Hundreds Protest at the Pentagon
(Live on C-SPAN and Al-Jazeera.)
By Mark Kilmer Posted in War — Comments (35) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Who were these people? They were my fellow humans, as had to be, but I could not recognize them. Their faces, though some hinted at a pleasantness, were hidden behind masks of a clueless rage as they took to the stage. Those in the audience – hundreds, or maybe a thousand or so – some were similarly distressed, while others were cold. Their teeth chattered while they thought perhaps of what that cute guy was doing after math class or could he borrow the smart girl's homework. The many or several legit hippies in attendance might been wishing for a porta-potty.
They were there to protest. Everything. Get out of Iraq, was the standard, but we had to get out of anywhere. End the occupation of the Philippines, of Guam, of Korea, of the Panama Canal. I didn't hear anyone mention Okinawa, though perhaps this is because the place is so far away from Iraq. (Yes, that was a Murtha joke.)
One woman said we had to get out of Iraq and "pay reparations to the people of Iraq." But how can you repay a people for the removal of their beloved leader? You cannot, especially after they have killed him.
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When you took to the microphone, you had to have a chant.
U.S. Imperialists!
Number on terrorists!
Beautiful. We're so out of the Ivory Coast after that one. (Oh that one is French. You remember the imperial French, right?)
Get out of Mexico!
Leah Obias screamed for the Alliance for Justice and Peace in the Philippines. The C-SPAN caption called it, Alliance for Justice, Not War in the Philippines. I couldn't find a web site, therefore they must not exist in the 21st century. I've discovered that she's also a member of Network for International Solidarity for the People of the Philippines/Ugnayan, USA, but they don't have a web site, either. (That was her chant in blockquotes above, and she shrieked it about four times then quit.)
Bush and Oil! Halliburton!
Screamed. These people near the mic, almost every one of them, screamed at the top of their lungs. It's a good thing, as they had to reach the people all the way back to the rear of the gathering, about 25 yards away. I assume the sound system took care of that, though, and it certainly made for bad television. (I don't know if they regularly scream on Al Jazeera, though I imagine so.)
I had to take an aspirin, and I'm not making this up.
Some dude, an old guy they had flown in from somewhere, boasted that from where he was flown, the temp was 80°. He explained that wars do not occur in a socialist society, that greed and war were symptoms of capitalism. Capitalism, he said, had to be stopped.
Get out of Texas!
I thought of one of the contributors here at RedState. He was having a blast, watching the NCAA tournament, and just what was I doing to myself? I was going to write a nice post for RedState, but about what. I looked at my scribbles, and something caught my eye: "high-pitched shrieking." I had it, and that's what I'd write.
I understand the OSU-Xavier game was pretty good. (My Nits came within a shot of upsetting the Buckeyes and ending a 20 game losing streak this past season, but it didn't happen.) I wonder what the folks at al Jazeera think of NCAA basketball. I wonder if Leah Obias of those pre-21st century organizations or get-together coordinator Brian Baker of A.N.S.W.E.R. will watch at least the Final Four. (A.N.S.W.E.R. has a web site, one with a nice jpeg of Cindy.)
Get off of Neptune!
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Hundreds Protest at the Pentagon 35 Comments (0 topical, 35 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
This was not covered by C-SPAN, so I missed something poignant and true. You story is of the America I love, the America which can love.
...that many people in America aren't getting enough treatment for their mental health problems. That was their whole point... No?
I was out there today and was happy to see nasty looking bikers clad in black leather. This is our answer to the anarchists. It was great! Those wussy anarchists were faced down by grizzled veterans who weren't going to take any crap! I had to prove I was on their side just to get past a choke point near the Lincoln Memorial. Glad they were out there protecting the memorials before I arrived. They had key areas staked out.
FLRecounter
You were proud? Proud that a bunch of broken down old bikers were screaming profanities at crowds of peaceniks which included a lot of women, children and religious people who were greatly offended by the language? Proud that a bunch of thugs were flipping off and trying to call out a bunch of peaceniks? Man, that must have made you feel like such bad dudes! Proud that you prevented your fellow Americans from walking where they pleased? These same vets who complained that in Nam there were caught up in a politicians war with no real plan or chance for victory are now proud to be supporting another politicians war with no plan or chance for victory? Gimme a break. The very same people who took to the streets to end the Viet Nam war and saved a lot of your lives are taking to the streets to do it again. You shouted the same BS at us then and history proved us right. History will prove us right again and I hope it's your son or daughter that we save this time. And to all of you who will direct your vitriol towards me for this post I have the same answer to you that I've had for thirty years, Peace Man!
You had to prove you were on the right side of nasty looking black clad bikers to access public spaces in the US capitol?
That's like "Escape from New York" level of anarchy.
You want anarchy, look to Okinawa Jack and Miss Nancy and friends.
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Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged. — J. Michael Waller
Intimidating bikers preventing citizens from going to whatever public areas they want, to exercise freedom of speech and assembly, is wrong even if they are the "good guys."
There could have easily been a bunch of anti-war bikers who would intimidate the pro war counter-protesters from assembling, and that would be equally wrong.
Whatever stupid idea I have and feel the need to go to DC and hold up a sign to express, I think I should be from bikers telling me I can't do so and blocking chokepoints.
I think not, most of the major biker clubs were founded by vets.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Leathernecks (Marines) a couple specifically for Vietnam Vets, and other branch oriented clubs.
I actually have no problem with them being there to protect monuments from those who would deface them-after all, I am not really sure what the Vietnam or other war dead have to do with Iraq to the point that the memorial honoring them is defaced.
Also, while many of these bikers may "look" scary, most of them are very nice guys, patriotic and love their country.
Many bikers are veterans. The original biker gangs were formed by WWII/Korean war vets - usually fighter pilots who had a hard time assimilating into civilian life. Bikes provided an outlet for them. We see it today. The accident and vehicular homicide rates of vets who have seen hard fighting in Iraq have a much is astounding. They need to fill that rush of battle.
Bikersare not politcal, but maintain their military loyalty to their "brothers", love freedom and are usually patriotic. This is not new. Bikers routinely clashed with hippies in the sixties. I'm glad the bikers were there. Many of these Che Guevara worshipping radicals need a smack and a reality check.
do you have a citation for this statement?
The accident and vehicular homicide rates of vets who have seen hard fighting in Iraq have a much is astounding
I only say this because death, hospital admissions, and accident records don't reflect veteran status. When we look at accident/death rates of what we would expect to constitute the majority of veterans we find no evidence to support that contention.
For instance, the rate of motor vehicle deaths involving men aged 19-37 is lower than in was in 01 and 02 but is statistically unchanged since 1999. Between 2003 and 2005, inclusive, the actual number of males, aged 19-37, injured in motor vehicle accidents has decreased. The rate of non-fatal injuries is lower today than in was 2001.
If you check this bill introduced by Tom Harkin to improve suicide prevention among veterans you'll see they only count suicides of veterans receiving VA care and they studiously avoid giving enough information to allow a comparison to a comparable age cohort of all males.
In these instances, motor vehicle deaths and injuries, the number of non-veterans would have to substantially decrease in order to disguise an increase in veterans deaths and injuries as an overall decrease.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
from being defaced by the anti-victory group, as they had done during the last "antiwar" protest in DC and as they had threatened to do this time to the Vietnam memorial.
Last time they were allowed by the DC police to spray paint and deface public buldings and monuments. Since the police were not going to do their jobs and protect our national monuments, the bikers and other groups had pledged to defend them today.
And they did. Again, the bikers were part of a much larger group assembled to protect the memorials, not prevent people from carrying whatever moronic signs they wished.
The idea of anti-war bikers is quite amusing.
"The idea of anti-war bikers is quite amusing."
Why, that would be me and a whole buch of folks I know. Wanna meet behind the plaze and settle this?
that 30,000 eagles came together again to protect the memory of those brave Americans who earned their place on the Vietnam Wall.
No one prevented any anti-America American from assembling, just from desecrating the symbols of what it takes to have a free America; Americans willing to die to defend this great nation.
Hopefully, we will always have enough of them to overcome those who would destroy us.
It is common for the Park Service to grant 'event' or 'parade' permits to various groups, for limited periods of time, to occupy public areas in and around the Mall. It is also common for the police agencies (there are a number involved) to keep opposing groups separated so as to minimize the chances for, erm, unfortunate events. A group can even designate its porta-potties off-limits to "the other guys."
For a time yesterday, even the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a major public thoroughfare, was closed to traffic while the ANSWER protesters marched across. In a similar way, a small patch of grass at the Arlington end of the bridge was assigned to the Gathering of Eagles; the police kept ANSWER protesters away from that area.
The appearance of large numbers of leather-clad bikers in the memorial area was a mere addition to the way the Park Service had already divided the areas assigned to the opposing groups. Besides, any genuine non-protesting tourist was treated courteously by the bikers. And of course, leather-clad bikers are members of the public. If by amazing coincidence large numbers of them happen to congregate on the same day in and around certain memorials, well...
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
If you get that group motivated they come out of the woodwork from EVERYWHERE. They love to ride and have causes they strongly support. Protection of abused children, Toys For Tots and more. Veterans and MIA's are a big issue and they are passionate. You get a couple of thousand of em riding through town and it gets EVERYONE'S attention and yes if need be "mean and nasty". Oh, and Jane, the ones I know aren't like brother Peter.
Bad for some, that is. Drudge has a link to the Time {London] that refers to polls showing improvement in civilian morale, as well as faith in the success of the surge.
I would hope this would cause a gnashing of teeth in the circles of the peace loving enlightened but first it has to be noticed and then given a minimum of ten seconds thought. You can't interrupt self display otherwise.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
somewhere on democrat underground, kos or other planets, they are posting that diebold must have been involved.
I haven't heard that sean penn, saradon, asner, jagger et al were there. Must be on vacation.
G.O.E. website just announced National Park Service estimates for G.O.E. attendance at 30,000, an amazing number.
Personally I know of people who made the trip through the storm, from Loudon, NH, Hebron, Ct, and northern Tennessee.
During my trip south along the Jersey Turnpike, Delaware Turnpike, and the Maryland Turnpike during the height of the storm I estimated the frequency of autmobile wrecks at somewhere between between one wreck for every one to two miles of southward travel. 30,000 attendees was a magnificent achievement for such abysmal conditions.
Personally paying the toll for the Delaware Turnpike touched off the gag reflex for me since the Delaware Turnpike hadn't seen a plow since the storm began. Driving it meant negotiating through eight inch high windrows of slush on either side of each travel lane.
is right, Wolfgang, and the sacrifices required for many of them to be there are appreciated by us, who could not be there to protect our fallen comrades.
It's true that the great majority of the anti-war crowd seems to have been wack-job leftists who resent America and our military. But that's certainly not because everyone who opposes the Iraq war is like that.
The left-wing freaks who organized the event REFUSED to let normal, patriotic Americans speak who oppose war, such as Congressman Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan. These men show that it's possible to oppose the war and love America and our troops.
of Jack Murtha and John Kerry and be considered a "normal, patriotic" American who "opposes the war".
By and large, the anti-war movement is has nothing what so ever to do with the war, it is about politics. The Democrats in Congress are spineless, cowardly, CrapWeasels who could care less about US security interests. They voted for the war when it was expedient to do so and bailed out within days.
Your examples are simply the exception that proves the rule. And the rule is the same as it was in the '60's and '70's. The anti-war left are enemies of the state.
____
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged. — J. Michael Waller
than the time to oppose a war, if one wishes to, is before our nation goes to war. Once the troops are committed, one can either help us win the war or one can help the enemy. Helping our troops win, by not giving support to those who seek to defeat America, would have ended the Vietnam War long before
it finally ended. If the Democrats did not constantly reinforce the beliefs expressed by our enemies, that the Democrat leaders
will help them win,the Iraq situation would undoubtedly look completely different today also.
He is if he were in an inverse universe to this one.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
writing as I was during a break in the action this morning.
I suppose a case can be made for the normalcy of Pat Buchanan or Dennis Kucinich, but I haven't yet heard a good one.
is at least consistent. I would take him over Kerry or any of the other CrapWeasels in a heartbeat. I still wouldn't let him rake my yard for minimum wage, but he's the better than the rest.
____
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged. — J. Michael Waller
I have been to many of these "counter-protest" events. This one was different. Very different. There was a palpable sense among the folks on "our side" that we were not grossly outnumbered, as had always been the case in the past. If we were not as numerous as the bussed-in ANSWER types, we were very close. Maybe there were more of us than there were of them. It was hard to tell. It had never been hard to tell before.
This was also a new day for many of the protesters, who in the past had seen no evidence of any real dissent from their position. The looks on the faces of many of the college stoonts was one of absolute shock that substantial numbers of Americans actually support the War on Terror. Presumably, it is difficult to find such people on college campuses.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
from the young people regarding your numbers. I assume their organizers, mentors, controllers had told them that they were speaking for and with the vast majority of Americans. Their universe would allow no other conclusion.
Let us hope reality has caused a reevaluation and recalculation on their parts.
...came when the Veterans stationed on the 'Gauntlet', that area of the counter protest that faced the point the anti war protesters were to exit their enclave to begin their Pentagon march, started to chant as the anti war protesters began to exit "We Want Jane!". The chant volume began to drown out the noise from the anti war group's equipment. Priceless!
A couple of 'what ifs' crossed my mind on the way home yesterday.
What if this 'Jane' had been thrown into the milieu of the Veterans' gauntlet? The closest scene to what I would expect to happen is one of the opening scenes of "Jurassic Park" where the living, bleating, bovine is lowered to the creature inside the metal feeding container and what is retrieved shortly afterwards are only the tattered, shredded, remnants of the harness.
We saw the Veterans' political power in action during the 2004 election as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth torpedoed John Kerry's run for the presidency.
The effort by the Veterans culminating in yesterday's turnout was orchestrated over a short six week period, with minimal financial support. Contrast this with Code Pink's, aka Fenton Communications, aka International Answer, year of planning and almost unlimited financing.
We as a nation have been blessed by having the citizen soldier as one of our greatest national assets. In a time of turmoil and national distress we can call on their selfless, limitless service. The politicians can ask them to lay down their lives on the battlefield at the nations request and they will do so willingly and without hesitation. This nation's politicians have also in the past treated their lives callously and carelessly, treating the lives of some 57,000 dead Americans as inconsequential. The Veterans present on the Mall yesterday knew that this present crop of politicians, elected last November, are preparing to do this same thing again.
The citizen soldier can also be a two edged sword.
What if in the not too distant future, within the politically effective lifespan of these veterans, an unholy alliance should come to pass between the ChiComms and the Jihadis and a nuclear strike on the United States occur as a direct result. Add to this the possibility of sitting Democratic President, paralyzed like a deer in the headlights, unable to respond appropriately due to allegiance and obligation to the anti war Left. How would the Veterans respond to this paralysis? We've seen this paralysis with the administration of President "Because I Could" before, it will happen again.
by the at least 1000 veterans and their families that came to speak "truth to power" to pay to much attention to the moonbats. There was the vet in the wheelchair in front of us from Alabama with his wife waiting in the freezing cold to see the wall for the first time his stories were breathtaking. I will never forget today and I am a large part of a very grateful nation. We are the home of the free because of the brave.
Peace through superior fire power:)