Pictures from the September 7, 2003 anti-war protest in Kalamazoo:
“Violence is no solution” has to share the stage with . . .
“War is the worst solution.” War and violence are certainly not the
best solutions. But sometimes, they are solutions.
“End Violence,” on the other hand, is sloganeering at its worst.
It’s like those “Cure AIDS Now” signs and bumper stickers.
“Bush is losing the peace”? Since when? Last year some of these folks
were talking about massive American casualties, massive uprisings against the
U.S. in the Middle East, and an increase in terrorism. Now all they seem to
have to hold on to are some Saddam loyalists and terrorists who seem to be killing
one American for every book W. has read.
“Nonviolence gives hope” and “War is murder, nonviolence can
win.” Right because nonviolence really worked effectively in Iraq. Presumably
if the U.S. had not attack, all of those acts of nonviolence by latter day Gandhis
and MLKs in Iraq would have already brought down the regime without loss of
life (hey, it worked on the British, right?)
The guy on the left is holding a sign reading “Read The Best Democracy
Money Can Buy by Greg Palast.” Okay, first Greg Palast is an idiot and a liar. Second, this is way too verbose and hard to read. At
least the people going buy immediately know what point the woman on the end
is trying to make.
“Think global, Act local, work for peace and justice!” Uday, Qusay
and company are now at peace and that’s justice. Next.
“Instead of weapons, invest in people of Israel and Palestine.” Frankly,
I’m sick of investing in the people of Israel through my tax dollars, and I
certainly don’t want to give anything to the Palestinians.
Finally, someone who gets it. The sign is boring, “A Veteran for Peace,”
but he’s actually holding it so the people driving by on this one way street
are going to see it.