Iraq War

From AFSC-NERO volunteer Mark Lipman:

What a day - 300,000 people* jumping and screaming all over the capital - people are all fired up - this is one of the biggest successes I've seen in America in a long time - the entire country turned out - national / international press everywhere - everyone is really energized - no greater place in America - or the world - today than DC. The momentum is full behind us - we are empowered and ready to change the world - all the government can do cower in the shadows from the wake left behind the power of the people.

Peace and solidarity
Mark

We'll be posting blog entries here in the next few days.

Bloggers may address questions such as:

1) What did you see or hear today that outraged you/moved you/saddened you/inspired you?

2) Who is present at the action, what is the tone of some of the different groupings, and who is missing?

3) What are some of the range of emotions you went through as you moved through the day? What moved you?

4) What are some of the excellent (especially home-made) slogans on signs you saw? What signs did you see which saddened you or you believe contained messages which you disagree with and/or you believe hurt the movement? What chants did you hear and how do you feel about them? Let’s discuss this.

5) What speeches did you hear which impressed you? Are there insights from a speech or workshop or discussion which you wish to repeat so that those of us not there could hear it second-hand? Were there statements made in a speech which you disagreed with and believe it’s important for us to discuss?

6) Are there groups (or individual statements or actions) which you were impressed by – in size, creativity of expression, creativity of tactics, campaign ideas, eloquence of literature, etc.?

7) What reflections do you have based on what you observed for how we could make mass mobilizations, workshops, lobby days, etc. even better – for the participants, for observers on the scene, for the media (both alternative and corporate), for influencing Congress, for mobilizing activists once they get home, for shifting and/or mobilizing public opinion, etc.?

8) What were the nature of the dialogues during the lobby days? What questions or statements did peace movement activists make which seemed particularly effective? What questions or statements from Congressional staffers were most difficult to respond to – and/or do you think we need to improve our responses? How did you handle it when someone from your delegation said something you didn’t really agree with or wished was said differently?

9) What does this mean for our movements for peace and social justice and how we might proceed more effectively?

10) How ready are folks for engaging in additional nonviolent direct action and how did these events advance this? How might it have advanced these approaches more effectively?

10) Add your reflection question here.