A liberal in a conservative city is the way I often feel among the people of San Diego. However, on Thursday, Jan. 20, the day of President Bush’s re-inauguration, it finally appeared to me there are a number of San Diegans who feel the same way I do in this military town.
Horton Plaza, usually a place of class and commerce, was bombarded at 5:30 p.m. with 500 activists at the peak of the event. In solidarity, we expressed our rage against the ideals of this country’s current president. The rally, organized by the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice, was one of the many rallies held to inform the public of the continuous injustices concerning gay and lesbian rights, women’s rights, election fraud and the war in Iraq. Afterward, we reclaimed the streets and marched. The crowd was diverse – a range unlike any other I’d seen in my two and a half years in San Diego.
Punks, complete with multicolored chunks of hair and black attire, ripped and ragged, marched next to hippie kids with dreadlocks flowing along their brightly-patterned comfort clothes. Middle-aged women lined the streets holding signs reading “Not My President, Not My War.” They raged persistently, banging their KitchenAid cookware together while their teenage kids followed behind and rallied to the end.
The typical suit-and-tie folk, who are the most unlikely to attend such a radical event, let their ties loose and walked along the glitter-paved streets. From pre-teens to pre-adults and beyond, it was admirable to see a variety of ages. Blacks, whites, Hispanics, American Indians and other multicultural demonstrators danced in the street together without a care in the world, accepting that America’s illegitimate president will aimlessly run this country for a second term, while his followers stand by and refuse to question his policies.
But the time comes when a demonstrator has to realize: Can, and will, a difference be made by screaming mercilessly to the people standing by, while banging pots and pans and walking in the streets with a collective who feel the same way? It is the question we hate to ask ourselves as liberals against the greater society, especially for those of us who feel comfort among other liberals. It is a horrible thought to come by when it seems like all the screaming in the world won’t change a damn thing.
While conservatives remark relentlessly at how liberals protest for the sake of showing they will not conform for anybody, the truth is liberals want to be heard and to be questioned by people who just don’t get it. Sure, it’s obvious Democrats and Republicans have opposing beliefs concerning “moral” topics. But when thousands are dying by the orders of an unjust president who says he wants “peace” in a region that has had no water for five days because of a war he waged on them, what’s not to question? Furthermore, it is remarkably inconceivable to fathom the inaugural celebration cost $40 million, while America is still laying low when it comes to aiding those trapped in the tsunami disaster.
As a people, we have the right to be concerned for the future of this country. The outlook of privatizing social security is a grim one – and the problem has yet to be resolved. Education is cut while the military is funded and praised as an alternative for young adults who are unable to attend college because of the cost of education.
Upon the 32nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, women’s rights remain increasingly in jeopardy because of the anti-choice Weldon Amendment passed in the fiscal-year-05 omnibus appropriations bill. According to Sen. Barbara Boxer, this amendment could affect the lives of four million women who use federally-funded family planning centers since the centers are now able to refuse abortion information or referrals. Eleven states have banned gay marriage and close to 10,000 gay soldiers have been discharged, according to www.democracynow.org. The line of separation between church and state has faded into the oblivion of Bush’s rhetoric supported by the southern Republican backbone of this country.
This is why we scream Bush’s name in vain. This is why we march the streets of San Diego as a steadfast coalition. This is why we demonstrate. It is for all of these issues liberals continue to protest against and ask those who stand by to question. For all the efforts we put toward our marches, the only hope is for the nation to recognize our dissent and bring forth justice.
-Consuela Headrick is a journalism junior and assistant opinion editor of The Daily Aztec.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.
