More DC Protest Photos
Sun Sep 25, 2005 at 06:55:44 PM PDT
These photos are a little tardy because I had to drive back to New York last night, and had other stuff to do today. So... this is a supplement to Rena's earlier post, as I was in the same group.
Please note:
- This is my first diary.
- Because of 1), I haven't uploaded pictures before. Since I don't have any hosting mojo, I'm using Imageshack, with somewhat oversized pictures (there's about 40).
WARNING: The pictures are too large, but I'd already uploaded half of them before I realized that and am not doing it over! Dial-uppers beware. Hopefully this will work OK, but if I break something bad, I'll take it down or try to fix.
- I barely remember any HTML code, so am crossing fingers the formatting is OK.
- The cloud cover made the day great for marching, but lousy for picture-taking. My camera was cranked to "noisy grain" to get results in the low-light, low-contrast environment.
- Finally, I am uncertain as to etiquette here. So... no names, and anyone who wants their Kossack Kloseup pulled, please say so!
I exited the Metro at the National Archive stop a little after 11:00. At the top of the stairs was what appeared to be a counter-protest. There was a stage set up, and someone was speaking. Because I was already running late, I didn't get any shots of the setup and barely looked at it. Whatever it was, there weren't many people there, and in fact, the counter-protesters were very few compared to some of the NY rallies I've been to.
Met up with the main group around 11:20, behind the Ellipse visiting center. The obvious road in was completely blocked, which meant major detour. Fortunately, bright orange is easy to find.
Frontline Kossacks
Follow this flag!
Or, if you prefer, this one.
Or, for that matter, both!
After standard-bearing practice, our coordinator started us off.
We immediately discovered a larger orange contingent from Florida (in back, with peace symbols). There was no confusion though. They had the numbers...
...but we were much louder.
Billionaires for Bush have been a NY mainstay for a long time now, and it's nice to see them in DC. Hey, it's nice to see John Bolton anywhere
but the UN, given his proclivities. In the back of this photo you can see counter-protestor signs on the left. "Profiteering is Patriotic" is pure Billionaires, though.
We got stuck early at a corner while the march uncompressed itself.To pass the time, we yelled "Sign up or shut up" at the few war supporters who are hidden somewhere in the back of this shot. Note the "Al Qaida thanks you for your support" sign, along with the "Paid Provocatuer [sic]" retort with arrow.
Uncle Sam supported by the Kos flag. Shortly thereafter this Uncle Sam went over to the counter-protestors and said hello.
"...and my knuckles say L O V E and L O V E"
How big was the crowd? It was BIG, not that you'll ever know that from the MSM. Hey NYT and WaPo, where are our aerial shots! We want aerial shots! Well, yesterday I think it would have been good. Many, many protesters.
Random Kossack #1, smiling after being up 24 hours.
"Not blotting, BLOGGING. B-L-O-G-G-I-N-G"
The drizzle came and went, but it was refreshing, not annoying.
For some reason, the lie-down is more popular in DC than NY. Clean streets?
Do you think he knew?
Cindy, Jesse and JimCindy Sheehan has really become an full, overnight, first-name icon. As a normal person struggling publicly to remain balanced, I think that vast kind of fame must hinder as much as it enables. It's a real tightrope. (On a separate note, Msr. Jackson appeared not to have had any coffee in any of the ten or so pictures I got. This is the best of the lot.)
Cindy's herald
Yeah, we did that.
We heard people shouting Shame! Shame! and looked around, but saw no one. Naturally, they were chanting at the White House.
Random Kossack #2 at the White House.
Several more Kossacks at the White House.
"You think I'm ranting? I have not yet begun to rant."
"KOS. It rhymes with 'nose.' Don't you know yet that we've replaced you?"
"Carry on, riff-raff."
Lunchtime on the go.
We were at the front, more or less. Those people down there were way behind us on the route, and when we finished, we saw people still just starting out. There were a lot of people at this one.
Random Kossack #3, displaying tonsils.
"
CEDWYN fashion fashion
CEDWYN fashion fashion!"
And per request, back signage.
This was the only "you're going to hell" guy I saw.
There will always be injustices to protest. I hope, and pray, that when I'm 88, I will be out doing what this man was.
Post-rally milling about.
Glucose uptake.
Knights of the many little round tables.
Casey Sheehan memorial. Many, many faces. Note the ones that were pulled by family members.
By this time we'd all broken up, and three of us made our way to where the post-rally music and speeches were being held. Strangely enough, we were then gradually surrounded by Kossacks again. It's the orange.
A call for fist-waving is answered.
And that was all I had time for before driving back to NYC. While I tried to show some fun pictures, this was a serious demonstration. It's probably my tenth or eleventh protest since the three I went to in New York in 2000 against that so-called "election." This crowd was on message, and generally very disciplined. I saw no "incidents" of the kind the media likes to concentrate on. I wish the need for protests would go away, but this is the kind to have while it doesn't.
The Kossacks were, to a one, very nice in person. I hope to see you all (in the daylight-sharing-air sense of the word) again!
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