War Supporters' Day to Rally

Other antiwar activists spread out across the city.

In the ballroom of a Holiday Inn on Capitol Hill, about 350 "jurors" sipped coffee and ate desserts as they watched a mock trial of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, former CIA chief George J. Tenet and U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. The men were accused of violating U.S. law and the Geneva Convention in supporting torture.

"Obviously, this isn't a real court of law," said Jennifer Harbury, a coordinator of the program. "I don't expect Mr. Rumsfeld to show up here and answer questions."

But a younger and thinner Rumsfeld, played by human rights activist and actor David Clennon, did answer questions, drawing laughs from the audience with the line: "Torture is simply -- it's un-American." It was a paraphrase of a statement by Rumsfeld.

A few blocks away on the Mall, about 200 people who planned to be arrested today if President Bush would not agree to meet with them gathered in tents for a workshop on what to expect from police.

Protest veteran Gordon S. Clark, coordinator for Iraq Pledge of Resistance, a network of antiwar activists, laid out the group's planned route from Foundry United Methodist Church to the White House "picture postcard zone," where he said arrests might occur. Over the weekend, four antiwar protesters were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct.

A representative of the National Lawyers Guild then briefed the audience on the arrest process before fielding questions.

"Our buses are leaving at 7 p.m.," one activist said. "Is there any chance we can get out of jail by then?"

"Don't hold your breath," the lawyer said.

Serving as a backdrop to yesterday's support-the-troops rally was a gigantic flag created by children at Fort Benning, Ga., who decorated 900 red and white squares to reflect what "freedom means to me." At the back of the crowd, participants held a banner that read, "God Bless Our Soldiers Liberating the World One Tyrant at a Time."

Attending the rally were many who said they traveled far to support those they said are protecting the cause of freedom, some at the cost of their own lives.

Antia Grater, 60, and her husband, John, 59, traveled to the rally from their home near Niagara Falls, N.Y. Their son and his wife were stationed in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar until they returned to the United States a year and a half ago. Grater said the military is a family that has to stand strong.

"I believe in what they're doing," Antia Grater said. "A man over there," she said gesturing, "has a sign that says 'Stop the War.' Well, that's what our troops are doing. They're stopping the war on terror at the source."

Roger Custer, 23, of Annandale didn't speak publicly, but he did his best to make a statement, fashioning a cape out an American flag.

"I support our troops," Custer said. "I support our president. I support our mission in Iraq. I'm proud to be out here."

Also expressing pride were the many family members who spoke during the rally about their loved ones, some of whom died while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Debra Argel Bastian lost her son Derek, 28, of Lompoc, Calif., when a plane he was in crashed May 30 outside Baghdad. She explained tearfully that her son believed in his family and his mission.

"My son had a tattoo on his back that read, 'Never forget,' " she told the audience. "All of you please, never forget."