It is a just war, or is it just a war?

By Jawad Ali

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the Iraq invasion, and the people of San Francisco threw a giant protest. Some 50,000 people came out in a giant procession. Attending these marches is always the most life-affirming thing I do. And people look far more beautiful that they ever do in their ordinary lives.

There were a few subtle differences in the messages this year, compared with those of last year.

Out / In
France / Spain
Peace flags / Iraqi Flags
Afghanistan / Haiti
A.N.S.W.E.R banners / Palestinians flags
Bush is stupid / Bush is cruel
Haliburton / Clear Channel

The first 83 signs that I saw:

1) (Uncle Sam) Here son pull my finger
2) 11,000,000 Spaniard can’t be wrong
3) American violence is the cause
4) Asylum for the Haitian refugees
5) Axis of evil; FCC, Clear Channel, Bush clan
6) Be the miracle
7) Bravo Espana; democracy in action
8) Buch Fush
9) Bush lied…and lied…and lied…
10) Bush Lies, Who dies?
11) Change is inevitable; struggle is an option
12) Chosen people; all of us or none of us, but not some of us
13) Community not empire
14) Compassion is revolutions
15) Compost Bush
16) Defoliate Bush
17) Desert Storm Marine vet; once a hawk, now a dove
18) Did war balance the budget?
19) Did war bring cheaper oil?
20) Did war bring security?
21) Elect a madman, you get madness
22) Everyday in Iraq is a 9-11
23) Everyone out of everywhere
24) Fascist gun in the west
25) Four more years, and I’ll need to be airlifted out of here
26) George WW III
27) Georgie Porgie pudding and pie, bombed the Iraqis and made them cry
28) Google search: Bush, crime, family
29) How about peace?
30) I can’t find my liberty amid all the suffering
31) I don’t feel safer
32) I love anti-Bush demonstrators
33) I love my country, but now it's corporate government
34) Imagine justice and the rule of law
35) Immigrants are not the enemy
36) It didn’t work in Vietnam, it ain't gonna work now
37) It is a just war, or is it just a war?
38) It’s the economy stupid
39) It's all about regime change, Nov 2 ‘04
40) Jail to the thief
41) Jenna Bush stole my ID
42) Lesbians against Bush
43) Liar liar, pants on fire; body count keeps getting higher
44) Life of Bush. Alcohol, cocaine, power
45) Make love, not war
46) Middle class white heterosexual against war
47) More trees, fewer Bushes
48) Mr. Bush, you are a liar
49) No child left behind; we sent them all to fight the war
50) No secret trials
51) November 2, 2004; bring it on
52) Oil in our engines, blood on their soil
53) One down tow to go; Asnar, Blair, Bush
54) Our freedom has been amBUSHed
55) Out house, now White House
56) People first, corporations second
57) Perpetual war = hell on earth
58) Please go AWOL again
59) Poets for Peace
60) Power to the peaceful
61) Practice safe politics
62) Republican mother against Bush
63) Revolution is in the air
64) Say we won, then pull out
65) Self Determination; Haiti, Cuba, Iraq
66) Show Iraqis some respect
67) Shut down the war profiteers
68) Still lying; still dying
69) Support the resistance in Iraq
70) Texan home grown dope
71) This is not America
72) This war violates international law
73) UN in; US out
74) Unify against Bush
75) US out of my library records
76) Vote to outsource Bush
77) War is Death
78) War is not good for anyone’s health
79) War starts with dubya
80) WARped president
81) We just want to spend our honeymoon in peace
82) We told you so, a year ago
83) We were right