Akron Marks Iraq War Dead
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

About 60 people turned out in Akron to mark the occasion of the 2000 US invaders killed in Iraq and to remember the Iraqi and US fatalities.

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I couldn't get an accurate head count - it was about 60 - because the bourgeois media were as thick as.....well, lets skip the analogy. The professional media seemed to be primed for the event, a sure sign that even ruling class interests are turning against the war.

The Federal security guard came out and inspected the photos of the Ohio dead on the 'blast wall' surrounding the Federal Building and went back to consult with his superiors, who apparently decided it would be bad press to order pictures of Federal casualties taken down from a Federal wall.

Joe, the lone speaker, laid it on heavy about how the politicians were sending other peoples' sons and daughters to die while almost none from Congresssional or Administration families went.

The crowd was in a quiet mood, befitting a memorial. Plenty of time for loudness at later events. Of course there was the inevitable lone heckler, but even he was subdued.

Lighting the candles drew a lot of attention. There were persistent attempts to light a ring of them around the shoes representing the Iraqi dead, but the wind was a bit too high. There was better luck in the shelter of the Federal Building blast wall, where 2000 candles were set down.

All across the country you know there are hundreds of similar events. And you can sense that public opinion has turned against the evil imperialist war, by whatever terms different people choose to describe it.

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the crowd awaits
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

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there were several Vietnam and Iraq war veterans in the group, as well as family members.

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Shoes representing dead iraqis
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

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It had to be a symbolic number, there was no way to gather 100,000 or so pairs. They drew a lot of attention and respect.

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another crowd shot
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

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Ohio Dead
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

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Photos of the Ohio dead were taped to the Marble blast wall of the Federal Building. Too late for them to learn a lesson.

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Candles
by andy Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 at 10:11 PM

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These candles were enough out of the wind to stay lit.

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