers there today. Some people do try to get their own agendas and messages across, but the central theme is that they all feel screwed by this administration and the powers that be.

Please pardon the rant, but I read some of the posts about the rally on another thread and it really burns my butt that I was out there for hours with my two children trying to take my country back and all I hear when I get back is how terrible it was. I'm sorry that it was a disappointment to so many. But since you didn't like what you saw, it is time to start your own rally and I wish you luck in your endeavor to please everyone.

[Malva Zebrina]

8. I watched it

and to be honest, could not understand half of what anyone was saying. There was too much, entirely too much hoarse screaming and gesticulating and too many other agendas that I really was not concerned about believing the most important thing right now is to expose and protest Bush and his arrogant and illegal attack on Iraq. I had no idea what it was many of the speakers were saying.:shrug:

I appreciate and thank those who did make an effort and a financial effort as well to protest in DC, but I do think that it is somewhat off base and target and admit that it was a disapointment to me. I do not think that these protests are going to impact anyone if they continue as today's agenda. It is too loud, too harsh and too many others involved, such as Mumia et al. We need protests that concenbtrate on getting Bush out of there. Those that concentrate on other issues, such as Cuba, Phillipines, Mumia and others, are only taking away from the purpose of ejecting Bush in 04. It seems to me that people are just not interested in protesting and further, if they look like fanatics, as I thought these did, even though I know they were most sincere in their individual causes and pleas--this is the result of what? The X generation? that does not care, nor affiliate with any movement? Sad. Where is the outrage? No where as far as I can see. Today's protest did not express that outrage at Bush and his murder of thousands of people--or at least the coverage on C-Span did not show any real outrage against Bush--there was too many other agendas in competition.

It makes the protest look like like it is truly a "fringe" as Bush describes it. Sorry , it does not make it or do it and I think that is sad.

[AnnabelLee]

9. Locking

5. You may not start a new discussion thread in order to continue a current or recent flame war from another thread. The moderators have the authority to lock threads in order to contain flaming on a particular topic to only one thread at a time.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=463744

Thank you
AnnabelLee
DU Moderator