Posted on 03/20/2004 5:58:13 PM PST by wolicy_ponk
NRT's Report- Wolicy_Ponk, radu and Mr. radu; wardaddy with sweet virginia and their future Freepers, Reformed Beckite and myself had a great time standing tall for our service people and representing the face of civilized conservatism this Saturday while a few hundred A.N.S.W.E.R.-sponsored “Stop the War” activists marched by. Hippies and beatniks, obviously gay couples, misled elderly people: you name it and they were represented. Ragtag as we were, none of their parade stepped beyond the point of casting a few verbal barbs. Some looked downright ashamed to be seen by us as they walked behind the strange neo-tribal drummer and his chanting comrades who shared the same glazed expressions.
Time and again middle aged fellows stopped to tell us that they were also veterans and supported the troops. We did not shame them; we responded that no one wants war and we’d also prefer a peaceful world where our loved ones weren’t facing danger. This seemed to surprise a few who may have been led to believe we breakfasted on babies and were looking at them for lunch. We also supported their right to express themselves while pointing out why they have that right.
Nashville’s Channel 2 News got the jump on me for some stumbling comments. Fox 17 got far better responses from wardaddy that hopefully make up for that, so catch their broadcasts today if you can (he’s just that good). The Tennessean newspaper reporter took down a lot of notes; hopefully she will publish a fair and unbiased account.
Freeper wolicy_ponk saved the day by coming prepared with extra flags and signage, even giving a few American flags to some passing skateboarders. Not only does he fight fires in his hometown, he comes through for folks on his spare time.
I especially thank Mr. John Smith (real name), a non-member who came out on his own all the way from Clarksville to support the troops when he heard about the liberal’s march.
One of their protestors stopped to inform us that we surprised them with our open and friendly manner. Apparently a group of religious types on their opposite side got physical and had to be restrained by law enforcement. We made sure he knew we had nothing to do with that.
While it would have been great if more people would have attended I feel we more than made up for that on a quality versus quantity basis. Don’t flame us too badly if we get a hatchet job from the media; we did our best.
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Wardaddy's Report-
Quickie on the Counter Freep today in Nashville...kudos to New Rome Tacitus for the alert!
There were maybe 150 A.N.S.W.E.R. protestors here in Nashville today. They appeared to be about 85-90% professional protestors doing the circuit. Sort of a Deadhead/Rainbow People/Burning Man/Queer Nation bunch. There may have been 10-15% locals including a few Vandy lefties and a handful of conventional liberals.
We had a rather small group of FReepers to counter at the courthouse. There were about 10 of us including spouses. The marchers were fairly antagonistic and hostile which I always find comical since they constantly shout their peace and love histrionics. We all kept our cool and got some pretty fair media attention (I hope) including local FOX of course.
I confess I was surprised at the obvious ragtag professional agitator status of nearly all the marchers. I really expected more local normal looking folks. These folks looked mostly like young know nothing anarchists dopers, aging hippie dopers and a fair amount of fat lesbian couples and a few homosexual couples and a handful of normal looking "yellow dogs". And one or two blacks in the bunch in a city that's 20% black.....that tells you something about this gang.
We all got a lot more honks than they did and the police gave subtle sympathy nods our way.
My main point in the interviews aside from support for out troops and president was to plead with the local media to take a look at the sponsors of the marchers and to report on that.
I did get several reporters to admit to me that "yes, they did look like outsiders and chronic agitator types". The fact that the national media treats this "movement" like a real grass roots swell angers me. It is anything but that. It is the same old bastards we have been dealing with since Trotsky behind this.
Man, I am so glad I don't live in Santa Cruz or Eugene or Cambridge where I'd have to look at them all the time. IN Nashville, if we avoid Tower Records at Vandy or the coffee shoppes around Vandy or Belmont...we will rarely encounter the unwashed naive idiots.
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My report (Wolicy_ponk)
WKRN put footage with the images of our American flags (I knew they were ours because they had my 3/4" PVC poles with caps) with the anti-war protest segment.
Radu and I made the 5 o'clock news.
She stated that we were there to support the troops.
I was identified as 'Ben Freeping' and they did use the best part of my comments "They aren't anti-war, they're just anti-bush."
I almost wet myself from laughing so hard.
I wonder what the Tennessean will have about it tomarrow since the gal from there spent some time speaking to wardaddy and me and took copious amounts of notes. Oh well. That's about it, NRT and Wardaddy have said it better than I could with probalbly fewer words. I wish that we had some more people there too, but as a wise man once told me, 'It isn't Christmas every day'.
You guys that were able to make it did an OUTSTANDING JOB. I was proud to stand with each of you.
Salute.
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Oops, I almost forgot the obligatory comic relief photo:
The "Usual Suspects"
In Memphis Many held signs. "Fund schools, not war." "Stop mad cowboy disease." "War is not the answer." One man wore his feelings on his T-shirt: "Stop Bush."
"Cowgirls in the Sand" by Neil Young....LOL
It was luck. Actually a blind date on 9-19-98. Fortunately some women don't have to have Dash Riprock..lol
Thanks NRT. You are on the money....fear of leaving yer children is far worse than fear of dying...for me anyhow.
Wardaddy should have been on the TV news reports, too. He's an excellent interviewee.
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