A renewed and energized, multi-faceted peace movement that understands the intimate connection between America's social, economic, even spiritual woes and the toxic effects of Washington's imperialist wars, occupations, injustices as well as alliances with reactionary forces globally, came together on Saturday, March 20 to speak out for peace with justice. This is my first photo essay, up through the rally, of that day.

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An activist art display in nearby Farragut Square reminds us why we protest.

A couple of dozen of us from Hampton Roads, Virginia took a bus up to Washington DC on Saturday, March 20, where thousands marched in sunny, balmy weather after a long Noon anti-war, anti-imperialism and anti-racism rally at Lafayette Park, which ironically, is filled with martial statues glorifying war and war heroes.

The event was hosted by A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and attracted a wide, ad hoc coalition of groups and organizations opposed to first George Bush's and now the Obama Administration's continuing foreign policies of seemingly endless warfare and occupation.

Needless to say, the honeymoon is over with Barack Obama for many, many people. This was evident in both the signs being held up in the crowd and the rhetoric up on the podium, although some still spoke of him as a lost brother rather than as a virulent foe to be defeated, as was common with George Bush.

These first photos take us up through the rally, which included a wide array of speakers from different ethnicities and political affiliations. I never obtained a list of speakers, but there were representatives of Moslems, Koreans, Latinos, Palestinians, veterans, students, Filipinos, labor leaders and more. Prominent among the speakers were Mama Africa from the original MOVE Organization whose house the Philadelphia police bombed in 1978, burning down half of the neighborhood in the process.

Other key speakers included Cindy Sheehan, who bluntly asked us if we are over the new war criminal in the White House now, timeless, justice-demanding Ramsey Clark, smiling Media Benjamin with her Code Pink contingent and ever cogent Ralph Nader, who extolled us to organize, organize, organize to go after Congress and get real peacemakers into office.

It was a colorful, energetic crowd that gradually swelled into a sea of predominantly orange and yellow protest signs held by men, women and youngsters dressed largely in warm spring fare, lots of shorts and tee-shirts, interspersed with very creatively dressed figures and groups such as the Raging Grannies and Code Pink, progressive icons to remind us that the anti-war movement is lively, joyful and life-affirmative, quite the opposite of the legions of robotic, gray-suited conformists who parrot government propaganda day in and day out, marching in lockstep to the paradigm of fear and loathing.

The energy and intensity I saw today, even though the numbers were not as large as the huge immigration reform rally that rocked Washington the following day, Sunday, tells me that the Peace Movement is rejuvenated and poised to take on the Obama Administration. I hope the following pictures will convey some of the spirit I witnessed this day:

One of the martial statues in Lafayette Square, where the rally took place. Time to move beyond the paradigm of us against the "Other", into an awareness that we are all one. War no longer manifests in the heroic mode anyway, if it ever did. Today's brutal wars are obscene paroxysms of high-tech weapons, exotic ordnance and video-game addictiveness, usually slaughtering more civilians than combatants, no more glorious than an exterminator spraying insects, and about as dehumanizing to everyone who engages in them.

War is sucking the life out of civilization, what is left of it.

Folk came from all over the East Coast.

There was a strong pro-Palestinian presence at the rally. People are stilled appalled by the irrational, hate-driven carnage the Israeli State unleashed on Gaza during, of all things, Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.

This is our message to a world torn asunder by war and to the deluded souls addicted to war.

This has to be a revolution of consciousness and critical analysis, where we wake up to the fact that our institutions no longer serve humanity, but the oppressors of humanity. Become part of the transformation that is beginning to take place on the planet, the paradigm shift to love, forgiveness, oneness and Higher Consciousness. Get out of the pit of fear and negativity before it kills you too.

These are men who have seen war and know how vile, nihilistic and self-destructive it is.

Who suffers more than military families who must bear their dead or nurse their wounded children who come back from war half-dead?

Still no proper investigation of the nightmare that morphed us into a Fascist warfare state, pitiless and cruel, craving blood around the planet.

Who is Obama? George Orwell's Big Brother, mesmerizing us into believing that war is peace, slavery freedom, or is he a flawed politician meaning well but overwhelmed by the powers surrounding him? How will you earn your Nobel Peace Prize, Obama, when the Means become the Ends?

The Marquis de Lafayette, in the background, would be aghast that the America he helped give birth to now is more brutal and murderous than the British Empire he fought against.

These are the symbolic, draped coffins representing war dead that would be dropped off at five locales during the march, the offices of Halliburton, the Washington Post, the Mortgage Bankers Association, The National Endowment for Democracy and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Drummers from Bongha Washington: Koreans for Peace. They helped keep the marchers upbeat and energized.

A glaring reminder of torture and inhumanity at the hands of our government, whose so-called War on Terror is fueled by sadism and racism with barely a pretense of justice, pretend justice compromised by confessions under torture.

Poor Uncle Sam, trying to find his True Self in the crowd.

Shortly after Noon, the speakers began. I wasn't able to get a list of names, but this fellow is a prominent American Moslem leader. One of you out there may be able to tell me his name. Powerful speech.


Another strong speaker, may have been a union leader. While I was jockeying for position, camera in one hand, I had no chance to try to write down names and titles.

The crowd kept growing. Some estimates put the overall numbers by the end of the march at ten thousand, but this is the high end.

Eloquent Mike Ferner, president of Veterans for Peace, surrounded by Vets.

Lively, jovial and hard-hitting Cindy Sheehan speaking. The meaning of Sheehan in Gaelic is Descendent Of The Peaceful One. No wonder she is a peace warrior! Shee is the literal pronunciation for Sidhe, the ancient Irish half-magical race that is the subject of much Celtic folklore and mythology.

Colonel Ann Wright also spoke, the woman who resigned from the government over its unjust wars and has fought fearlessly to restore honor and truth to America ever since.

Ralph Nader just keeps on truckin', speaking truth to power.

A spokesman for the Filipino Movement battling to keep Washington's warfare, corruption and subterfuges out of the Philippines.

Uncle Sam may be starting to find HIMSELF as part of humanity, not the caricature of degenerate Plutocracy.

Next photo-essay will be Part 2, the March Itself.

If you want to view my two major videos of the march, here they are:

1) Anti-War March in Washington DC, March 20, 2010

2) THE SPRING OF A RENEWED ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT

If you want to see the first photo album I created that includes these photos and many more, click here. Go to full screen using the bottom icon controls for best viewing results.

Authors Bio:
I am a student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and a tempered advocate for the ultimate manifestation of peace, justice and the unity of humankind through self-realization and mutual respect, although I am not a pacifist, nor do I believe in peace at any price, which is no peace at all but only delays inevitable conflict. There are times when the world must act. Planetary consciousness is evolving, but there are many retrograde forces that would drag us back down.

I have also written one book, a combination of poetry, photography and essays entitled "Post Katrina Blues", my reflections on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans two years after Katrina struck. Go to the store at http://sanfranciscobaypress.com/ to purchase. And I also have a blog called Plutonian Mac.