Yesterday I posted a little-read diary, with excerpts from my personal journal about my experience five years ago at the Iraq war protest march in Chicago.
I got a little bit sucked in, going back and reading other journal entries from around that time (boy did I love Built To Spill back then!), and I was reminded of a couple of them last night when I heard a news reporter, while covering last night's march in Chicago, say (paraphrasing from memory) "...and many are here because they know someone who's in Iraq, and want them to be brought home."
Does this mean it's finally common knowledge that being against the war doesn't mean you don't support the troops? Finally! As far as I've always been concerned, the ONLY WAY to support the troops was to demand an end to the war. This is from my journal, March 22, 2003:
Why do people think that if you're anti-war, you don't support the troops? There's a guy on CLTV right now saying he hopes to god the troops don't see all the footage of the anti-war protesters, and he's going to stage a demonstration that shows he supports the troops and that he loves America. I think that wanting the war to stop means you want the troops to be allowed to come home instead of BEING KILLED. Who is this guy?
The cops surrounded the protest last night. I didn't want to get trapped again, so I left before the march started. I doubt it even began...I'm waiting to hear, but there's a commercial for an ab machine on.
And later that night:
Well, now, there's a big counter protest. They aren't calling it a "pro-war rally," but a "pro troops rally.," being held right next to the anti-war demonstration. They showed footage on the news of "Pro-Troops" people arguing with Anti-War people. A mother of a soldier, waving a framed picture of her son was screaming and crying, saying, "You NEED to support these kids! How dare you not support these kids?!" and a war protestor trying to explain to her that anti-war does not mean anti-troops OR anti-america. She wasn't listening though. Just screaming back.
I remember being so frustrated then. What was wrong with them? How could they not get it? Why were they trying to make us the villians, when the REAL villians were those who sent our young people to die in a completely unnecessary war?
That one line by the news reporter has started me thinking that maybe they DO get it now. Maybe they do understand finally. We supported the troops from day one.