"Then the storm comes rumblin' in
And I can't lay me down And the drums are drummin' again And I can't stand the sound..." --Steve Earle
Menomonie, Wisconsin, Jan. 18, 2003 --
Earlier today, I attended a rally opposing a new Mideast
war, held in the small Midwest community of Menomonie
(population 15,000), set amidst the rolling hills and dairy farms
of northwestern Wisconsin. Despite a blustery winter day,
with a wind chill hovering around zero, about 200 people
turned out for the rally and march on Main Street, far
exceeding the expectations of local organizers. Marchers held signs on all four corners of the major downtown intersection, in front of a cafe and theater, as passing cars and pick-up trucks honked their greetings. The rally, which was well covered by area TV stations, was organized in only one week. (Organizers jokingly estimated the crowd at 6,000, so the media would report an accurate lower number.) Enormous rallies were held today around the world against an invasion of Iraq, including hundreds of thousands who turned out in Washington DC and San Francisco. While those huge rallies demonstrate the breadth of antiwar activism in the country, the rallies today in Menomonie and other smaller communities show the depth of antiwar sentiment spreading around the country. We expect large rallies in San Francisco or in the state capital of Madison, but not in Menomonie. As a participant in the movement opposing the first Gulf War, it appears to me that the sentiment is more widespread now than in 1990-91, and can be found in pockets where it had not previously penetrated. Some Menomonie rally participants had wanted to travel to Washington, but were lim |