MASSIVE Anti-War Rally in Westwood, CA Right Now

10/06/02 | Me

[andrew]

At approximately 3:15 I drove through Westwood, though diverted by closed streets and a huge police presence, I was able to see the makings of the largest Anti-War protest and march I have ever seen in person. I was able to see the march's origins, about a mile plus away from the Federal Building near Federal and Wilshire (ironically near the U.S. Army Reserve and large Veterans Administration facilities.)

What looked like thousands, and possibly tens of thousands, were marching towards the Federal building, site of many a protest in the past -- notable an anti-Impeachment rally featuring Barbra Streisand.

I could see the usual suspects on my drive-by: old hippies, professor types, westside lefties, anarchists looking types, certain folks pretty overt about their Marxist leanings, etc. But it could have been worse. I even yelled, "Loser" to one lady sitting with a sign on the NW corner of Sepulveda and Wilshire. (I give myself a zero for wit, but they really have me pissed off.)

I was unable to find anything in the media on this even, and even a Google newsgroup search didn't even show an announcement of this event, so I am somewhat flummoxed as to how this came to be.

I am walking there right now, and will come back to this thread later to report.

[ladyinred]

The Anti Americans are doing that all over the country today to show how very patriotic they are! Yes, they hate the idea of killing terrorists you see, but mostly, they hate President Bush. That is the real agenda.

[Mark Felton]

real conservatives do not counter-protest, they set up stands and sell the protesters water (with a "salubrious" profit).

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

What I think they meant was a quiet call to Jesse Jackson and greyhound buses.

RENT A MOB

And they went with an all white choice, this time.

Tell me all of these people just happen to all go protest. If there was one organization HippiesRUs or something that organized I may buy it. I smell desparate democrats. This and the IT'S THE ECONOMY POLL on DRUDGE... Elections are in Nov. the dems do operate like this.

[College Repub]

RIGHT ON!!!

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Even if there are a few that have a right to protest from HippiesRUs so what. Always has been always will be anti-war protesters.

A good leader (president) does not decide about war over domestic politics and ACLU and hippies protesting. The signs that say STOP BUSH in the pics REALLY make me suspicious of the DNC rent a mob.

[Lexington Green]

BUSH IS THE ENEMY - SADDAM IS OUR FRIEND


Blind partisans are pitiful, mindless creatures.

[2rightsleftcoast]

You got that right. Might be time to start a we support
our President March. Or a write in campaign to every news org. from all of us. I agree with Andrew, They are LOSERS!

[=Intervention=]

DEAD WRONG. Real conservatives battle these guys toe-to-toe and defeat them with wit and with aplomb. Don't tell me what real conservatives do or don't do, bro. I was there in West Palm in '00 carting my homemade signs and shoe-polishing my car to keep our elections fair and honest. I even wrote a few anti-Gore ditties.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Well said and no one let the D.C. chapter read post 42.

[TheDon]

These folks are preaching to the choir. They should be having these rallies in Iraq!!!

[TheSpottedOwl]

Ok that's just BS! How come that many people don't turn out for Republican causes? Oh wait...we have responsibilities...nevermind.

[CARepubGal]

Thankfully, no signs of these lowlifes down here. Could it be the large # of active duty and retired military, cops that happily shoot at lightly armed suspects? Or my spending time near the 'necks (who di not suffer fools or hippies gladly)?

[concerned about politics]

This is a country full of people that won't let the government start this immoral war in our name,"

No, there's just a handful of Marxist protesters compared to the normal people in this country. If Horrywood wants their zombies to protest, let them. I don't think anyone really cares, or even noticed.
Didn't hear a word about it. Don't really care. Besides, terrorists like places that have large groups of people gathered.

[concerned about politics]

A good leader (president) does not decide about war over domestic politics and ACLU and hippies protesting. The signs that say STOP BUSH in the pics REALLY make me suspicious of the DNC rent a mob.

Did the President ask the hippies if it was OK to nuke after the pearl harbor attack? No, if he did, we'd have all died in ovens.
Thank GOD for presidents who ignore these mutants.

[concerned about politics]

BTW, Clinton deployed our troops 40 times during his reign of terror. Why was there silence?

[Elcie30]

Just back from the Seattle FReep. We were a handful, but we were THERE!! I just watched the evening news, and took a look at the local news websites...not a mention of us, but plenty about the marchers. Plus, Jim McDermott flapping his gums about how Washington better pay attention to what he and these others are saying, blah blah blah. Carol Cassady (the Repulican candidate running against him) was there but no mention of her either. So irritating!!!

[HP8753]

The Fire Dept. should mix some RID in the water tanks and de-louse those freaks with the water cannons.

[concerned about politics]

was there but no mention of her either. So irritating!!!

The liberal press is looking for an issue to bash Bush. Bush will just rise above them, again, and do what a grown up has to do. The country first, and screw the mutants. They have the right to leave the country if they wish. They won't be missed.

[andrew]

HALLOWEEN COMES EARLY TO LA

Well, I started this thread and said I'd check back in:

If I conveyed that the crowd was a nice diverse cross-section of Americana... I'd have been wrong. I walked there with my wife and two little kids and my son was clearly freaked out my the riff raff: college wannabe hippy kids more in the Rage Against the Machine vain than Jefferson Airplane, but throwing the peace sign around, then there were the ethnic contingencies: serious La Raza 'America is Racist' action, tshirts of Che Guevara, black separatist types, and a few black anti-Israel folks. The people, almost to a person, were slimy if not filthy. Most everyone had the 'See, I can fit my ideology on a t-shirt' mentality. There was a handful of the white middle class guilt crowd. The folks that for appearance sake could be mistaken for Gap salespeople, and I'm sure they can put this into their journals that they stood up for the little people today (I don't know how, but..)

My wife, who is not quiet as political as I am, really was taken aback by how ugly and 'cult-like' the people were. there was a sick Manson family quality to the revelers acceptance of the diverse anti-american complaints, just as long as the all agreed Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are the 'real axis of evil'.

When I first drove by at its peak, I was intimidated. I thought: I wonder if this time -- versus the post 9/11 march at same place -- these people had learned their lessons. Upon further investigation, I am far from worried. If this is the anti-war constituency we have nothing to fear.