On this 27th anniversary of the eruption of Mount Saint Helens here in Washington State, slowly but surely another eruption seems to be brewing. Amid continuing protests against our fighting Radical Jihadists in Iraq and elsewhere, protesters are discovering they are not always welcome.
Those of us from the sixties era remember well the antics of that group of stinking hippies as they ‘marched’ everywhere chanting their infantile slogans and undermining the fight to keep the South Vietnamese people free. From where I stood it appeared they had carte blanche all over the country, save for the May 1970 Hard Hat Riot in New York City. There may have been other incidents of regular everyday Americans standing up to these misguided anti-war freaks, but I was out of the country with the U.S. Army and if there were any others, they did not garner the attention of that one point that America stood up to those who were slandering those of us serving in Viet Nam and elsewhere.
Fast forward to today and once again, we are embroiled in what the left has succeeded in making another unpopular war. No war is really popular, just necessary. But that is beside the point.
All over the country we see these aging hippies, their offspring and other cowards repeating what they felt was successful in bringing about the end of the war in Viet Nam, although in reality, they prolonged it at the cost of nearly 40,000 of the 58,000 American Service Members lost there. From coast to coast, sea to shining sea, we see reports of their cry of “peace and pacifism” and from what is reported in the lamestream media of today, they once again are receiving carte blanche in their quest.
Not so, my friends.
In February 2003 Anti-war protesters lost their bid to hold a march near the U.N. building. A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it could find no errors in a lower court judge's ruling earlier denying them permission to hold their march. U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones concluded the city's response was appropriate in "this time of heightened security."
As one would expect, the New York Civil Liberties Union cried, "This is a stunning blow to democracy, to the liberties we all thought we could rely on, even in times of hostility.” Donna Lieberman, representing the ACLU, called the ruling "an attack on the very values our country was built on and is supposed to be defending."
The earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones said, “the city's need to protect the public outweighs the right of demonstrators to proceed with plans to march past the U.N. or to march at all.”
Of course, we cannot forget the reception anti-war protesters received this past March 17 in Washington D.C. when they were outnumbered nearly three to one by Veterans and others countering their usual rudeness.
On May 5, 2007 the sleepy little Oregon Coastal city of Newport held their annual ‘Loyalty Day’ Parade. Invited to be in the parade by Lincoln County Democrats was a group from the fringe group, Veteran For Peace, who showed up with a large bus that had signs painted on it saying, Veterans For Peace, Stop the War and American Made Biodiesel Gets Zero Soldiers Per Mile.
Much to the chagrin of these lefty’s, parade officials denied them access to the parade with their bus, sparking outrage by the protesters and now calls for boycotts of the community of approximately 10,000 and their businesses, drawing about 400 signatures on their nationwide petition.
My thanks and congratulations to the community of Newport and rest assured, if 400 won’t ever return, a few thousand right-hearted Americans and Veterans will.
On a similar note, anti-war cretins were dealt another blow in Federal Courts today when District Judge Charles Brieant ruled West Point Can Ban Anti-War Protests on the grounds of the long established United States Army Academy.
Protesters had petitioned the garrison commander for permission to protest the graduation speech scheduled to be given by vice-president Dick Cheney on Saturday May 26, Memorial Day weekend. Protesters claim Cheney is likely to speak in support of the war in Iraq and they should be allowed to express an opposing view.
Uh, did I miss passage of the leftists ‘un’fairness doctrine somewhere?
Colonel Brian Crawford, garrison commander of West Point said, “protests had never been allowed on the grounds and could be inconsistent with the military mission and can detract from the good order, discipline, security, morale or loyalty of the soldiers."
The Democratic Alliance of Orange County spokesman, Michael Sussman says the ruling will be appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for arguments to be heard in Manhattan on Wednesday or Thursday.
Since West Point is an active Military Post, I cannot fathom a Federal Judge, other than maybe the excessively liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California, ruling that members of the Military must be subjected to those who will denigrate and ridicule their chosen profession. If a judge rules in favor of the protesters against West Point, I can see a pandora’s box of protests on Military Posts across the nation and that cannot be tolerated. Of course, time will tell.
Since the time of our Civil War, those opposed to our country and it defending itself have been speaking out. For the most part they were ignored or silenced until the 1960’s when they effectively and with the aid of powers opposed to the United States turned public opinon against the war and those fighting it.
Four decades later they are doing it again, but it appears that honest hearted citizens and communities are slowly standing up against these miscreants and their deceit of pacifism.
Is it possible that finally, a slumbering giant is starting to stir awake? I certainly hope so!
Lew
Well said, ever notice how well spoken our veterans are?
This is not Vietnam and good, decent people will no longer sit back and watch our troops lied about and demoralized..
For every person that would demoralize our fine soldiers, we will counter them with 10 that will give our troops the moral support they need.
For every protest there will be a counter protest.
This morning I found an email from an American Citizen asking me if I could help them find the Conneticut Coordinator for the a rally the Gathering of Eagles will be holding, I hunted and found the dates, locations and names as well as the phone number for the coordinator... this will be his first rally, but not his last.
Everyday more and more extraordinary Americans are standing up to have their voices heard, to counter the screeching shrill voices of the anti-military.
Did you notice at the protests against Pelosi and Baghdad Reid the other day, (sponsored by Move America Forward and opposeReid.com)3 locations, live surrender monkeys and American flags held high, not one arrest, not one incident and they damaged nothing.
Unlike the protests from the anti-war crowd, the "peace people", where people get out of hand and get arrested, buildings get spray painted in acts of vandalism and those supposedly peaceful people spit at our injured veterans.
Even the chimps (surrender monkeys) at the Pelosi/Baghdad Reid protest had more class and were better behaved than our supposed peace loving anti-military, anti-American war protesters.
Things are, indeed, different this time.
The veterans that were IN Vietnam the last time are home now and they as well as hundreds of thousands of every day Americans, like me, will not tolerate our soldiers being disrespected. This time we are rising and more and more that watch the differences between the two groups are now standing up, stepping to the plate and letting their voices be heard, loud and strong.
WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND THEIR MISSION.
.