"I'm a cheerleader too. I'm just a sad cheerleader."

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Something to notice about this demonstration is the slogan, "Stop the
bombing!"  This means the youth are opposing the war taking place NOW -- the
one that supposedly consists of U.S. planes defending themselves against
threatened or actual Iraqi attacks -- not just the invasion that is being
prepared.  This differentiates the more deeply antiwar spirit of the
protests taking place now from those before the 1991 Gulf War, where slogans
like "Let the sanctions work!" were often prominent (though those protests
were genuinely antiwar as well).

There are quite a few people today who are still struggling to the best of
their ability to build a revolutionary movement today -- including in
meatpacking plants and garment shops -- who were basically just like her
when they first became active in the 1960s.  Of such, in fact, is every
revolutionary youth movement that ever got off the ground.
Fred Feldman

Springfield News-Leader (Missouri)
October 19, 2002

More Than 400 on Sidelines Chant Protests Against War

by Steve Koehler

President Bush's appearance Friday in Springfield attracted plenty of
Republican faithful and proved an irresistible attraction to some opposed to
his policies.

More than 400 protesters and activists stood with placards, banners and
dress that expressed their displeasure.

There were no physical confrontations between the protesters and the few
Bush and Talent backers who mingled with the crowd outside Hammons Student
Center on the Southwest Missouri State University campus during the two
hours the demonstrators roamed outside.

But plenty of impromptu street-corner debates broke out, including a loud
one between the protesters and a group of young cheerleaders who came to
show their spirited support for the president.

"USA!" the cheerleaders yelled from one side of the street.

"Stop the bombing," the crowd shouted back from the other side.

The vocal volleys continued until it eventually sounded like both sides were
yelling for the same cause - "USA! Stop the bombing! USA! Stop the bombing!"

"I'm a cheerleader, too," said Christine Schilling of Springfield, dressed
in black and riding a bicycle, as she peered at the cheerleaders behind a
cyclone fence.

"I'm cheering for the future of our country. This is my uniform. I just
happen to be a sad cheerleader."

Demonstrators and activists marched, chanted and carried signs denouncing
the act of war and Bush's push to use military force against Iraq.

Two other groups were demonstrating against the environmental and Social
Security stands taken by Jim Talent, the Republican candidate for the U.S.
Senate.

The focus of most of the protesters' attention was on Bush.

They were dressed in black. Some wore masks, carried baby dolls wrapped in
black cloth or painted their faces black and white. Almost everyone toted a
sign that called for no war.

One carried a U.S. flag that contained corporate logos instead of stars.

"Give peace a chance," a man yelled.

Some stood in long black robes and looked to have dyed their hair black to
complete the somber effect. They shook their signs at buses that arrived
with guests for the political rally.

A woman played protest songs on a guitar. Two other women danced in the
grass and recited anti-war and anti-Bush poetry.

"I'm so glad (Bush) came to town. It's exciting to know so many people share
our feelings. I'm very pleased and hopeful, maybe," said Joan Collins, the
organizer of the peace march.

"Americans really do care. People in Springfield really do care."

The 400 protesters sparked a protest of their own.

Brian Helt clearly didn't like what he saw on the sidewalks ringing John Q.
Hammons Student Center before and during the president's appearance.

There was a sneer on the Marionville man's face and disdain in his voice as
he scanned the crowd of demonstrators.

"I am protesting the protesters. I can't agree with any of them," the former
military man said.

"I'll be called up to protect people like them and no, I wouldn't want to do
that."

Helt, who is in the Missouri National Guard and served in three branches of
the military, engaged in a spirited debate with a young man who was against
killing more people despite what happened on Sept. 11.

"You're afraid of my opinion," the man told Helt.

"You're protecting Saddam," Helt replied.

The man then identified himself - Ryan Amundson. His brother, Craig, was
killed in the attack on the Pentagon.

"I'm sorry about that," Helt said quietly and walked away.

"I understand where he's coming from," Amundson said. "They think war will
bring peace. But I think that's a big mistake. The attack on Iraq will not
produce the effect we want."

One of the oldest protesters was Lee Fetter, 76, who grew up in Richmond,
Va., where her mother, Rose Caplan, used to work to have the poll tax
repealed.

"She was out in the black neighborhoods campaigning, telling people they
shouldn't have to pay to vote," she said.

"When I was driving down here today, I was thinking Mama is here with me."

The protesters, despite being told to move back from the sidewalks when
Bush's entourage left the center, surged against the yellow police tape and
screamed as the president drove by and waved to them.

Marlene Colony, who came from the Tampa, Fla., area to rally against war,
was in the crowd dodging raindrops that began to fall just before Bush left.

She came to Springfield to be with family and friends and said anti-war
sentiments are growing around the country.

"I'm here to help wake our brothers up. It's time all stood up for peace,"
she said. "People are standing up all over the country."



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