NYT: In March On Pentagon, Protesters Recall War Anniversaries

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/us/18protest.html

In March, Protesters Recall War Anniversaries

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SARAH ABRUZZESE
Published: March 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, March 17 — Thousands of demonstrators marched to the Pentagon on Saturday to mark both the fourth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq and the 40th anniversary of the march along the same route to protest the Vietnam War.

The march coincided with other demonstrations in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere in advance of the March 20 anniversary of the invasion. The liberal group MoveOn.org has held many small protest vigils around the country. And in Washington on Friday night a coalition of liberal Christian groups, including Sojourners/Call to Renewal, led several thousand people in a march that began with a service at the National Cathedral. More than 200 participants were arrested praying in front of the White House, the police said.

Saturday’s march was organized by the Answer Coalition — named for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism — an organization that was initially associated with the Workers World Party and now affiliated with a breakaway faction of that party called the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

The turnout for the march was much smaller than the crowd that gathered two months ago on the National Mall for a demonstration opposing President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. That event featured speeches by a members of Congress who opposed the war as well as a handful of Hollywood stars.

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Alan Rainey, an adjunct professor and small publisher from West Lafayette, Ind., said he had not attended a protest since 1973, not long after he had returned from military duty in Vietnam. On Saturday, he carried a sign with green clover and a St. Patrick’s Day theme. “Help drive the snakes out of the White House,” it said, depicting snakes with the faces of Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

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