The War Against the War in Iraq

Illustration by Bob AulOperation "Get Dana!" shattered the early evening calm in Huntington Beach at precisely 1700 hours on Nov. 1. The surprise attack involved roughly 20 shock troops who waved banners on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway for about an hour. The action was a diversionary measure aimed at bolstering the ongoing "Siege of South Coast Plaza" by the so-called Coalition Against Unnecessary Wars. There, every Friday for the past year, anti-war warriors have lined up along Bristol Street to wave "No War in Iraq" banners and peace signs at terrified shoppers and passing motorists. Other major battles in the war against the war in Iraq have included peace vigils in Long Beach and Laguna Beach, with smaller skirmishes in Brea and Orange.

After landing surreptitiously at the Huntington Beach Pier, the anti-war action got bogged down when a Korean War veteran wearing a "Jesus Saves" T-shirt told them, "There will be no global peace until Jesus saves us all."

At that point, Commander Tom Lash of the Orange County Green Party drafted volunteers to raid Congressman Dana Rohrabacher's office, located in a nearby fortified building. Skillfully, all eight sappers crammed themselves into the elevator and located the Surfin' Congressman's district headquarters. The tiny room was decorated with World War II memorabilia, including a yellowing copy of The Minot Daily News bearing the headline "Atom Bomb Breaks Japs Morale."

But the peaceniks would be taking no prisoners: Rohrabacher was attending to other constituents in a meeting at an undisclosed site. For what seemed like an eternity, the infiltrators bellowed at the congressman's terrified aides until the room was so drained of oxygen that they were at risk of losing consciousness. Thus ended the biggest anti-war beach landing in Surf City history.

One protester was assessed a $75 parking ticket. War is hell.