A special thank you

PB080030
Originally uploaded by Stunted Growth.

I want to say a special thank you for all of you who came out on such short notice to protest President Bush's visit to Richmond last Monday night and to help make it clear that there are many of us (most in fact) that are opposed to this Administration's actions in misleading the American people and rushing us into what has amounted to an illegal, immoral and inherently un-American war. I also want to thank the Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC) for their support in helping organize and promote this action.

We had 60-70 protesters come out and stand at the corners and on the median of the main entrance to the Richmond International Airport from 5-7:30PM. Channel 8 covered us live on the 6 o'clock news as their lead in to the Bush visit to campaign for Kilgore. Channel 6 interviewed several of the protesters and the Richmond Times-Dispatch did a small article about us that was linked to the main articles of the day on the two primary gubernatorial candidates.

Everything went well with the Bush protest, with no altercations. The police that finally showed up to manage the traffic at the entrance to the airport were very hospitable to us. One of them, in fact, made it his duty to escort protesters back and forth across the busy intersection. He even made suggestions as to where to stand to have a greater impact. He made it clear that he was no supporter of Bush or the Iraq War.

Those of you who stood along Airport Drive know that we elicited some not so pleasant responses from some of the ardent Bush supporters on their way to see the President at the Kilgore rally. But many of these were thoughtless, knee-jerk comments such as "go home" or "get a job". On Williamsburg Road however, where most people were on their way home from work, the responses were considerably more positive as indicated by the many approving honks. At least one family (from nearby Highland Springs) made an impromptu trip back out to join us after seeing our protest at the airport entrance.

Again, I want to thank those of you came out to exercise their first amendment rights and not let Bush's visit go uncontested. Every action, whether big or small, has a cumulative effect on the collective conscience of the American people.

- Garrie Rouse
for the Virginia Antiwar Network