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CNN Saturday Morning News
Protestors in Washington Prepare for Anti-War Rally
Aired January 18, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protesters around the world are shouting no to a U.S. war with Iraq. In Washington today, buses have rolled in from all over the country. A rally outside the Capitol just one of many anti-war demonstrations from coast to coast and overseas.
CNN's Kathleen Koch live in Washington with the latest -- Kathleen, any evidence of the numbers?
It's a cold day there, isn't it?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very cold day, Miles. Some of the most frigid temperatures of the winter are going to be welcoming these protesters.
They're just setting up now. We've seen only about 50 people in place. People are coming from all around the country and some of them are rather unlikely, not type you've usually seen on the protest lines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): Forty-one-year-old Thomas Jarrett of Maplewood, New Jersey and his wife are expecting their first child any day now.
THOMAS JARRETT, GULF WAR VETERAN: Those are all American there.
KOCH: Jarrett was an all American boy, growing up in a military family, serving two tours as a Green Beret. And it's because he was in the service during the Persian Gulf War that he's troubled by President Bush's policy on Iraq.
JARRETT: I volunteered because I was offended at the idea of a sovereign country being invaded by a hostile nation. And it seems ironic to me now that we're looking to go into Iraq.
KOCH: Jarrett says he does support the U.S. military.
JARRETT: I have every faith in the American soldier and it's my impression that soldiers ought to be used for noble causes.
KOCH: In his opinion, the current buildup doesn't qualify. So Jarrett is going to Washington to march for peace. JARRETT: I would just like to show my solidarity with other soldiers so that I hope that the actions are taken very, very seriously when we decide we're going to go into a sovereign country for any reason. And me being a therapist might itself be part of how they'd look at the problem.
KOCH: Jarrett now makes his living as a psychotherapist. He's torn over what his father and brother, both veterans, will think about his decision to protest.
JARRETT: And the initial teaching I had from my parents was to stand by what you believe whatever the consequence. So I would hope at a deep level my family would understand that I'm a patriot.
Want to get some coffee?
KOCH: His wife wants him to join in the march, even if it means missing the birth of their child.
JARRETT: My wife didn't even hesitate. She said go, go do what you need to do and even if I end up giving birth without you, I would rather have you follow what you believe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: With us, he has driven through the night. He got here about 6:30 this morning.
Thomas, what do you believe that you and the other demonstrators will really be able to accomplish today?
JARRETT: Well, I think it's probably important, Kathleen, to, aside from just physically being here, if you take a look this morning, I mean this is the center of, sort of the ground zero of liberty and we're here now and I think that it's a movement that's gathering and I just hope that our message will be heard related to what we're working for here.
KOCH: Thomas, you're a military man. You know about facing serious threats. What if the Bush administration is right? What if Saddam Hussein is on the verge of constructing a weapon of mass destruction, does and then actually uses it or, even worse, sells it to a terrorist group?
JARRETT: Well, I think that there's a lot of people throughout the world that are capable of great violence, but you have to take a look at what the criteria is to decide to go in against a threat. And I'm wondering what the real agenda might be. If there's a hidden agenda, the question is how do we define the criteria fairly and objectively?
KOCH: Thomas, thank you very much.
Thanks for joining us on this very cold morning.
And the demonstration is going to be getting going about 11 o'clock this morning, Miles, and then there will be a march to the U.S. Naval Yard, where it will continue -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch.
We'll be watching it.
Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 18, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protesters around the world are shouting no to a U.S. war with Iraq. In Washington today, buses have rolled in from all over the country. A rally outside the Capitol just one of many anti-war demonstrations from coast to coast and overseas.
CNN's Kathleen Koch live in Washington with the latest -- Kathleen, any evidence of the numbers?
It's a cold day there, isn't it?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very cold day, Miles. Some of the most frigid temperatures of the winter are going to be welcoming these protesters.
They're just setting up now. We've seen only about 50 people in place. People are coming from all around the country and some of them are rather unlikely, not type you've usually seen on the protest lines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): Forty-one-year-old Thomas Jarrett of Maplewood, New Jersey and his wife are expecting their first child any day now.
THOMAS JARRETT, GULF WAR VETERAN: Those are all American there.
KOCH: Jarrett was an all American boy, growing up in a military family, serving two tours as a Green Beret. And it's because he was in the service during the Persian Gulf War that he's troubled by President Bush's policy on Iraq.
JARRETT: I volunteered because I was offended at the idea of a sovereign country being invaded by a hostile nation. And it seems ironic to me now that we're looking to go into Iraq.
KOCH: Jarrett says he does support the U.S. military.
JARRETT: I have every faith in the American soldier and it's my impression that soldiers ought to be used for noble causes.
KOCH: In his opinion, the current buildup doesn't qualify. So Jarrett is going to Washington to march for peace. JARRETT: I would just like to show my solidarity with other soldiers so that I hope that the actions are taken very, very seriously when we decide we're going to go into a sovereign country for any reason. And me being a therapist might itself be part of how they'd look at the problem.
KOCH: Jarrett now makes his living as a psychotherapist. He's torn over what his father and brother, both veterans, will think about his decision to protest.
JARRETT: And the initial teaching I had from my parents was to stand by what you believe whatever the consequence. So I would hope at a deep level my family would understand that I'm a patriot.
Want to get some coffee?
KOCH: His wife wants him to join in the march, even if it means missing the birth of their child.
JARRETT: My wife didn't even hesitate. She said go, go do what you need to do and even if I end up giving birth without you, I would rather have you follow what you believe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: With us, he has driven through the night. He got here about 6:30 this morning.
Thomas, what do you believe that you and the other demonstrators will really be able to accomplish today?
JARRETT: Well, I think it's probably important, Kathleen, to, aside from just physically being here, if you take a look this morning, I mean this is the center of, sort of the ground zero of liberty and we're here now and I think that it's a movement that's gathering and I just hope that our message will be heard related to what we're working for here.
KOCH: Thomas, you're a military man. You know about facing serious threats. What if the Bush administration is right? What if Saddam Hussein is on the verge of constructing a weapon of mass destruction, does and then actually uses it or, even worse, sells it to a terrorist group?
JARRETT: Well, I think that there's a lot of people throughout the world that are capable of great violence, but you have to take a look at what the criteria is to decide to go in against a threat. And I'm wondering what the real agenda might be. If there's a hidden agenda, the question is how do we define the criteria fairly and objectively?
KOCH: Thomas, thank you very much.
Thanks for joining us on this very cold morning.
And the demonstration is going to be getting going about 11 o'clock this morning, Miles, and then there will be a march to the U.S. Naval Yard, where it will continue -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch.
We'll be watching it.
Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
