Did _any_ US "peace activist" (a misnomer, in that probably the majority of those who actively opposed the current war _from the get-go_ are against US imperialism) _really_ believe that they could prevent the Bush administration from bombing Afghanistan, to take just one example? (None did in Columbus, OH, as we are not naive; at the very first meeting, we discussed how the movement against the Gulf War fared and the importance of not getting discouraged when bombs would start falling as many anti-Gulf War protesters had.) We may eventually reach the size and militancy that could have some tangible impacts on the foreign policy of the US government, but we are certainly not there yet. (We have a much better chance of making a difference in US domestic policy, but even on this front, the size and militancy of political activism leaves much to be desired, to understate the case drastically.)
Good news is that from 29 September 01 (about 10,000 @ the WWP/IAC/ANSWER + 2,000 direct action kids leaning toward anarchism) to 20 April 02 (between 75,000 and 100,000 depending on estimates), the size of DC actions has grown, which indicates the larger growth of an overall movement against the endless war. 75,000 - 100,000 at a legal and peaceful demonstration, however, isn't enough to change US policy on Israel/Palestine, Plan Colombia, or any other issue brought up at the A20 protest. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>