About 15 people holding banners and signs demanding an end to wars, occupations and torture lined a busy intersection in Honolulu on Saturday. Response from passers-by was overwhelmingly positive. Many people walking by stopped to thank us, shake our hands, and even say "everyone should be doing this".  But when we invited them to join us most said they were busy (and headed to Hawai`i's largest shopping center across the street).   Many people honked their car horns or gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up.  Trolley drivers clanged their bells, and many tourists on the open-air trolleys waved in support.  Japanese tourists held up cameras and cell-phones and we're confident that the messages on our banners went far beyond our state.

The turn-out for the signholding was disappointing, but not surprising.  We had not built for this protest as broadly as we usually do.  Some supporters said they had been discouraged with the number of people responding to recent anti-war protests and didn't want to feel discouraged again.   But for those who came, it was heartening to hear and see the support of the people passing by and to know that the demand to end the war resonates with the majority, even while the ability to transform this sentiment into action remains elusive. 

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