On Wednesday, March 19, 2008, on the eve of the sixth year of the “war on terror” and war in Iraq, hundreds and thousands of people in the US organized to take the streets in protest. However, on the same day most news media headlined the message by US president George Bush of a “strategic victory” in Iraq. Even in the midst of a media messaging campaign by the Bush administration and dominant news media, there were thousands who were thinking critically for themselves and who were about to take action even if their president spoke otherwise.

Groups from around the nation protested and demanded for the end of war, while a president told American that everything was alright. What were people waking up the next morning supposed to think when large groups opposed the so called victory in Iraq? This clash between the radical perspectives of protesters and the dominant perspectives held by the Bush administration and news media draw the lines for the accepted reality of opposing politics and cultural norms. In contrast thousands demonstrated against this message, that Bush led the US public to believe as the truth. Where has critical questioning in news media gone? What was the strategic victory that everyone was talking about?

In Burlington, VT, closing down General Dynamics, the 6th largest US defense contractor, was the target of 35-40 diligent protesters. As GD employees drove into work, they were met by two blockades of protesters locked together with pvc pipes, chicken wire and duct tape. Students from Mount Mansfield Union High School, and the University of Vermont made up the majority of the protesters.

One of the organizers of the protest Johnny Leavitt, stated that “they had turned away between 30-40 employees during the protest.” Although the objective of the event was to shut down GD for the day and give attention to a UVM divestment campaign, the day turned out more to be an opportunity for media publicity. Other than stirring up the GD employees nest and capturing the interest the Burlington Free Press, TV channel 3, and the AP, the protest ended early around 2:30pm.

Media liaison and UVM student, Elias Witman stated that, “the divestment campaign is aimed at UVM to change where they invest. Currently UVM has 619,000 dollars in GD stock as well as other war profiteers including Haliburton, Bowing, Dynacorp, and Locced Martin. This has to change.” Students from UVM protested to bring media attention to the investment choices that UVM has made with war profiteers.

The fact that most news media did not questioned this dominant prevailing political messaging was concerning. What about the thousands protesting this so called victory? The major news merely dictated what Bush stated and called it journalism. Dictation is not journalism, yet the acceptance of this type of reportage has been giving the Bush administration the benefit of the doubt. The US war in Iraq has been the mainstay headline on most major news media for five years now. During this time perspectives of news media have become censored to an all time high.

While introducing Journalist and writer Dhar Jamail recently at University of Vermont speech, Iraqi Veterans Against the War member, Adrian Kenny stated that, “News media messaging has forced Americans to partake in a form of self- censorship, where they put forward this perspective that if you speak the truth or you talk about why the occupation in Iraq has to end, than you are somehow hurting our troops or enabling the enemy. This messaging encourages not only the media to censor itself, but also Americans to censor themselves.” This self-censorship that Adrian spoke about is so apparent to Americans because it is a threat to safety, a threat to comfort, and a way of life. If this way of life is threatened, even as a protester who thoroughly believes that there needs to be change, there is only a certain level of radicalism that one will yield to.

At the Burlington GD Protest, UVM student Keith Brunner conveyed his thought about protesting by saying, “I'm really not a radical, I'm rational. I'm just standing up for what most people believe.” The sentiment that Keith Brunner spoke of was felt amongst many rallying for the closure of GD. His statement was in response to the feelings around activism within Burlington, VT. This protest showcased 6-8 people locked-boxed together, demanding for the closure of General Dynamics. Keith's statement tries to break the stereotype that direct action with lock-boxes and other tactics of protesting is not radical. Merely these forms of activism are not causing dramatic change and are not radical enough. Yet, there is a wall in front of many activists in Burlington, and most likely around the nation that keeps activism sedated.

News media has built itself, striving on accuracy and truth, whether or not the information was questionable. A father beating and raping his wife and two sons never to be caught, and the silencing of memories, the denial of beating a family, and the silencing of memories, of broken bodies and the vagueness of the past. A US soldier who was ordered out to clear mines, only to be shot at by Iraqi snipers, who then called in coordinates to a dispatcher who then ordered the carpet bombing of the hillside where the shot had been fired. The silencing of some voices, inherent in our society, are the same voices that are helpless to react to the atrocities in their lives.

As the majority of any critical analysis of the Bush administration has been censored by most mainstream media, many American people have been with a sense of helplessness. Even among activists, young and old, forms of protesting that worked in the past are not working now. So, what will work? How extreme will activism have to become to derail the track of the war? During the Vietnam war, when the draft was instated, Americans couldn't ignore the war. Sons and daughter, sisters and brothers, cousins and neighbors were dying, and the nation united because everyone had something to worry about. The draft united a nation against the war in Vietnam, today America is polarized.

In Burlington, protesting has become such a common place that witnesses have become desensitized to it. If a group wants to hold any public demonstration, rally, or protest they have to apply for a permit to do so. Although this is outrageous to apply for a permit to organize, the city has always replied that they are just trying to keep it peaceful with police and local officials watching. If local groups want to create change, permits aren't the answer. Social and political revolution will not be comfortable.

Although the US has declared a victory in Iraq, that victory may have already been playing out in America for the past five years. A victory by the US government over the US people to keep them shut up, safe, content and comfortable. There are thousands of people who realize how messed up US foreign policy is. These people are organizing, protesting, writing articles, books, and trying their best to bring attention to the beast of a US war that kills and exploits other people, yet they/we are comfortable. In order to create change, our lives will have to dramatically change. Protests, however they are organized will have to derail the lives of other, and our lives, not merely for an afternoon or a day; work and play will have to wait.