Lowery Speaks At Ga. Rally Against War

ATLANTA, April 1 -- Organizers said as many as 4,000 people marched for two miles to an antiwar rally that also called for justice and compassion at home.

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, whose remarks against the Iraq war and the Bush administration at the funeral of Coretta Scott King in February drew criticism, spoke to a friendlier crowd Saturday. Lowery said the United States' role in the world should be to feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the sick, rehabilitate prisoners, educate the young and care for the aged -- "not to send smart bombs on dumb missions to kill innocent people in foreign lands."

"We cannot remain silent while the nation we love is transformed from protector to predator," said Lowery, known as the dean of the civil rights movement. "We come to reclaim America today."

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) told the applauding crowd: "Bring our troops home now! The American people don't want war. The troops don't want war. Americans want peace! America has a lot more to give the world than a shock and awe bomb."

Among the participants in Saturday's rally -- which was endorsed by 150 organizations -- were veterans and military families, labor and faith groups, students and gay rights advocates.