Even I was considering not going to the protest today, afraid of the cops attacking, afraid of not being able to get away to work and losing my job. I know better than to believe the hype, for although I’m not a “seasoned veteran,” I’ve had my share of demonstrations. When I finally got out on the streets of Hollywood amongst the thousands, the sun was shining and people were alive and kicking. It was then I really started to think about the thousands of kids, of all ages, from all over L.A. who wanted to come out but whose fear kept them away, mainly because of what they’d seen on TV.

Paloma, a 23 year old woman of mixed heritage (Dominican and white) addressed this issue with me. “The mainstream media only focuses on the brutality at the marches, not the celebration or the unity that’s taking place. We need more of this.” Paloma believes in happiness as radical act of resistance. I approached her only minutes after she had transformed her tank top, writing across the white cotton with big block letters that read: How About Happiness?

The words of Billy Bragg, an English singer-songwriter and activist, flooded my mind: the revolution is just a T-shirt away.

I asked her to comment on her fashion statement. “I was feeling under dressed so someone handed me a marker and said, ‘Go for it,’” she explained, reiterating that happiness is a revolutionary alternative to war and destruction. “We need the fill our surroundings with things we enjoy and that make a difference. Feeling bad about the war doesn’t help anything,” she continued, implying that it kept us paralyzed and isolated from each other. “We need to be noticing our breath, swimming in the ocean, visualizing the Iraqi people eating, and celebrating weddings. We need to be reaching out to others from a place of love.”

On the other side of the sentimental spectrum, I spoke with Cameron, a 32 year old white man who got out of the marines just over ten years ago. “If there was any evidence, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be supporting the war. I’m not a pacifist. But there’s not. There’s only fabrication. All this has done is made the world a much more dangerous place and ruined our credibility.”

The crowd at the demonstration was as diverse as this city. People of all ages and ethnicities formed a drum circle in the middle of an intersection on Sunset. Their pounding beats could not be evaded by anyone nearby. A smaller circle of twenty-somethings dancing formed within the drummers’ circle. A 65 year old Muslim woman with a soft pink hijab scarf about her head weaved in and out amongst them. She waved the olive branch in her hand in rhythm with the music. This is a snapshot of the peace movement that is beginning to simmer all over this earth.

Props to Amoeba Music, across from CNN, for hanging huge banner from its roof that read, “Give peace a chance.” And to all those who made posters – here’s a few of the messages out today:

Iraq Burns, Freedom Fries

Osama Bush Laden: Wanted for Terrorism

Practice Meditation Not War

Drop Bush Not Bombs

Fight Poverty Not the Poor

Liberating Vietnam: Kill 3 Million

CNN- Children Die, You Profit

CNN Lies, Iraqi People Die

Stop the Real Terrorist: Uncle Sam

How many Iraqi children did we kill today?

George Bush: War Monger

No War: Collateral Damage Has a Face

What Did Saddam Do To Us?

Peace is Patriotic

Collateral Damage: Kids Like Me

Amerika – A Plutocracy

Car of the Year [with the picture of a U.S. tank]

Shocked and Outraged