hmm. I won't make point-by-point comments on the assessment above, other than to say that I agree that direct action was lacking and is certainly always welcome as long as it doesn't make unwitting participants liable for a head-cracking.

As for my two cents, I thought it went off well considering the circumstances of its planning. Many groups were absent or nearly so from the planning process, and many did little or no work on the ground to promote the entire event, choosing instead only to promote their own speakers, feeder marches, or distribute their papers. This is nothing new. I think that the coalition did make an honest effort to be as inclusive as possible and did not seek to exclude any groups on the left or the right of the left. Direct Action was given a space in the process, and I don't know what became of it because I wasn't personally involved.

I think in general I would hope to see a bit more united front on the left in the future. No matter what type of rally or march is being planned, it takes a lot of work and a lot of discussion in order to maintain inclusivity, democratic decision-making, and to coordinate a successful action.

I think the author has legitimate political criticisms of the rally and march. I also think that much of this discussion would have been MUCH MORE USEFUL before the event, rather than after it. The planning process seemed to go more smoothly than in the past but was still far from perfect. I had major misgivings about some of the decisions that were made, and made my opinion known. Unfortunately I was out of town when Gutierrez was chosen to be invited, for example. We had agreed to invite speakers who shared our stated position of "troops home now", meaning not elsewhere in the ME waiting to strike against other peoples, and expressed a preference for folks who were active in organizing on the ground level. Most of the speakers were good and fit into these guidelines, some were fantastic (I thought), and a couple sucked. However, overall, I think it was decent.

I'd like to hear more discussion about what we can do better in the future, whether they be political arguments or tactical considerations. The point is not only to show (the majority) opposition to the war, but to encourage people to get out, organize themselves, and become more confident that we can build a future free of not only imperialist wars of aggression, but also free of racism, sexism, poverty, exploitation, environmental degradation, and corporate hegemony.

Sorry I sound like a hippy. I don't think it's a good time for us to be lobbing shitbombs at one another, so let's talk about how to move forward, eh?