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Notes from a Pro-War Rally
Hundreds? Try one hundred...
About the pro-war rally today:
First of all, if they say so, there were not "hundreds"; there was barely a hundred. Second of all, why is a rally of "hundreds" of people news, even if it's San Francisco? A hundred people is about the size of a small breakaway protest in SF, or a small antiwar rally in Tulsa that was never on the news at all. Thirdly, not even all the supporters were supporting it that much. I talked to several of them and was very surprised. One guy who was a Vietnam vet agreed with some of what I had to say and eventually admitted he had voted for Nader. One guy who was wearing a sticker advertising the local right-wing radio station and had been in the Gulf War eventually started agreeing with so much of what I and others were saying I thought maybe he had changed his mind, and he had a lot of good things to say to, not one of which was pro-war. One guy who was talking like a left-winger said he was a libertarian (although he was on umemployment) and opposed to Social Security and abortion. One guy later called him a communist. I had some fascinating conversations and it was a bizarre scene.
At the end of it there were about 15 people on one side of the street supporting the war and less than 10 on the other side against it. I was sitting with the pro-war folks joking around with one of them. There was also, bizarrely, a convention of Mary Kay ladies at a convention near us. They were wearing purple outfits and were at one point in the middle of the road. I said to someone, "The Mary Kay ladies are in the middle of the road. Which way are they going to go?" And that's a good question for this confrontation.
Another point; if there were about a hundred prowar folks and 20 protesters, that means that a there was one antiwar protestors for 5 prowar folks. And a lot of them sounded pretty damn liberal to me. Almost everybody, from both sides, had either been in the army or had a brother or cousin there. I still don't know what the Mary Kay ladies thought.
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Protesters listen to speeches at a rally at San Francisco's Civic Center to support U.S.-led war against Iraq March 29, 2003. Hundreds of people rallied in San Francisco on Saturday to show support for U.S. troops in Iraq in a city that has been home to perhaps the most active U.S. anti-war movement. Photo by Tim Wimborne/Reuters
For more information:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...
As a proud member of the SFPD I was honored to drive by and give them a honk and a wave in my black and white.
Finally some common sense in this city.
And they got just as much attention and media time as the anti-American protesters without pissing people off.
Time to rethink your strategy?
Finally some common sense in this city.
And they got just as much attention and media time as the anti-American protesters without pissing people off.
Time to rethink your strategy?
Being anti-war doesn't mean that you are anti-American nimrod.
<And they got just as much attention and media time as the anti-American protesters without pissing people off.>
that 150 silly flag-wavers get as much press as tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators says a lot about the "leftist" media.
that 150 silly flag-wavers get as much press as tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators says a lot about the "leftist" media.
one thing we might all remember is that the white house and it's current inhabitants, through the chickenshit media, are betting on the fact that the populace can't see the difference between disagreeing with the war-it's architects & apologists and publicly condemning the troops.
i'm against the war, (mostly because it 's the wrong enemy at the wrong time) and want to bring an end to it as well as to the illegitimate president and administration BUT i have no such ill-will towards the troops as individuals. in fact, i'd like nothing better than to see them all return home and live long, happy lives.
unfortunately, it is being projected that "anti-war" = "anti-troops",
and this is why the people are coming out in the streets, waving flags and attempting to send a message to (most likely) their loved ones and friends on the ground, sea and air in and around Iraq.
i watched a recent local news (SF)interview i with the flag-wavers in Fremont, CA and one woman said she had "no comment" on whether she supported the war or not. she only said that " i want our troops to know we haven't forgotten them, that we care about them and want them to come home safely as soon as possible"
there's nothing wrong with hoping for the well being of young people in a dismal situation in a far away land. there IS something wrong with assuming those sentiments = "support for war", which is what hawkish spinmeisters are trying to imply. just as they are then attempting to spin that false assertion's false opposite: that
protestors therefore do not wish our troops well, on any level.
it's an old game and we should all have articulate rebuttals flowing off our tongues for such morons (who believe WE are the morons) who wish to obscure the truth of the matter.
pax et lux,
shine-a-man
i'm against the war, (mostly because it 's the wrong enemy at the wrong time) and want to bring an end to it as well as to the illegitimate president and administration BUT i have no such ill-will towards the troops as individuals. in fact, i'd like nothing better than to see them all return home and live long, happy lives.
unfortunately, it is being projected that "anti-war" = "anti-troops",
and this is why the people are coming out in the streets, waving flags and attempting to send a message to (most likely) their loved ones and friends on the ground, sea and air in and around Iraq.
i watched a recent local news (SF)interview i with the flag-wavers in Fremont, CA and one woman said she had "no comment" on whether she supported the war or not. she only said that " i want our troops to know we haven't forgotten them, that we care about them and want them to come home safely as soon as possible"
there's nothing wrong with hoping for the well being of young people in a dismal situation in a far away land. there IS something wrong with assuming those sentiments = "support for war", which is what hawkish spinmeisters are trying to imply. just as they are then attempting to spin that false assertion's false opposite: that
protestors therefore do not wish our troops well, on any level.
it's an old game and we should all have articulate rebuttals flowing off our tongues for such morons (who believe WE are the morons) who wish to obscure the truth of the matter.
pax et lux,
shine-a-man
I'm proud of the fact that I get paid to bash innocent people's heads in. My job is every redneck's dream! I also like that I never have to do any thinking on my job whatsoever.
They show up by the hundreds. We show up by the hundred thousands.
Way to go, Me. Whenever we conservatives don't have anything intelligent to say, we can always resort to generalizations and juvenile name-calling. Good job! You put about as much thought into that response as you did coming up with your handle.
Those who have recently equated being pro-war with being pro-troops should investigate the following:
a. The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee voted to cut
$25 billion in veterans benefits over the next 10 years.
b. The Bush administration proposed cutting $172 million from
impact aid programs which provide school funding for children of
military personnel.
c. The administration ordered the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to stop
publicizing health benefits available to veterans.
http://www.veterans.house.gov/democratic/press/108th/3-13-03budget.htm
Also: up to 40% of our homeless have been estimated to be veterans; huge numbers of our veterans are suffering from "Gulf War Syndrome" after having been exposed to depleted uranium and bio/chem weapons discharges.
Let's see all you chicken hawks support our troops by requiring support for them after they return from your wars of choice.
a. The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee voted to cut
$25 billion in veterans benefits over the next 10 years.
b. The Bush administration proposed cutting $172 million from
impact aid programs which provide school funding for children of
military personnel.
c. The administration ordered the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to stop
publicizing health benefits available to veterans.
http://www.veterans.house.gov/democratic/press/108th/3-13-03budget.htm
Also: up to 40% of our homeless have been estimated to be veterans; huge numbers of our veterans are suffering from "Gulf War Syndrome" after having been exposed to depleted uranium and bio/chem weapons discharges.
Let's see all you chicken hawks support our troops by requiring support for them after they return from your wars of choice.
I actually addressed the chickenhawk question with a few "pro-troop" people. Most of the young guys I spoke to had a reason for not being in the military; either they've already been there, or they're too old. One guy who was very passionate about the war, very young, and looked like he was already in the military said he couldn't serve because he has two felonies. I'm sorry, but I've managed to get through life without getting a single felony, much less two. Some of the antiwar protestors have been arrested, a misdemeanor if not just dismissed. A few guys asked me why I had never served in the military. Some response to a 31-one-old woman who is obviously not inclined to that. First of all, there are still not many women in the military and they're not generally expected to be. Secondly, I'm almost too old. I asked a knot of pro-Bush types and protestors what the upper age for recruitment is, and nobody knew.
Someone even asked a 40-something woman why she had never been in the military. He also said that if had not been for the US in WWII, she would have been a bar of soap. So he sees a woman, judges her within 30 seconds to be Jewish, and proclaims her a potential bar of soap. He was also, of course, military age, but this time I didn't ask.
Someone even asked a 40-something woman why she had never been in the military. He also said that if had not been for the US in WWII, she would have been a bar of soap. So he sees a woman, judges her within 30 seconds to be Jewish, and proclaims her a potential bar of soap. He was also, of course, military age, but this time I didn't ask.
And all that fun for 100k a year...beats working for a living...
LOL LOL LOL LOL
LOL LOL LOL LOL
Do you always respond to your own posts?
No disrespect to anyone, but I think the reason why there was only a few hundred ralliers for pro-war was because many don't care to go, since the war is already happening...
But don't you think that that would make the rally stronger, seeing that the troops are in danger and some of these guys think that the protestors are anti-troops, don't want to see them come home alive?
no matter how hard they try, red-white-and-blue KSFO-listening IGNORAMUSES can't explain why so few attend their pathetic war-festivals. I'll tell them:
support for your war is four inches wide and a half centimeter deep. at best.
support for your war is four inches wide and a half centimeter deep. at best.
At one point I actaully thought you had a brain. You have now proven me wrong. Do you really believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans don't support our President and these actions? Come -on now, You love to quote, out dated, out of contex, off the wall resourses, which resourse told you that?
Do you ever leave the Bay Area? Have ever traveled this Country? Maybe you should.
I would love to hear your response but as usual when a post tells the truth about the war support, it is deleted.
Do you ever leave the Bay Area? Have ever traveled this Country? Maybe you should.
I would love to hear your response but as usual when a post tells the truth about the war support, it is deleted.
Please, don't think aaron will respond to any point you make. His ideology won't let him see the truth. As far as he is concerned, the Iraqi people are not happy to be liberated; the smiling faces, cheers, kisses and hugs we see coming from the Iraqis to US troops are propaganda from the CIA, and from its media arm, CNN, BBC, ABC, etc.
And the 70% of the people that support the war, don't really mean it. Only aaron and the people who block traffic and break laws are really sincere. Aaron and his crowd of pro-fascist, pro-Saddam demonstrators know what's best for Iraq, even if they never left the marijuana cloud that surroungs his neighborhood in SF.
And the 70% of the people that support the war, don't really mean it. Only aaron and the people who block traffic and break laws are really sincere. Aaron and his crowd of pro-fascist, pro-Saddam demonstrators know what's best for Iraq, even if they never left the marijuana cloud that surroungs his neighborhood in SF.
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