Posted on 01/21/2005 11:34:16 PM PST by SmithL
www.registerguard.com | © The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon
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![]() January 21, 2005 Local events highlight division that remains among Americans By Matt Cooper On a Thursday in which President Bush took office for four more years, critics at the University of Oregon promised change, supporters at a Republican breakfast in Eugene savored victory and Americans, in general, proved similarly divided. A day of anti-Bush speeches on campus ended with a march to the Federal Building downtown, where speaker Jim Rassmann, a Vietnam veteran from Florence and prominent supporter of Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, blasted Bush for the decision to attack Iraq. "Bush's second term will be defined by the war in Iraq and it will be his legacy," Rassmann told a crowd that an organizer estimated at 500-plus and police put around 200. "He will be remembered for a war that, at worst, he initiated in a lie and, at best, in gross incompetence." War concerns echoed in the latest New York Times poll, which showed the nation's divided opinions: Most Americans don't expect U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq or the economy to improve before Bush leaves the White House - yet nearly 60 percent of respondents are optimistic about the next four years. Bush did not specifically address Iraq during his 20-minute inauguration speech, but the issue was central to the comments of Sharon Schuman, a UO literature professor who addressed a mostly anti-Bush crowd at the campus amphitheater later in the day. Just under half of Americans voted against Bush, but that number will swing to a majority as the war continues, Schuman told listeners.
Laura Jenkins, the 21-year-old chairwoman of the College Republicans, said the strong anti-Bush sentiment surrounding the inauguration left her group with mixed feelings. "On one hand, we're excited," she said, "but on the other hand, it's frustrating to see all the anti-Bush literature and T-shirts. It almost feels like people are protesting democracy, because he did win the majority vote." The mood was uniformly lighter Thursday morning at the Town Club of Eugene, where 60-plus county Republicans held a breakfast celebrating Bush's inauguration as the ceremony was broadcast on a large screen. "Isn't this just a wonderful day," asked party Chairman Bob Avery to cheers from a crowd that included volunteers, financial backers and mayors Gary Williams of Cottage Grove and Sid Leiken of Springfield. Republicans are a minority in Lane County - Democrats account for 42 percent of voters here, Republicans, 31 percent - but Avery was buoyed by the fact that slightly more of all county voters chose Bush in November than did in 2000. "That tells us we're moving toward more conservative values," Avery said. Williams, whose son serves on a submarine stationed in Washington state, said that, contrary to media reports, service people are behind the president and proud of the mission in Iraq. Bush's re-election is proof that Americans embrace "traditional values," Williams said - to him, that means affirmation of faith and strong support for the military. Kevin Overton, a 39-year-old forklift operator from Springfield who volunteered with the Bush campaign for months, hopes the president's second term will include privatization of Social Security, success in the war on terror and restriction of illegal immigrants. Overton's pro-Bush bumper stickers have sparked numerous hostile reactions. For him, Thursday was a day to celebrate.
Also taking place Thursday was a national movement protesting the U.S. occupation of Iraq, which attracted some local interest. Organizers of the silent protest, which was titled "Not a Damn Dime," invited Americans to send a message to Washington by spending no money. "You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed," read a news release circulating by e-mail. "For 24 hours, nothing gets spent ... to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people." The protest drew mixed results in Eugene. Evon Smith, owner of the Smith Family Bookstore, supported the silent protest but kept her store open. "We expected our business to drop and hoped it would," Smith said. Sarah Howard and Nicki Swann, both of Eugene, were not aware of the protest. Both women said they would have participated had they known about it. At Greater Goods, owner Joan Kleban kept her store open, but suspended all wholesale orders for the day in support of the ban. Stacy Bierma, owner of Harlequin Beads, said the protest was having a visible impact on her business. Scott Landfield, owner of Tsunami Books, was offering free tea to customers who didn't buy anything. "I'm waiting for someone in the progressive (movement) to declare a picnic in the park for the 50 million people (who didn't vote for Bush)," Landfield said. Related: Speech expresses ideal of freedom worldwide For many, a day when politics gives way to honoring democracy Speech: 'America proclaims liberty' Portland protests bring arrests
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The rats are protesting democracy and freedom for the people of the world. They are the evil party. We used to be the stupid party and the rats think Dubya is stupid. The rats keep losing because we are the good party. God Bless America.
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