This was a very well written, informative piece, and yet I am sorry to say I can't share the joyful tone. This was definitly the largest anti-war rally since the Jan. 2003 D.C. and Feb. 15, 2003 NYC stop-the-war rallies. I would definitly say 200,000, and I have heard on Air America that the military paper Stars & Stripes put it at 250,000. Its not an up-in-the-air issue: It was massive.
What I felt, though, was subtle bitterness and melencoly, knowing that 2 years ago we marched to stop the war, now it is absolutely apparent to anyone but a total clown that will be lucky to stop it by 2008. That's the sense I had while there--a different kind of march at the long beginning of a different kind of period.
In addition, the administration gives us everyday something new to be horrified about. According to the Sunday Baltimore Sun, Iran's nuclear issue is heading before the U.N. Security Council, a Yeatsian 'Second Coming' of what has just occurred with Iraq.
And now, Bush wants to change federal law to allow the military to police disaster areas in the wake of Bush's ineptitude in the aftermath of Katrina. Do I even need to comment, and if I do, do I care that you don't understand. Here's the NYT article on that: "Bush Wants to Consider Broadening of Military's Powers During Natural Disasters" (09/27/05).
Peace, G