I went to San Francisco last weekend, and I missed the mass
outpouring in
support of peace. My girlfriend and I were meeting two friends at a
famous
Hakka Chinese restaurant, and I wanted to get the car north of the
demonstration path before it started, or I might have been stuck for
hours.
I had it on my tenative schedule as something to see. But I didn’t
know the
Emerald would be covering it. And I didn’t realize this one would be so
huge! Talk about not having a clue.
I’ve been to my share of public protests and demonstrations — on
affirmative
action, clearcutting forests, the 2000 elections, 9/11 remembrance —
but this
one… The San Francisco Chronicle reported that 55,000 people marched
in
SF, and as
much as 10 times that many in D.C. These are perhaps the largest
American
protests in our lifetime.
It heartened me to hear how many people turned out. My outrage about
our
pre-emptive, cynical, unilateral, militaristic stance started in the
summer.
This change in American foreign policy violated everything we stood for
as a
democracy, a leader in the world community, and as a people who respect
the
rule of law. I was so disturbed by this apparently unchallenged road to
war
we were paving, that it spurred my first column. And my second.
Then I felt I might become a one-trick pony, so that was it. I was
exhausted
by thinking about the prospect of, as Gore Vidal says, perpetual war
for
perpetual peace. Plus, it seemed not many people (outside college
campuses)
were listening. And of course it saddened me to hear very few of our
representatives (Democrats, anyone?) speak their conscience, cowed by
the
imperial president. The push for peace, instead, has welled up from
below,
grown from authentic grassroots. Just people talking and writing to
other
people. I really think that’s what has happened. America rocks.
On that note, I’d like to give a shout out to my fellow first-year
columnists — Meghann, Kate and Reilly — for their conscientious,
impassioned and insightful essays against the rush to war on Iraq.
Y’all
have my highest respect and affection. I’d like to think we opened some
people’s eyes, or at least by our public stands, made it seem not so
out of
line to speak one’s mind on issues of war and peace. If you missed
them, I
provide you with the links below.
As our editor in chief likes to sign off, “Peace and Joy” to you
all.
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/03/3d9c58fecaa
0f” target=”_blank”>Make draft, not war
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/08/3da2ef6c76b
47″ target=”_blank”>A familiar battle cry
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/14/3daae802687
d2″ target=”_blank>Do homework before going to war
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/17/3daeceab3b5
3e” target=”_blank>Sickening strategy
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/26/3de394db18f
6f” target=”_blank>Blindly following the political flock
href=”http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/22/3e2ec5a2541
a6″ target=”_blank>A call for peace