Peace Demonstrations: ‘Bush Just Got Vetoed’

The demonstrations in the U.S. over the weekend show that the rift between our government and a significant number of Americans, perhaps even a majority, runs just as deep as that with Europeans (“Rift With Europe Runs Deep,” news analysis, Feb. 18).

We love our country, but we distrust and fear our leaders. With the war on Iraq and the “axis of evil,” the war on civil rights and the war on the environment, President Bush has turned us into a different country. Our leaders are upset at the ingratitude of Europeans, but the justification for gratitude comes from a different country, an America before Bush.

Gary Brown

Santa Monica

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Re “Antiwar Rallies Draw Millions Around World,” Feb. 16: Bush just got vetoed. Not by the U.N. but by the united peoples of the world. With one thundering universal voice, they shouted the shout heard round the world: No war!

Ralph Chernoff

McKinleyville, Calif.

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If the millions around the world who are mobilized behind the slogan “No war!” were to apply the same passion and pressure on Saddam Hussein to destroy his arsenal of unconscionable weapons of mass destruction, it could have a powerful impact: Hussein without chemical, biological and nuclear weapons equals peace. That is our greatest hope for the future.

Dorothy L. Cochran

San Gabriel

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Following the protests I began to feel a levity of spirit for the first time in months. I’ve known there are others -- many others -- like me, who reject Bush’s insistence on the inevitability of war, yet the White House’s unwavering rhetoric about war with Iraq had left me devoid of a sense of hope and feeling isolated in my opposition. Finally, huge numbers of like-minded people took to the streets to be seen and heard reminding Bush and the world that war does not have unanimous support and to present a strongly united voice for the peace process.

Far from being idealists, we understand the threat that Hussein potentially poses, but recognize that alternatives to war do exist. We will continue to make our voices heard.

Dee Anna S. Behle

Dana Point

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Sunday’s headlines did not come close to catching the magnitude of what happened around the globe Saturday. The world said no to war, loud and clear. It’s time to listen.

Jeff Otterbein

Ojai

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The irony of the antiwar demonstrations is that they increase the likelihood of war. The more we demonstrate reluctance for war, the more Hussein believes that he can resist disarmament with impunity.

Jim Shade

West Covina

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To the Bush administration and anyone else out there who still does not get it after Saturday’s mass antiwar demonstrations around the world, I have a very simple message: You are the minority. Listen to the United Nations and to the millions who took to the streets. The people of the world don’t want your war.

We will not sit by passively and watch your war on CNN while the only protection you offer us in the face of disaster is duct tape and plastic wrap.

Kyle Pusateri

West Hollywood

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It is a beautiful sight to see hundreds of thousands of people marching in unity and voicing their opposition to a possible war on Iraq. We are very privileged in the U.S. to have the freedom to let our government know that we do not agree with its actions. Yet this right to free speech, among many other inalienable rights, comes at a price. I only hope that these demonstrators take a good look at what they are protesting against and realize that there are times when you must fight to defend the very freedoms we all enjoy.

Mazi Bahadori

Mission Viejo

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As a participant in Saturday’s antiwar march, I want to extend a mega-thanks to the L.A. Police Department. As a marcher, I knew why I was there, as did the LAPD, which helped ensure our safety and provided useful information, such as where we could exit, reenter -- and the location of the nearest restrooms! Thank you, LAPD officers, for your courtesy, assistance and for doing a bang-up job of being good public servants. Saturday was a great day and you were part of it. You made L.A. proud!

Anita Beckenstein

Granada Hills