Hilary Kindschuh / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, January 7, 2006 6:00 pm
People driving by an anti-war protest in Lincoln Saturday showed both support and disagreement by sticking their fingers out the window.
Thumbs up.
Thumbs down.
Two fingers for peace.
One finger for … the opposite.
But to the surprise of Adam Brown, a protester with a cardboard cutout of President Bush, most of the response was positive.
“We’ve seen a lot more two fingers (out of windows) than one,” the 17-year-old said.
Nebraskans for Peace endorsed the Lincoln rally, one of more than 100 events scheduled nationwide for “National Day of Out of Iraq.”
The idea for the day originated with After Downing Street, a national group advocating the impeachment of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
About 50 protesters in Lincoln stood holding signs at Woods Park, 33rd and O streets, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The Nebraskans for Peace signs said, “U.S. OUT/U.N. IN.”
Other people held homemade signs.
“War is not pro-life,” one read.
Another asked, “What plan?”
Brown and his brother, Daniel, brought the cardboard Bush, placing a red cowboy hat on its head and holding a conversation bubble reading “I’m a crook” by its mouth.
Many of the supportive honks from drivers were directed at the brothers.
Maribeth Milner also said she noticed more positive than negative reaction to the rally.
“Some of it’s been covert, like a thumbs-up on the steering wheel,” she said. “But it’s there.”
Tim Rinne, state coordinator of NFP, said more people seem to support the anti-war movement because the political mood of the nation is changing.
NFP received hostile reactions to its anti-war events after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Rinne said.
“Questioning government policy at that point was probably not a popular thing to do,” he said.
But Saturday’s event garnered the most positive response to a political issue Rinne has ever seen, he said.
Patrick Jones, an assistant history professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said a growing number of people are becoming wary and skeptical of the situation in Iraq.
“There’s no end in sight,” he said.
Milner said she is concerned U.S. troops are increasingly being targeted.
“The Iraqis don’t want us there,” Milner said. “We need to find some way to get our troops out.”
Milner said she believes Bush “lied us into war” and has “essentially become a dictator.
“We’re in desperate need of good leadership.”
Rallies and other forms of protest help send an important message to political leaders, Rinne said.
“It’s important for stuff like this to happen so politicians know you’re getting a sizeable part of the electorate willing to speak up,” he said.
That’s what citizenship is all about, Jones said.
“We are responsible ultimately for the actions of our government,” he said.
Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7301 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.