I’m not a protester kind of guy. I’m much more of a “lets-elect-the-right-people” kind of guy. But sometimes you can only write so much on a web site, and you need to be part of an assembled group to make a statement. I don’t delude myself into thinking that my protest will stop the war, but I think George Bush is leading us so far down the wrong path that I believe I should protest.
So I did.
The idea was to line up along Massachusetts Ave., from Lexington to Harvard and onward to Boston – organized by Lexington Justice And Peace Committee. Penny and I went to Harvard Square with a hastily written sign (“Fight Terror, Not Iraq”) and an American flag.
Contrary to what a lot of people say, the bulk of the signs were “pro-peace” and not “Anti-Bush”. There were a good contingent of American flags as well, so I guess us northeastern agitators don’t all “hate America”. There was a mix of very young and very old, as well as several different races.
On the other hand, there were a few exemplars (well, three) of the pro-war contingent that made their voices heard. One was a woman in her SUV who stuck out her tongue and gaves us the thumbs-down sign. Another shook his fist and said we should go to the airport and “leave America”. That makes sense. Another kept shouting “France Sucks”. Okay, it does. But what was the point? Sigh.
Anyhow I’d estimate the protest and the ensuing rally attracted about 250-300 folks into Cambridge, and they’re expecting quite a few people for the larger rally at the end of the month in the Boston Common.
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.