Anti-BushWar protest report from Oceanside, California --January 18, 2003 anti-BushWar protest

We marched with over TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND people yesterday in San Francisco! It was just awe inspiring! There is an unearthly ROAR that comes from nearly a quarter-MILLION voices all crying out a slogan like "No war" or just plain cheering. It rolls along in great throbbing waves and makes the very earth shake--it was very powerful! The march and rally organizers known by the acronym ANSWER chartered a helicopter so as to photograph and videotape the crowds and thus prove its true size. Corporate-Republican media outlets generally try to minimize the true size of demonstrations and thereby trivialize the scope and the scale of the dissent that is bursting forth against this unelected "President's" greedy and unnecessary war lust. A war which will only inflame more terrorism against us and our allies around the world. In such circumstances one intuitively understands what the Founders meant in Article One of the Constitution "The right of the people to peaceably assemble for the redress of grievances SHALL NOT BE ABRIDGED." It was a VERY good day for democracy--and for Democrats!

The march procession stretched for about two miles from the Justin Herman Plaza on the Embarcadero waterfront all of the way to City Hall Plaza. We marched 50-70 abreast. There were entire marching bands, drummers, costumed "King Georges" doves of peace, and chicken hawks, kites and banners, countless signs and placards. In many ways the vast procession resembled a huge moving street fair. I have never seen such a vast ocean of moving humanity. Everyone was good humored and well-behaved. It was FUN!

I've just read the accounts of your [email to Marcia] immensely successful march in SD! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! As to the NC times account, I thought that Gidget Fuentes did a good, fair, accurate and truthful job of reporting it as it was. BUT the piece in the U/T was corporate media garbage and trivialization at its worst. We need to organize a boycott of that paper, and its principle advertisers. More on that later. I'm sure that the NC Times would have no problem reporting objectively on our calls to boycott the U/T rag!

Anyway I have tons more mail to work through. Remember that Feb 15 is the date for the next round of anti-BushWar protests-I suspect that the rush of events will double the size of the DC and SF protests. We have the momentum now!

Dr. Mike Byron
Oceanside, CA
January 19, 2003