When thousands of people from all walks of life—students, parents, teachers and even soldiers—gather at the Pentagon this weekend to demand change, the Iraq War will continue.
When the throngs of anti-war activists hoist up dolls of President Bush with ""International Terrorist"" written in white letters across his chest, the Iraq War will continue.
While White House officials go about their business, if they are even in the office this Saturday, people who are tired of war and destruction will make their voices heard.
Although Republicans in Congress will ignore the crowd and dismiss the anti-war agenda, the American people will not.
The troops fighting in Iraq right now may or may not still believe in the war, but what has become clear is the American public has little patience left for the Bush Administration and its plans to save the Middle East by destroying it.
Protest has a unique place in our history, especially during times of conflict. History has shown that demonstrations produce no quick results, but it has also shown that the voice of dissent will not be extinguished and only change will endure.
In 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech to hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial, black citizens remained in a state of government-sanctioned oppression. When thousands gathered time after time to demand withdrawal from Vietnam, the war continued. But both messages were clear and change did come.
The message has changed little since the turbulent '60s, and this weekend thousands will once again gather to show the United States government what it has failed to practice: war and injustice should not be the American way.
Although racial tensions have not been completely extinguished, blacks and whites now walk the streets together, go to school and work together. While the Vietnam War continued for several more years, the men and women in Congress eventually came to realize that the world opinion was not questioning our dedication and resolve, but our judgment.
Achieving peace in the Middle East and around the world will certainly demand sacrifice in the years to come, but as Americans have come to understand, we must choose our battles wisely if we want to win the real war.
As the Rev. Jesse Jackson so eloquently stated as he addressed those gathered on the National Mall in 2003, ""We are here because we choose coexistence over co-annihilation.""
