Antiwar Rallies Around State Draw Hundreds

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Hundreds of antiwar protesters rallied across the state Saturday in a seemingly last-ditch effort to stop the impending war in Iraq. But with battle looking more like an inevitability, both attendance and enthusiasm failed to meet expectations at gatherings in Orlando, Miami, Melbourne and Tampa, despite the efforts of a coalition of anti-war groups from around the state.

Antiwar rallies also were held Saturday in Daytona Beach, DeLand, Bradenton and West Palm Beach. Most of the antiwar protesters shared a familiar theme, suggesting that oil, not Iraqi disarmament, is behind the U.S. drive toward war.

The Orlando protest was only one-tenth as large as a pro-war rally held there three weeks ago. It also paled in comparison to the much larger rallies staged around the world Saturday.

"Where is everyone?" Orlando rally organizer Kathy DiBernardo asked a crowd of about 200 gathered at a park along Lake Ivanhoe. "We're know you're out there; you're just not here today."

Charles Putfark, a former Army soldier who opposes the war, acknowledged that protesters' ardor has waned as time for a peaceful solution keeps running out.

"It's going to be very tough to keep our chins up," Putfark said. "But we won't stop."

Organizers predicted that 1,000 protesters would show up in Melbourne on Saturday; about one-quarter of that total actually attended the anti-war event there.

President Bush has declared an invasion of Iraq essential to the world's fight against terrorism, and U.S. warships, planes and more than 200,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East. But one man at the Orlando rally disagreed with Bush, despite his intimate knowledge of the horrors caused by Muslim extremists.

"Americans need to understand why there are groups of people who see us as an enemy," said Glenn Anderson, a history teacher at Apopka High School.

Anderson is a nephew of Terry Anderson, a former Associated Press correspondent who was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years.

"If you talk to my uncle about that, he has forgiven them," Anderson said. "I think he would like to see them brought to justice; I would like to see them brought to justice. What they did was a terrible thing. But punishment isn't the end of it."

In downtown Miami, 400 people came together at the Torch of Friendship, holding signs reading slogans such as "Let's Try Pre-Emptive Peace" and "Vive La Resistance." A spokeswoman for one of the many organizations involved lamented that the crowd wasn't big enough.

"In a city like Miami, there should be a lot more people here," said Sandy Fagan, of the Peace South Florida activist group. She blamed the poor attendance on inadequate publicity and said many people with anti-war feelings are afraid to publicly express their sentiments.

Ville Eskelinen, 23, is from Finland but studying at the University of Miami. He said war simply cannot be the only option.

"I really believe in the work of the U.N. inspectors. It's been slow but it's been progressing," Eskelinen said. "I feel they are rushing military action for reasons they don't share with us."

David Stone, 82, flew a B-17 bomber in World War II. He rode from Deerfield Beach to the Miami rally on a bus carrying 35 other retirees.

"If we go in an Iraq battle we'll be an aggressor moving into another country," Stone said. "Plus, during a war, they will have the right to attack us by any means. It's up to the U.N. to make the decision, not us unilaterally."

About 150 people gathered in West Palm Beach at a busy intersection to wave signs reading "Honk for Peace" and "We Support the Troops, Not the War."

In Tampa, about 300 people turned out, despite predictions by organizers that 1,000 would attend the afternoon rally. Across the street from the Tampa rally, dozens of demonstrators used bullhorns to express their support of the U.S. military and their displeasure with the antiwar protesters.

"I'm sick of our troops not being supported," said Mary Tryon, 60, who waved an American flag as she expressed her disdain with the antiwar rally. "I'm part of the silent majority and those people are anti-American."

March 16, 2003

Hundreds rally to support U.S. invasion of Iraq
BY SARAH BAHARI
The Wichita Eagle

Amid a stretch of red, white and blue, Drew Oyler gestured outward, smiling.

"This is great," he said of the hundreds of American flags blowing in the light breeze at Saturday's "USA Pride" rally in the Lawrence-Dumont Stadium parking lot. "It's awe-inspiring."

Oyler, who served in the U.S. Army for 11 years, stood with his 18-year-old son, Jason, who plans to join the Navy next summer.

"This is crazy," Jason said. "I never thought there were this many people in support of this war."

More than 1,000 Kansans flocked to the rally to show support for U.S. troops and a pre-emptive strike against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

A few carried signs asking for more peace negotiations before committing to war. Others said it was time to quit talking and take action.

One sign read, "The butcher of Baghdad must die." Another read, "Give war a chance to kill Saddam."

Speakers, including Mayor Bob Knight and representatives from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, urged people to support U.S. soldiers and their families.

Organizers read a letter from U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, who could not make it to the rally.

Speeches were sometimes difficult to hear over the buzz of the crowd, which more than once broke into "USA" chants. Whoops and hollers were frequent.

Police and organizers estimated the crowd between 1,000 to 2,000. Radio station KFDI 101.3-FM, which sponsored the rally, will have official numbers early this week, said Patrick Murphy, spokesman for Journal Broadcast Group, which owns the station.

The idea for the rally came about because of anti-war demonstrations in Wichita and the rest of the country, Murphy said. Organizers wanted to give others a chance to voice their opinions.

"This is heartwarming," said Ed Myers, adding that he supports getting rid of Saddam and freeing the Iraqi people.

Myers said he worries that U.S. troops see too much anti-war sentiment.

Nearby, Duane Clough, the son of a World War II veteran, stood watching the stage, clapping.

He said he worries Americans take for granted living in the most free country in the world.

"We have so much freedom," he said. "People don't appreciate it like they should."

Demonstrators belted out the lyrics to several patriotic tunes, including Toby Keith's controversial "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

Parents and young children pointed and stared at the sky, where two airplanes from the Confederate Air Force based in Texas circled overhead.

Calling Saddam a "monster," Robert Lewis, an Army veteran, said he didn't understand how people could not want to remove the dictator from power.

"He kills his own people. He kills the women and children," he said. "We have to get him out of Iraq."

Others took a more cautious approach.

Holding a sign that read, "Support our troops but pray for peace," Shelley Timmons said, "Peace is still an option, though not likely."

Millions support the war in Fl on saturday by telling the hundreds of anti US protesters to take a hike.

Lol, well said, cksharks.

Thanks for this post, annie. The press is complicite in these protests by promoting the anti-Bush "cause" and the individual rallies, and by not telling the truth about who's behind them - their recruiting practices, their leaders - these are people who were upset when the brave young Chinese student stood up to the tanks in Tiennamen Square because it hurt their pro-Communist China propagandizing...really! They don't hide their background, or their anti-American, anti-Capitalist agenda - stretching back before the Vietnam War. The mainstream international press knows. They are failing in their duty to inform the people.

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