Having some sort of revelation my birthday 9/11, I committed to hold NO MORE REGRETS! For example, I regret never visiting our Nation’s Capital with my family, always “maybe next year”. Then I read about this year’s anti-war rally and march in Washington D.C. I lucked out when another bus was added for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (ASK NOW to STOP the WAR and END RACISM) one of the major sponsors. This protest had my name written all over it and I was on my way - NO REGRETS!
By the time we departed Atlanta this powerful event was reported to be the biggest in White House history. Americans like myself had come to their crossroads. We witnessed Bush use prejudice towards his fellow man. The consequences were acts of brutal neglect on the victims of Katrina. With casualties growing every day, just last week, George W. announced the closing of military bases, 4 in Georgia, throughout the United States. With no regards for human life, angry Americans were prepared to march on Washington and protest the error of his ways.
I acquainted myself with the others on this 9-hour bus ride. I struck conversation a woman, from Canton, Georgia and was a volunteer with the Democratic Party. To break the ice, I said “You mean there is a Democratic Party in Cherokee County?” Much to my surprise, the entire bus belted back “You mean there is a Democratic Party in Cobb County? The really got me! The irony of it all was the high number of Republicans prepared to march and to my surprise, military families against the War in Iraq. I shook the hands of a young man rescued from New Orleans and the destruction of Katrina. He had lost everything, but came to march so American soldiers would not die in vain. Then you have “The Hannigan’s”, Charles and Margaret. These soon to be seniors (if not already) have a story that begins exactly 8 days after 9/11. The evening of September 29th during a C-Span newscast, this couple witnessed for the first time approximately 20,000 protesters outside the White House all chanting “Don’t Blame It on 9/11.” Their hearts went out to these brave souls, putting fear aside to protest a useless war for a personal gain. Since that evening, The Hannigan’s have supported the efforts of this anti-war demonstration and immediately joined them as well! God Bless The Hannigan’s of America!
Arriving around 11am we gathered at the Ellipse located outside the Washington Monument where a Peace rally was going on. Excitement filled the air and all you could hear were cheers and applause. As the hands of Cindy Sheehan were locked tightly into Rev. Jesse Jackson’s, she shouted, “We mean business!” She is one individual that has proven that! Representative Cynthia McKinney’s spoke with authority and confidence. “This is a war of deliberate evidence, men wrapped in self-righteousness who work to save their jobs instead of their own people”. Her Southern drawl was accented as she finished, “united for peace and justice, we must stay together. We can do this ya’ll because they can’t fool us anymore”!! I was frozen. The ANSWERS donation bucket in hand was getting heavier as protesters gave their change to a tremendous cause but I remained paralyzed. These words of bravery had stopped me dead in my tracks. I could only see forward to the stage, hear their words and no one else. A British Member of Parliament, George Galloway glowed with pride as he announced over 100,000 protesters attended the march in London that afternoon. “We must stand shoulder to shoulder against the real war criminals, Tony Blair and George Bush. We must demonstrate to the people of the world that these criminals are not acting in our name. This is not any clash of civilizations, this is not a war of the west on the war of the east; this is not a war of Christianity and Islam. George Bush does not represent ANY CIVILIZATION!!” As he departed the stage, the crows continued to clap while none other than Rev. Jesse Jackson approached the podium. “This war is of personal interest, this war is built upon lies, a house built on sand, thousands of American soldiers dead, ten thousand Iraqi’s dead. We want Peace and Justice.” He went on to say, “No weapons of Mass Destruction! No Al-Qaeda
connection, we deserve leadership, we deserve another way.” In closing, he shouted, “We must march in numbers, we will change the correlation zone in 2006, we will take back the White House in 2008, keep marching. It’s a long road but we must march to make it happen. March forward with hope, not backwards in fear. END THE WAR. BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!
By 1:00, the anti-war protest was underway and I was actually marching on Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House was next! No regrets on this trip! Helicopters hovering, journalist and their notebooks and reporters out for interviews while microphones remained extended over the crowd. WWII Veterans “Veterans for Peace” shouted “Bring Them Home Now” from their wheelchairs. “Veterans For Peace”; Schoolchildren called “Kids For Peace” carried signs that read “War Makes My Mom Mad” while “Bikers For Peace” followed the parade route towards the White House. Shouts of impeachment came from high profile groups, MoveOn.org, TroopsOutNow Coalition. Many signs read “He Lied, Thousands Died”. Unions were represented there bearing “Money for Education, not War”, a message from AFT Local 2234. My favorite and closest to my heart were “The Singing Grannies of Birmingham”. Dressed in “granny” dresses with their Sunday bonnets, they belted out one hymn after another, and sang protest songs they had written The crowd moved aside as these ladies of determination and strength came all the way from Alabama bearing the same message: “Bring The Troops Home Now”.
Watching the sun set over the Washington Monument, I could hear the powerful music of Steve Earle as it was carried through the wind. Knowing this musician came to entertain with a message of peace and hope tuned me into an even bigger fan than before! I had sat on the lawn of the White House and marched along Pennsylvania Avenue! I could rest my bones now as I sat on Independence Ave, awaiting the Atlanta bus and could actually say this day held No Regrets!!
