Speaking downtown Tuesday at the national convention of the
American Legion, President George W. Bush drew a crowd of more than
350 protesters, according to Bill Ramsey of the St. Louis Instead
of War Coalition. The protesters filled the sidewalks of Washington
Avenue across from the convention center at 8th St.

About half a dozen Bush supporters were also present, along with
clusters of veterans who left the convention hall to argue with
protesters.

At about 5 p.m., crowds began gathering on the sidewalk with
signs denouncing everything from the war in Iraq to Bush’s economic
policies.

One woman held a sign that said “Women Unite For Peace.” Nearby,
two women held signs supporting Bush, shouting, “Hearsay!” and
“Liberal rhetoric!” to a group of protesters holding a public trial
for a Bush dummy wearing a flight jacket.

A man displayed an upside-down American flag, on which he had
written “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,” while
nearby other protesters held yard signs reading, “Peace is
Patriotic.”

Across the street, Carol Biggerstaff of Fenton, Mo., stood with
an American flag. With her was her daughter, Lizzy, and her
husband, Don, who held a sign that read, “Land of the Free Because
of the Brave.” The Biggerstaffs have a son, Donald, who was in Iraq
as a U.S. Marine private from January to June.

“We support our president,” Biggerstaff said as the protesters
chanted from across the street. “Nobody wants a war, but there was
a country being oppressed by Saddam Hussein, who was killing a
whole hell of a lot of people. And if we weren’t over there showing
the world we wouldn’t sucker down to terrorism, we’d have more
9/11s.”

Her comments fell in line with Bush’s as he spoke inside the
convention center. “Retreat in the face of terror would only invite
further and bolder attacks,” Bush said, according to Richard W.
Stevenson’s report in The New York Times. “There will be no
retreat.”

According to the report, Bush’s appearance falls a year after
Vice President Dick Cheney outlined the administration’s plans for
disarming Saddam before a gathering of the Veterans of Foreign
War.

“No act of terrorists will weaken our resolve or alter their
fate,” Bush said. “Our only goal, our only option, is total victory
in the war on terror, and this nation will press on to
victory.”

Justin Stein, a sophomore at the University of Missouri-St.
Louis, said he was protesting Bush for a number of reasons, not
just because of the war in Iraq. He listed labor, environmental
issues and health care as other reasons he opposes the
President.

“I’m here for way too many reasons,” he said. “Primarily, I
think democracy is not just about casting a vote. I can’t just wait
until 2004 to cast my vote because sometimes it doesn’t even
work–like in 2000,” he added, referring to Bush’s contested
election win over Al Gore.

Near Stein stood a line of American postal workers, all of whom
wore white shirts and carried a banner denouncing privatization of
government jobs.

Roosevelt Steward, standing behind them, led the group in
cheering, “2004–Out the door!” He explained that public-sector
workers are in danger of having their jobs privatized as a solution
to financial problems.

“Some of our brothers and sisters have already been
Bush-whacked,” said Stewart, St. Louis head of the American Postal
Workers Union, “and we intend to fight back.”

Among those attending the convention were Oscar Box, a retired
Marine sergeant who served in Vietnam, and his wife, Dora. They
traveled from Colorado for the event. “What the president should do
is put them in uniform,” Oscar said, looking on the crowd of
protesters from the convention-center side of the street. “That’s a
shame.”

“If it wasn’t for our veterans they wouldn’t be here,” Dora
added.

At one point, a huddle of veterans standing near the protesters
decided to engage those on the fringe of the crowd.

A man bearing the name “George” on a convention pass hanging
around his neck asked one, “Are you in the military?” When the man
said wasn’t, the veteran replied, “I don’t even want to talk with
you. I don’t even want to look at you.”

Another, whose tag said his name was Neil, strode down the line
in red, white and blue suspenders shaking his head angrily, asking
each person in a booming voice, “Ever been in the service?”

By 6:30 p.m., most of the crowd had dispersed, leaving a few
stray protesters and a group called the “Pink Block,” which earlier
in the day had been satirizing the Patriot Act through street
theater. Its act morphed into a dancing party fueled by music from
a portable amplifier.

The CD skipped and the first chord of The Beatles’ “Revolution”
ripped through the silence. A burst of cheers rose from the men and
women dressed all in pink as they began to dance to the new
song.

An older man from the convention wandered by and told the crowd
in a quiet voice that Bush wasn’t in the convention center anymore.
He took a look at a few signs, waved a dismissive hand and stumbled
away.