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# Marchers send message to Washington: Peace, not war
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/marchers-send-message-to-washington-peace-not-war/
- Published: 2003-01-22T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:22:36.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By KATHLEEN HERD MASSER Special to the Daily Press*

For a brief moment, it was like being 19 again... sprawled on a slightly damp lawn on a sunny Saturday afternoon... Joan Baez singing songs of peace, her words floating on patchouli-scented air.

But it was not 1968\. It was Jan. 18, 2003, and depending on who’s counting, between 50,000 and 200,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets of San Francisco. Muslims walked with Jews, Baptists alongside Buddhists. The Older Women’s League (OWL) of San Francisco strode in step with a kilted, spiky-haired bagpipe and drum troupe.

All had come to send a message to Washington: No war in Iraq.

Marchers challenged a Bush administration policy that is certain to further inflame anti-American sentiment among Muslim nations. How, they wonder, will waging war against Iraq make the U.S. safe from terrorist attacks?

“If you don't want to get stung,” cautioned 34-year-old David Armstrong of Eugene, Oregon, “don’t poke a stick in the hornet’s nest. By attacking Iraq, we’re guaranteeing that they’ll seek revenge. We should be waging a campaign of understanding, not empire building.”

Few of those present gave credence to Bush’s insistence that oil has nothing to do with it, and the “Go Solar, Not Ballistic” banners borne by Environmentalists Against the War emphasized their misgivings. The environmental alliance was convened by Michael Kiesch-nick, president of Working Assets, and comprises organizations such as the Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Rainforest Action Network.

“We want to underscore the connection between this country’s dependence on foreign oil and U.S. plans for a preemptive attack on Iraq,” Kieschnick explained.

Surprising to some was the number of Republican protesters, including a 50-something couple from Redding.

“I was a little nervous at first,” confessed Eva, who asked that her last name not be used. “I mean, these (marches) are usually such a liberal thing. But this issue goes way beyond party lines. We’ve been made to feel very welcome, and I’m glad we came.”

Still, in a sea of bobbing banners, the one begetting the most buzz was a hand-lettered placard that read, “Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot.”

> “Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot.” — In a sea of bobbing banners, the one begetting the most buzz was a hand-lettered placard that read

In a speech befitting the most articulate of states-men, presidential portrayer Martin Sheen galvanized the crowd. With indisputable emotion, Sheen roared, “We want to end our long and shameful silence here today and say ‘no’ to death and war. From this time forth, may all our thoughts, words and deeds be a nonviolent resistance to all violence. Let my country awake.” The crowd roared back.

Some marchers personalized their message, many invoking the spirit of Martin Luther King, others carrying signs advocating establishment of a Palestinian state. One, identified only as Naya, counseled, “Yes, we have a difference of opinion,” indicating a group of Jewish activists a few feet away.

“But the fact that we are here together today proves we also have something in common, and we don’t have to kill each other to make our point. If we put away the guns, we can find a peaceful solution.” (Kathleen Masser is a Santa Monica resident.)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/012203-11_02.jpg)

to the Daily Press A young marcher bears a message of hope at a recent anti-war protest in San Francisco. (Photo: Kathleen Masser/Special)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 22, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012203.pdf?ref=smdp.com)