Sunday, February 16, 2003


Dear all, 

I have this possibly deluded idea that I'm going to
take my Notes from the Frontine of the Protest and put
them on a web page and see if the Peace and Justice
Center people want to put them on their web site.  I
want to encourage all the groups managing to put
together protests with International A.N.S.W.E.R. or
any of the other big umbrella organizations to put up
local, first hand descriptions.  We want to know what
the signs read in London! In Berlin! In Austin!  We
want to hear what the rallies were like!  We have to
record our own history here since the news media won't
go past recounting how many people were reported to be
there, and whether or not any certified stars showed
up at the rally.   

I mainly recorded all the slogans on signs today.  I
also made notes of this-or-that character or flag.  I
tried to take notes during the rally but this was hard
to do.  

Note: if you are a huge fan of George W. Bush, some of
the slogans may offend. 

Note: duct tape was a big theme. 

We were dropped off at the Civic Center, which is
where the rally was scheduled to start a few hours
later.  We walked the two miles down towards the
waterfront, where the march was massing.  We got
pretty close to the start of the march and then joined
in once the main players were past.  Then it was a
long, slow shuffle back up the two miles to Civic
Center, during which time I took notes.  The
organizers estimated the crowd at 300,000; the police,
150,000.  We got to the  Civic Center again around 2
p.m. (having left there around 11 a.m.) and were told
over loudspeakers that the line of marchers extended
the entire length of Market St. still. 

Slogans:

1. Duct Tape This, Bush! (written in duct tape on
clothing)  (not really sure what it refers to)
2. The lady next to me on the bus brought only money
and lipstick.   Again, not sure why she wanted
lipstick. 
3. Button on elderly Palo Alto gent: Impeach Bush
4. Stop Mad Cowboy Disease (my favorite)
5. How many lives per gallon?
6. Go Solar, Not Ballistic (my other favorite)
7. Albany High School for Peace - written on a large
sheet, signed by the high school students.  You go,
guys! 
8. "No War" in duct tape on back of person
9. Environmentalists Against the War
10. Bombs on Cities?  Not in my name!
11. Nation under distress - Hands off our rights,
Bush/Ashcroft!
12. America, read between the pipelines. 
13. Build Ramps, Not Bombs (big sheet, held by people
in wheelchairs)
14. Axis of Idiots (pictures of Bush, Cheney,
Rumsfeld)
15. President Bush, you hid from Vietnam War - we
served.  How dare you ask our children to fight?
(Vietnam Vets)
16. No Blood For Oil
17. Another Texas Oilman's Daughter Against The War
(with duct tape on back)
18. 84-year-old WWII veteran in uniform, against the
war
19. two month old (very cute); surely against the war
20. Impeach Rogue Administration Now
21. San Diego Veterans For Peace, Chapter 91
22. France & Germany / Merci & Danke
23. Imperialism Alert: Threat Level Red
24. This Teacher Says: Spend $200 Billion on Schools
and Teaching, not War
25. Bush + Dick = Screwed (this is the polite form of
this slogan, if you know what I mean) 
26. War Is Not Healthy For Children And Other Living
Things (famous slogan from mothers in 60's)
27. Bush's Policies: Endangering America, Enraging the
World (another of my favorites)
28. No World War III
29. Inspectors Yes, Bombs No
30. Return the Presidio to Muwekma Ohlone Nation (this
is a San Francisco specific struggle, arguably not
connected with the theme of the day - the most
beautiful and valuable real estate on the west coast
is being privatized and developed after serving for
decades as a U.S. govt base)
31. Viva La France (background writing: UN)
32. Who would Jesus bomb?
33. War is expensive, Peace is priceless
34. $100 to Homeland Security, and all I got was duct
and covered?!
35. Peace Takes Brains
36. The Garden needs attention!  It's time to trim the
overgrown Bushes!
37. Organic Chemists for Peace
38. Impeach the Dim Son (pun on Chinese food, dimsum,
although I'm not sure what the pun is getting at)
39. How did our oil get under their sand?
40. How many lives per gallon?
41. Smoke pot, get pregnant; Snort coke, become
president.  Impeach Bush!  (This one completely
mystifies me, although I understand our Fearless
Leader did experiment with cocaine.)
42. Wage Peace
43. No War: Collateral Damage has a Face (picture of
child hurt by war)
44. 10 miles per gallon isn't getting us anywhere -
burn your SUV!
45. Empty Warhead (picture of Bush)
46. Don't misunderestimate us
47. More than 1/2 of all Iraqis are under 15 - Bush's
war is on children
48. Earth to Bush: No war on Iraq
49. Imagine Peace (picture of dove)
50. We can't let the world be ruled by the lower
chakras, Bush, Dick and Colin -- attributed to Hugh
Phillips, folk singer.  (note to non-bay area folks -
the chakras are the energy centers in the body that
are opened up by yoga and meditation and other
practices - I think there are 7 main chakras)
51. No! No! NO! Mr. Bush, Don't you get it? No!
52. We have the power to stop this war
53. Impeach the son of a Bush
54. Monsieur Dumsfeld: (picture of Rumsfeld with two
word balloons, one saying "Diplomacy Sucks" and the
other saying "Bite me Frenchie") War is a sign of
failure
55. Stop the Bush/Cheney Death Machine
56. (picture of Dalai Lama) Please, no blood for oil!
(I liked the "please" - sounds very Dalai Lama-like,
although to the best of my knowledge the Dalai Lama
has not spoken out in a big way on the impending war)
57. (a short Chinese dragon snaked through crowd, in
deference to New Year's celebrations)
58. War ain't no monkey business (sign has a couple of
stuffed monkeys on top)
59.  (6 or 7 oversize papier-mache woman figures in
Middle Eastern head dress holding floppy figures of
presumably dead children in their arms - arresting and
sobering)
60. Patriot for Peace
61. If war is inevitable, start drafting SUV drivers
now
62. Democracy by will of the people
63. Money for jobs, not for war
64. Iraq is not Saddam; Bush is not U.S.
65. I love my country, but I fear my government
66. (elaborate Uncle Sam costume, carrying stuffed
globe in chains, with stuffed monkey attached to bank;
monkey wearing a tshirt that reads OIL)
67. Blessed are the peacemakers
68. Only duct tape can save us now (picture of W. with
tape over mouth)
69. Big Brother isn't coming, he's already here
70. England!  Where's your backbone?
71. Drop Bush, Not Bombs
72. West Coast Terrorist Threat Level: Green (picture
of marijuana leaf)
73. Peace is a Family Value
74. Bombing for peace is like f*ing for virginity
(another one from the 60's)
75. The King is a Fink!
76. (Buddhist nun or monk - I couldn't tell gender -
walking with another Buddhist and turning a prayer
wheel)
77. Give Blix a Chance
78. (flag with picture of earth)
79. No to pre-emptive attack
80. What would Gandhi do? (with picture)
81. A great nation doesn't need to bully
82. War fuels terrorism
83. Regime change begins at home (another favorite)
84. Code Orange for Bill of Rights
85. Make sports and peace not war with Iraq (this one
confused me a bit, too, but what the heck)
86. votetoimpeach.org (it looks like there is a web
page!  I'm so relieved! :-))
87. Bay Area Artists for Peace
88. Smoking Gun (picture of dripping gas pump)
89. Will work for peace
90. Wellstone
      we remember
      we appreciate
      we push on ...
91. Impeach the Moron! / A village in Texas has lost
its idiot
92. Bush & Co. are putting us ALL at risk
93. Pre-emptive war is immoral
94. Shame
95. It takes courage to wage peace
96. Impeach the global village idiot
97. Marine Gulf War Vet For Peace
98. Texans for Peace: Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower, my
Mom + Dad + me
99. Bush Lost (bumper sticker pasted on shirt)
100. If you're not outraged, you're not paying
attention
101. Fellow Christians, We are called to love our
enemies - Jesus wasns't kidding
102. Another pacifist for regime change in USA
103. Blind faith in bad leadership is not patriotism
104. Lost: Bellicose Moron (picture of Bush) If found,
return to The Hague
105. There is a lunatic with weapons of mass
destruction - stop him (picture of Bush in circle with
line through it)
106. Danke, Alte Europa
107. (California flag)
108. Jesus Christ Loves You
109. (duct tape sale on the sidewalk)
110. Stop War: Withhold Credit Card Payments Now ($1
trillion) (I'm at a loss at to what good this would do
but I'm sure it would wreak havoc on my personal bill
paying life)
111. S.F. Loves Old Europe
112. We shouldn't have to be here
113. (US flag with upside down peace sign in place of
stars)
114. Peace, back by popular demand (peace sign)
115. Midlife Menopausal Hippies for Peace
116. Another Cole Valley Jewish Bicyclist for Peace
(Cole Valley is a neighborhood in S.F.)
117. Old ladies for mass transit
118. Separation of Corporation and State
119. Stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal (this is a
famous case of a Black Panther either framed or put in
jail for murder, see www.mumia.org.  There was a
celebrated case of censorship when audiotapes made of
a reporter interviewing Mumia were supposed to be
played on NPR but were totally censored from D.C.  The
tapes were subsequently played on Pacifica.  Anyway,
it's a cause celebre and among the left it's an
article of faith that he deserves to be freed. 
Granted, this is not directly tied to the war
machine.) 
120. (Gray Panthers of S.F. (older women marching))
121. Do Not Invade Iraq - Recovering Republican
122. (very interesting American flag with corporate
logos in place of stars - very arresting)
123. No "depleted" uranium weapons
124. Anything war can do, People can do better
125. Pre-emptive war abroad today, police state at
home tomorrow
126. What would Batman do?
127. Iraq isn't your ranch
128. War is SO 20th century
129. There's no bootcamp for widows

 ---now I'm at the rally, and a Palestinian Arab
Speaker is calling for freedom, peace, unity among all
peoples

130. Dear Mr. President: Please don't go down in
history at George WWW Bush (i.e. WWIII)
131. Frodo Will Prevail (note to Mom and Dad: this is
a reference to the fairytale/myth of Lord of the
Rings, in which the tiny powerless hobbit named Frodo
braves the power of ultimate evil and yes, prevails in
the end.) 
132. Beware the Leader who Bangs the Drums of War
133. Psychologists Support International Law and the
U.N.

  ---back to the rally: Dick Becker from ANSWER (the
organizers) is talking about how successful the
weekend mobilization was .... 4-5 million people in
Spain alone

134. People of Turkey Say No to War

  ---rally: someone is singing John Lennon's "Imagine"
in Arabic and then in accented English. 

  ---Tom Ammaniomo (sp?), on S.F. Board of
Supervisors, says a few spirited things about the war
and a few political things about S.F. 

  ---Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Oakland, D): "No to
preemptive first strike, Yes to disarmament and
inspection."  She has introduced in the House of Reps.
a repeal of the authorization to use force.  After
that, she says, the next thing that needs to be
repealed is the "Patriot Act."   She calls for the
gov't to build schools, not bombs, housing for
homeless vets, health care.   She tells us to register
people to vote, and elect reps who stand for peace. 
Take back the House in 2004, Take back the White House
in 2004!   (loud cheers from the crowd)

  ---rally: (by the way, Dannie Glover is MC): an
Israeli whose name I didn't catch addresses the crowd;
he refused to serve under the Israeli Army in the
occupied territory and now there is a group of such
soldiers

  ---Alice Walker, writer, addresses the crowd.   She
reads a few poems she wrote for the occasion.  One of
them: "Calling all grandmothers, everywhere on the
planet, rise and take your place in the leadership of
the world.  Come out of the kitchen, come out of the
retirement villas ... the grandmother spirit of
protection of the young.  Calling on all men to
gracefully and gratefully stand aside and let them do
it."   Next poem:  "All the children of the earth are
perfect." 

  ---Bonnie Raitt, singer/songwriter, sings for the
crowd.   She also says:  "The world is watching, this
movement is building, democracy is working."   We join
along singing "Stop, hey, what's that sound, everybody
look what's going down" famous song from the 60s. 
Then a blues number, "You Got to Get Back to Mother
Earth"

  ---rally - ANSWER guy - asking for money and also
for people to take the hats off their heads and go
around to collect money and then bring the money round
back of the platform. 

  ---rally: Rapper (female) expressing love - we love
the people in Iraq.   She was excellent, sorry I
didn't get her name.   From Oakland. 

  ---plane flying overhead dragging banner: Iraqi
people want democracy

  ---rally: Fr. Jerry O'Rourke, Catholic, part of Bay
Area Interreligious Community, blesses us with peace,
and declares he is unreservedly with us.  Now is
Akairos, a Greek word that indicates a moment in time
when miracles can happen.  Surely we have God on our
side.  (I'm quoting here.)  He then invoked St.
Francis, our patron saint, and said a short prayer,
and said "Peace be with you all" again. 

135. Jail Bush
136. American & Iraqi Grandmothers for Peace

  ---rally: Jewish activist opposed to war and to
occupation.  Opposing war is NOT anti-Semitic.

  ---rally: American Indian Movement Grand Governing
Council, Vernon Bellicort greets "300,000 patriots for
peace."  Spoke a bit on dislocation of Indians, then
on love, and came back to "no blood for oil."   He
calls Bush et al. international criminals.  Bush Sr.
is responsible for butchering 350,000 Guatemala
Indians - where is the justice for that?

  ---rally: Dolores Puerta, famous labor organizer in
UFW (United Farm Workers).  Invokes City of St.
Francis.  You are instruments of St. Francis' peace. 
We show what democracy and patriotism are by this
march.  Economic sanctions in this country exist,
against our children without health care, teachers
being fired right here right today.  Let's remember
Bush works for US.  Our taxes pay him.  He never gave
him permission to fight war against Iraq.  Either he
does what we want, or we fire him.  Take the energy
from this march and go out and organize, and write
letters.  Let Bush know his game is over!  Meanwhile
don't forget two Catholic priests who went to prison
over protesting at the infamous School of the Americas
(training ground for "our" terrorists in Central
America) - Fr. Vitale is out of prison now, but Fr.
O'Donnell is still in prison.   Then she led a chant
or group of chants: 
   Viva la Paz   (Long live peace)
   Viva (something illegible in my notes)
   Viva Cesar Chavez (famous labor leader)
   Abajo (...)   (abajo means down with)

  ---Joan Baez, the biggest star of all, comes on
stage.  She is singer/songwriter since early 60s and
has lived for 32 years in Woodside, which I just
happen to know since I read an article in the local
paper about how she's complaining about how badly
horses are being kept at the place where she boards
her horse.   Something about the land being eroded. 
Anyway, her voice is strong and gorgeous still,
although her hair is pretty peppery gray.   She sings
a ditty about a village in Texas missing its idiot. 
She reads a "poem" of Bushisms that is hilarious.  
She says she's been asked what's different about this
movement and the one from 30,35 years ago, and she
says
  1.  this movement's already bigger than the Vietnam
protests
  2.  A lot of people here today don't know her from a
hole in the ground and that's a good thing
  3.  The signs are more clever
  4.  Better organization among young people
  5. We have a chance to stop war BEFORE it starts
rather than trying to get it to stop after it's
already started

  ---rally: Brit who flew in from London just after
their rally is addressing the crowd.  He says that 600
cities worldwide participated in the mobilization this
weekend.  (mrm note: if only then there were 600 web
pages with all the local color!)  He says the causes
of war are the destruction of the planet. 

137. Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent
138. No war for Halliburton


  --rally: delegation from KPFA, the radio station
that broadcast 3 1/2 hours of the march/rally to the
bay area and around the world via kpfa.org.  I didn't
hear what was said ... we had to be on our buses to
Palo Alto at 4:30. 

Got back to Palo Alto by 5:25, stopped at Whole Foods
for a quick snack, went to group at La Selva at 7, and
now it's time to face the facts that the exhilaration
of the weekend will give way to the day-to-day work
that needs to get done up at the house. 

I hope this dumping-of-raw-data was in some way
interesting for you or gave you some insight into the
march.  I know there are some actions planned for the
near future; the Palo Alto peace and justice center is
at peaceandjustice.org.  The big umbrella organization
is www.internationalanswer.org; the next big action is
March 1 at the White House. 

love,
Marianne