This is what democracy looks like: Faces of dissent from D.C. (photos)

[prolesunited]

Everybody's for democracy in principle. It's only in practice that the thing gives rise to stiff objections.
Meg Greenfield

Everybody views events through their own filter. This is what I saw.

The majesty of D.C.'s architecture never ceases to amaze me as it seems designed to inspire greatness. For those decrying the radicals, never forget that we are a nation established by revolutionaries.


Crews began setting up the stage Friday against the backdrop of the Washington Monument. Helicopters buzzed the site as they were making preparations.


The crowd was diverse, a true cross section of America — all races, ages, walks of life. There were elderly couples and college students, families and anarchists, veterans and pacifists.








And what is so wrong with marching to your own beat anyway?


You can view all 48 pics, bigger and sharper, as a slide show here:
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/PhotoAlbum51.html

[BurtWorm]

1. Looks just like the last one.

The crowd was diverse, a true cross section of America — all races, ages, walks of life. There were elderly couples and college students, families and anarchists, veterans and pacifists.

And all the ones before the war, too. Nice pictures!

[BurtWorm]

2. Delete

dupe

[prolesunited]

3. Creativity and street theater added to the ambiance

Are these people just whacked out leftists or can humor and a sense of whimsy capture peoples' hearts and minds? You decide.

The Raging Grannies performed on the corner as well as on stage, singing catchy tunes that denounced the Bush administration's policies


He was distributing "Fradulent Event Notes" that looked like play money and featured a variety of Internet sites.




All hail Emperor Bush! Do you think anyone will have the nerve to say he's usually not wearing any clothes?


Music with a message


Vikings against the war


This was a clever slam on the hypocrisy of the current 10 Commandments issue






Clowns for peace

[prolesunited]

4. And just what's so wrong with puppets?

[KG]

10. i liked the puppets.

heck, i thought americans liked humor and pagentry and entertainmant!

i had a great time. people were very creative! :)

[prolesunited]

5. Don't forget to fly your freak flag!

[Booger]

6. here in the heartland

people tend to view things such as street theater and huge puppets as just plain wierd. Scarey even.

I know passions run high, and people feel that puppets and costumes have an impact. But I've always felt that these things do more for the participants, on an emotional level, than it does for anybody else.

I think it takes a great message, and turns into a theater of the absurd in the average Joe's mind.
Although, the average Joe's mind is probably closed to the message, no matter what the approach.

[thebigidea]

16. so I suppose you speak for the heartland and they don't?

talk about arrogance.

[Booger]

18. at the risk

of not having enough posts to speak my mind....

Back down.
It's not arrogance.
It's how things like that are played in the midwest.
People look at it as "big city wierd"
Joe in his Carhart jacket with his huge Dodge Ram may be a union worker, and may or may not vote Dem.
But the images of huge puppets and tye-dyes doesn't sit well with his sensibilities.

But go ahead, shoot the messenger.

[prolesunited]

19. Where in the heartland are you?

How do you think we can reach them more effectively? Would they embrace protests at any level anyway?

Just because you have a low post count doesn't mean you can't speak your mind. You definitely have to be prepared to defend you positions around here, though. BTW, this wasn't a platform for the Democratic Party.

[Booger]

21. several topics.

It does seem that one can't speak their mind unless they've spent enough time earning the right with an arbetrary post count.
Which is hilarious in that back in the 80's we had to go out in person and see people to get them to dislike us.

BUT.
I'm in the 'burbs of Kansas City.
I grew up in rural mid-Missouri.

I was back down in the country a few days ago actually. People I know down there are going to vote Repub. because "them dems want to take our guns away". These people get high, get screwed by corporations, and have absolutely no love for the PATRIOT act. Yet, they would never think to vote Dem.
To me, it's all perception. They view things, such as what we're discussing, as what the Democratic party is all about. Hippies, fags, big city people taking the guns, giving money away to lazy welfare people, etc. This is how they view things. Yet they will vote to help send their own jobs overseas.
For the midwestern city people. I see people with flag stickers on their mini vans, yard signs, etc. I believe that they still have the midwestern miindset, even in the bigger cities.
Props and costumes don't convey the real message. Kids covering their faces with bandanas could be THEIR kids. That scares them. Big pretzels as props go right over their heads.
I could go on, but does this convey my take on the situation?

[thebigidea]

20. how do the images of death and destruction on TV sit well with his sensibi

-lities?

So with Bush rampaging through the ME and dooming us to years of war, you choose to be upset over a coupla puppets?

Whew. Priorities, people.

[Booger]

22. I'm upset over nothing

I live here.
I know the mindset.
And the killing.....
Well, it's over there.
And it's killing that has to be done.
That's what they know from the news.
That's what they believe.
And I'm pretty sure that there are ALOT of heartland people who aren't affected personally by this who view it as the resident of the White House, doing God's work.

Damn, Booger might just be opening a big can of worms here.

[thebigidea]

25. "And it's killing that has to be done."

Yeah, I can see why the puppers are so offensive then.

I'll leave you to your can of worms and lack of discomfort about thousands of civilian deaths. Not like anything I'm going to say will change that.

[Booger]

28. Are you completely missing

that I'm telling you what I SEE around me?

I'm talking about how Mr. Heartland views this.
Why do you keep saying that I feel like this?
Because I'm not calling them knuckle-dragging idiots?

Because if that's the case, my other discussion, right above this, about how to get the heartlanders to see this situation more clearly, is totally moooooot.

[KG]

26. to which i would interject

this kind of demonstration isn't about reaching out to the unreachable. it isn't about getting repooks to vote dem.

it's about raising the conscieneness of those whose minds might be open to letting a little light in, and disemination of info to those who seek to know more, and giving a sense of community to those who feel isolated in their beliefs, and to lift the spirits of those that have been worn down from the fight and a chance for all to lift their voices as one for a cause they believe in.

[RainDog]

36. You said it, KG

when the media lies 24/7, when Bush and Cheney lie 24/7, you need some moments when you can assemble with people who, like you, know we are being lied to, and can still find a way to laugh in the face of this sham of democracy and freedom of the press.

I can appreciate your concerns also, booger. but you should know that there were many of us from the midwest at the protest. there were also people from southern states.

the media misrepresents too many who I saw at this rally. they could have been at a nascar race, just as easily as a rally, based upon their appearances, for the most part.

the issue for those who don't like the theater aspect...the real need is to educate people about the issues which Bush cover with lies every time he opens his mouth.

as I saw on a bumper sticker, my favorite reference guide...

"the truth will set you free,
but first it will really piss you off."

[prolesunited]

27. I certainly hope

you don't share this attitude. Which points do you disagree with and what are your thoughts.

Do you ever talk to people in hopes of getting them to seeing a different perspective? I think the most effective way to change minds is one-on-one, slowly, purposefully, and carefully.

[Booger]

30. damn...

I had to look at the thread 4 times to see if you were referring to me!
It's getting confusing having 2 different threads, within the same thread.

No.
I'm sitting with these guys last weekend, and I get the "dems will take the guns" line.
I respond with things like how As*croft would string them up for smoking the dope. How the corporations are sending their jobs overseas. It's a tough thing, overcoming the pinko/commie/gun grabber perception though. BUT, they were asking questions about how I knew this stuff. I guess there ain't much inner-netting going on down there.

[prolesunited]

31. In the view all format

you can see how something is threaded, which post is responding to another one. Frankly, if these people are as far gone as you are saying, what we did or did not do at our protest would have absolutely NO impact on their thinking.

I think the very fact that we were protesting would upset them, even if it was done with suits and ties without puppets. Not every medium is appropriate for every person. KG quite eloquently stated the value of protests and it has nothing to do with reaching the people you are talking about.

Your best bet is reaching out to them. I never miss an opportunity to work political commentary into my daily life. A trip to the pharmacy is an opportunity to talk about the pharmaceutical industry, a lunch room can be an interesting place to talk about worker protections, a visit to the park may lead to a conversation about environmental issues. I think you get my point.

I really think that is how you will reach the people in your parts. It certainly is not by sanitizing our movement. Can you see this POV?

[Booger]

32. not to distract

from the point of the thread.
I started all of this by merely replying to the original post, about "what I saw".
These people may be too far gone now. But, these are the same people who would have voted Dem not so many years ago.
You tell them what you believe, and know that it most likely will do no good.

Hell, there's really only one candidate who would do away with NAFTA isn't there? And it's very unlikely that some good ol boys will vote for him.
So yes, I do see your point of view. Sorry about the minor hi-jack of the thread.

[prolesunited]

7. Friends and family of people

in the military were there as well.

I spoke with this man for awhile. One son is in Baghdad and the other in Tikrit. He communicates with them quite often and is sending them packages. He said he appreciated the support he received that day.






Some were a little more critical

[LTR]

15. I dare any freeper

to say this guy doesn't support the troops:



This is personal. And I'm sure his whole family sees this war in Iraq for what it is: A war for oil.

Stop sending kids to fight bullshit wars. That's what I call "supporting the troops". Waving pom-poms isn't.

[cindyw]

8. Oh my freakin lord!

The grey haired woman in the red shirt in the 6th photo is my mother-in-law!!!!!!

[prolesunited]

9. That's too cool!

Did you know she was going to be there? If you PMed me your e-mail addy, I could send you a higher res version that you could forward to her. She might enjoy that.

[prolesunited]

11. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

[Forkboy]

12. What a bunch of leftist retards

have any of you people ever heard of ties for God's sake?!?! :)

[KG]

14. and i noticed some of those marchers were having fun!

commies aren't supposed to have a sense of humor, dammit!

[thebigidea]

17. we did!

[prolesunited]

13. Here's my favorite

Surely, we can all agree on this one.

[Booger]

23. yes.

.

[screembloodymurder]

24. Love these pictures

They bring back such fond memories. Great post.

[Desertrose]

29. awesome awesome awesome!!

Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!


very inspiring...gives me hope yet!!!!


Peace will prevail!!!!!
DR

[prolesunited]

34. Glad you enjoyed them

One of my favorite quotes:

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS....
— Mohandas K. Gandhi

[screembloodymurder]

33. Faces of dissent

Kick it!

[LWolf]

35. Awesome.

:yourock:

[prolesunited]

37. I was going to do a new video today

What song do you think would work with these pictures? Should it be loud and angry? Or more like a '60s folk song?

I'm not very up on music so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[LWolf]

38. Good question.

What's the message?

Is it one of anger? One of determination? A few that come to mind:

We Know War by John McCutcheon

http://www.folkmusic.com/f_mp3.htm

Shadow Government by Hugh Blumenfeld:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2448/2448205.html

Dylan: the times they are a changin'; masters of war

People got to be free (I can't remember who sings this one)

Paula Cole: You're my hero, Mr. President.

To Washington: John Mellencamp

This land is your land...

And then there's this one, which seems to sum up the Bush administration pretty well:

And the sign says "long hair freaky people need not apply"
So I put my hair under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine outstanding young man I think you'll do
So I took off my hat I said "Imagine that Huh Me working for you"

Signs Signs
Everywhere there's signs
Blocking up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign

And the sign says "Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight"
So I jumped the fence and I yelled at the house, Hey! What gives you the right
To put up a fence And keep me out Or to keep Mother Nature in
If God was here He'd tell it to your face Man You're some kind of sinner