Signs of the Times


By most standards, the events of April 20 in Washington, D.C. were extraordinary for their political diversity. This was not just an assembly against the war and for peace. It was an assembly of people with multiple progressive agendas and many different approaches for realizing them. For those not there, the news reports presented an unexpected slant. The Washington Post, in a page one headline declared it a Palestinian rally-"Demonstrators Rally to Palestinians Cause" explaining, in a subhead, "Arab Americans, Supporters Drown out other Issues." On page eight, in the sixth paragraph of the story, the Post acknowledges that there were other issues as well. National Public Radio news and the Baltimore Sun were among others who narrowed their coverage to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. To be sure, there was a major Arab presence, and at least one of the permitted sites was originally and publically set aside for Palestinian issues. The participants and their motives were far more diverse. In all of the materials that came to my attention at the Baltimore Peace Action Network and to the Baltimore Independent Media Center, the major issues identified were the war on terrorism and its consequences with regard to civil rights. Global justice and the anti- humanitarian policies of the Bush administration were all on the agenda. The major sponsoring coalitions were themselves diverse representing a staggering range of social and political perspectives There was the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, National Coalition for Peace & Justice, 9-11 Emergency national Network, New York City Labor Against the War, and International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism). It may well be that the Post, and other news media, steered their coverage away from the antiwar, anticorporate, and anti-Bush ralliers for their own more conservative interests. What were the people saying? One way to observe this is to look at the messages, the plain and the ornate signs that so many people were carrying. Here they are, or at least here is what I recorded over a three hour period by the Washington Monument.

There were those who spoke directly to the war. "Good vs evil, dead or alive, east vs west-challenge the war story." "There is no military solution." "When the rich are killed, it's called terrorism. When they kill the poor, it's called a just war." "We refuse to pay for war." "Greed for gas and oil leads to war without end." "Capitalism means war" "In every war, both sides think they are good guys, but in fact 50% of them are." "War + racism = the symptoms. Capitalism is the disease." "Invest in communities, not bombs." Some put it very personally: "Stop the war for me."

For some people, the emphasis was peace. "Peace is a group effort." But others felt it important to identify themselves in their call for peace. "Vermonters for Peace," "Brooklyn parents for peace." "Another feminist for peace." For others "Peace is Jesus,""Peace is patriotic." One person had lettered his sign: "They make a desolation and call it peace." President Bush was a popular subject. One person arranged Bush as one angle of a swastika. Another using Orwell's "War is Peace," wrote, "George Orwell, 1981 George Bush, 1991, George Bush, Jr.2001." "Mr. Bush, please chain your mad dog Sharon." "GW Bush-making the world safe for hypocrisy." "CIA Enron Bush Sharon FBI Terrorist" "Prune back Bush."

Some comments were more profound, "Impure means results in impure ends." Some superficial, "Love is the answer," and some called for introspection, "Do we hate our enemies more than we love our children?" Then there were those who came with other agendas: "Nukes. Never," "Free Tibet," "US troops out of the Philippines," "Social welfare action alliance." and, an obviously left-over sign, "Nader-LaDuke."

There were more signs and other issues, and in its size and political atmosphere it was a successful event. As a 47-year Baltimore woman, veteran of many marches, said to me: "I always get a nice feeling around protests -just the way people look and the feeling I am not alone." We are not alone.