In the first picture Ursula K. Le Guin, center, listens as Douglas Lain reads from the "Writers and Artists petition against War on Iraq" that he co-wrote:
"Artists have both the ability and the moral obligation to combat deceit and distortion. It is this ability to illuminate even difficult truths that defines an artist.
"Truth has been one of the casualties of the "War on Terrorism". Assassinations, bombings, and chemical and biological attacks, whether perpetrated by individuals or states, are crimes. They should be dealt with by the rule of law, and not by the use of indiscriminate force. With this in mind, we condemn the US "War on Terrorism" and call upon both the US government and the "anti-terrorist" coalition to end this war, which benefits no-one but those who are making money from it, and which is sowing the seeds of future terrorism and violence."
You can read the rest of the petition and, if you wish, sign it (according to Lain writing on Indymedia is more than qualification enough), at this site:
 http://www.douglaslain.com/aawii.html
After the Douglas Lain's talk Ursula K. Le Guin led the march to Congressman Wu's office. (Hopefully, someone else will post a good picture of her leading it. My picture shows the spirit of the march as it left the Congressman's office.)
The third picture shows Ms. Le Guin turning the petition over to Congressman Wu's office manager. Among other things Le Guin emphasized Douglas's thought that, "Science Fiction writers have a special interest in the future and the US policy on Iraq is putting our future at risk."
Douglas Lain sent his thanks to Congressman Wu for opposing Bush's war resolution but urged him to do more, particularily to keep Bush from interfering with the U.N. efforts to find a peaceful way out of the current impasse.
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P.S.
These pictures are a little experimental, but I've been trying different things all year long different ways of capturing the spirit of Portland's anti-war resistance. I think the most successful thing I've done is set some of my photographs to protest music recorded live at the demonstrations. If you'd like to take a look back over the past year with me, the demonstration stuff is all at:
http://www.rivertext.com/stuff.html
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Artist have the ability and the moral obligation to combat deceit and distortion. So, let me see, because you have written a few science fiction novels (this is obviously an understatement. Left Hand of Darkness is brilliant. But it's still just a science fiction novel, not the magna carta) you suddenly posses a level of wisdom beyond that of common man. Because you are an artist, you are endowed with a much larger penis of discernment than anyone else is. What a crock of sh*t. I understand how art works. It is no more illuminating then any other work accomplished. The illumination is still translated through the artist. So it should just read, "We are an elite group, higher and better than the rest of you uneducated, unwashed masses, and by our great enlightenment we have decided to combat deceit and distortion; because, obviously no artist or writer has ever been deceitful or distorted the truth.
These people have a right to fight against this "war"; if it is, what they believe is the right thing to do. However, anytime a group gathers behind the guise of representing a higher authority then the rest of humanity for some greater truth, I worry. So how did the Nazis happen again?