Read John Nichols’ dispatch and Karen Houppert’s analysis from Saturday’s antiwar march, and watch TheNation.com for further reporting on this weekend’s antiwar activities.
The National Weather Service is predicting highs in the low 50s and sun for Washington, DC today. With no expected chance of precipitation, it’ll be a beautiful day for what is expected to be the largest mobilizations against the Iraq war since the US invasion in 2003.
The proceedings have been organized by United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of 1,400 local and national organizations, including the National Organization for Women, United Church of Christ, the American Friends Service Committee, True Majority, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, CodePink, MoveOn.org, and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.
The idea is to show Congress that America wants a peace surge, not a troop surge, and to push legislators to listen to the voters, not President Bush, and bring the war to a close. And judging from this good piece in the Washington Post, the corporate media is finally taking this round of protesting more seriously than in the past.
There’s a rally starting at 11 am on the Mall featuring remarks from a host of speakers including Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Rep. Maxine Waters, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Leslie Cagan, playwright Eve Ensler, Bob Watada, Danny Glover and many others. At 1 pm the march kicks off from the Mall and move around the Capitol. There’s still time to get on a bus until late tonight (Friday). Click here for info on transportation and here if you need a place to stay.
The weekend’s activities will include an interfaith peace service, a Congressional Education Day on Monday and a host of related activities coast to coast. In Mobile, Alabama, there’ll be a rush-hour protest with people lining the sidewalks of Airport Blvd to express opposition to the troop surge. In Jasper, Arkansas, citizens will be “gathering with signs, song and good energy” in front of the courthouse at noon. In Fresno, CA, activists will converge on the corner of Blackstone & Shaw Avenues at 10:30 am. In Los Angeles, people will assemble at noon in front of the State Democratic party headquarters at 9th Street and Figueroa for a march downtown past City Hall, to the Federal Building at 300 N. Los Angeles Street for a rally headlined by Cindy Sheehan. In Pensacola, Fla, activists will be meeting downtown at noon for a peace rally at the corner of Palafox and Garden St. in downtown Pensacola. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, people will be gathering at noon with signs at the corner of 41st and Yale.
If you can’t make it to DC, you can also still show your opposition to the Iraq war by joining more than 19,000 activists in a Virtual March on Washington being arranged by Democrats.com, which also has a very useful list of related antiwar events in the DC area over the next few days. You can also help make the actions a success by making a donation to UFPJ, by helping spread the word and by asking your elected reps to support Senator Edward Kennedy’s bill against funding a troop surge.
