Protest against the wars abroad
Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and now Libya

9 Apr 2011

stage

The Grannies For Peace take the stage in the New York City anti-war demonstration of April 9th with a few spirited songs.

In a message about the march, the United National Anti-War Committee about the size of the it: “The march stretched for over 20 blocks at one point,” said UNAC co-coordinator Joe Lomardo, "and featured at least 18 spirited contingents from communities as diverse as immigrant workers, students, trade unions, socialist groups, Muslims, Palestinian, and teachers -- each with their own colorful flags, original banners, drums and chants.”

signs

One of the issues that President Obama has been pretty good on is one were he and his people appear to be getting wobbly and unreliable. Obama promised that he would keep to the timeline agreed-upon by President G.W. Bush and Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki, that US troops would be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Now Obama's people, apparently spooked by the Egyptian, Libyan and Tunisian revolutions along with widespread unrest elsewhere in that area of the world, are starting to waffle about leaving Iraq. Unfortunately for US planners and for the US military, Muqtada al-Sadr has a vote in the matter and he's adamantly opposed to seeing the US stay past December 2011.

abu ghraib "prisoners"

Between the Presidentially-appointed "Cat Food Commission" and Representative Paul Ryan's (R-WI) "Path to Prosperity," the right wing seems determined to return America's economic structure back to at least to the Gilded Age and at times appears nostalgic for straight-up European feudalism. It'd be truly lovely if there were a consensus lefty view on economic matters that Establishment press outlets and TV talk shows would have to consider as an alternative, but that would have to contend with all sorts of shrieking and hollering about wild, crazy radicals.

march begins

We assembled in Union Square and marched to Foley Square, a little over two miles and mostly down Broadway St.

How is Japan doing a month after their earthquake/tsunami? Still digging out and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor is still touch-and-go as to whether it'll melt down or not.

signs

Y'know, a really smart American administration would use this as an excuse to say "We must leave Afghanistan as this sort of thing makes our mission there impossible."

Evangelical pastor Terry Jones, author of the book Islam Is of the Devil and head of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, two weeks ago carried through on his promise to "stand up" to Islam and burn a Quran. In response, crowds demonstrated in cities across Afghanistan, with a mob in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif storming a United Nations compound, killing eight non-American aid workers and beheading two of them.

crowd

Here's the assembly from across the street.

The situation in Wisconsin was looking pretty good awhile. A State Supreme Court election was held and the oponents seemed neck and neck in the vote counting. Then, out of  clear blue sky, someone with a shady past in voting matters found a large group of previously-uncounted votes. Fortunately, Wisconsin officials have refused to certify the vote until the suprise find is comprehensively investigated and explained.

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