[lbo-talk] 10k prowar hardhats

[Lance Murdoch]

This was by my office and I did some reconnaissance.  I was only there for a few minutes but from the beginning to end of the rally there probably were 10,000 people.  Almost all of them were construction workers, or electricians, or Teamsters, or whatnot - I could tell by their union jackets, as well as what they were wearing - hard hats, blue jeans, overall and equipment they were carrying.   It was run by the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.  I don't know whose idea it was but I don't think they had to twist many people's arms to get them to go there.  Near the back was a scowling man with a sign that said "Iraq now, next stop Colombia" with a crude painting of the Colombian flag on it.   This was not the typical person there, the typical person there would be a construction worker in blue jeans with a hardhat on, standing with 5-6 of his buddies talking - as I left I saw that the nearby bar had a swarm of people in overalls outside of it trying to get in.   There were also a few wives, and some veterans.
I saw a chart recently with American's opinions on abortion, with one end saying "never under any circumstances" on one end and "always" on the other, with points headed towards the middle like "only deny partial birth" or "only allow in case of rape/incest".   In that context, I'd say there are degrees on the other side as well, from "support our troops", to a pro-war rally to an anti-anti-war rally.  The huge banner in the front of the speakers platform said "support our troops", I would say it was more of the former than of what the Post is trying to paint it as, as the latter.   A couple of people brought American flags (on real poles, not cardboard ones - imagine trying to bring a real pole past the police to an anti-war rally).
I saw one person I knew leaving the rally.  He worked nearby for a bank.  I'd talked to him a few months ago about the economy and he agreed with most of what I said, which was a kind of layman's explanation of Marx's theory of surplus labor value, as well as some contemporary economic statistics in regards to how working class people in the US are getting screwed.   The Post seems to have found a rally full of virulent people incensed with anti-war protestors and coverage, but the one I witnessed was unlike the one they were trying to paint.  It's like saying everyone of the millions of people who attended an anti-war thing in the US in the past few months is a radical leftist - I wish!

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