[MAJOR UPDATE ON TOP] 150 anti-war protesters arrested- 0 counterprotesters broke the law and ZERO counterprotesters arrested.
Thousands of protesters marched Saturday from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war, leading to the arrests of at least 150 people.Many of the protesters were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over a barricade near the base of the Capitol. But some grew angry as police attempted to push them back using large black shields and a chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."
Before arriving at the Capitol lawn, the demonstrators marched on Pennsylvania Avenue holding banners and signs and saying, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."
Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.
At the Capitol lawn, some protesters lay down with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq.
The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other groups.
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.
"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she said. "It's time to shut this city down."
These supposed "peace activists" haven't a clue how to protest legally and stay within the law.
STARK CONTRAST.
The news just announced it was over 200 arrested!! I will look for a link.
[Updates below]
As Move America Forward, GOE, FreeRepublic, Eagles UpNameKnights and other pro-troops groups converge on Washington DC today, other groups like ANSWER (who we showed you yesterday stated they are prepared to commit acts of "civil disobedience" and to "get arrested") are there counterprotesting.
Michelle Malkin is also there covering this live, so keep an eye on her site as well...great pictures already from last night are up.
People are calling me from there this morning, MArthur has already sent me a couple of pictures this morning before thiings kicked off of people ready and waiting for the event to start.
A good picture snatched from Malkin's site to show you the theme, but go look for yourself, some of those are really great..
Bob from Gathering of Eagles is joined with some Eagles Up folks and the NamKnights at the Veterans memorials because of rumors from the anti-war crowd that threatened to deface the wall...AGAIN... here are a few examples of the things they do, which is why those threats are taken seriously. Here are some more examples of the "peace activists" and how "peaceful" they really are and how they truly do support the troops and love our country.
Bob said that although there were a few from the ANSWER crowd hanging around, nothing had happened so far..LOL No doubt, I mean really, with all the veterans standing watch over the memorials, who would really be stupid enough to attempt that now?
I will be updating this all day long as the phone calls and pictures come in.
Mihelle is live blogging the Gathering of Eagles at this URL.
Update 10:35am Eastern. The anti-Cindy Sheehans are here! Blue Star mom Deborah Johns: “Cindy Sheehan doesn’t speak for me. She has never spoken for me. And she will never speak for me! We are winning this war. Now let our troops finish their job!…We are not going to let the domestic enemies at home defeat us like they did [during the Vietnam War.]…No retreat, no surrender. Not now. Not ever!…We are not 50 red states or blue states. We are the United States of America…These colors don’t run.”
Debbie Lee, mother of the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq, Mark A. Lee, speaks. Describing her son’s heroism. “You can’t ‘take’ someone’s life who gives it…and Mark willingly gave his life….God redeployed Mark to heaven.”
Singer Diana Nagy performs.
***
9:45am. The Gathering of Eagles are on Madison Ave. and 7th in front of the Capitol. Melanie Morgan of Move America Foward and Kristinn Taylor of FreeRepublic.com have just addressed a growing crowd. A priest ends his invocation: “Surrender is not a word in our vocabulary.”
Larry Bailey and Chris Hill of Gathering of Eagles have welcomed the activists. Hill: “What happened in Vietnam will not happen to this generation.” Hill mentions a 9/11 survivor who brought a large American flag flying on stage. “That’s what we fight for.”
Hill pumping up the crowd: “All across the country people are yelling at the television sets when they see Code Pink. They are looking for us. Yell loud enough so they can hear us. Yell loud enough so our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan can hear us.” Crowd is chanting: “USA, USA, USA!”
“It’s time for us to yell back…We’re not taking it anymore.”
Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom:
“I figured I’d seize this opportunity to quote a man best known for his $400 haircut. He claims there are two Americas in this country. For once, he’s right. There are two Americas…on display here today.
One America here today to desecreate our war memorials…those who want to retreat from the battlefield teeming with Islamic extremists
On the other hand, there are those who are here to defend our memorials, who understand the threat we face. This America. Our America…We cannot let a bunch of sign-waving, slogan-chanting protesters…speak for us.”
Hegseth mentions the MoveOn.org ad. “Stand up to the voices of defeat and retreat….As an infantryman who fought over there, I understand the difficulties…al Qaeda has drawn the line in the sand…I understand that Gen. Petraeus is working with American soldiers, brave Iraqis, to turn the tide in Iraq…Americans are saying, ‘We want victory.’”
“History will judge us not by when we leave, but by what we leave behind…Tell Congress to have as much courage on Capitol Hill as our soldiers have on the front lines.”
Brad Blakeman of the newly-created Freedom’s Watch now addressing the crowd. “Message to Code Pink: There’s a new sheriff in town and we plan to be around a long time.”
Military of the Order of Purple Heart commander Henry Cook on stage welcoming the crowd.
Popular singer Lloyd Marcus performs, “Remember 9/11.”
[Update from Clyde]
Clyde from Gathering of Eagles just called me to report:
Gathering of Eagles have members along a four block area on the south side of the street on Constitution Avenue, flags held high and waiting to greet the "moonbats" that should be flowing through shortly.
About a dozen Gold Star families are there and have been speaking in support of the troops and of victory and in full support of the president.
Another group was holding a pro-support rally at the Navy Memorial on the north side of the street.
He will be sending me photos soon.
I see some modest coverage of todays event in the news.
From the AP 5 hrs ago:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of opponents and supporters of the U.S. presence in Iraq will converge Saturday in the nation's capital for a day of demonstrations.
The anti-war ANSWER Coalition is planning a rally at Lafayette Square, followed by a march to the Capitol and "die-in," where thousands plan to risk arrest by entering areas where they're not supposed to go.
Meanwhile, a groups that support the Iraq war are planning a rally of their own. Gathering of Eagles and Free Republic are set to meet on the Mall and line the protest route.
Wapo shows what we showed you yesterday, where the pro-support rallies are always peaceful, this is the type of things the anti-war protesters do and prepare for:
Organizers said at least 1,000 people had registered for the "die-in" at the Capitol. Most people registered online earlier in the week, but others did today at the site of the rally.
Those who registered were given a four-page handout instructing them to be "willing to risk arrest.'' In case they are arrested, the handout said, protesters should bring their medication and make sure they have eaten.
"You should eat prior to risking arrest,'' the handout said. "It may be several hours before you have access to food.''
Two counterprotest groups, the Gathering of Eagles, made up of Vietnam veterans, and the D.C. chapter of the conservative group Free Republic, led today's counterdemonstrations.
At the U.S. Navy Memorial, members of the Gathering of Eagles set up a command post in anticipation of counter protesters who planned to line Pennsylvania Avenue near 7th St. NW. Organizers said they plan to counter antiwar protestor's chants but had no plans for civil disobedience.
"It will be a lot of bull horns, a lot of 'singing God Bless America', " said Betty Kilbride, 48, of Arlington, a writer who described herself as supporting the troops. Deborah King-Lile, 55, of St. Augustine, Fla. said the Gathering of Eagles prided themselves on not being arrested at protests. "We just want a chance to show America we don't agree with the vocal minority."
The contrast couldn't be any more start between these two groups.
I will ask again... who are the "peace activists"?
[Update] Others that are also bringing news and reports on the Gathering of Eagles, Free Republic, Move America Forward and the pro-support rallies are:
Noblesse Oblige, The Conservative Revolution, And Rightly So, Victory Caucus, Sister Toldjah, Political Pistachio and many many more I will bring to you as I read them.
A couple pictures from the Victory Caucus link above:
Goes see the rest of the pictures.
More sites posting about this: (Via Technorati)
The Radio Patriot, ThirdWaveDave, Daily Pundit, Grassroots Conservative Majority.
Another picture emailed to me from Clyde:
Michelle Malkin hears the supposed "peace activists are throwing eggs at the veterans...yeah THEY support the troops huh?
More from Murdoc Online.
[Update] Malkin Update:
Update 5:00pm Eastern. Well, they came, they spewed, they cursed. Several thousand Soros marchers descended on the Capitol yelling “Fuck Bush” and “Fuck you” at Gold Star Families. As Capitol Hill police arrested the “die-in” participants, young peaceniks shouted “What does a pig look like? The Capitol police” and “Oink! Oink! Oink.” Others shrieked about “Fascism!” and gleefully performed “Sieg Heil” salutes. We’ll have video from the midst of the moonbats. Across from Taft Park, some anti-American demonstrators waving a large, upside-down American flag and pulling a coffin with Army boots got in a scuffle with Eagles. We’ll have that video of that as well.
It’s difficult to make any crowd estimates at this point. The Eagles were spread all along the protest/counterprotest route. From our vantage point, the Eagles were several thousand strong. And many will be back tomorrow and throughout the week lobbying on Capitol Hill. As Col. Harry Riley told me just now:
“We’re not going away.”
[Update] A few arrests at the protest and BIG SURPRISE, it is once again the anti-war protesters that get arrested!!!!
WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of protesters marched Saturday from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested least seven people who jumped over a barricade near the base of the Capitol. Nearly 100 officers were standing guard, and the protesters were arrested without a struggle.
To contrats this, Move America Forward has had 27 stops in 12 days covering over 3,000 miles and NOT ONE BROKE THE LAW and none were arrested.
Again I ask, WHO are the "peaceful" ones?
[Update] Bob from Gathering of Eagles emailed a note and some pictures for us:
Well, I had a pretty full day at the Vietnam Memorial. I met up with Dave Lewis and one the Maryland Chapters of the Nam Knights MC around 8:30 in the morning. They were given their assigned posts which included the wall and others close to the Wall. They were joined by other Nam Knights Chapters.
In all, the day went pretty well. Many tourists were able to visit the Memorials without being harassed by the moon bats. I would say that we saw a total of 8 from the ANSWER group but they either held their signs low or had them rolled up. They knew better than to try something.
Snooper and I exchanged phone calls during the day just to check on what the other was experiencing. Seems that Snooper witnessed the brunt of the action.
We were really pleased with the reaction from the visitors. Many knew why we were there and thank us. Several who didn't know asked. Their view of the ANSWER crowd was that they are anti-American.
In the next few days I will submit a piece about the Nam Knights MC. They are truly an amazing group of guys. I will be contacting Dave Lewis of the Nam Knights so I can be sure I have all the names correct.
Bob
Snooper from Take Our Country Back sent along his picture with Michelle Malkin, he seems to have enjoyed himself immensely.
His update from email:
I have checked and confirmed that moonbats jumped an Eagle and bit him.
A fight ensued.
COPS used tear gas and rubber bullets.
SO much for "the peaceful"
Animals, I swear!!!!!!
More from This Ain't Hell But We Can See It From Here.
More from Wapo and AP.
Screw Politically Correct B.S. is also discussing this.
Via the Barnyard, the MOST disgusting banner of the day:
Anybody still want to claim these sickos "support the troops"? Go ahead, I dare you to try.
Remember the "Code Pink" people. We will.
[Update] More pictures from Clyde, via email:
Another blog giving a firsthand account of the protests and counter protests, the Redhunter, with more pictures so go look.
[Update] Malkin has more pictures up and more to come at this URL.
More updates as they come in.
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