100,000 marched. Where were the candidates?

100,000 citizens marched in Washington to demand an end to the war this weekend. They came in cars, busses, trains and airplanes from all over this country to tell our leaders to bring an end to the bloodshed.

But there were a few people missing.

The Democratic Presidential Candidates. They all say that they are going to end the war if we elect them president. Why didn't a single one of them show up to address the protesters? If you are running for president on an anti-war platform, why wouldn't you want to speak to American citizens who cared enough to travel to our nation's capitol to speak out? Why did every single Democratic candidate shun, ignore and disrespect these citizens? Are they all afraid to be associated with real citizens excercising their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly?

Apparently they are...

ANSWER Coalition
100,000 March Against Iraq War in Washington
200 Arrested in Dramatic Mass Die-In




Iraq Veterans Against the War speaking at the Sept. 15 rally

Yesterday, nearly 100,000 people -- led by anti-war Iraq veterans, military families and others -- marched from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to demand an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq. The march concluded with a dramatic "die-in" of 5,000 people surrounding the Capitol. Almost 200 people were arrested when police prevented them taking an anti-war message to Congress.
People marched shoulder-to-shoulder on eight-lane-wide Pennsylvania Avenue, with the densely packed march stretching more than 10 blocks. It was a historic action and a step forward for the anti-war movement.

Protesters surged onto the Capitol's south lawn and up the steps where they were met by a police line. There, Iraq veterans conducted a solemn ceremony to memorialize the U.S. soldiers and Iraqis killed in the war. Over 5,000 people then laid down in a symbolic "die-in" -- one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in recent years.

One hundred ninety-seven people, including dozens of veterans and activists, were arrested when they tried to deliver their anti-war message to Congress and were stopped by the police. Among the arrested were Adam Kokesh, Liam Madden, Jeff Millard, and Garrett Reppenhagen of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism); Ann Wright, former U.S. Army Colonel; Michael Prysner, Iraq war veteran and ANSWER activist in Florida; union president Gloria La Riva; and Eugene Puryear, Howard University student and National Coordinator of Youth & Student ANSWER. Police pepper-sprayed demonstrators without provocation.

This mass action came on the heels of the pro-war Petraeus report to Congress and Bush's wholehearted endorsement of the report. Meanwhile, the war rages on, destroying Iraqi society. Nearly 4,000 U.S. solidiers and up to 1 million Iraqis have died since the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

Many organizations and individuals joined together to sponsor the protest in Washington, D.C. timed to coincide with the Petraeus report on the "surge" in Iraq, including the ANSWER Coalition; Ramsey Clark; Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation; Mounzer Sleiman, Vice Chair, National Council of Arab Americans; Cindy Sheehan; Camp Casey Peace Institute; Cynthia McKinney; Veterans for Peace (National); Garett Reppenhagen, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Chair of Board of Directors; Tina Richards, CEO of Grassroots America; Rev. Lenox Yearwood, CEO of Hip Hop Caucus; Code Pink; Father Roy Bourgeois and Eric LeCompte, School of Americas Watch; Al-Awda, The Palestine Right of Return Coalition; Kevin Zeese, Democracy Rising; Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, co-founder Appeal for Redress; Liam Madden, Pres., Boston Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and co-founder of Appeal for Redress; Malik Rahim, founder of Common Ground Collective, New Orleans; Howard Zinn, Author and Historian; Carlos & Melida Arredondo, Gold Star Families for Peace and hundreds of other organizations and individuals.

The next step ...
Oct. 27 mass anti-war march and rally in Los Angeles
Get involved today!

Saturday, October 27, 12 noon
Olympic & Broadway, Los Angeles

Endorse Oct. 27 LA Protest
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Download Oct. 27 flyer
Download flyer listing all events
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For more info call 213-251-1025

would want to be associated with A.N.S.W.E.R.?

Their absence from the march will be duly noted by... far fewer than there were marchers.

of a dozen or so peace groups, including United For Peace And Justice and American Friends Service Committee. If any presidential candidate of senator or congressperson is against the war, they had an opportunity to address thousands of citizens who are actively working to end it.

They had that opportunity, and they took a pass.

All of them...

co-sponsoring.

But, anyway, except for a few diehards, I still doubt any votes were lost for any candidate over this.

would've been far and few between the Free Mumia and Free Palestine speakers.

They all still have nightmares about the 1972 elections and will never have ANYTHING to do with the anti-war movement.

Maybe the war protesters had better figure out the universe does not revolve around them. If you wanted candidates at your forum, you sit down with them and plan a forum that they would like to attend. First on the agenda, ANSWER can't be there.

along with UPFJ, Veterans For Peace, AFSC, Cindy Sheehann, Jackson Browne, Martin Sheen and David Kokesh.

There is another big march planned for Los Angeles on October 27th. Candidates who are against the occupation should be there and speak to the people...

That is if they could get a word in edgewise despite the Free Mumia/Peltier/Palestine speakers.

Sorry if my posts seem redundant, but anyone who honestly believes that a respectable candidate (who actually has a shot at winning) would align themselves with ANSWER must be (in Congressman Obey's words) an 'idiot liberal'.

I despise ANSWER for hijacking/diluting the anti-war movement/protests. They're (we're) lucky that despite their monopoly on protest permits and the Free Mumia/Peltier/Palestine antics, mass amounts of true anti-war American patriots - unaffiliated w/ ANSWER - still show up and march.

they won't be there. It is the height of arrogance to think you're the most important group in the country on any given day. And there were some peace marches that ANSWER wasn't part of, at one point in time. I was sad to see they were back. They're a distraction, a side show, they don't help anything.

and their Free Mumia and Free Palestine chants as possible.

Can't sayz I blame 'em...

The A.N.S.W.E.R. folks mean well, but water down the anti-war messages with many other causes, and why they're way off the 1/2 million marchers they usually attract.

I wouldn't want any of our candidates anywhere near them.

:shrug:

:eyes:

NO ONE is suppose to know there were 100,000 protesters in DC last weekend! SHHHHHHHHHHH.

FYI....they don't give a shit what we think or want.

My voice doesn't matter? Then clearly, they don't really
need my vote either.

Tesha

is called "happy talk".