Americans Make Voices Known

Protestors gathered in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall on Saturday to rally and march to demonstrate their discontent with the war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the recent call for more troops to be sent over to Iraq. The crowd, which numbered close to 500,000, spanned across the National Mall and its surrounding streets.

The protest included every type of anti-war and anti-Bush platform and the crowd varied, creating an enormous gathering of protestors united for one cause: to stop the war and to impeach Bush. The event resembled a hybrid half-festival and half-serious political rally.

Across from the Capitol, a group called "Jamming for Justice" drummed away on maracas and bongos, drawing in a crowd of onlookers to dance or observe. In the center of the mall, a group of demonstrators were kneeling in the grass wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods covering their entire heads in order to resemble the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.

Other less obvious protestors walked around holding signs with statements such as "Another Republican Against the War," "Another Lesbian Against the War" and "Another Jewish Mets Fan Against the War," proving the crowd was indeed a multi-faceted one, united for one cause.

Key political figures and celebrities such as Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda and Tim Robbins spoke to the crowd about the evils they believe are taking place and what people must do to solve these issues.

"We the people no longer accept the Bush propaganda," said John Brown, the former State Department diplomat who accused Bush of telling the public grave lies. "We are here to demand the truth ... the truth will take us out of Iraq and the truth will make us free."

In her speech, Fonda questioned the politics of the Bush administration, claiming that hubris, arrogance and carelessness have landed the United States in situations where it should not be, therefore endangering U.S. troops. She called upon the crowd to take necessary action before another soldier's or innocent civilian's life is taken away.

"Silence is no longer an option," Fonda said.

Sarandon's speech zeroed in on the disrespect she said U.S. soldiers are receiving from the Bush administration. Sarandon argued that Bush is using our fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers in order to fight a selfish war she claimed is based on oil and profit.

According to Sarandon, one of every three homeless people is a military vet and the ratio of doctors to veteran patients is 1:500. She also said the divorce rate for returning soldiers is 70 percent, which is significantly higher than the national average.

Sarandon also attacked Bush's State of the Union Address, which spoke of the war as a dilemma "over there." She believed it hit very close to each of us "over here."

One mother of a soldier said her son, 20, was sent to Iraq after two weeks training instead of the average 12, according to Sarandon.

"And 21,500 more will risk their lives for his misguidedness," she said in terms of Bush's call for more troops to be sent to Iraq.

A few blocks away, a line of tourists circled the Washington Monument, casting the occasional glance upon protesters lying down just feet away in an effort to spell out "Impeach."

The area around the reflecting pool remained calm and sparse, contrasting to the dense activity taking place just over a small hill.

The actual march started to piece together around 1:40 p.m. as the brigade of signs, chanters and dancers alike headed towards 3rd St. and Jefferson Ave. Military veterans, aged "hippies," dreadlock-bearing stilters, and angry mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers of soldiers all shouted, sang and drummed up Jefferson Avenue.

The skyline became a jagged horizon of colorful signs, large puppets modeled after administrators and pictures depicting the mournful death of a fallen soldier. Those who wished to show support but did not wish to march lined the stairs and grassy hills of surrounding federal buildings, whistling and waving homemade posters.

The protest met minute opposition as it circled towards the Capitol when a slight crowd of a dozen or so people, just across a barricade, held up signs questioning the march and the reason behind its existence.

"Hippies Stink," read one sign carried by a man wearing a gas mask. Other signs argued that to be anti-war was to be against the troops and unpatriotic.

"Peace IS patriotic," one sign retorted back from a marcher which he held up in order to argue against their platform.

According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, 3,065 of American military have been killed, with close to 23,000 left wounded since the start of the war in the beginning of 2003.

Dan Warren, an 8th-semester horticulture major who was present at the march said he was there for one basic reason: to perform his civic duty as a citizen of the United States to make his voice heard for the cessation of war in Iraq.

Warren's brother, currently stationed in Iraq, was deployed about a year ago. Warren believes his brother and other soldiers are sent to Iraq based upon crooked decisions.

"I feel that the powers to be are trying to carry out some sort of legacy," Warren said, "They certainly do not have pure motivation in my belief."

As for protests, rallies and marches, Warren believes that it is every citizen's duty to illustrate his or her beliefs in peace marches, such as this past Saturday's.

"[The march] shows that people are serious about this," Warren said. "I think it's an important and effective technique . . . and you should never be afraid to voice your beliefs."

According to Warren, some may believe there is just one insignificant group of people who stereotypically protest for peace but this march was proof against the social stigmas.

"You just saw every age, every demographic," Warren said. "It's not just a small group of people making an inaudible amount of noise. There's a real strong base around this. At this last protest it was not just a fringe element of American Society. The people at this protest are the people who live next to you or made your house. It was a fairly broad cross-section; babies in strollers, old women in wheelchairs, people in T-shirts or in Burberry scarves in designer sunglasses. We were all united that day for the same cause."

The next demonstration is planned for March 17, 2007, when protestors plan to march to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.