A Snowy Day To Protest A Snow Job

PLUFF-PLUFF-PLUFF-PLUFF—

Muffled applause: clapping hands encased in thick gloves and mittens. Around fifty people, holding signs, standing in the bleachers.

Actually the bleachers are the steps to the main entrance at city hall, the wide stone staircase leading to the second floor. Most people have a good view of each speaker on the landing below. The setting is perfect as an impromptu arena.

Random snowflakes drift down from the gray sky. Medium overcast, the sun trying to break through. The future is neither dark nor bright.

The temp hovers around zero Fahrenheit; that’s why no one is sitting. I think of a bad joke from a photo magazine. Q: What did the Eskimo get when he sat on the snow bank too long? A: Polaroids.

The last speaker asks if anyone wants to take a break at the nearby coffeehouse and come back later for his presentation. Despite the vampiric cold, the crowd tells him to press on.

And I press on, recording the event with my camera, despite my fingers growing numb. Large hands and a small camera don’t work well together when gloves, even thin ones, are added to the operation.

As the speaker makes his points, some passing drivers honk their horns when they spot the gathering. Even a tractor-trailer driver toots in support.

I think about how public opinion towards the war in Iraq has changed. Before the invasion I was one of the few who thought it was a mistake. I had to be careful when expressing such a viewpoint that was so unpopular at that time. One all-American “patriot” challenged me, asking if I supported the troops.

Over 3,000 dead troops later, the minority has become the majority. Too many empty promises, too many lies, from the president and his cronies. He wants to send in even more soldiers after “Mission Accomplished” was declared so long ago.

But jingoistic fervor has a limited life. Twisted logic is a hard sell the fourth time around. Look at most of articles datelined from Baghdad. The headlines announce more bombings and killings; the bad news accumulates into an unacceptable pile of death and destruction. The truth has dispelled the illusion that kept too many people entranced and unquestioning.

I’m not alone.




















More photos and commentary can be found at my web site, writog.com.