Not a lot of national news coverage but people showed up all across the country to protest the invasion of Iraq. John Ehrenfeld shares his experience in Los Angeles at BraveNewFilms, kimoconnor reports in from San Francisco, sheddhead was in Chicago, and our own RevDeb took this photo in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, I was looking at Mark Penn’s book Microtrends yesterday in preparation for the book salon. I was somewhat amused that the index to the 425 page book had only one entry under “Iraq” — the same number as “gym memberships” and “Hong Kong sleep habits”, fewer that “iPods” and “Angelina Jolie.” I thought it was unusual, what with Penn being one of Hillary Clinton’s top advisers, and the war being probably the most pressing issue of our time and all.

Anyway, the citation (on p. 172) makes the point that even though barely 4 out of 10 Americans believed it was right to have sent troops to Iraq as of March of this year, 84% “had a favorable view of the soldiers fighting there.”

It seems that some are taking advantage of this good will to act like political hacks and threatening, bullying assholes, safe in the knowledge that if anyone criticizes them for it Barbara Boxer will no doubt craft some McCarthy-esque resolution condemning them.

Go team.

(h/t Marie Roget)