Political activism, again: My hour with the peace demo

[thatcrazycajun]

Remember that nationwide spate of emergency demonstrations against the Bush veto of the timetable Iraq spending bill I mentioned, the one organized by MoveOn.org that was to take place today? And how one of them was scheduled for 6 PM here in Atlanta? And that I was debating whether to attend? Well, I finally up and went.

Stood for an hour or more with a plastic whistle and a cardboard sign reading "Veto - Wrong Way" and "Keep 'em safe, bring 'em home" at the intersection of Freedom Parkway and Moreland Avenue, at the spot where Freedom Park has its main sign (east side of Moreland). Saw quite a collection of people, of all ages, races, sizes and apparent economic strata - couples with babies in strollers or toddlers banging pots, young students from one or more of the local colleges, elderly folks, and only a few middle-aged ones who might have been Vietnam-War-era hippies. All blowing whistles and making as much noise as they could to encourage drivers passing through to do likewise with their voices and vehicle horns, which many did.

One large bedsheet sign atop the hill behind the park sign said, "IMPEACH BUSH FOR WAR CRIMES." Other signs held by protesters included "The Rapture is not an exit strategy"; "Not one more day, one more dollar, one more death"; and "Impeach the Son of a Bush." Got there half an hour late, but a sizable crowd (about 100 or so) for the size of the three-way intersection stayed until about 7:30 or so, then started to dwindle. Went off and had a bowl of gumbo at Front Page News in Little Five Points nearby for dinner, then spent a relaxing couple of hours at the Edgewood District fan trap Barnes & Noble 'til they closed, and got home about 10:30. The local paper covered the demo and has already posted an article here.

Don't know if it really did any concrete good, as I didn't make any real connections with anyone there, and I doubt we changed any minds of those hardened war-backers who passed. But damn, it felt good nonetheless.

Comments

Good man

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

I am always happy to see my fellow citizens, as opposed to the free loaders who beleive "democracy" is limited to an empty ritual of voting.

Re: Good man

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Coming from you, that is praise higher than which I cannot possibly imagine. Thank you most humbly, sir.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

I have run into occasional peace demonstrations (apparently spontaneous) at the main intersection in my corner of Seattle, and I always think two things: (1) Damn, I wish I'd known about this in advance, and (2) Damn, I wish I'd brought my banjo. I am by no means a virtuoso and can mostly hack my way through a three-chord song, but nothing adds to a peace protest like some of those good old songs from the Sixties. I wish there were more of them from the Naughties, but I'm apparently no help. My muse occasionally gives me ideas for filk, but so far I haven't managed to do squat in the way of political songs, and I have no idea why that is. Maybe I'm intimidated by the ghost of Pete Seeger, and he isn't even dead yet.