Thousands Protest Iraq War Policy

Activists March On The Pentagon; Smaller Demonstrations Across The Country

(CBS/AP)  Denouncing a conflict entering its fifth year, protesters across the country raised their voices Saturday against U.S. policy in Iraq and marched by the thousands to the Pentagon in the footsteps of an epic demonstration four decades ago against another divisive war.

A counterprotest was staged, too, on a day of dueling signs and sentiments such as “Illegal Combat” and “Peace Through Strength,” and songs like “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “War (What's It Good For?).”

“What I want to see come out of this administration and any administration is the troops — and then we can have some peace in the world if we have the troops,” one protester told CBS Radio News correspondent Tom Foty.

Thousands crossed the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial to rally loudly but peacefully near the Pentagon. “We're here in the shadow of the war machine,” said anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. “It's like being in the shadow of the death star. They take their death and destruction and they export it around the world. We need to shut it down.”

Smaller protests were held in other U.S. cities, stretching to Tuesday's four-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion. In Los Angeles, Vietnam veteran Ed Ellis, 59, hoped the demonstrations would be the “tipping point” against a war that has killed more than 3,200 U.S. troops and engulfed Iraq in a deadly cycle of violence.

“It's all moving in our direction, it's happening,” he predicted at the Hollywood rally. “The administration, their get-out-of-jail-free card, they don't get one anymore.”

Overseas, tens of thousands marched in Madrid as Spaniards called not only for the U.S. to get out of Iraq but to close the prison for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Smaller protests were staged in Greece and Turkey.

Speakers at the Pentagon rally criticized the Bush administration at every turn but blamed congressional Democrats, too, for refusing to cut off money for the war.

“This is a bipartisan war,” New York City labor activist Michael Letwin told the crowd. “The Democratic party cannot be trusted to end it.”

Five people were arrested after the demonstration when they walked onto a bridge that had been closed off to accommodate the protest and then refused orders to leave so police could reopen it to traffic, Pentagon police spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin said. They were cited and released, she said.

President Bush was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend. Spokesman Blair Jones said of the protests: “Our Constitution guarantees the right to peacefully express one's views. The men and women in our military are fighting to bring the people of Iraq the same rights and freedoms.”

People traveled from afar in stormy weather to join the march.

“Too many people have died and it doesn't solve anything,” said Ann O'Grady, who drove through snow with her husband, Tom, and two children, 13 and 10, from Athens, Ohio. “I feel bad carrying out my daily activities while people are suffering, Americans and Iraqis.”

Police on horseback and foot separated the two groups of demonstrators, who shouted at each other from opposite sides of Constitution Avenue in view of the Lincoln Memorial before the anti-war group marched. Barriers also kept them apart.

But war protester Susanne Shine of Boone, N.C., found herself in a crowd of counterdemonstrators, and came out in tears, with her sign in shreds. “They ripped up my peace sign,” she said, after police escorted her, her husband and two adult daughters from the group. “It was really pretty scary for me.”

Protesters walked in a blustery, cold wind across the Potomac River with motorcycles clearing their way and police boats and helicopters watching.

Police no longer give official estimates but said privately that perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 anti-war demonstrators marched, with a smaller but still sizable number of counterprotesters also out in force. An hour into the three-hour Pentagon rally, with the temperature near freezing, protesters had peeled away to a point where fewer than 1,000 were left.

Protesters met at the starting point of the Oct. 21, 1967, march on the Pentagon, which began peacefully but turned ugly in clashes between authorities and more radical elements of the estimated crowd of 50,000 on the plaza in front of the Defense Department's headquarters. More than 600 were arrested that day.

That protest has lived on in the popular imagination because of the crowd's attempts to lift the Pentagon off the ground with their chants; they fell short of their fanciful goal.

Veterans lined up at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and waved U.S, POW-MIA and military-unit flags.

“They’ve got no business using our wall as a backdrop for their anti-war demonstration,” one veteran told Eve Chen of CBS radio station WTOP.

Not all were committed to the U.S. course in Iraq, however.

“I'm not sure I'm in support of the war,” said William “Skip” Publicover of Charleston, S.C., who was a swift boat gunner in Vietnam and lost two friends whose names are etched on the memorial's wall. “I learned in Vietnam that it's difficult if not impossible to win the hearts and minds of the people.”

But Larry Stimeling, 57, a Vietnam veteran from Morton, Ill., said the loss of public support for the Iraq war mirrors what happened in Vietnam and leaves troops without the backing they need.

“We didn't lose the war in Vietnam, we lost it right here on this same ground,” he said, pointing to the grass on the National Mall. “It's the same thing now.”

Opening weekend events, more than 200 were arrested in a demonstration late Friday in front of the White House and charged with disobeying a lawful order or crossing a police line.

[zootallures2]

If the terrorist could easily hit the Pentagon, a building protected by missiles, a 24/7 patrol of F16's and AWACS, why would Bush feel so safe in a school house?

Why do the terrorists always go for the towers, instead of diving into building 7 where the CIA, FBI and government offices are? Just like the Pentagon. They go out of their way to hit a re-inforced side farthest from the main office and go for a bunch of construction workers?

[zootallures2]

But the war in Afghanastan is OK? LMAO!!!

9/11 was a controlled demolition. It's not like it's hidden. It's right on all the news footage.

How could 3 skyscrappers fall straight down at free fall speed? If you kick out one leg of a table, it falls over. Imagine 110! It falls over!

The freakin construction crew was still finishing the re-inforced side of the Pentagon exactly where Hani Honjoure circled around to hit. Farthest from the main office where Rummy and the to brass were. They could have painted a bulls-eye on it you people are so stupid.

How did Bush know that no planes were heading for the school house he was in?

You are total idiots!!!

[tuckerndfw]

Rick,

Asserting that Jesus Christ is someone's "lord and savior" is an excellent example demonstrating my prior points.

Jesus Christ is a composite character popularized in a work of fiction invented by the Roman Empire in 325 CE and based on Hebrew mythology.

The book of mythology (the Bible) Rome invented included heroic epics (virgin birth, miracles, rebirth, etc.) adopted from many other legends and incorporated into the Hebrews' mythology.

Your imaginary Gods do not save anyone since they do not and never existed in the first place.

Obviously, you get your "facts" from the same delusional people who told you some imaginary God would reward you with eternal luxury if you would only agree with their delusions.

Jews, Christians and Muslims, generally speaking, all claim that "martyrs" or the "faithful" will be handsomely rewarded in the "after life."

And are likewise delusional. Dead is dead and there are no rewards other than the ultimate peace of mind that comes from being dead.

But, that does not alter the fact that I have never been approached by a Muslim (or Jew) who attempted to "save" me. Nor has any Muslim (or Jew) attempted to coerce me into accepting his religious delusions.

Which cannot be said of Christians, including you.

[tuckerndfw]

Rick,

Once again, you demonstrate your overwhelming ignorance.

There are approximately 70 million American Christian who claim to be Zionists. Zionism is a political organization formalized in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland.

Zionists began infiltrating Palestine in the early 1900's. David Gruen (aka David Ben Gurion, founder of Israel), a Polish atheist and ardent Zionist, was expelled from Palestine in 1915 for his "nationalist" and "socialist" activities. (Time Magazine, 2000, page 2, http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/bengurion.html).

"Nazi" is a contraction of "Nationalist Socialist" in German.

Zionists actively supported and collaborated with Adolf Hitler and German Nazis. Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. (see: http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/antisemitism/nazisupport.cfm)

Zionists have been actively waging war on and terrorizing people for nearly 100 years.

OBL and radical Muslims are a direct response to Zionist terrorism directed against Muslim Arabs.

OBL is not attempting to convert anyone, he is attempting to resist Christian and Jewish terrorism against Arab Muslims. His appeals to Muslim fundamentalists is no different than the appeals Zionists make to Jewish and Christian fundamentalists.

Obviously, you get your "facts" from your Zionist madrassa or cult leader.

[scottyusa]

Grumpas said "scottyusa when are people like you going to grow up and join the real world????? Probably never! If Bush told you the moon was made up of green cheese you would probably believe it! Any one who is dumb enough to believe the terrorist's are going to follow us home will believe about anything they are told! The saying was so ignorant when Bush and his cronies said it, I could not believe there were actually American's gulliable enough to swollow this stupidity as a reason to continue on with an illegal war! Most of the war mongers don't seem to get what a terrorist is! Because they have went about fighting them in the completely wrong way! Terrorism is never going to be defeated with army's or invading countries! The only way it's ever going to be defeated is the same way any criminal organization is by law enforcement and etc! Common sense should tell you people this but yet again there is no common sense in Bush or his followers!". I am not a Bush follower sir. I am a realist. So you don't think the terrorists will come eh? You my friend better wake up. We didn't think they would come before 911 and they did. You have learned nothing in the last 4 years. You sir are the dumb one. I am sure all our soldiers are so proud of you and your bull.

[me4prezz]

The United States should learn from our own history. During the American Revolution, the British kept to strict military policy in a war against farmers and ordinary citizens who took up arms and fought Guerrilla warfare and LOST. It was a long, bloody, nasty war, but military strategy cannot, and history has shown it time and again, beat against people who know their own land and are willing to fight in any way possible to win---and politics be damned.

Why can't learn from our past? This is war we are never going to win because we are fighting people who don't believe and don't practice military strategy, practices, or policies. They are using Guerrilla warfare. Until we learn to fight as dirty as they are or back off and leave them to their own civil war seeing as how there are no WMD anyway, we are not going to win. We are fighting in their playground and we are getting whipped.

However, personally, I think it is too much of a coincidence that Bush's family makes their money from oil companies and Bush immediately tried to pick a war across the ocean, where, OMG, it would seem there is a large amount of oil. During his presidency, the oil companies have seen RECORD profits, including his family. Maybe it is just me, but I would tend to question that.....and the reason we are really fighting this war in the first place.

History has shown that the wars of man have often come down to greed.....

[j-whitman]

Thg,,,, Correct, the rats jump ship.... How many rats is left in this administration ??? Just the King Rats, the rest has either been replaced or jailed.... Gonzales is next, then Karl Rove, Cheney & Bush.

[rheola-2009]

singinrick

You say that we do not see Christians doing this sort of thing [Terrorism.?]

Then please explain the past.

1/ Crusades. terrorism and murder,rape and pillage, nothing else

2/ Heresy trials. Pure murder of people who would not bow to the Christian God, plus an opportunity at the time to remove a competitor for the exalted position as leader of the so called faith.

3/Inqisitions. Another opportunity to murder tens of thousands of so called non believers in that form of superstition.

4/The Catholic church's apparent approval of the Third Reich,this resulted in an enormous amount of blood on their hands, and their complicit help in the Nazi war criminals escaping. [Pope Pius X11]

The Catholic church's complicit aid to Ante Pavilic and his murderous Ustachi government in Croatia, resulting in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Muslims and Orthodox christians. [Cardinal Montini, later Pope Paul]

[rafterman1]

"When the ship starts to sink the "RATS" are always among the first to jump ship????"

Actually, RATS are considered fairly intelligent creatures. But only fools will continue to burn themselves touching the hot stove, thinking it will somehow become cool eventually.

[thgdriver]

The president's job approval ratings have fallen from 90 percent shortly after the September 11 attacks to just over 30 percent.
You're the fightin' 30%. Get a clue.
Posted by david1737

So what are you stating about the other 60%?

When the ship starts to sink the "RATS" are always among the first to jump ship????