There are so few massive world-wide protests to partake in, it’s only natural people will bring some pet side-projects along for the ride. Here’s a handy guide.

Free Mumia, Peltier
Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier are U.S. citizens in jail for murder (and with Mumia on death row) despite lots of people who really want them freed, most of whom weren’t born when they were arrested. Mumia, a former Black Panther and journalist has done a great job promoting his cause, while Peltier, a Native American, is usually only mentioned by your more hard-core protester. Sometimes more obscure convicted murderers are also mentioned, but really, Mumia is at the top of the charts right now.
Note: Neither of them are related to this war, although one would guess they’d probably be not too much behind it.

Sweatshops
In the late 90s, American college students started taking note of something that has been raised by those trying to get American College students’ attention for years: Some of the clothing manufactured by American companies is constructed overseas in third-world nations by children living in horrible conditions, earning just pennies a day. These companies are in cahoots with many of these corrupt governments to avoid prosecution, and the US looks the other way. Many people are against this because it’s really, really bad.
Note: This isn’t related to the war, either. If Iraq was running sweatshops of note, it’d be added to the U.S. list of reasons for war, just below “threatening it’s neighbors” and just above: “Tickling.”

The Confederate Flag
Despite the south losing handedly in the Civil War, the confederate flag is alive and well on several U.S. statehouses and state flags, thanks to reactionary behavior during the civil rights movement. The flag is protested because it represents oppression against African Americans, and the “General Lee,” the car the Dukes of Hazzard were always jumping over ponds with.
Note: This is related to a war, just not the Iraq War.
Another Note: If 150 years later, the south is still hung up over losing the Civil War, do we really think Iraq won't hold a grudge against us? 

Food Not Bombs
This is a group that protests for using the billions spent on things like wars with Iraq on something very trite, like feeding the hungry in the U.S. It is fun, however, sometimes to imagine “Smart Beets” being fired from F-16s, using satellite data to find their way through a city to a Iraqi military facility, flying into the window and landing atop a cool bed of cottage cheese.
Note: This is tied to war, if only because the group name could also be an anti-war slogan.

Globalization
WTO, World Bank, IMF, NAFTA, GATT, NAMBLA, etc. All acronyms for groups that are responsible for undermining democracy through economic blackmail of developing countries, costing millions of American jobs and giving thousands of American yuppies vague memories of how they “took to the streets” during the “Battle of Seattle” and destroyed several “Starbucks” for various reasons long since forgotten.

The protests against globalization were gaining real ground for a while, with international meetings being disrupted in Germany, Greece, Canada, the U.S… and then 9/11 happened and protesting felt all awkward, and those self-proclaimed anarchists mellowed out a bit. But with the war on Iraq, the US is trying to reclaim the New World Order and push its worldview on, well, the world, so like so many crickets in the night, out pop the anti-globalization forces, tanned, rested and ready to dress as sea turtles for some reason.
Note: This is tied to the war, but tangentially enough that it is used by pro-war people to make fun of the fractured anti-war forces.

The Environment
Some people seem to think there is environmental problems going on, what with our dependence on oil, which leads to global warming, and the US desire for SUVs driving our foreign policy. They somehow think this has something to do with us having wars in the middle east, where lots of oil comes from.
Note: These people are all crazy.

Communism
Woah! Look at that! There’s some group at the other end of the march claiming to be communists! That’s so cool! I read about them in school, I think. I didn’t think there were any anymore, though. Wow.
Note: This is tied to the war because, damn, that one guy has a total commie goatee! Check that shit out!

Diamond Walnuts
There was a walkout by the workers at Diamond Walnut regarding a pay cut in the 80s, and replacement workers were immediately hired, and the strike has been going on for over 10 years since.
Note: Don’t feel too bad about winding up in a march with them, it’s happened to me twice. Seriously. Once I thought it was an anti-Apartheid demonstration, (you know, boycotting diamonds), and the other time I was looking for my car.

PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA are known worldwide for their ardent, nay, even strident, or mayhaps extraordinarily obnoxious, views on animal rights. All manner of beasts and foul suffer daily in captivity awaiting painful deaths for science, clothing or food, and PETA fights this through ad campaigns designed to piss off people who enjoy science, clothing, or food with eyes, and thus they get to be on TV. What those who dislike PETA don’t realize is that they are to activism what FOX is to news – that is, they exist to piss you off.
Note: This is tied to the war because, well, no it isn’t, but you stuck around their booth for a while because eeew, is that photo really of chickens?

 Drum Circle
These people are protesting, um, not quite sure. They’re chanting something as they play the drums, and these guys in dreads are hackey-sacking, which may represent the world community being kicked around on the knees of Capitalism, while working off the high from the sticky chronic buds of the 90s tech bubble.
Note: Speaking of bubbles, there’s a group dancing to the drums while blowing bubbles and laughing at them. They’re so into peace.

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