The Student walk-out.

[icarus]

I marched in the anti-war, anti-Bush protest today.

I wasn't going to, but then I had an irritating conversation with a pro-Bush classmate yesterday. Then this morning I read Frist's whinging about Congress' closed session and got more annoyed.

Then I read Bush's Henny Penny distraction from the Libby resignation. "Bird Flu! Think about the Bird Flu and, and -- the sky is falling! And look over there! I mean, don't notice this big indictment of Libby and the corruption of Tom DeLay and 2,000 dead and my failed supreme court nomination and, and..."

So I walked out with much of my school, and joined the college and (primarily) high school students downtown. There were - depending on when you counted - between 500 and 700 students, most of them oh so very young.

I confess, they were adorable!

They looked like this was their protest ever and they weren't sure what to do, but they were against Bush and the war in various ways. Very sincere. Some were there with their parents. Others it was clear their parents had dropped them off downtown, cell phones in hand.

There were many cheers when the kids at the mikes protested military recruitment in schools. Then we made lots of noise marching through the streets of downtown, the new kids looking around with starry startled eyes. (Did I mention cute? Even the female cops were suppressing "awwww..." smiles. They looked 15!)

A group of kids hammered buckets and water bottles circling the protest, keeping the energy high. Signs read "Prune Bush!" and "2,000 Dead!"

People along the street in business suits looked surprised and often pleased at how many young kids were against the war. Many people in the more residential Capitol Hill waved from windows -- a favorite was the big guy with the tats on the third floor apartment who leaned out his window the whole time the group was in sight. He looked so happy about the protest and flashed a peace sign to everyone. There was only one negative guy with longish hair and blue jeans who gave the protest the bird. But it was preplanned: he had a pink paper sleeve over the end of his finger and just stood there. (Get it? "Fuck you, pinko commies"? Yeah, he waited for this.)

Construction crews stopped work to watch, and the owners of the little stores beamed and grinned at us from the doors, flashing peace signs and waving.

What I liked was the absence of cynicism. The protest was slightly disorganized at the beginning and end, but it didn't have any of the "professional" protesters you see everywhere (I recognized people in the WTO demonstrations that I'd seen in 1989 protesting the Tiennamen square massacre).

It was so heartening. I kept thinking: "In 2008, these kids will be voters."

I'm sure the Republicans are thinking the same thing.

Comments

[vichka.livejournal.com]

What really struck me, was that there was only a couple of blacks in the protest, though Seattle Central group made issue of racism very clear. As a matter of fact, a group of African-American students in front of SCCC was just chilling outside, and looked cynical, while our students were being rejected entrance to our own school. though, I agree, it wasn't very nice to attempt to enter school with all of the noise making stuff.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Katrina and Bush's racism is the larger issue in the black community right now, taking precedence over Iraq. Over a thousand people died in New Orleans and there was disinterest in saving them, largely because they were poor and black.

This was a demoralizing moment, to see how far we haven't come as a country.

The white kids care less about racism and more about Iraq because racism doesn't effect them.

If I wanted to talk to the black community about Iraq, I'd want to know exactly how many black soldiers have died (compared to white soldiers) and if a disproportionate number have been put in line to, say, disarm I.E.D.s because their lives are valued less. But the modern military has a reputation for treating blacks and whites equally (heh, equally badly), so I doubt that's true.

The black community has been hit a lot harder by the economy and outsourcing than most people. My sense of it is that they'd be a lot more interested in issues close to home. Talk about giving tax breaks for the rich white fat cats, and to plump oil barons who made 75% profits while we paid more at the gas pump. Talk about robbing the (mostly black) poor to give to the (mostly white) rich in this upcoming budget.

But the core problem is Bush. He's got to go. Next year's the congressional elections. That'll be a start.

Icarus