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Anti-War Movement Switches Focus to Afghanistan
Dwindled movement seeks revival as war enters 9th year
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Oct 7, 09 2:31 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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The anti-war movement isn't the force it was in the '60s or even six years ago, but organizers are hoping a campaign of protests this fall will gain momentum and capitalize on the growing unpopularity of the Afghanistan war. The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, an umbrella organization for dozens of diverse groups, held its first protest against the Afghanistan war outside the White House Monday, but could only muster a few hundred activists.
The DC rally competed for attention with noisy construction work and smaller protests, including a gaggle of birthers. After protesters began chaining themselves to the White House fence and ignored orders to move on, 63 were arrested, including tireless anti-war campaigner Cindy Sheehan, whose soldier son died in Iraq. Many at the DC rally plan to attend events around the country today marking the war's 8th anniversary. "This could be a turning-point kind of moment," one organizer told the Washington Post.