A soggy, successful Los Angeles peace march

50,000 people turned out today in L.A. in steady, sometimes heavy rain, for the downtown antiwar march. You must understand. We here in L.A. seldom do anything in the rain except stay indoors. Yet 50,000 marched and stood in the rain for several hours in opposition to the war.

Speakers included Jesse Jackson, Arianna Huffington, Tom Hayden, and Ron Kovic. Several bands were scheduled but couldn’t play because of the rain. I worked lead ropes again, gently moving people off the street onto the sidewalks in advance of the lead banner.

The crowd was happy, if soggy. I was into Gore-Tex pants, parka, and hiking shoes, so I stayed dry. Many others were seriously soaked. No photos this time, the logistics of keeping a camera dry while being a (very) active volunteer seemed too complicated so I didn’t bring it.

There were a LOT of police present. Squads of about ten in battle gear walked besides us on the sidewalks at the lead banner. Many, many police cars, police on bicycles too. As far as I could tell, everything was peaceful. LAPD did their usual game of vastly underestimating the crowd size.

I will bring my camera next Saturday to the Long Beach demonstration - when we will no doubt already be at war.

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Thanks for explaining that

Here’s why the coming war, according to some Christian fundamentalists,  is prophesied in the Bible - and even though millions will die, that’s good, because it’s the End Times.

“Then comes the clincher. In Chapter 9, Verse 11 — yes, that’s 9:11 — John says the leader of an army of locusts released to fight humans is named Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek. Both mean Destroyer, one of several meanings for the name Saddam.”

Did you know the Hungarian transliteration of the Urdu vernacular for “army of locusts” is “Peaceniks are satanic demons”? I better let my pals in ANSWER know about this..

And watch out for the black helicopters.

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In a world going mad, let’s pause to honor deeply inspired silliness

The Great (Big Hair) Escape.

Let’s hear it for the Sweet Potato Queens!!!

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A taste of what’s coming

Anti-war marchers choke S.F. financial district

“More than 70 protesters, including Warren Langley, former president of the Pacific Stock Exchange, were arrested Friday in nonviolent civil disobedience actions that knotted up morning rush-hour traffic in the Financial District.

Anti-war activists called it preview of the “shutdown” of the Financial District being called for on the first business day after a U.S. attack on Iraq.”

Direct Action to Stop the War is the website for activists planning to shut down S.F. when the war starts.

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US military will target journalist satellite communications

“A BBC war correspondent says the Pentagon told her the military will target satellite communications of journalists in the upcoming war on Iraq.

In an interview on Irish Radio last Sunday, veteran BBC war correspondent Kate Adie said a senior Pentagon official told her that US planes will target any electronic communications on the ground, even if they are operated by journalists.

Adie also said that when she questioned the Pentagon official about the consequences of targeting journalists, the senior Pentagon officer replied “Who cares? . . . They’ve been warned.”

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I am not making this up

A congresswoman in Florida wants to bring those buried in France back home because, y’know, those Frenchies hate freedom and love Saddam plus they talk funny and don’t have any respect for the U.S. so while we’re at it let’s make them take back the Statue of Liberty too.

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