Around 3,000 marched and attended a rally today calling for an end to the Iraq invasion
and for the impeachment of GW Bush, Dick Cheney, and all others in the administration
accused of subverting the constitution. I notice the police seemed a lot more sympathetic
to the protesters than they did 4 years ago. Four young men walked in front of the
march wearing Bush/Cheney baseball caps and carrying signs stating "Give War a Chance"
and other ridiculous countermessages. I'd like to believe they were pulling a sick joke, but
the sad truth is they were in earnest. And of course the TV cameras sought them out to
provide a "balanced" story of protest and counter-protest. Still, it was good to see lots
of people out on a Saturday afternoon exercising their right of free expression and dissent.
Hoyt and I took a slow roll back home, stopping at 1st Hill Grill for late afternoon whisky
and eggs, and then the Zoo and Blue Moon (two of Seattle's last genuine bars) for a couple
of beers. I then met up with Sarah at her painting studio where, looking for something to do,
I started fiddling with chalk. After a practice one on a manual typewriter case, I went out
front and drew the above on the sidewalk. Most of the pre-Halloween partiers who saw it
ignored it, but I felt good about implanting the thought in the minds of so many passersby.
Because there are so many messages in mass media which reinforce the Bush agenda, it's
vital to get alternative views out in the public sphere wherever possible. It might be in vain,
but the alternative--doing nothing--is a surefire way to lose what little is left of democracy.
And you know, the call for impeachment is not an opinion--it's just a question of whether
or not those sworn to uphold the Constitution will enforce the rules it sets forth. So far, not.