Around 6 pm tonight, a few volunteers for Charlottesvillepeace.org stood by the Free Speech wall and asked people to sign a petition to Charlottesville City Council imploring them to take an official stand against the chance the U.S. might go to war against Iraq’s northern neighbor. “Would you like to sign a petition against war in Iran,” Bob Hoffman asked passersby. He wore a green cap with white tuffs of hair poking out and Birkenstocks with green socks that matched his cargo shorts.
“I want more war,” replied one man. “The meek get crushed, tyrants rule the world.”
“Hell no,” another lady snarled.
An hour later, Jeff Winder of People United stood outside near the Omni and put on a cardboard mask of George W. Bush over his head. A hole cut out where Bush’s mouth should have been allowed Winder to shout in character. “O.K. people, step right up,” he yelled and started to walk down the mall. “It’s time to make war.”
Behind him Susan Frankel-Streit (also with People United) wore a blue mask and walked on stilts. “Don’t listen to him. We need more war,” she cried. “We’ve already had eight years of that. Plus, it’s too hot for war.”
The imposter Bush and his heckler on stilts made their way down the crowded mall in this manner until they reached the free speech wall where volunteers were still gathering signatures. “Would you like to sign a petition,” one lady asked another. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. “Will it do any good?”
Taking advantage of the Friday bustle on the Downtown Mall, protestors brought a petition against possible war against Iran to the people, eventually headed to the resolution-ready City Council.
