Washington Rally

Dear World System Network members, and all those of you who 
have found the successive days after the 11th of September stifling 
in its jingoism, nationalism, and racism...
I was there in Washington on the 29th.  There was a huge turnout 
of the multitudes and a powerful building of solidarities despite the
armed and terrorizing presence of the police, of circling helicopters, 
of the resources of the war apparatus.  It was intimidating, for over 
an hour many were hemmed in a small park surrounded by armed 
officials and for a while it seemed that the object was to inflict 
violence on the assembled multitudes.  The march however 
continued to the capitol where many different persons spoke on 
microphones affirming unity in an anti-war, anti-capitalist politics.  
They were greeted as "traitors" by some bystanders but these 
greetings were generally the exception.  There were
drummers and guitarists in the marchers who walked resolutely and
confidently, and were not cowed by the presence of armed and 
mobile wings of the state apparatus.  There was great tension but 
there was also great exhilaration when the slogans turned to 
affirming that the streets belonged to the multitudes.  There were 
also slogans denouncing the representations made on behalf of the 
people that now all Americans were on war.  Many courageously 
declared that the President of the United States was not speaking 
for them in his bellicose proclamations. The campaign for peace, 
for life, for social justice, for toleration, was univocal in condemning 
the hijacking of democracy by petty politicians working in the 
interests of finance and other capital(s) to turn a tragedy in which 
thousands lost their lives into a resurgence of the ongoing war on 
the poor.  Tired, exhausted, tense, bewildered, but
happy to breathe fresher air... I am still there as I am here. TKG.