Under partly cloudy skies and intense sunshine last Wednesday, much of the crowd fell silent, and peripheral activity seemed to stop as a group carrying placards calling for an end to the war in Iraq and the impeachment of President Bush passed in the street.

Some people gave the peace sign and even cheered. Other observers of the Fourth of July parade in Chanhassen were silent. The parade walkers included members of Veterans and Peace and Citizens for Peace, two groups that oppose the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq.

One man watching the parade could not contain himself. Shouting insults at the walkers, like ‘Deserters’ and ‘Losers,’ he followed them for about one block.

John Varone, a Chaska resident and president of the Minneapolis chapter of Veterans for Peace, was walking in the parade and commented on the incident several days later.

“He was an embarrassment to himself and to those around him,” Varone said. “I felt bad for the citizens that had to watch that man. That was terrible.”

But not everybody thought so.

“As he walked back to his spot, some applauded him,” remarked one parade observer. 

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