j.modjeska

If you get your news from a major newspaper, you may have heard about “tens of thousands” of people marching on Washington last week in protest against the Bush administration’s failed Iraq war, the proposed troop surge, and their troubling new Iran policy. If you get your news from TV, you probably heard something about Tom Cruise or Britney Spears and weren’t aware of a protest at all. In fact, last week’s protest looked to be well over 150,000 and deserved some real, unbiased attention from the media. Corporate-owned media may or may not intend to undermine the growing voice of dissent in this country, but they surely do us a disservice when they misunderestimate the magnitude of mass demonstrations like this. On the other hand, it may not matter anymore; the winds of change may be too massive for the filter to hold back.
The protest I speak of took place on January 27 – last Saturday – when, by happy coincidence, my international delegation of UberSpods had gathered near DC for the usual debauchery. While protesting was not our original intent, we quickly became caught up in the demonstration – almost literally so, as when we stepped off the Metro we were swept into the river of people moving toward the Mall. As a good tree-hugging pinko communist from Seattle, I attend my fair share of war protests, but out here they lack a certain shock value, as if we’re just putting on a show of local culture for visiting Republicans. When it happens in DC, there is an extra level of inspiration. Maybe even more than usual this time.

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