December 16th Came and Went
Posted: December 18, 2010 Filed under: Anti-War | Tags: anti-war, rally, veterans protest 15 CommentsNotice anything on the mainstream news about an anti-war rally in DC? Yea, me neither. However, the rally was reported at the Huffington Post, at Democracy Now, at Raw Story and at Real News, amongst other alternative news sites (see David Lindorff at This Can’t Be Happening, for a good write up). There were 131 veterans arrested at the rally, including Ray McGovern, Daniel Ellsberg and Chris Hedges.
Here are links to some pictures that the mainstream Press did not bother to use: the Count, and UPI (pics run from number 5 to 10).
And here are links to some videos. I sang along with this first video. I credit my parents with my knowledge of the songs; I was very young during the Vietnam War protests and Civil Rights Movement, but I learned a lot of these at my mother’s knee.
Here’s Daniel Ellsberg’s speech. This was very good. He discusses Bradley Manning and Julian Assange.
If you only watch one video, watch this one. Chris Hedges’ speech, interspersed with comments from the veterans, is very effective. It’s linked off Stop These Wars. And it’s on youtube here:
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Hi Sima,
Fantastic post, thank you! I’ve just been reading about this. I admire both Chris Hedges and Daniel Ellsburg very much.
Me too. Hedges’ speech and article from the speech moved me to tears.
And I’m really supportive of Ellsburg’s fight against Manning’s detention and the effort to capture Assange.
OHG, shades of the Viet Nam protests – one difference, then the media covered the discord – today they ignore it. HEdge’s speech was terrific, Ellsberg is a fighter, and I admire him immensely. I cannot believe that 35 years after Viet Nam we are seeing the same nonsense in order to buoy up the military industial complex with one difference – this time the media is complicit. Thank you for the clips and youtubes. I am so sad after watching these – I thought that after the Viet nam debacle people would be more vigilant. I was wrong.
Thank you so much for this post, Sima! I am so glad you are on the frontpage, for a lot of reasons, and one of them is because from your very first post, you’ve been shining a bright light on the anti-war movement/protests that get blacked out in the MSM.
Yes, same here Sima. I really appreciate this post. It is wonderful that you are bringing attention to this anti-war movement…Thank you.
yup … every one here has such diverse and wonderful interests and knowledge to bring to the table!!!
I feel the same way. And I’m very glad you’re writing for Sky Dancing too, Minkoff Minx. Your posts have been wonderful.
HONK!
Yes, SIMA thank you for posting this very important message.
Thank you many times over. I didn’t even know this protest was planned.
Super videos. I really admire Dan Ellsberg’s defense of Wikileaks and his fight against Manning’s cruel detention.
Have you been to his website? It’s awesome!!
No but it’s a trek I will certainly make now. Thanks.
Off topic, but I just saw this. If it has already been posted, forgive me. I’m just now getting to a computer and I came here for the news. Obumbles will claim the victory, but its really a victory for the LGBT. I wonder how my girl reacted to the news…..
Hillary 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101219/ap_on_go_co/us_gays_in_military
There is an entire post about it! My bad…..
Great post; Thanks Sima. All that money, all those lives lost, all the land laid waste. So sad.
Sima,
Just want to thank you for this post.