Protest of war reflects a healthy America

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© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 26, 2001

Last Monday, the St. Petersburg Times placed a story about a peace march in St. Petersburg and a story about a prayer vigil in Tampa together on Page 3B.

Held on Sunday, the events came in response to the World Trade Center slaughter. Ordinarily, I would not comment on the juxtaposition of articles like these -- one a protest, the other a commemoration -- because newspapers do it routinely. Now, however, in the aftermath of the New York tragedy, I cannot help but notice the irony and the larger meaning of the stories being side by side.

The approximately 400 participants in the vigil, on the front lawn of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, waved American flags and sang patriotic songs and hymns. Clerics read from the Koran, Torah and Bible. Speakers included Robert Howley, a World Trade Center survivor, and a local firefighter who helped in the twin towers rescue attempt.

The words of the survivor, as quoted in the Times, captured the purpose and tone of the Tampa vigil: "We cannot forget the tragic events on Sept. 11, but more important, we cannot forget this feeling we have now. The love, this unity. There's more smiles on people's faces. More love and handshakes. We can't forget this."

On the opposite side of the bay, about 150 peace activists, led by former mayoral candidate Omali Yeshitela, marched a mile to St. Petersburg City Hall. A press release stated that the purpose of the march was to encourage our nation to use the world court rather than war to bring the terrorists to justice.

The words of Yeshitela, as quoted in the Times, encapsulated the meaning of the march: "Peace is better than war, and war and bigotry is wrong."

Two events. Same impetus for occurring. But different receptions by the larger community.

As far as I know, no one opposed the prayer vigil. Why? Because it had all the trappings of a celebration of patriotism. It had a survivor of the tragedy, and it brought together religious faiths that routinely bad-mouth one another.

Most interesting, at least to me, the vigil attracted many dignitaries, including the Tampa police chief and the department's honor guard, the Boy Scouts and several City Council members. The vigil was viewed as quintessential America. Complete with lighted candles, it ended with the singing of God Bless America.

Although no violence occurred, police cruisers escorted the St. Petersburg marchers along their route. Because the march was poorly publicized, few people showed up to protest. Many who happened upon it, though, "shot birds" and shouted obscenities. The Times reports that one protester carried a sign with the seemingly benign words, "America Unite."

Unlike the vigil, the peace march was seen by many as being unpatriotic and un-American. Marchers argued that war should not be the response to the fatal attacks -- even though the attacks occurred on American soil.

Needless to say, no dignitaries marched or joined organizers at the mike. My point is a simple one: Although the peace march involved the controversial Yeshitela and his minions, it was just as American as the vigil in Tampa.

It did not adhere to the message in the sign reading "America Unite." The subtext of that placard echoes a mantra from an earlier time -- "America, Love It or Leave It," when "war" and the circumstances of "war" changed our national character.

Instead of being unpatriotic, the peace march represents a sign of national health at a time when calls in Washington for bipartisanship -- the selective rewriting of the Constitution -- and a desire among the populace to speak with one voice border on a new national hysteria. We may be facing a new "America, Love It or Leave It" scare.

Thinking and acting in one accord are not the American way. And the same should be so during this time of national mourning. Those who disagree with the majority still have the constitutionally protected right to boldly disagree with the majority.

Protest, even misguided protest, is real America -- the land of the free.

Group-think, group-act and the fear of speaking out in no way manifest American values. That is, if we truly believe in the principles we have espoused since our nation's founding.

I wonder: Are we simply a fragile, pampered people who will trample on the very values that make us a great nation when terror from outsiders strikes us on our soil? I may want to see Osama bin Laden's head on a burning stake as much as the next American citizen, but I also am one who welcomes demonstrations opposed to war. Such demonstrations are a sign of our democracy's national health.

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