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32:13 minute Audio of about 800 protests out in busy street at 24thSt & Camelback Phoenix Rallying against Bush & his Wars during the Global Day of Protest.End of this is 6 minute clip of how the local Corporate TV news covered this event.
Hundreds voice feelings on Iraq
By Emily Gersema, Tribune
September 25, 2005
Horns were honking, protesters were shouting and feet were marching on Saturday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street in Phoenix to call for an end to the war in Iraq.
"Make Levees Not War," read a neon-green sign held by Roger Wilkes.
Wilkes of Mesa said he was a disenchanted Republican. He said he was a supporter of the party until Bush came out and said, "Bring it on" — a challenge to Iraqi insurgents in July 2003.
"I realized then we’ve got a guy (for president) that doesn’t look so good," said Wilkes, 46.
Many of the 700 protesters shared Wilkes’ opinion, waving signs, such as "United Against Bush War for Oil" and "War is not the answer," directing their displeasure at the president.
The crowd included Vietnam veterans such as Fred Hairstone of Gilbert.
He likened the Iraq situation to the Vietnam War and said the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made him even more concerned about where the country was headed.
"The country’s gone crazy," Hairstone said, shaking his head. "There’s a lot of fear in the air."
Bush has been losing support for months over the war and other issues. His approval ratings, 42 percent in the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, have never been lower. But some are sticking with the president, and a few of them in Phoenix declared their support for him through their car windows as they drove by the protesters.
"I love Bush!" a driver shouted as he rolled by.
Dan Feeley, a freshman at Arizona State University, watched the demonstration quietly, sporting a gray Coast Guard T-shirt that he covered with a red Hawaiian buttondown shirt.
"I’m not exactly sure if this is supposed to be anti-war or anti-Bush," said Feeley, 23.
Feeley spent four years with the Coast Guard. He believes that sometimes war is necessary. "In order to have peace, freedom of speech, freedom of press, sometimes (violent) things have to happen," he said.
A small group of protesters dressed in suits and top hats, and sporting costume jewelry, showed up as comic relief at the anti-war gathering.
Posing as a Republican group, "Billionaires for Bush," the group of satirists chanted "Five, six, seven, eight, Halliburton’s really great!" while holding signs that said, "Support Crony Capitalism, It Works For Me."
Never dropping the act, Alex Zautra, the leader of the half-dozen, declared that he’s "one of 50 billionaires" in the Valley who support Bush.
"The more war, the more cheap the oil is," Zautra said.
Contact Emily Gersema by email, or phone (480) 898-6568