In posting a comment to the diary on Rolling Stone's article on the draft, I thought about my experience during the October 15 1969
Moratorium against the Vietnam war.
As I recall it was well-covered by the press, and though many articles were negative, it served to show Americans of all ages and colors united against the war and Nixon's policies. It worked.
From the excellent page linked above, part of "A Brief Look at The New York Times and the Vietnam Antiwar Movement" by Hunter Barns,
The first international Moratorium on October 15, 1965 encompasses many new and dynamic forms of protest across the world. "More Americans protested against their governments on October 15 than had ever done so before."[59] The Moratorium managed to be the most successful antiwar demonstration ever- "attaining a diversity, pervasiveness, and dignity unprecedented in the history of popular protest."[60] Organized by Senator Eugene McCarthy, Sam Brown, David Hawk, and Marge Sklencar, the Vietnam Moratorium was the result of over nine months of careful planning, over $700,000, 12 nationwide offices, and countless numbers of volunteers.[61] "By 1969", writes sociologist Todd Gitlin, "establishment had tilted toward a liberal position on the war... they were more friendly to the antiwar moderates."[62] The Moratorium manifested itself in the form of "traditional rallies and marches, vigils in cemeteries, prayer services, the tolling of bells, and moments of silence."[63] Among the many demonstrations, "Boston's M Day constituted the largest political demonstration in the city's history", while "in New York... 250,000 citizens took part in several events."[64] Most of these events were even endorsed by public officials and the members of the House of Representatives "rejected an overnight session in support of Moratorium but did hold four hours of serious floor debate on the war."[65] The most dynamic aspect of the Vietnam Moratorium was that "participation in the Moratorium implied that it was alright and even patriotic to be against the war, that it was not a betrayal of earlier sacrifices to want to stop the carnage."[66] Even more astonishing, the Moratorium passed with "almost a total absence of violence and arrests."[67] Indeed, by 1969 the antiwar message was universal and the Vietnam Moratorium was a great success.
With the renewed efforts in the Senate to bring the issues of the Iraqi war, the administration's lies, and the lack of planning to the forefront, perhaps it's time to take a look at another well-planned nationwide (worldwide?) protest.