From some perspectives the anti-war protesters should improve their dress code "this much". From the perspective of more conservative types, the protestors should improve their dress code "double that much", or triple.
Protestors are a diverse group of people, many of whom feel it is their right to express themselves freely in appearance. They feel it is their right to express their emotions towards the war in a sign of their own choosing, a personal expression that sums up a point they want to make. Maybe it isn't one that would pass all the politically correct filters society can run a phrase through.
Other protestors intently use their appearance to "get attention". They feel their voice is not heard in American political discourse and they seek a broader audience.
The larger protests are a wide cross section of society, people from every walk of life expressing solidarity with others against the war, people rising up in public and saying "No!" to the madness their government is taking their country into.
Because the government and the major media seeks to marginalize, minimize, and divide the energy of these protests they skillfully portray them to reach those goals.
How often do you see an overhead shot of the entire crowd, how often do they interview a broader cross section of the attendees, how often is there any intelligent dialogue with any attendees in front of the cameras?
The government and major media do not need our support in distancing the American people from ways to express dissatisfaction with the policies of this administration. They also don't need our help in distancing the American populace from others resisting their policies.
Perhaps some of the people in this community who are critical of public protests could attend or even march in a major rally sometime and get a more complete understanding of what they and the diverse group of people in them are like.
I would be willing to wager that anyone in the Kos community would find others they would be comfortable around and that have similar political perspectives.
Are public protests effective? Feb 15, 2003 - the largest protests in world history occurred - 10 million people in countries around the globe. It didn't stop the mad rush to war. But imagine being an Iraqi watching that day's events on TV. Would you feel better about the people from the countries about to invade your country?
Are 10 million people really a focus group George? As we daily express our horror and shock at fighting breaking out in a war zone we asks ourselves "How could this have been averted?" Many in this community tried, some of us protested, it was something.
Enough somethings and we clear a path for progressing out of this madness. Many of the families left behind from the Lunaville list are wishing they had done more somethings.