A strong counter-rally surprises the Post

Veterans, Others Denounce Marchers - washingtonpost.com

The large turnout surprised even some counter-demonstrators. Polls show public opinion turning against the war in Iraq, and the November election was widely seen as a repudiation of the administration's policy.

"I've never been to a war rally. I hoped I'd never have to," said Jim Wilson, 62, a Vietnam vet from New Hampshire. "We're like what they used to call the silent majority."

If Mr. Wilson (quoted above) is correct in his assumption, this is likely an issue that goes beyond the anti-war/pro-war marchers in Washington. It speaks to the organizing power of the Information Age and how deeply it has penetrated into American society.

But the war protesters have gone too far, Lee and others said. At a Jan. 27 antiwar rally, some protesters spray-painted the pavement on a Capitol terrace. Others crowned the Lone Sailor statue at the Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue with a pink tiara that had "Women for Peace" written across it.

Word of those incidents ricocheted around the Internet.

"That was the real catalyst, right there," said Navy veteran Larry Bailey. "They showed they were willing to desecrate something that's sacred to the American soul."

And, of course, any time I see people respond to the foolishness that is ANSWER, it makes me feel warm inside...