Peace vigils and public opinion
Dennis Piszkiewicz
Saturday morning when I read the newspaper, I learned that,
according to a Los Angeles Times Poll, a solid majority of Americans
(58%) would support President Bush if he started a ground war against
Iraq.
I remembered that former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said,
“All politics is local,” and I wondered if my neighbors would agree
with the majority as reported by The Times Poll.
After putting away the paper, I went down to the peace vigil at
Main Beach to take my own un-scientific poll of local opinion on war
against Iraq.
I counted about a hundred people on the grass, facing South Coast
Highway and holding placards and banners. They seemed to span the
ages from toddlers to gray-haired activists, who must have been in
their 90s. They were not just the remnants of the anti-Vietnam War
crowd.
Some of their signs had the old 1960s peace symbol, but many were
up to date. My favorites were: “‘Regime Change’ Begins at Home!
Vote!,” “War Is the Ultimate Terrorism,” “SUVs, Not Iraq, Are the
Enemy.” I think that last one had something to do with the source of
oil.
On the street, a lot of people blew their horns as they drove by,
apparently in agreement with those in the vigil; but did that mean
that those who did not sound their horns favored war? Maybe they were
just preoccupied with driving safely.
I was surprised by the number of people who waved, made the
V-symbol, or gave a thumbs-up to the folks with signs -- maybe a
half-dozen or more with every red light-green light cycle. And
surprise, I saw only one upraised middle finger and heard rude words
from only one driver.
On the sidewalk, two men exercised their right to challenge those
opposing war. I thought two men and a couple of drive-by dissenters
were a lousy showing for the pro-war faction. At Main Beach, anti-war
sentiment overwhelmed token support for war.
The following morning, I wondered how fair it was to judge public
opinion only by what I had seen in our little town. I went looking
for the national perspective on the Internet at Google News
(news.google.com). This search engine claims you can “search and
browse 4,000 continuously updated news sources.” I selected U.S. news
and searched for “anti-war rally.” It gave me 1,280 hits, which told
of dozens -- maybe hundreds -- of anti-war rallies across the country
on Saturday.
Then, in the interest of balanced reporting, I searched for
“pro-war rally.” I got 15 hits. Most of these stories related to the
use of the phrase “pro-war” in the context of an anti-war
demonstration. A handful mentioned pro-war demonstrators who showed
up with placards at anti-war rallies. Not one story reported an
independent pro-war rally.
If, as the Times Poll reported, the majority of Americans are in
favor of a war in Iraq, where were they on Saturday? Why didn’t they
hold their own pro-war rallies? Who is standing up in public to
support President Bush’s war? People may say they support this war,
but few show any commitment to it.
If those favoring a war in Iraq ever hold a vigil at Main Beach,
I’ll be there. I want to hear them explain why this war is justified
and in the best interest of our country, but I have little hope that
that will happen.
DENNIS PISZKIEWICZ is a writer and resident of Laguna Beach. His
book, “The Evolution of Terror: America’s War with Terrorism,
1958-2001” will be published in July.
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