At least Iranian Media is on the same wave length with ANSWER:
Anti-war protest rocks Pentagon
Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:20:12
Thousands of demonstrators marched to the Pentagon on Saturday to mark both the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invading Iraq and the 40th anniversary of the march along the same route to protest the Vietnam War.
According to the New York Times, the march coincided with other demonstrations in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere in advance of the March 20 anniversary of the invasion.
In Washington, a coalition of liberal Christian groups on late Friday led several thousand people in a march that began with a service at the National Cathedral. More than 200 participants were arrested praying in front of the White House.
Saturday's march was organized by the Answer Coalition - named for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism - an organization that was initially associated with the Workers World Party and now affiliated with a breakaway faction called the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The turnout for the march was smaller than the crowd that gathered two months ago on the National Mall for a demonstration opposing the Bush plan to send more troops to Iraq, however, they were much agitated than before.
Judging by the speeches and placards, the marchers this time set their sights on sweeping goals, including not only ending the war but also impeaching George W. Bush and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Many carried Answer Coalition signs bearing the image of the Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara.
Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the Answer Coalition and a member of the Party of Socialism and Liberation, said the group held out little hope of influencing either the president or Congress. "It is about radicalizing people," he said in an interview.
“You hook into a movement that exists - in this case the antiwar movement - and channel people who care about that movement and bring them into political life, the life of political activism," Becker added.
In a speech before the march, Cindy Sheehan, who made headlines in 2005 camping outside the Bush's Texas ranch after her son was killed in Iraq, called the president and his military advisers “war criminals."
"We want the people in the White House out of our house and arrested for crimes against humanity," Sheehan said.
As they gathered before the march, the protesters met what several veterans of the anti-war movement described as an unusually large contingent of several hundred counter demonstrators.
Crossing the bridge toward the Pentagon, the marchers met another group of about 50 counter demonstrators by the Arlington Cemetery, one holding a sign that said," “Go to hell traitors."
Near the Pentagon, police officers in riot gear spread across the road, effectively blocking the demonstrators from approaching the building. Five people were arrested by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency for violating the orders, said Cheryl Irwin, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Many in the crowd though unfamiliar with the Answer Coalition but said they had come from across the country for a chance to voice their dismay at the war.
Alan Rainey, an adjunct professor and small publisher from West Lafayette, said he had not attended a protest since 1973, not long after he had returned from military duty in Vietnam. On Saturday, he carried a banner that read, "Help drive the snakes out of the White House," depicting snakes with the faces of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
“This war is criminal," Rainey voiced his anger, adding, "We impeached Clinton for a indiscretion with an adult."
Judy Creville, who came from Michigan with her two sisters, said she had opposed the war from the beginning but never attended a protest before. "They got on my last nerve," she said.
Zohrea Whitaker, another angry protestor who came from Sacramento she had a son serving over there, and wanted him home.
"Too many people have died and it doesn't solve anything," said Ann O'Grady, who drove through snow with her family from Ohio. "I feel bad carrying out my daily activities while people are suffering," she added.
Organizers of the Saturday protest did not anticipate comparable numbers. Authorities no longer give crowd estimates publicly.
Some active-duty servicemen also joined the anti-war protest, following rules that allow them to demonstrate but limit what they can say.
Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, who is on active duty with the U.S. Navy, told the crowd that the people had voted against the war in the November elections and "we're here to cash the check."