I live right near the starting point of today's "The World Still Says No to War" march, so I couldn't miss it.
I have protested against the war in New York on February 15 (an uplifting, almost mystical experience), in DC on March 15 (within sight of the White House, but Bush was not there), and again in New York on March 22 (and later that day met my now-fiance). I also turned out for a protest in the rain near Times Square the day the war started, and again to protest a Bush visit to Manhattan ("Where are the WMDs?")
So I couldn't very well miss this march that was starting just around the corner. I showed up, but I didn't stay very long.
Half the participants were the people who go to EVERY protest no matter what -- the Socialists, People's Worker's Progressives, the Daily Worker, pro-Palestinians chanting "Intifada! Intifada!" You see those people at NORML rallies.
This year we had Haitians as well, protesting the "occupation" of their country.
I recognized some of the signs from last year. "Empty War Heads Found in the White House," referring to one of the first "false alarm" WMD finds.
The guy in the Bush mask with the rubber horror hands holding the inflatable globe was there.
There were a couple of packs of teenage anarchists, with bandanas tied over their faces and their insignia pinned to their jackets, snaking their way through the crowd.
One cool costume I hadn't seen before... a guy dressed as a big black bomb with Bush's face on it, and "Drop Bush Not Bombs" in big letters.
Over the PA came the booming voices of speakers addressing the crowd. I have no idea who those people were. They seemed very concerned about Palestine. And they want the troops home today! Not tomorrow! Today! The only line that gets any response from the crowd is "Bush and his Administration should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity!"
Crimes against peace is probably the more correct charge -- the crime of aggressive war. Illegal since Nuremberg.
There were a fair number of Kuchinich supporters, but I saw little explicit support for Kerry. There just wasn't much focus on the upcoming election at all, really. A few "Lick Bush" signs, maybe.
The crowd is very subdued. Not much chanting.
A Progressive Worker is walking next to me. He's handing out flyers. "Hey, did you know Kerry is proposing to increase the number of troops in Iraq? Kerry is not an anti-war vote! Kerry and Bush are both pro war!"
I marched with the group a couple of blocks, and then split off to get some coffee.
