Short Attention Spans

So I went to the peace rally yesterday in downtown Olympia. It started at noon. People lined both sides of 4th Ave down the bridge to the landing. People were hold banners and signs and waved at the passing cars. Most of the people who passed buy honked their horns or flashed peace signs in support.

The weather was nice. The clouds parted regularly to let the sunlight through and warm the protesters. So between the warm air, the smell of the ocean and nearby restaurants, and the camaraderie of the crowd the atmosphere was pleasant to say the least.

It has finally come to pass that the majority of Americans now believe that we should not have gotten into this war. But I wonder how many of those folks have come to the realization that the Bush administration was purposefully deceptive, completely inept, or both. It is my fear that many people believe that Bush and his cronies have acted with sincerity. How they could believe that is beyond me. I couldn't distrust the president more if he had the word "LIAR" tattooed across his forehead. But I digress.

The purpose of this post is not necessarily to sow the seeds of discontent with the current regime (it seems to be self destructing rather well on its own) but rather to question the resolve of the anti-war coalition that met in downtown Olympia yesterday.

I showed up at about 12:30 and joined a group of Buddhists for peace. I held one end of a banner for about fifteen minutes and then a friend of mine and I decided to walk up the bridge and check out the people and happenings. There was drumming and dancing up on the bridge, colorful flags, dogs and children with signs, tie-dye, and a very friendly atmosphere. The event had all the makings of a large, peaceful, festive event that would last the afternoon. All as it should be.But then something odd happened. As my friend and I were walking back down the bridge talking about what a good thing the gathering was, I noticed that the crowd was breaking up and thinning out quickly. The group that I was standing with had gone and all that was still there were a few pockets of folks standing around talking. And those groups broke up and everyone went there own way.

It was over. Much to my dismay, I found out that the event was scheduled... SCHEDULED to last an hour. From noon to one o'clock. Holy crap. Where was the urgency, where was the resolve, where was the solidarity. As I watched folks dissipate into the background of their homes, restaurants, and elsewhere my heart sank. This was not an event that happened spontaneously from outrage. It was not a desperate cry against the war machine. It was not an echoing shout to the community that we are fed up with death and destruction committed in our names. It was a social gathering, not too long, so people could come and go quickly and still feel good about themselves. Perhaps this is why the war in Iraq has gone on this long.