From today's Boston Globe:
10,000 in Boston rally against war
By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe Correspondent | October 28, 2007
As an antiwar rally waged behind her on swampy
Boston Common yesterday, Linda Tobin and her two children crouched over
a pair of dusty black boots, one of 156 pairs representing each New
England casualty of the Iraq war.
"There are so many ways other
than war to communicate, especially in this day and age," Tobin said as
she moved down a row of boots, part of the "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit.
Her conviction brought her the 2 1/2 hours from St. Johnsbury, Vt.,
with six family members, including children ages 6, 4, and 2.
"It's especially important for the kids to see this because they're the next generation," Tobin said.
Tobin,
36, was one of an estimated 10,000 people who gathered on the Common to
listen to speakers, including historian Howard Zinn and Councilor Felix
Arroyo, and march to Copley Square and back.
The rally was one of 11 large antiwar held nationwide yesterday as part of the National Day of Action to end the war.
Despite
the drizzle, the crowd was a sea of rainbow-colored peace flags, yellow
balloons, and homemade signs bearing messages such as "Support our
communities, fund human needs," "Vermont says no to war," and "Bush
wants your children for cannon fodder."
Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States," spoke for about 15 minutes and received the loudest reception.
"You
can't have a war on terrorism; war is terrorism," he said. "When enough
soldiers refuse to fight, this war will not be able to go on, and we
need to support them any way we can."
Zinn is renowned for an antiwar speech he gave in nearly the same spot in 1971, at the height of Vietnam War protests.
Paul and Lois Doerr, of Wayland, attended that speech and said a stronger antiwar movement packed Boston Common then.
"I'm
not convinced of the value of this," Paul Doerr, 58, said, motioning
around him. "The polls indicate that everyone's against the war . . .
but Bush is still getting the funding he asks for."
Last Monday, Bush asked Congress for another $46 billion for 2008 to continue war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The
rally attracted many passersby, who stopped to learn what the loud
music and large crowds were about, said Angela Kelly, an organizer for
the New England United Coalition, which sponsored the rally.
"As
soon as they found out what it was about, many people decided to stay
and pick up material," she said. "I think it was a powerful
demonstration that the peace majority is growing each and every day . .
. we certainly brought more people in to build our movement."
There were no rally-related arrests, police said.
When do we protest at the RI Statehouse?