New Haven Independent

The police estimated a thousand anti-war protesters gathered under a warm spring sun (including, left to right, New Haveners Allie Perry, Ioanna Gutas and Stephen Kobasa holding the anti-torture banner), as world music blared from the public address system and speakers called over and over again to bring the troops home now.

Another New Havener, Frank Panzarella, sang an updated version of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm.” (Click here to listen.

One of the speakers at the rally was veteran Ted Goodnight, who fought in Afghanistan. He said after the war in Iraq started, American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan found themselves short of equipment, which was going to Iraq. “Iraq didn’t attack us, so why were our resources given the priority of Iraq and not al Qaeda, not Bin Laden?” he demanded.

Another veteran, Chris Grohs (pictured) of New Hartford, Connecticut, served a total of 14 months in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as a medic with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He was on the anti-war side. Click here for his comments.

At least 50 academics marched together into the rally, many wearing academic robes, to protest what they called Bush’s “anti-science” stance. Many were from Connecticut College in New London, but colleagues from other schools joined in. Click here to listen to why Suzanne O’Connell, a professor in the earth sciences department from Wesleyan, thought it was important to be there.

Cheney, Condi, Rummy and George were there too, followed by a “jailer” who periodically called out, jovially, “War criminals coming through,” as they made their way through the crowd..

Counter-protester Raoul Deming of Philadelphia shouted through a bullhorn such slogans as “Commie traitors” and “Commie baby-killers,” and — apparently addressing one young female protester in particular — “Take off your top for peace!” She didn’t oblige.

He said his daughter is in the Navy, and he showed up at the protest to let people know that “so-called” peace groups like Code Pink, Veterans for Peace and United for Peace and Justice (not to mention his favorite target, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition) support the killing of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, including children. “They’re not anti-war; they’re pro-war; they’ve picked a side in the war, and they’ve picked the other side.” He says the proof is in their endorsement of the findings of the World Tribunal on Iraq. Click here for his explanation.

Meanwhile, in his speech to the Coast Guard Academy grads, Bush said al Qaeda had grown in Iraq and must be targeted for destruction. Anti-war forces agree that al Qaeda is now in Iraq, as a direct result of the U.S. invasion there. Click here for Ioanna Gutas’s response to Bush’s latest rationale for keeping the war going in Iraq.

After a couple of hours of dueling sound systems, both groups took to name calling. While the pro-Bush forces, organized by A Gathering of Eagles, which brought people in from several states, shouted “Losers!” and “Commies!” at the anti-war throngs, the latter screamed back, “Bigots!” and “Fascists!”

It was not a day for changing any minds.

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