Say what you will about the war protestors, they’re creative. They know how to get a message across. Just look at the slogans they’ve displayed on signs, buttons and T-shirts: “Drop Bush, Not Bombs,” “Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home Now,” “Resistance is Fertile,” and “Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld: Our Asses of Evil.”If there’s an ulterior motive for the war, it’s all over their signs: “How Many Lives Per Gallon?” “Read Between the Pipelines,” “Let Exxon Send Their Own Troops,” and “Let’s Bomb Texas: They’ve Got Oil.”
These activists may not all be Democrats, but they’ve taken immense pleasure in belittling Bush: “There’s Nothing to Fear, But Bush Himself,” “Smart Weapons, Dumb President,” “Don’t Arm a Son of a Bush,” and “Stop Mad Cowboy Disease.”
Not surprisingly, some have turned to religion to support their cause: “The last time we listened to a Bush, we wandered in the desert for 40 years.”
Fifty-year-old man: “Who would Jesus bomb? Who would Jesus bomb?”
Fifteen-year-old son: “You tell ’em, Dad! Jesus is da bomb!”
While millions around the world have protested the old-fashioned way — marching in the streets — hundreds of Americans and Australians have shown their dissent in a way that would make Bill Clinton proud: They’ve taken off their clothes.
In Occidental, California, more than 100 women used their nude bodies to spell out the words “truth,” “compassion,” and “passion,” giving us yet another reason to love freedom of speech. “While I do not agree with their anti-war stance, I respect their right to express themselves,” said one man, “And I hope they keep on doing it.”
In Byron Bay, Australia, some 700 women sported birthday suits to form a heart around the words “No War,” earning 50 bonus points in Scrabble. Two weeks later, about 250 men undressed to spell out “Peace Man” on a rugby field, revealing to the world exactly what lengths they go to down under.
Meanwhile, at Manhattanville College in New York, basketball player Toni Smith showed her objection to war by refusing to face the flag during the national anthem. Angry spectators waved flags and jeered her. Some even chanted for her to “leave our country,” apparently wishing they lived in a land like Iraq, where there are two surefire ways of committing suicide: protesting the President’s actions and spelling out words in the nude. The White House reaction to all the protests was predictable.
Laura: “George, your mother called. She says the anti-war activists are going overboard.”
George: “Overboard? Don’t tell me they’re jumping out of ships.”
Laura: “No, honey, even worse: They’re jumping out of clothes. It’s happening in California and Australia – and you can be darn sure it’s going to happen in Britain. They never miss a good opportunity.”
George: “Oh dear, it must be bad if you’re using a word like ‘darn.’ I knew our opponents would hit us hard, but I didn’t think they’d go this far. I didn’t think they’d use weapons of mass nudity.”
The President is eager to see Saddam Hussein toppled and so am I. He needs to pay for his atrocities. But I’m glad I live in a country where people can question their leader’s actions, where they can wonder if war will snatch away too many innocent lives. I’m glad I live in a country where, despite the wishes of a misguided few, people still enjoy the freedom to disagree, still enjoy the freedom to display a bumper sticker that says: “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted With the Majority.