THE MARCH FOR LIFE: I went with the Oligarch and Russo. (I carried a sign with the URL of Pregnancy Centers Online, and later a different sign with the dates of the Dred Scott, Korematsu, and Roe v. Wade decisions and the words, “History Will Remember.”) I’d never been to one before. Random impressions: Several hours after we dragged our frozen carcasses to the WARM confines of an Armand’s pizzeria, I was still wondering if I’d ever stop shivering. It was amazingly cold. I was bundled up like a little polar bear, but still, oooeeeehhhh. …I guess that’s not the most important observation, but it was certainly the most memorable thing about the march!

There were some fringe characters and assorted weirdnesses, but frankly, there was a lot less of that stuff than at more or less any comparably large march I’ve attended. That was something of a surprise, just because protesting and marching tend to attract weird. There were lots of contingents of nuns, priests, and brothers, very awesome. Big Capuchins with big beards and big cloaks with big hoods. Lots of flags identifying different regions and churches (e.g. the St. Louis Archdiocese had a big banner). Banners definitely work better than signs on a windy day. Fun with Protestants: We ran into a group from the Oligarch’s area of Virginia, and one of the marchers asked us, “And where do you fellowship at?” Slight pause, Oligarch correctly translates this as “What church do you belong to?” and answers, but later notes wryly, “Yeah, I ‘fellowship at’ [St. X], except I go there alone, and I don’t talk to anyone!” Oh well. We also ran into Harvard Students for Life (and saw Princeton’s banner), so hey, Yale Pro-Life League, if you’re reading this, get off your rears! Do it for Yale!

The atmosphere of the march was quite strange. I mean, it had the camaraderie and enthusiasm you’d find at any vast rally–enhanced by the high spirits and half-giddiness brought on by the freezing weather, a sort of “snow day” atmosphere–but there was also deep sadness of a kind I don’t even remember from AIDS marches (which tended to be angrier–vigils are another story of course). You’d be alternately joyful to see so many people standing up for the unborn, and then saddened and depressed when you remembered what it was all about. So if you go next year–and you should, since, unfortunately, I’m sure it will be needed–be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.

The other thing making the march both fun and weird was the enormous swarms of teens, preteens, and assorted young folk. Honestly, I’d put the average age somewhere in the late twenties–even if you don’t count the little ‘uns whose parents popped ’em in the koala-bear-shaped Snuggli for the day. Tons and tons and tons of high school girls working out pro-life cheers (to the tune of “We Will Rock You”–could I make that up?) and flirting with high school boys. Lots of Catholic schools let kids off for the day and bus them into DC, and the kids were extremely enthusiastic; at least some of them seemed pretty well-informed about the issues, and all of them had that sweet, optimistic, evangelizing American openness, which can definitely be too much of a muchness but in small doses is a real tonic. There were also big Rock for Life and LifeMatters contingents. I imagine this was a big dating event.

At the end of the march, the Oligarch and I said a quick prayer at the Supreme Court building, and then hightailed it toward warmth.