We Are Not Alone - Mr. Rouse Goes to Washington

We are not alone.  How many times have we heard that simple phrase in science fiction?  And although what we've gone through over the past five years may seem like science fiction, it is not.  We now live in a nation where our government seems more Orwellian than Jeffersonian.  Our civil liberties are dwindling, we are facing the worst energy crisis since the dawn of the modern age, our national debt is stratospheric, and we are involved in a war that is not only in danger of becoming a quagmire, it was illegal and immoral from its inception.  Many of us are feeling the emotion stress of this increasingly oppressive and arrogant American regime.  But we are not alone.

Yesterday I was one of over 300,000 lovers of peace and humanity who gathered on the Ellipse across from the White House in our nation's capitol to protest the war in Iraq and demand the immediate withdrawal of troops back home where they belong.  Back home where they are wanted.  Back home where they could have been used for a more humanitarian mission in the aftermath of Katrina.

On Friday evening at 9:30pm, 56 people gathered north of the Wal-Mart parking lot and boarded a bus headed for DC.  The group included white and black, old and young, There were professors and students, housewives and musicians. One was blind.  All of us had a common desire . . . to add our individual voices to a collective of like-minded human beings.  The journey from Fort Wayne to Washington, DC took place over night.  This allowed us to sleep . . . let me rephrase . . . attempt to sleep on the bus.  I discovered that some people have the ability to sleep on a moving vehicle traveling over winding roads, but some of us, including myself, failed to develop that rare talent.  The bus stopped twice for short ten minute stretching periods, and again around 7:30am for breakfast at the Perkins restaurant in Breezewood, PA.  While most of the group were able to get breakfast in a reasonable amount of time, the table where I sat was still foodless at 8:30.  We were a little late arriving in Washington as were several other busloads.  

After unloading backpacks and protest signs, we joined the short march from our drop off point on Pennsylvania Ave. to the Ellipse off 15th Street.  It was during this march that some of us lot contact with each other.  However, we had prearranged a spot to meet with other marchers from Indiana.  It didn't take me long to find my fellow Hoosiers.  The Indiana State flag was waving high on a pole a little west of the main stage of the rally.  Jesse Jackson was speaking as I arrived.  I was greeted by people from Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Lafayette.  During the next couple of hours we heard from speakers such as Cindy Sheehan, Jessica Lange, Ralph Nader and George Galloway.  My particular favorite was the great former Attorney General Ramsey Clark who made a strong case for impeachment.

We began to get ready for the march while they were still speaking.  Unfortunately, this ended up working against us.  This was the time the cameras finally decided to look at the crowd that was still on the Ellipse.  But because we were all lined up on Constitution Avenue and 15th Street, it didn't look like many people were there.  Some news organizations reported our numbers as being tens of thousands, but truth be told, people in Washington who watched the march knew the true number was closer to half a million.  According to Por Henk Ruyssenaars, writing for Argentina IndyMedia, "C-SPAN estimated 500,000, a number that I believe was possible from my observations. I was on the corner of Pennsylvania and 15th on the steps of Riggs bank when the march began. People were still arriving from all directions. The massive amount of people moving in all directions prevented a front of the march from forming. People just started marching on their own with no marshals anywhere near the front of the march. Thousands of people passed me before any organized contingent . . . To summarize, it took over 4 hours for people clear out of the ellipse area. I have been to several large marches in Washington, DC, since 1989 and this was by far the largest."  

William Hughes, a Baltimore attorney and author called it the "Mother of all anti-war rallies".

As we began to march, the sky opened up a bit and started to sprinkle us with rain, but nothing would stop our mission and by the time we reached 15th Street, the light drizzle ceased.  At the corner of Constitution and 15th, sits the small Bullfinch Gatehouse.  Atop the gatehouse were several young protesters who led us all in chants.  Our massive march was beginning, and it was incredible.  You could feel the intensity and enthusiasm of the marchers.  We were shouting and chanting.  People were beating drums.  I heard trumpets, flutes and a harmonica.  People were using bullhorns to urge us on.  There was even a group of young protesters behind us who were using popular raps and substituting the word Bush for the word bitch.  

Things intensified as we reached the White House.  Marchers would come to a stop in front of the official residence and shout.  There were two rows of barricades and a wrought iron fence separating the protesters from the White House grounds.  I found it ironic that between the two barricades was a group of mostly black police officers and behind the second barrier was a group of mostly white officers.  The group farthest from the protesters were the ones in full riot gear with helmets and face shields.  Atop the White House and other buildings in Lafayette park, snipers were positioned to watch over the peaceful throng.  I looked over at one black officer, smiled and flashed the two-finger peace sign.  He cracked a small grin and winked.

As we left the White House, the march moved swiftly and we headed back to the point the march began over two miles earlier.  As we returned for the "Operation Ceasefire" concert, we heard Steve Earle.  I was disappointed to hear that I had missed Joan Baez and Wayne Kramer, but there was more music to come, including The Coup, Sweet Honey in the Rock, The Evens, and Ted Leo+Pharmacists.  We also heard speakers Cindy Sheehan, Representative Lynn Woolsey, Washington Wizard Forward Etan Thomas, Former State Department Officer Ann Wright, national radio commentator Jim Hightower, Fernando Suarez del Solar of Gold Star Families, and investigative journalist Greg Palast.

But all good things must come to an end and we headed back to our bus before the concert concluded.  I was exhausted, as were many others who made the journey from Indiana to Washington.  And although the air conditioning on the bus had stopped working and there was a rancid odor emanating from the small restroom, the trip back was great.  Not only was I able to sleep some, but I had these wonderful memories of a march that was well organized and of all the people who made the commitment to come to Washington and let our President know how the real majority felt about his personal little war.

I heard from one of the other riders that our bus driver, Ron was a little upset that he had to drive a group like ours and not be able to speak out.  As we got closer to Fort Wayne, some of the organizers of the bus trip spoke and the driver finally spoke as well.  He let us know that we were a polite and respectful group.  He told us that we had made him think about his position on the war.  He has a nephew who was last reported as fighting in Fallujah.  Ron said his nephew should be "home making babies instead of fighting in Iraq for a man like Bush."   Ron told us about another journey he made to Washington.  In January, he took a group of Indiana Representative Mark Souder's friends to DC for the Inauguration.  These people, he informed us, got on board wearing their nice suits and fur coats and treated him like he was nothing.  I'm glad we were able to show Ron how real human beings act.

Once I was back home, I took a short nap.  When I awoke, I was ready to start putting my thoughts down into a cohesive order . . . unfortunately, my service provider was failing to provide.  Service returned a short time ago and allowed me to finally post my feelings . . . . and a several photos of the journey which can be accessed here.

Thanks for listening, and if we do this again, join us.  The more, the merrier . . .  and louder.