Tomorrow I march on the Pentagon.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

I don't understand how telling people that what they are doing is wrong or is failing and that you want them to stop doing it is "support"

The inverse to that is to ask how telling people that sending them into a hopeless situation where their odds of dying or being injured may far outweigh their odds of success is "support".

[BarTopDancer]

*I* support our troops because it is not their fault they were ordered to go fight this war. I want them home because this is something we never should have been involved in.

*I* support our troops who went to and are still in Afghanistan after 9/11. I also support that effort - to find Bin Laden.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

The inverse to that is to ask how telling people that sending them into a hopeless situation where their odds of dying or being injured may far outweigh their odds of success is "support".

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

*I* support our troops because it is not their fault they were ordered to go fight this war. I want them home because this is something we never should have been involved in.

*I* support our troops who went to and are still in Afghanistan after 9/11. I also support that effort - to find Bin Laden.

Fair enough.

[Moonliner]

I’m back from the March. Thanks to all of you who sent me messages of support!

I don’t think I was quite ready for my fellow protestors. To be honest don’t remember ever hearing of “ANSWER” before this march and as I suspect some of you already know, ANSWER is a tad liberal, what I believe Mr. Bill O’Riley would call “kool aid drinkers” . While I am firmly against the war in Iraq and President Bush, I’m not quite ready to burn him in effigy or as some signs suggested, hang him as a war criminal nor do I think President Bush was the mastermind behind 9/11.


As I mixed with the crowd I started feeling a bit uneasy with some of the sentiments being voiced. After a bit I started thinking to myself “My enemies enemy is my friend” but I don’t know that I really believed it. Pressing on I did see at good number of people who I think had views closer to my own. Such as this lady who was marching for all the members of her family (all their names are on her shirt)


There were also many signs supporting the troops and urging Bush to wake up. Of course there was a lot of press there from around the world.




As the press is want to do, they were looking for the most outrageous, outspoken and camera friendly photo-ops. There were a lot for them to pick from.



One interesting thing I did notice, as I reached the stage area there were not a lot of people there. The vast majority of protestors (including myself) made the march, got to the pentagon parking lot, took a look around and then headed back up the road. I like to think these were the more moderate thinkers.


Also out in force where the Anti-Anti War Protestors. They seemed to be comprised primarily of various veterans groups.


As a group they were much more angry and outspoken than the Anti-War protestors

Continued......

[Moonliner]

On my way back I just started walking and thinking to myself. By the time I made it as far as the Lincoln Memorial I was feeling all philosophical thinking about war, sacrifice, good, evil, and our countries place in the world.



So I decided to walk through the Vietnam and WWII war memorials.


The wall was moving as always.

Apparently last time ANSWER had a demonstration in DC someone spray painted Anti-War graffiti on the wall. As peace loving as I am, I’d still kick the ass of anyone I saw trying that sh*t. A large number of Vets were standing guard at the two memorials watching for any trouble. I took the time to thank them for their service and for watching over the wall.


It took me a couple more hours of just walking around the National Mall before I was ready to head back home. All in all it was a very different experience than what I had expected going into it.




If you are interested you can visit my SmugMug gallery for all the photos.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Thank you for marching for all of us who share your spirit. I just found out that my mother-in-law was marching there today, as well. (She flew out just for the occasion.)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

All in all it was a very different experience than what I had expected going into it.

Just wondering - what did you expect?

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Just wondering - what did you expect?

I expected the typical fringe "9-11 was an inside job" and "Hang the president" people you always see at these things, I just did not expect to see them running the event. I don't feel that anti-troop rhetoric and spray painting the Vietnam war memorial is helping achieve an end to this unjust war.

I did not mention it in my report, but after I left the main group part of my walking around was holding my own private protest march. Unlike the main group I took my march directly to the source of the problem and it ain't the pentagon or "big pharma" like many of the marchers were saying. (Yes, some where blaming the war in Iraq on pharmaceutical companies )

Nope, I went directly to the source of the problem...

[Betty]

Thanks for the great reporting. Made me a little teary eyed actually.

[blueerica]

Same here. I find myself often in the middle - Was it right to go there? No, not really. Is it right to pull out quickly? Probably not so much. We are soooo boned right now, it's not even funny. What I wish the country could see are those not on the lunatic fringe. Those from "the left" *not* defacing our monuments and memorials. Those from "the right *not* waving their guns and blowing up bombs, but who are genuinely concerned about a long-term future. You know - those from both sides who want to see our troops home, but want to make sure everything works out for the world.

We're in between a rock and a hard place. And this is pretty much the reason I don't talk politics like I once did. Outside of this fairly well-thought out group, everywhere else is just a bloodbath between the left and the right - where little common sense can be scraped off the battlefield. It's no wonder this seems like such a lost predicament when there seems to be no way for people to just meet eye to eye and try to understand one another.

Moonliner - thank you for going to the march on the Pentagon, and thank you so much more for your pictures and your words. They really meant a lot.