Kennebunkport Anti-War Rally: ‘Ready for a Change’
KENNEBUNKPORT - A high-spirited but peaceful crowd of about 4,000 protesters marched through the streets of Kennebunkport on Saturday in the largest anti-war rally in town history.”I don’t know what else to do but march,” said Anne Chay, who was carrying a sign that read, “My son is still in Iraq.” She walked with a Military Families Speak Out contingent.
“I’ve already called everyone in Washington. I have the 1-800 numbers memorized,” she said.
Sweltering a bit in the muggy heat, the cheerful crowd represented the gamut, including military veterans and college students, first-time protesters and lifelong activists.
A young girl in a stroller held a sign reading, “War leaves every child behind,” not far from a dozen-strong cluster of the Ragin’ Grannies, a crowd-pleasing group of older women who sing silly anti-war songs and ditties while dressed in flamboyant clothes and hats.
“I find humor is the most useful weapon,” said Joelen Mulvaney, who came by bus with a group from Vermont. “This is a very, very important event, and we want grandmother Barbara (Bush) to know about alternatives to war. She may not know about the alternatives because of who she hangs out with.”
Police Chief Joe Bruni said there were no arrests. The only person hurt was a television cameraman who tripped and was treated for a minor injury.
Bruni, the longtime chief, has witnessed several major Kennebunkport protests, and he estimated the crowd size at
4,000.
Before the march, demonstrators gathered at Consolidated School to hear from a slate of speakers, including peace activist Cindy Sheehan, who is running against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California, and presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio.
Like several other speakers, Sheehan railed against elected officials — particularly Democrats — who have not moved to stop funding the war and have not supported impeachment proceedings against the president.
“We need people who speak the truth,” said Sheehan, wearing a black campaign shirt that read “Arrest Cheney First.” “We have to vote them all out.”
She said she plans to beat Pelosi: “In America, we’re ready for a change.”
Although President Bush was not at his family’s Kennebunkport home at Walker’s Point, Sheehan and others made it clear that they hope Saturday’s protest will send him a message.
“In August 2005, I went to Crawford (Texas) to ruin the vacation of the man who has ruined all of my vacations,” said Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004.
Several protesters had signs referring to Bush on vacation, including “Stop fishin’ while our soldiers are dyin’ ” and “There is no vacation in a war zone.”
After the 90-minute rally, the crowd walked a couple of miles to a site near Walker’s Point. People caught off-guard by the protest stopped to watch the crowd, some of them clapping, some stone-faced.
The marchers clashed with small clusters of organized counterdemonstrators at several points. No arrests occurred, but one man said a marcher slapped a megaphone out of his hand while he sang “God Bless America.”
As guests from the Colony Hotel looked on, the counterprotesters held up signs reading “Terrorists love
Democrats” and “Warning: Leftists trying to demoralize our troops.” They shouted, “Casey was a hero; Cindy is a zero.”
Members of the veterans motorcycle club Rolling Thunder revved their engines to drown out the protesters, while at the end of the march, the opposite tactic was used: Two small groups of demonstrators near Walker’s Point faced off in uttersilence for several tense minutes, before the marchers sang “Give Peace a Chance.”
As police in riot gear stood nearby, the marchers spent a final few minutes singing and chanting within sight of the Bush compound. Bruni then asked them to leave.
The last protester was Mike Oren, a self-described “peacewalker” who has been on the road for years. As the others left, Oren plopped himself down in the middle of the street in front of the line of police, the sun shining off his shirtless torso and his large “peacewalker” tattoo across his shoulders. He flashed officers a peace sign.
Byron Grant, who organized the counterprotests by a group called Gathering of Eagles, said his group doesn’t advocate war.
“We want this war over, too; but we want this war finished, not evacuated,” said Grant, adding that the Eagles got a chance to talk to several protesters.
“We had some good dialogue with some of the protesters, and that doesn’t usually happen. As they were walking off, one of the guys looked back at me and winked and gave me a thumbs-up. That was shocking.”
Dick Nelson of Lebanon, N.H., came to the rally with his 16- year-old daughter, Andrea, who was wearing a “Global Warming is not cool” T-shirt.
“We were visiting Maine, and we just had to come,” he said. “It seemed like our civic duty.”
At the rally, dozens of tables were set up, with some groups selling food, T-shirts or books. Groups offered information
about upcoming demonstrations, the Green Party and candidates such as U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and state Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland.
Code Pink had a large display of shoes of all sizes in the form of a peace sign, each representing a person who died in the war, from a 5-year-old Iraqi to members of the U.S.military. Another somber display was a small-scale monument reminiscent of the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C., listing the names of U.S. troops killed in Iraq.
Julie Webster of Northampton, Mass., started to cry as she found the name of a man who had served with her son, who got out of the military last week after 13 years.
“These soldiers were just doing their job,” she said, wiping away a tear.
Anti-war demonstrators reiterated their support for the individuals fighting the wars, and counterdemonstrators said the troops were the reason for protesting the anti-war marchers.
Karleen Cass, who had traveled from Vermont with a group called Families of the Fallen, said the protest disgusted her.
“They shouldn’t live here if they don’t support” the troops, said Cass, whose brother was killed in Iraq in 2004.
The protesters don’t understand the sacrifices military personnel and their families make, Nikki Laprade said.
“It’s a free country and we have freedom of speech, but we wouldn’t have that without what our troops are doing,” said Laprade, of Barre, Vt.
Several of the speakers at the rally were from the military or military families. Liam Madden, with Iraq Veterans Against the War, told crowd members that they were “actively building a movement of conscience within the military” to end the war.
“Our government has failed us,” Madden said. “This war will not end by an act of Congress. It will end through an organized and collective act of conscience.”
Copyright © 2007 Blethen Maine Newspapers
September 15th, DC!
http://www.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=S15_homepage
As long as there are no arrests, no true resistance, the protests are pro forma. (See Ward Churchill’s “Pacifism As Pathology”, especially pp.60ff.)
“They shouldn’t live here if they don’t support”
pity george bush has made these people believe that the best way to support the troops is to send them to a violent and unnecessary death.
get all the fools on your side and you can be (S)elected to anything.
oh… and war is not a pro-life endeavor.
pass it on.
Since our minutemen established it, free speech has been ensured by US exercise of it; NOT by subsequent imperial and Bush wars. Therein, DEATH always has the Last WORD.
Oh please; the only threat our country has faced to the first amendment has been Bush along with the millions of vapid republican trash who has voted for him. Down with all troops! Let them disperse and leave the rest of us in peace.
http://www.dreamingearth.net
Great turnout & great work! The more who take a stand against the dark ways of the barbaric American Empire, the better!
=====
“Almost anything you do [for the cause of peace & justice] will seem insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it.”
Mahatma Gandi
What has “freedom of speech” got to do with the crimes these troops are committing in Iraq?
Gotta support them….
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565075331141468233
There will be thousands in the streets of Bellevue WA tomorrow, Monday August 27th, to let Bush know that he and his Occupation of Iraq are not what the people of this country want. Be there if you can. Noon at the Bradford Centerr, to march to the Hyatt where GWB will be raising money for Dave Reichert, a Rep Congressman.
If 4000 can show up at Kennebunkport surely we can have at least double that in Bellevue!
“Our government has failed us,” Madden said. “This war will not end by an act of Congress. It will end through an organized and collective act of conscience.”
From what we’ve been seeing on Capitol Hill, that statement certainly holds true.
“They shouldn’t live here if they don’t support the troops”
“The protesters don’t understand the sacrifices military personnel and their families make”
Bull!
It’s because we support the troops that we want them to come home.
Support means more than putting a bumper sticker or a magnet on your car.
As part of a military family I understand that my loved ones must be ready to serve our country when called. It’s just that they shouldn’t be called to do so unless OUR country is threatened.
It’s amazing that 1/3 of the country still supports the Idiot in Chief after all the crap.
Impeach the whole bunch!!!
If only W were an idiot or incompetent, but instead he puts on that act to BS everybody into this BS that some liberals and progressives have unfortunately bought into. Actually he is not incompetent at all, as he’s getting away with heavy duty criminal activity which would make Al Capone look like a damn altar boy. Let’s start dealing with the fact that we’re dealing with the Son of Satan, as he’s always saying he does what his other father wants– he just didn’t bother to say his father in hell.
I wonder if this will get reported on the evening news? I doubt it. If a tree falls, and no one hears it ….
I want to know more about that demo in Bellevue Wa tomorrow. Please post more info if you have it, ie. where is the start (be specific not all of us are lucky enough to live there). Maybe een give some directions from I-5 N and S
,eh? Sorry, been living in Blaine too long I,m starting to speak Canadian.) Tell me more Lover of Peace.
WOW !
Speaking Canadian is damn sure as good as speaking American broken English, which I and you speak, and this is acoming from a good old boy from the US South. Now deal with it!
Oh, and how about that fascist gathering of blood sucking, phony Vultures. It almost makes me want see of ya’ll end up like Captain America did in “Easy Rider”– somewhere in Loosana and somewhere else in the heart of fascist stomping grounds.
“Almost” I said, but I wouldn’t actually wish that on ya’ll gathering fascist vultures, but I would pray for you, as I do believe in prayer, as it would be terrible for you to go see your father in hell along with the Son of Satan, as he seems to going that wrong direction. For those who don’t believe in prayer, don’t try to force that on anybody else. but I firmly believe the judgment is acoming for the evil neo cons and their liars for hire, and may even come in this world. For in the good book as W calls it, it says “You reap what you sew.” It also says “Thy kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven.” This ought to show if the Christian God is out there he is on the side of the Social Gospel and Liberation Theology big time.
Yes, humor is a powerful antidote to countless problems. I always find these “counter-protests” laughable, although kind of depressing at the same time. What is it that they hope to accomplish? Have they ever heard of Faux News? The counter-protest/pro-war message comes through loud and clear all the time through that medium, not to mention talk radio and Bush’s mouth. Any efforts by counter-protests are superfluous and idiotic I dare say. It is not like their cause is suppressed by the media, or they have a congress that doesn’t listen to them. Please, we are saturated with pro-war propaganda day in day out. What next, street protests to support Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy?
Do they enjoy being enablers of such criminality? Do they like that our military is being used for imperialist, criminal purposes? If a relative of yours got killed in Iraq, they didn’t die for our freedom, they died for the war-mongering corporate fascists. Luckily, many if not most military families know the truth by now. As for these pro-war protesters, war for true-believers should never be a spectator sport. Whatever their age, surely they can turn their beliefs into actions and go to Iraq and make the sacrifice instead of being clownish cheerleaders for others sacrifices for the military/industrial complex.
AD, excuse me, but I think you and Shrub are both a couple of fuckin crazies. I don’t have a clue what you are talking about and doubt that you do. All the Best, Dude.
I saw a recruiter at the community college the other day and had to say something so his response to me was “I don’t want to hear it” doesn’t that sentence resonate so clearly of how our gov’t is treating the average tax paying citizen who has been pleading to stop dragging our name and wallets into war, when we need health care, affordable housing and education not annihilation The troops are in full force brainwashed via the us gov’t and its them who we should find a way for them to drop their need to kill , it may seem legal when they are in the armed forces but they will burn in hell for all they have done aiding in the destruction of countries and human life, sorry but i will NEVER support militarism, it’s a history of american terrorism, I am not gonna wave a flag to… p.s. notice the yellow ribbon magnets have faded fast.
I took part in this event yesterday, and just want to share a couple comments…
First, re: the statement in the article: “The marchers clashed with small clusters of organized counterdemonstrators at several points. No arrests occurred, but one man said a marcher slapped a megaphone out of his hand while he sang “God Bless America.””
The term “clashed” is a pretty strong term for what I saw happen. Everyone I was around kept marching toward the Bush compound, essentially ignoring the counter-protesters. I saw nothing that could be called a clash. We stayed on message, and didn’t respond to taunting remarks by the pro-Bush / war folk, very much as the march organizers had urged. When I passed the guy singing God Bless America, a fellow protester urged that we join in singing with him, which all the folks (marchers) around me did. It’s unfortunate that this reporter chose to highlight the ALLEGATION of ONE pro-war guy that a protestor had taken a swipe at his megaphone.
Another thought: In general, I found the day to be very uplifting (despite the intense heat). It was great to feel part of this 4000-person surge to end the war. I was, however, disappointed in the actions of some (a small number)of the protesters I encountered. For example, just before Walker Point, a few people were screaming really hostile comments across the bay at the Bush compound - like “Barbara, you gave birth to an alien moron…” Beligerent, hostile comments like this seem totally antithetical to any real peace (nonviolent) movement, and they certainly do nothing to win the support of folks who are on the sidelines in this struggle. Hatred begets hatred, no matter what side you’re on. In another instance, on the way back from Walker Point, I (and the other protesters) were walking alongside a very long line of bumper to bumper traffic… A male protester behind me noted that the car next to him was from Massachusetts, and started giving the folks inside a hard time, taunting them, and making disparaging remarks about “assholes” from Massachusetts. I couldn’t help but wonder why on earth this guy bothered to participate in the march - I mean here we were protesting the villification of and violence against “the other” (in Iraq), and this anti-war marcher was doing the exact same thing to some poor guy and his family, apparently because he happened to be from Massachusetts. Again, it seems so contradictory for folks like this - who seem so bellicose and hostile - to be part of the peace movement. I guess it’s just important to keep in mind that folks like this constitute a tiny portion of the people who chose to take part in peace activism.
Christophe - Often there are “plants” or outside agitators in peace marches/peace actions whose roles are to degrade, disrupt, destroy the action, the message, etc. Sometimes peace marches/peace actions include a few ignorant fools.
Be alert, discuss beforehand, and know what to do. Sometimes it’s not that easy, and things can get messy fast. Revolutions are like that.
Comes with the territory.
Gathering of Eagles..fitting name, since eagles love to eat dead things
AD, I’m sorry to say you’re falling into a trap. Quaggenbush is indeed both an idiot and incompetent. “You people make the mistake of underestimating him.” No, YOU PEOPLE make the mistake of OVERESTIMATING him, again and again.
It’s all too easy to give one’s enemy the power of myth. We’ve all done it from time to time. I’m telling you, though– Quaggenbush is not “the devil” but “the dolt.”
One of the million reasons he is so dumb is that he has relentlessly done everything in his power to glorify Osama bin Laden, another dolt. “So devious, don’t you know, like Dr. Fu Manchu.”
What both of these guys have in common is that they are DOLTS. Dumb people kill innocent people for no good reason. Murderers are DUMB. And 62 Iraqis
are dying per day compared to 32 a year ago.
Well done you guys, -both marchers and the sane folk who’ve commented above! (the less sane one will just have to try to get up to speed at some point during the vacations!)
Good that someone mentions the ‘agent provocateurs’ who like to attend such rallies, and (paid, or not paid by the state) look for ways to cause upset and distractions, esp when the media is looking! We veterans of a hundred and one demos are used to them, and it’s worth helping others (newbies) to be aware of their likely presence, and to design strategies to help contain their despicable antics.
Much the same applies to the ‘fruitcakes’ who often appear on rallies. There’s ‘one in every crowd’ and tolerance (if not pity!) needs be had.
As to those who [incredibly!!] still support the Warmonger-In-Chief, I believe we have to just keep on trying to get through to these unfortunate souls who are so very lost in their miasma of tragic brainwashing.
Certainly hurling insults at them will not do anything but strengthen their resolve to remain intransigently glued to the woe begotten outlook fed to them by their cunning, crooked masters.
I liked the line in the main article where one of the ‘Gathering of Budgerigars’ said he was ’shocked’ to have a war-protester give him a wink and a thumbs up sign. - P’raps he fancied him?
As to the ‘Rolling Thunder’ crew revving their motorcycles to drown out intelligent protest, well, -that about sums up their philosophy? - If you are not very adroit on the intellectual front, thinking independently comes very hard, so why not let an internal combustion engine do the talking for you? ~ Wittgenstein and Descartes would be proud of you
-not!
And yes, once again the value of *humor* in protest shines it’s bright little star!
It is quite amazing how much more easily ‘the Undecided’ are won over by *humorous* protest messages. It seems to create an in-road to peoples’ consciousnesses in a way that ‘heavy-duty’ approaches do not.
The Yippies of yesteryear proved this repeatedly. Oh… and… the media LOVES to focus on happy, eye-catching larking about!
And also… such amusement lifts the spirits of both onlooker citizens *as well as the marchers*, so it is a win-win situation (and marchers who enjoy their first rallies are more likely to both join the next one, -and- be inspired to create their OWN novelty actions next time around!)
~~Don’t give up folks, we’ll get there in the end!
Rolling Blunder!
Stinking up the Streets
Another
Ugly,
Noisy,
Eye sore
Saying look at me
I’m real sweet
With my leather undies and
Noisy
Fart Machine!
They live in shacks
Ride Morgaged chrome
The
Worst handling
Lease reliable
Slowest
Hogs on the Road
Raggin Grandpa’s
Rolling Blunder
Dee Dee Dee!
The last thing I want to see in the world is an old demented deaf guy
On a Hardly.
Thank God! Where have all the protesters been since the beginning of “Bush’s War?” This new generation is fearful to think, believe and follow their intellect. America must be careful we don’t continue to produce newer generations just willing to “go along.” What makes America strong is its individual thinkers who do not always follow the party line. The Republicans have been lying to America for 8 years now - its time to reclaim America and try to fix this mess. Next time America, DON’T VOTE REPUBLICAN!
R Neo Con I know you don’t have a clue. You probably an upSouth brain washed, brain dead red neck. No I’m not even slightly in league with W with his nuttier than fruitcake mentality, and you can damn well address me as sir! As an absolute nothing, it makes sense that your grasp of the English language is on a par with your judgment of politics and W’s “religion,” which you apparently can’t comprehend in the least.
Oh yeah, nice getting your neo con, brain dead red neck hot air, Mr upSouth red neck. You probably vote the straight fascist GOP ticket. How are you and Trent getting along with Karl Rove and the rest of the fascists and racists?
Bottle, I respect your opinion, but to think the gangster in chief and his mob could get away with all his crimes including mass killing of people for a pack of lies and all the rest and be incompetent just won’t hold water as I know at least one Common Dreams article pointed out. Also Greg Palast has said that W is doing just what he wants. That’s not incompetence. The Democrats, with noteworthy exceptions, today are the Keystone Cops and completely incompetent, given that in 1974 this same party nailed Tricky Dick for a covering up a third rate burglary, they’re the ones who have to be incompetent.
R Neo Con, for those of us such as myself who believe in prayer, and I don’t force that on anyone else, we pray those such as you who are so hypnotized by fascism, racism, and other evil isms, for as the “good book” says, you “know not what you do.” Damn, that gotta be British understatement!
Williameon, I think you’re on to something about these hypnotized, storm trooper, biker dawgs.
I can’t believe no one has posted this yet:
www.cindyforcongress.org
Wake up, folks.
Defeat Pelosi in 08. It’s the only message they—the Washington insider Dems—understand.
“It’s a free country and we have freedom of speech, but we wouldn’t have that without what our troops are doing,” said Laprade, of Barre, Vt.
This doesn’t make any sense… our troops are not in Iraq to protect our freedom. They are there to protect the oil that Dubya and his cronies expect to make a lot of money from. These troops (all of whom the protesters were there to support) are not dying for freedom… they’re dying for greed.
Go Dennis…
More pictures etc. on his website.
dennis4president.com
“They shouldn’t live here if they don’t support the troops”
As long as we have such simple minded people voting, our
country is in serious trouble. How in the name of God do
you “support the troops” by sending them to Iraq? And
someone please give me one reason, besides OIL, for the
troops being there.
I would mention the “freedom” thing but Wake Up America
has already covered that in his post above.
AD, Attention Deficit.
Neo Con Now, you don’t know what the hell you atalking about. Maybe you could get in with R Neo Con, Trent, Karl Rove, and the rest of the fascists and racists, and I seriously doubt you’re from the US South. On other hand, if you are, you probably the reason I F Stone once predicted, accurately, I have to say as someone from there, that the South “would either be a bastion for democracy or fascism,” and it turned out it was, and is fascism unfortunately. Get deprogramed my man. Build your life anew. All this being mesmerized the Roves, Lotts, and the rest of the fascists and racists is no way to live.