Rally for Peace... Bring Our Troops Home!

This morning, I managed to get out of bed before noon and go to downtown Olympia where a peace rally was taking place. I wrote a paper about it for my sociology class. This is how it goes:

On Saturday January 27^th, 2007, a very important event took place in Olympia. I have to say that I was quite happy to be at this event with like minded people. This event was the peace rally. The idea was simple: objectors of the war in Iraq were to meet at the fountain on 4^th Avenue, across from Thriftway, at or before noon. They would then walk down 4^th Avenue in downtown Olympia, then stand in a single file line and protest the war in Iraq. This, of course, took place and it was a hell of a sight to see. By the time the people started walking back to the fountain around 12:40PM, there had to be at least 500 people there. It even got to the point where a few busloads of people coming from places such as Tenino, arrived to stick up for what they believe is right.

Many different groups were represented at the rally. I saw the Vietnam veterans, the ladies in black, and different people of different ages. There were people that one might see as being total opposites, such as punks and grandmas, joining together for this very important cause. The most shocking thing that I observed was a woman walking around with a flag folded into the shape of a triangle. I was compelled to ask her story, but I already knew what the answer was. At the beginning, I saw her trying to hide her emotions and I even thought that tears were going to start rolling down her cheeks, but it didn’t happen, or at least I didn’t see it happen.

Again, what did all these people have in common? They all disliked or hated the war. Also, they all supported the troops and wanted them to come home safely and not in a casket. The social problem is clear: US having a military presence in Iraq is a social problem to these people. They do not support increasing the number of troops. They do not support Bush. They are standing up for what they believe in and trying to save lives, not just the lives of American troops, but also the lives of innocent Iraqis who are not terrorists and who are not criminals, but yet are being treated as such by the American government.

People were holding up signs that said things such as “Bush’s War”, “Impeach Bush”, and “Not the people’s war” (which is a personal favorite of mine and which happens to be hanging up on the window of my house as we speak). 3,000 was a number that was seen many times. The number 3,000 represents the number of US troops that have perished since the US invaded Iraq. Another familiar face and name would be that of Lieutenant Watada. As you may already know, Lt. Watada was to be deployed to Iraq, but refused to go because of his belief that it is an illegal war. He is facing 6 years in military prison, but in his mind, body, and soul his belief is so terribly strong, he is willing to stand up for what he believes in, no matter if it sends him to jail for 6 years.

One more interesting point that was brought up by some individuals at the rally was the lack of acting pursuing Bin Laden for the terrorism that took place on 9/11. Because of the fact that I lived in DC during 9/11, this is somewhat of a sensitive issue for me. I actually talked about it with a gentleman who had a sign that represented this frustration. I told him exactly what I felt about the issue myself, and I also told him that many of my friends and I seriously thought that the world was going to end after the two planes hit the towers in New York City. Why don’t we have Bin Laden? Why do we have to bother the innocent people in Iraq? The two don’t connect other than for the reason that we are somewhere Bin Laden isn’t.

To conclude this incredible experience: I am extremely glad and quite grateful that I had this experience to attend such a wonderful event. The smile on people’s faces was somewhat bizarre because of the subject at hand, but they only did it because they were peace-loving individuals who don’t want others to suffer if necessary. I also have to comment that Shawn (my boyfriend) and I have been driving a car for a few months with a bumper sticker I put on there that says: 100,000 Iraqis dead. Got Morals? We’re proud of what we believe in. I asked him about it the other day after I was caught in a game of road rage on I-5 driving to Tacoma with some people who didn’t like the sticker. He said, “If I didn’t believe in it, it wouldn’t be on there.” I honestly think that says it all.

(Note: There are more pictures in an album from the rally at imagestation.)