Imagine a demonstration like this in DC...

[Sapphire Blue]

Huge Beirut rally demands change


~ Demonstrators gather at the prime minister's offices in Beirut ~

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies have held a mass rally in Beirut to protest against Lebanon's government.

As night fell, several thousand set up tents outside PM Fouad Siniora's office for an open-ended sit-in.

The opposition says it will keep up the pressure until the government resigns.

The protest follows weeks of rising tension in Lebanon, with the killing of a leading anti-Syrian politician and resignations from the cabinet.

(snip)

Police estimated its size at 800,000 people, but Hezbollah claimed it was larger, the Associated Press news agency said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6197992.stm

[nam78_two]

1. I was thinking about that...

I do think sometimes, if the American people REALLY wanted to do something about this war and Bushco they would try something like that.
All the protests I have been to have 10-20 people..I have heard of some bigger ones in NYC and I think DC though..sometimes with 1000s of people etc.

[EstimatedProphet]

2. Fox would report it as "Over 150 people showed up..."

They have gone out of their way to minimize their turnout counts as much as possible, to ludicrous proportions. The march in September 2005 they tried to report as around 10,000 people. It was in actuality around 500,000.

[nam78_two]

3. Really???wow

My own bad experience with such protests in college towns even, with regard to turnout, convinced me that no one shows up...

Wow-thats some cover up they are doing :wow:

500,000 people!!! Awesome! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Blue_In_AK]

14. I was there, too. It was a huge crowd.

[EstimatedProphet]

21. Yes it was

Did i get to meet you? I forget. There was so much going on...

But the crowd was far, far bigger than anyone was reporting.

[Blue_In_AK]

30. I don't remember if we met or not...

I was at the Pub (I forget the name) the night before hanging out with InTheFlow, UsedToBeSick, RagingInMiami, and CC, among others. ITF and I looked for the DUers the next day for the march, but couldn't find you all, so we just "mingled." There was really an enormous number of people there.

Here I am in front of the White House on Monday with a few other grandmas. I'm in the pink "Alaskans for Peace and Justice" shirt with the goofy-looking expression. :)

[EstimatedProphet]

32. Guess not. Maybe next time!

I was meeting up with old friends the night before so I didn't make it to the pub.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Faux would also

call the protesters terrorists.

[Labors of Hercules]

27. Okay, maybe I've been locked away in a cave or something...

but that picture made me laugh my ASS off!

[EstimatedProphet]

33. My sig, you mean? Thank you!

[malaise]

4. Amazing indeed

US backed leaders are up $hit creek without a paddle. Adios Siniora.
I don't know who is dumber - Bush or Olmert.

[Dr.Phool]

5. I've seen bigger than that in DC

2004, March for Womens lives had 1.1 million. Including me.

In the early 1970's, some anti-war marches had over a million.

[Sapphire Blue]

7. Were they calling for the government's resignation?

[Warren DeMontague]

24. You would know the answer to that question if the media had given that march

(the most massive peaceful assembly on the mall EVER) half the coverage it deserved.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

26. No, I think they were calling for the government to be shot. n/t

Edit: Incorrectly thought the post I was responding to was responding to the OP. My apologies.

[Sapphire Blue]

28. My comment referred to the 2004 March for Womens lives. What in the world are you talking about?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

29. Sorry, I got utterly confused by the thread structure.

It's late here. My apologies.

[jonnyblitz]

49. that was huge. i was there for that one.

:thumbsup:

[Sapphire Blue]

36. To your edit: Where in the OP article does it say that?

[Warren DeMontague]

22. I was there, too. And the media ignored it.

I was appalled. CNN spent a whole day on Estee Lauder's death and the "Nascar Voter" (which meant they WENT to races to track down and interview these invariably pro-bush people, instead of talking to the 1.2 million of us who had come to DC) :eyes:

[kentuck]

6. Damn ! That's two Woodstocks !

:)

[Pharaoh]

8. these people have tasted war and poverty

that's the main difference,

[Sapphire Blue]

10. Very good point.

[Swede]

11. Their side is doing the assassinating,what are they protesting?

This is gonna turn into a civil war.

[npincus]

12. not until the draft is reinstituted

will America's couch-warmers find inspiration to DEMAND better government

[Democrats_win]

13. Impressive photo. Here's one of Kerry in Madison Wisconsin:

The numbers aren't as large, but it's the best I've seen in America since the 60s.

According to the website, it was taken on Oct.28, 2004.

Another view:

[Sapphire Blue]

15. And a few days later our world turned upside down as Kerry conceded.

[LSdemocrat]

16. Protests aren't going to do crap if the leaders don't care

Do you really think George, or for that matter the corporate media, would care even if there were tens of millions of people on the streets?

In order to get real change you have to change the leadership.

[Sapphire Blue]

17. That's the reason for the demonstration... calling for them to resign.

[LSdemocrat]

18. Again, if the leadership and in the US's case, the media, don't care, what's the point?

Do you really think that there is any number of people in the street that would cause Bush to voluntarily leave office?

[Sapphire Blue]

19. We, the people have to care.

I think 10 million people camped outside the WH would have an impact. Would bush leave office? Perhaps when Congress gets the message & impeaches him.

[Pharaoh]

20. Yes 10 Million

would definately shut down Washington,

I wish I new how to wake more people up.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

43. Yes, but these protesters are backed by people with guns. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

23. A massive pro-Hezbollah, Pro-Syria demonstration in DC?

Sorry, I'm just not seeing it.

[Sapphire Blue]

25. No, not pro-Hezbollah/pro-Syria. A demonstration demanding bush & co's resignation/impeachment.

[Warren DeMontague]

31. I agree. Unfortunately my experience in recent years tells me that the media

will bend itself into crazy contortions to avoid covering political demonstrations in this country. I was at the April 2004 march in DC (1.2 Million people) and the media all but ignored it.

I think a lot of us who spent quite a bit of time demonstrating, for instance, against Iraq before the war started are disillusioned with the way such things are portrayed by the Corporate Media.

As an aside: Funny, too, isn't it, that now that almost everyone agrees that the Iraq war has been a disaster, NOT ONE of the folks who previously supported it but have since "seen the light" are tracking us peaceniks down and saying "You know what? Sure, we called you dirty, unpatriotic hippies- but YOU WERE RIGHT and WE WERE WRONG"

[Sapphire Blue]

34. 10 million people camped outside the WH would be pretty hard for anyone to ignore...

10 million people committing acts of peaceful civil disobedience... refusing to be penned into 'free-speech' zones... 10 million people not budging until bush & co are out of the WH.

That would be an historical event.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Can't argue with you there. nt

[EFerrari]

37. Dissociating 101. The difference between the corporate media

and the people.

I hope no one gets hurt and I wish them success.

:(

[Sapphire Blue]

38. *** Sunday update *** Beirut protests keep pressure on ***

Beirut protests keep pressure on


~ Demonstrators have pitched tents in central Beirut ~

"We appeal to all Lebanese, from every region and political movement... to rid us of an incapable government

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah leader


Lebanon's political crisis is continuing as demonstrators remain camped in the centre of Beirut in an attempt to bring down the government.

Thousands of supporters of Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies are on the streets calling for Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government to go.

Mr Siniora is refusing to step down to make way for a government that would include more of Hezbollah's allies.

(snip)

Protesters, led mainly by the Shia militant political movement Hezbollah and its Christian allies, have been camping out in Beirut close to the prime minister's office since a huge anti-government rally on Friday.

Continued @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6203546.stm

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

40. Great.

Not content with starting one war, they now want to start a civil war.

[Sapphire Blue]

41. If 100's of thousands or even millions of Americans demonstrated in DC, demanding bush & co's ...

... resignations/impeachment, and set up camp in DC, would you say the same thing about us?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

42. Apples and oranges.

These people aren't supporting the legal removal of a government - they're supporting the overthrow of a deomocratically elected government and its replacement with a militia backed by a foreign power. There's no comparison to be made. Maybe mob rule appeals to you, but it doesn't appeal to me.

[Sapphire Blue]

44. This country's fascist 'decidership' (AKA dictatorship) doesn't appeal to me.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

45. Good.

Have fun with your fantasies of overthrowing the US government. Someone got killed in Beirut today in a clash between Sunnis and Hezbollah backers returning from the protest. One step closer to civil war in Lebanon. You want that in DC, too?

[Name removed]

46. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lurking Dem]

39. Cool.

Let's have a pro-occupation government demonstration here too! Watching an impending civil war unfold is so entertaining! :sarcasm:

[Jcrowley]

47. Mubarak

Mubarak: Foreign Powers will be “Obliged” to send forces to support Lebanon's pro-US government
Standoff between government and opposition demonstrators risks provoking foreign interference

Global Research, December 3, 2006
Al-Manar TV - 2006-12-02


The United States interfered once again to help the beleaguered and unconstitutional government of Fouad Saniora.

US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Washington denounced what he called "threats of intimidation or violence" which "are aimed at toppling Lebanon's legitimate and democratically elected government". Casey repeated accusations that Syria and Iran are  instigating what he termed as show of force "to destabilize Lebanon".  

For its part, Egypt warned that the standoff between Lebanon's US-backed government and opposition demonstrators risked provoking foreign interference that could erupt into violence. Following a meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Hosni Mubarak criticized the mass protest led by Lebanese opposition to demand the government quit. He said, "I find this behavior very unwise, for I fear these protests are sectarian and reinforcements will come from outside to broaden the demonstrations, what would lead to fighting and destruction."

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20061203&articleId=4042

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

48. Al-Manar = Hezbollah TV. n/t