Rally Notes

Click photo for more pics.

Wahoo! We had about 200 enthusiastic people speaking out for peace yesterday in front of West Town Mall. We had a big positive response from the public with horn honking and thumbs up. We got some load hecklers too, put no counter-protesters. I got twenty “opt out” forms filled out by parents who want to keep their children from being recruited for the military. Thanks to all who came out and said “Bring Them Home.”

The best thing that happened yesterday was that Andy Lieurance joined us in our rally. He lost his son Victoire on September 22, and he is speaking out against the war. He is a retired Navy Veteran who has changed his mind about the war. I felt fortunate to have met him.

The biggest disappointment was our response to two military guys who came out to shout at us. One guy, a marine, had just returned from Iraq and had lost 16 buddies there. They had some good point and deserved to be listened to, even if we don’t agree. in stead some of us chose to shout back and raise the level of anger and misunderstanding.

I haven’t had a chance to check the web yet for information on the Washington march, but I got a call from Paul Berney who was on the Mall in D.C. while we were in front of the mall in K-town. He was excited to be part of our local contingent in Washington. There were about 200 other events nationwide according to United for Peace and Justice.

Afterward I was a guest on Mark Harmon’s radio show “Left Turn,” along with a retired Villanova professor. We talked about democracy in the Philippines and about the Iraq war.

Tips for future protests:

• Talk to police and mall security in advance.
  
• Keep signs simple. “Stop The War” is perfect.
  
• Avoid shouting back at hecklers.
  
• Avoid costumes, signs, and flags that show disrespect.
  
• Understand how to be outspoken but peaceful.
  
• Plan a post-event chat over coffee.
  
• Take more pictures!
  
• Get more clipboards. Where did ours end up? — T