Whither all the war protesters?

[rodeodance]

Unless there is a massive protest-----they really are not sending a message.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070119/ts_csm/aantiwar

Whither all the war protesters?

By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Fri Jan 19, 4:00 AM ET

On a beach in US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)'s San Francisco district the other day, about 1,000 war protesters formed up to spell out the word "IMPEACH." The aerial photo quickly spread to China and Europe.


Still, there were no political harangues, no civil disobedience. The quiet turnout was mostly "old hippies, and even older hippies," jokes event organizer Brad Newsham.

In Boston, a peaceful rally to protest the planned "surge" in US troops drew no more than a few hundred people.

Nearly four years into US combat in
Iraq, the antiwar movement has yet to generate the kind of mass protest seen during the Vietnam War. There's no shutting down universities or blocking traffic at military bases - no tense face-offs with police.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. We're in our pajamas

sipping _________ and protesting on the Internets 24/7.

[ben_meyers]

10. No Draft!

I doubt that we could have mobilized the numbers we did in the 60's had we not had the specter of the draft hanging over our heads. But it is amazing that without computers, cell phones or much else we could turn out the numbers we did. Pounding a keyboard and sending e-mail just doesn't seem the same. Who reads e-mail, who sees an online petition? Can't even personally get out of the house to sign one. If you are not invested in the outcome I guess it's hard to get people involved.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Some of us

do both.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v411/DoYouEverWonder/DC%20092405/

[ben_meyers]

26. I understand that

But from the tone of your 1st reply I thought that maybe not enough do. All I pointed out is that without a personal interest some people aren't moved to action.

[SharonRB]

2. We'll show 'em next Saturday where we all are!

[dipsydoodle]

7. Is that this one ?

Jan 27th in Washington DC will be massive end-the-war demonstrations. BE SURE TO GO IF YOU CAN, and we'll have folks in the area filming testimonials.

WHEN: Saturday, January 27th 11am
WHERE: UFPJ march on Washington
On the Mall at the corner of 3rd street
More details on the march are at unitedforpeace.org

see : http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3148729&mesg_id=3148729

[stonecoldsober]

14. Has anyone seen any estimates of how many may be there?

[maxsolomon]

3. just where they've planned for us to be

at work paying off our mortgages

[Dulcinea]

4. I saw a few today...

...in downtown Atlanta, Peachtree & 10th or thereabouts. I honked for peace.

[JanMichael]

5. I guess the reporter who wrote this isn't old enough to remember the

draft.

What a dumbass--there will NOT will nationwide huge protests until the students on campus think there is a chance in hell that they will be the ones fighting.

Hand out some lottery numbers...you'll get your protesters pretty damned quick.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Apparently they forgot about the big protest we had...

last November 7th.

[Kolesar]

16. very clever...eom

[mdmc]

8. personal risk makes our tummies hurt

too scared to take it to the streets

[jaksavage]

17. You can have the day off

from saving the earth from humanity, but please get back up and help when you can. We need you.

[mdmc]

25. peace and low stress to you

and welcome to DU.

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

9. More was going on in the 60's

There was the civil rights movement and I think that made younger people become more politically aware. Then when the draft was reinstated, those young men who were not politically aware became so. Thus they became vocal.

Also, I think that Kent State is still in the public conciousness. I know that alot (if not most) college kids have never heard of the Kent State tragedy, but there has never been a war protest like that since. IMHO

[libnnc]

11. well there was that great big hairy one in DC in Sep '05

you know, the one where nearly a million people marched past the White House.

I was there.

But the media doesn't remember that one.

[deutsey]

12. Speaking for myself, I'm waiting for the rest of America to get in the streets

Jesus Christ, do I have to do EVERYTHING?

:evilgrin:

Seriously, I attended almost every major anti-war demonstration there was leading up to the invasion of Iraq. I organized local anti-war events in my community and vans/busses to take people to demonstrations in DC, debated with pro-war people, wrote and published an anti-war newsletter, etc.

And this article wants to know where I am now? It should be asking why the hell "average" Americans aren't more active, imo. Anti-war protesters like myself did a helluva lot to try to raise the awareness of people before this fiasco started, and we were ignored/distorted by the corporate media, accused of being traitors, threatened, or laughed at.

[jaksavage]

21. Painfully slow to change

But your efforts matter and my bumper slogans matter and the election mattered. It can never be fast enough for us, and the pendulum will likely never swing far enough for some of us.
Every effort matters, keep the pendulum moving and picking up speed.

I have learned so much here @ DU, thank you

[rainy]

13. We started out in large numbers before the war but most protests were ignored

so the numbers got smaller and smaller. If you can't even get yourselves on the evening news it kinda lessens your enthusiasm.

[NYC]

30. It certainly does.

I protested last Monday at the army recruiting staion at Times Square. Did you hear about it?

[leftchick]

18. fucking media can't have it both ways

Last year when half a MILLION people were in DC where the fuck were they? Next weekend when perhaps another half a million people will be in DC where the fuck will they be?

:puke:

[nodehopper]

20. CSM isn't "fucking media" really.

They've been consistently good about stories re: the war and Iraq.

[EFerrari]

24. Really? Then why are they dissing an image that really did go around

the world in advance of a huge protest in DC?

Stinks. :)

[leftchick]

27. this is about war protests

I have yet to see any western media source in the US accurately portray the number of people and the nature of the events in print.

[superconnected]

19. they're still resting after the ice storm they trudged though

to vote the repukes out of congress.

I suspect they'll get up again to vote the repukes out of the white house too when that comes up again.

[Lilith Velkor]

22. Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes truth

That's why there's somebody posting bullshit like this on DU every fucking day. :hurts:

Fine, whatever, ignore us again. But don't come crying to us when the results are the same as last time.

[EFerrari]

23. I'm sorry we weren't violent enough for the average American teevee watcher.

:rofl:

Brad, btw, is setting up a storefront, is expanding his list of participants and is hooking up with other progressive orgs here in the San Francisco Bay area, most of them national ones.

Oh and yes, an image really is worth a thousand words.

Kudos to my fellow Letter H ladies who had to be helped onto the beach.

[NotGivingUp]

28. what good are the protests doing when they are basically ignored by the media?

[blues90]

29. I don;t think the press makes all the difference

Certainly it would help .

So far we have had peaceful protests and this is what we are after , peace . Perhaps it is time to be a bit more intent to get the message out .

I don't know really what the politicians think about protests or if they recognize them . Look how Cindy Sheehan was treated when she was in DC a week of so ago .

Seems to me the politicians want to be the controlling factor as if they know what's best for all . They are not the ones left out to suffer in this mad america on all fronts the people suffer .

So I still believe it is the people who need to break this trend and it can only happen with great numbers in DC for as long as it takes to foul up DC and their comfort .