Downplaying peace demonstrrations is interesting ... but somewhat not so substantial as long as you cannot point at some pro-war demonstrations of larger size.
Uh, isn't that statement, based on its own merit, bordering on nihilism? It is sort of pointless, at least on these forums, to make a nihilistic point to counter what you perceive as an interesting nihilistic point. It falls into the trap that milesce describes above.

As for Orwell. He is known as a novelist and essayist. Steven King writes about the boogie man but that doesn't mean he exists. Orwell wrote against Totalitarianism and Stalinism. That doesn't mean either exists in America.

Is there any big anti-war protests planned for tomorrow? For the most part, America will be celebrating America's indepedence. Which, in itself, was the result of a small war. But anti-war protests of this generation fall way short of the talented folks from the 1960s. "Yeah, I would go but I have to work the night shift at Starbucks and then go by Radio Shack to get that new cell phone". Its America's fault. Everybody has to work or study and don't have enough free time for such things as massive war protests of the scale we saw during the Vietnam Era.

I'm sorry. I grew up next door to the Hell's Angels, Black Panthers, and the Hippies. Today, anyone the same age as them that pretends to measure up to them, right or wrong, are a complete failure. "Turn on, tune in, and drop out", if you got a pair. Until then, we will just have to settle with NGOs convincing the press there will be 250,000 protesters converging on Washington D.C. and one young woman run over by an Israeli tractor made in America. BTW, and I don't mean to sound cruel, but did anyone notice the irony in having a benefit pancake breakfast for this unfortunate and misguided young lady a couple of years ago?