Activists converge in Crawford
Anti-war demonstration mixes talk of peace with election-year politics
09:04 PM CST on Saturday, March 20, 2004
CRAWFORD – Hundreds of peace activists from across Texas converged Saturday on the Western White House, calling for a pullout of U.S. troops on the first anniversary of hostilities in Iraq.
Protesters came by the dozens from Dallas, Houston, Austin and other cities to make their voices heard in the farming town of 705 residents, about seven miles from the president's 1,600-acre ranch.
About 250 similar demonstrations took place around the country, and hundreds of thousands more protesters turned out in London, Rome, Cairo and Tokyo.
In Crawford, demonstrators mixed talk of the peace movement with electoral politics, hoping to translate their message into votes. They were joined briefly by independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, touring Texas to drum up 64,000 signatures he needs to make the state presidential ballot.
Shannon Sharrock, a 28-year-old West Point Military Academy graduate and former Army captain, was among those attending.
"The whole reason I do this is because our soldiers' sacrifices are being taken for granted," said Ms. Sharrock, whose husband remains stationed in Kuwait. "I supported our efforts in Afghanistan, but the war in Iraq is taking away personnel, resources and other things that are vital to defeating terrorism."
With national security a central election issue, Bush campaign officials defended the administration's actions Saturday as "principled decisions based on what is important to the American people."
The protests came a day after Mr. Bush offered a forceful public defense for his pre-emptive military action in Iraq.
"September 11 signaled a different era, and we can't wait to confront threats until they get to our cities," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise. "He [the president] is defending and protecting and defending this country by taking the fight to the enemy."
The rally wasn't the only draw in Crawford on Saturday. Just across a pond and patch of trees, locals enjoyed a chili cook-off and garage sale at the park where the protests were centered.
As speakers blared from across the way, Donna Conrad focused on her crockpot of chili, her booth adorned with patriotic stickers.
"No one likes war, but you have to do what you have to do. We're fighting so they can have their opinions, and we can have ours," Ms. Conrad said. "As long as they don't bother me, I won't bother them."
A few booths down, 74-year-old Marvin Reich was more ambivalent as he tried to peddle his wares. He said he still supports the president but is skeptical about the deployment of U.S. troops in Iraq.
"I think it's another Vietnam deal that's never going to end. I think that's why this is going on over there," he said, pointed to the protesters. "I still support Bush. He's my president, but I don't know if I'll vote for him."
Crawford police reported no major incidents stemming from the demonstration.
Organizers estimated about 1,000 participants. Crawford Police Chief Donnie Tidmore put the number between 800 and 1,000.
About six city officers and a few sheriff's officers patrolled the streets – a sizable expense for the tiny town, officials said. For a brief period, officers closed downtown streets so a protest parade could pass in front of curious local onlookers, most of whom said they supported the president.
"It drains us on manpower any time there's an event like this," Chief Tidmore said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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