"When The People Lead..."

[pamela]

Sojourners has a very positive article on Saturday's march posted on their website.

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"When the people lead the leaders will follow
by Duane Shank

Three numbers made the news last week: 1,911; 67; and 200,000.

The first is the number of U.S. casualties in Iraq, which exceeded 1,900 at the beginning of the week and by week's end stood at 1,911. Officially reported injuries are nearing 15,000 and conservative estimates of the number of Iraqis killed are at 30,000. The unrelenting violence of bombing continues daily.

The second is the percentage of Americans who disapprove of the president's handling of the war in Iraq, according to the Gallup Poll. Also in the recent poll, 59% say the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, and 63% say the U.S. should begin to withdraw. All three are the highest percentages to date as public opinion is changing rapidly.

The third is the estimated number of Americans who gathered in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to demand an end to the war. The Washington Post noted it was "the largest show of anti-war sentiment in the capital since the conflict in Iraq began," and "the first time in a decade that protest groups had a permit to march in front of the ." Tens of thousands more marched in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, London, Rome, and elsewhere.

And while there were the usual banners and posters on a variety of issues, the clear focus of the day was the war. Many linked it to the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast – with posters reading "The National Guard is in the wrong Gulf" and "Make Levees not War." Others noted the cost. There were many with religious themes – "War is not a moral value," "God's way is love not war." A group of marchers from Toledo Mennonite Church in Ohio carried a banner that read: "Love your enemies. - Jesus, Prince of Peace." Speakers at the rally spoke of the human, economic, and political costs of the war, including Cindy Sheehan, whose "Camp Casey" outside the Bush's Texas ranch in August was a catalyst for many people who attended. "

You can read the rest at this link, but I think you have to register.

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.display_article&mode=C&NewsID=4967