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Hidden with code "Submitted as Feature" |
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News :: Peace |
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Local anti-war float takes home parade trophy |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ricky Baldwin
Email: baldwnricky (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
04 Jul 2004
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AWARE won third place in the non-professional category at Champaign County's annual Fourth of July parade.
But even better was the audience response: overwhelmingly positive, enthusiastic in fact. |
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The Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE) took home a trophy from the parade today. Third place in the non-professional category went to AWARE’s giant model of an old, polluted and war-torn earth cracking open to give birth to a bright, peaceful future earth -- complete with images of doves and colorful banners reading “Another World Is Possible!”
Over a month of planning and building, involving two dozen or more volunteers who got their hands dirty, gave up their afternoons and evenings, brought their kids to play in papier-mache and paint, finally paid off. AWARE proudly displayed the two-foot high trophy and labels on the float during the length of the parade, as members marched along behind the float carrying hand-made anti-war signs.
But more important than the trophy, this third annual anti-war contingent in the local parade enjoyed the best audience reception ever. Hundreds of people, young and old, black and white, families and loners, wearers of tie-dye and American flag t-shirts, clapped and grinned and waved like crazy along the majority of the two-hour route.
Yes, there were hecklers - two or three - and quite a few folks just didn’t react at all. But the vast majority of the crowd was very positive, very glad to see the messages of peace and justice and not at all ashamed to applaud, whoop and holler, and raise their two fingers in peace signs.
A thrill rippled through the anti-war marchers as they passed down the rows of cheering on-lookers. It was not what veteran protesters normally expect at a patriotic gathering.
Perhaps the Bush Administration has told one too many whoppers. Maybe too many civilians have been slaughtered -- or tortured. Maybe too many US soldiers have died for nothing. Maybe Halliburton and other Administration cronies have won too many no-bid contracts and made too many millions from the suffering and death of Iraqi civilians and US soldiers. Or maybe democracy has been trampled one time too many.
Whatever the exact reason or combination of reasons, a majority of the American people now believe the war in Iraq to be wrong, according to the latest polls. And our un-elected president’s ratings continue to drop. Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” is number one at the box office even though it is only showing at roughly a third of the nation’s cinemas. These things are much bigger and better than any trophy, though the recognition is certainly nice.
AWARE worked very hard to make that float, and its overall participation in the parade, a success. Millions including AWARE have worked much harder for some sanity in the world. Let’s hope our country is finally moving in the right direction. |
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See also:
http://www.anti-war.net
http://www.democracynow.org
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This work is in the public domain |
