-Caveat Lector- Thousands Rally in D.C. Against Iraq War
By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands rallied in the capital Saturday in an emphatic dissent against preparations for war in Iraq, voicing a cry — "No blood for oil" — heard in demonstrations around the world. A rally in the shadows of Washington's political and military institutions anchored dozens of smaller protests throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. In Washington, police said 30,000 marched through the streets, part of a much larger crowd that packed the east end of the National Mall and spilled onto the Capitol grounds. "We stand here today, a new generation of anti-war activists," Peta Lindsay from International Answer, the main organizers, exhorted the spirited masses in a biting cold. "This is just beginning. We will stop this war." Police reported few arrests in the rally, which preceded the march past Marine barracks to the Washington Navy Yard. "We don't want this war and we don't want a government that wants this war," said Brenda Stokely, a New York City labor activist. A sign branded America, not Iraq, a "Rogue Nation." Another said, "Disarm Bush." Activists invoked the nonviolent legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on the long weekend that marks the civil rights leader's birthday, and booed President Bush (news - web sites), who was at Camp David, Md. King's historic "I have a dream" speech rang out from the opposite end of the mall, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, before a crowd of more than 200,000 in 1963. "Mr. Bush hung Dr. King's picture up in the White House last year but he need to hang up Dr. King's words," the Rev. Al Sharpton, a Democratic presidential candidate, told the demonstration. Added civil rights activist Jesse Jackson: "We march today to fight militarism, and racism, and sexism, and anti-Semitism, and Arab-bashing." Terrence Gainer, chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said "about 30,000 people moved out on the march route," a two-mile trek from the huge rally. Bush believes that protesting "is a time-honored part of American tradition and it's a strength of our democracy," White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said. Demonstrators hoped the protests and more ahead would win over an American public unsettled by the prospect of an Iraq war yet supportive of Bush's leadership. Some dared hope their activism would give his administration pause. "Our voices ought to matter." said Joyce Townsend, 69, who came from Detroit on a bus with members of her church. As with any big Washington rally, the main cause made room for other causes. "Free Palestine" was one of them. Racism and genocide were others. "The underlying motives for this government's actions have always been greed and racism," said Moonanum James of United American Indians of New England. "In the spirit of Dr. King, in the spirit of Crazy Horse," he said, "no blood for oil." Elsewhere, protesters denounced Bush's Iraqi policy in a major rally in San Francisco, where protesters came by the thousands. "I'm hoping that the bus loads of people coming as far away as Oregon and Nevada give an indication that this isn't just the crazy loons in San Francisco — but we reflect the opinions of the entire United States," said Tim Kingston of the anti-war group Global Exchange. In Lansing, Mich., several hundred people met at a church before marching 20 blocks to the state Capitol. "It's just great enthusiasm here, and a great spirit of peacemaking," said the Rev. Fred Thelen from Cristo Rey Catholic Church. In Des Moines, Iowa, about 125 protesters marched two miles in a bitter wind that made temperatures feel below zero. "Standing out in this kind of temperature is nothing compared to innocent people losing their lives in Iraq," said marcher Eric Kimmer, 32, a credit union worker. About 400 people, many of them elderly, gathered in downtown Venice, Fla., to listen to anti-war speeches. "America cannot unsheathe the sword, and tell the rest of the world to brandish plowshares," said Methodist minister Charles McKenzie. Demonstrators staged peace rallies worldwide, events that typically drew hundreds or fewer. But 5,000 people marched through downtown Tokyo, carrying toy guns filled with flowers and wearing face masks that parodied Bush. Larry Holmes, speaking for organizers of the Washington rally, said protesters everywhere sense war is close. "It seems like it has a momentum and a sense of inevitability, and so we're rushing against the clock," he said. "So as they send the troops there and surround Iraq, we're sending the troops into the streets of Washington, D.C., so to speak." Three dozen people stood by the Vietnam War Memorial to show support for Bush's policy and offer a contrary voice to the blitz of demonstrations. "The protesters don't understand the threat" of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), said Scott Johnson, 55, a Navy veteran from Minneapolis. "It's a war of liberation for people." Overseas, 60 protesters in Hong Kong shouted, "War, no," and in Pakistan, the familiar refrain "No blood for oil" was heard — accusing America of wanting to attack Iraq only to control its oil wealth. Police in the Netherlands detained 90 activists who tried to enter Volkel Air Force Base, where Dutch and U.S. forces are stationed, to conduct a "citizens' inspection of American nuclear arms." More than 400 New Zealanders demonstrated in Christchurch. In Moscow, a few hundred people agitated outside the U.S. Embassy. Bush says Saddam has weapons of mass destruction and no qualms about using them on the United States, if he could. U.N. inspectors are in Iraq trying to find them. -------------------------------------- Steve Wingate ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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