Posted on 08/19/2005 9:34:17 AM PDT by WillMalven
Larry Chad Northern, a 59-year-old Speegleville, Texas resident was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for allegedly running over some of the makeshift crosses placed on the side of the road by anti-war protestors near the President’s Crawford, Texas ranch on Monday night.
Mr. Northern is identified as a Vietnam veteran and a realtor in Waco. Now as to his motivations, one can only offer conjecture. I would guess that, as a veteran of a war in which the sort of people with whom Cindy Sheehan is associating led anti-war protests and spat on soldiers as they returned from Vietnam, he was offended by their anti-war, anti-troop, anti-American protest. The leftist press felt it was very important to mention that he is “[a] gun enthusiast who has served as president of his local gun club.” How very predictable; for the press, they are not interested in what motivated him; they only want to make sure that the public knows that he is a “gun nut.” Well yes folks, there are a lot of people in Texas that drive pick-up trucks, and own guns; your point being? How completely irrelevant. Perhaps he is just a disgruntled member of the ACLU angry at the placing of 500 crosses on public property. The press is enthusiastic in their support of Cindy Sheehan’s campaign of lies and hatred, and denies the rights of anyone to criticize her because she is “the mother of a slain soldier.” If you don’t have a son or daughter in the service or killed in the war, then shut up, you don’t have the right to speak.
What a load of tripe. Does that mean that if you’ve never been a President of the United States then you can’t criticize the way President Bush is performing at his job? Hmmm, if you haven’t been the Commander in Chief then you can’t criticize him for the way he is running the war? I guess from that logic, Cindy needs to shut the heck up. She’s never been President, she’s never had to order troops into battle so how does she know what is the best thing for America? How dare she go down to Crawford and complain about the war in Iraq? Kind of stupid isn’t it? Those on the Left are very fond of touting their own right to free speech. The problem only arises when someone chooses to question their actions or words. Then suddenly that person is stepping over the boundaries of propriety. If you’re Conservative, then you are a “gun enthusiast” (doesn’t that send chills down your spine) or a redneck or cracker. If you’re a Red-state voter then you “drive pick-up trucks with Rebel flags on them.” On the Left-wing blogs they refer to him as drunk, cowardly, shameless, inhuman, a jackass, ignorant, “pathetic piece of crap.”
Therein lays the rub. The sad truth is that the left is the real party of intolerance. The most bigoted members of this society are the Liberals. If you don’t think as they do, if you don’t act as they do, then you are a lout, a clod, a...redneck. They dislike the philosophy and policy of this administration and the President so Bush is dumb, he’s a puppet being run by Rove and Cheney. Bush is evil, his “buddies are getting rich and feasting off the blood of our children.” Truly Cindy’s is the voice of compassion and tolerance. It is highly probable that this kind of constant hostility and hatred expressed by the voices of the Left are to some extent responsible for Mr. Northern’s actions. As a veteran, he is probably resentful of the lack of respect being shown for America, the President, and the troops who have been killed and injured in combat. Perhaps he was set off by the hypocrisy of those who put those crosses by the road. Since when is the left respectful of the display of the cross or the flag? Are we supposed to believe that these protesters are strongly in favor of displaying crosses on public property? Do they expect me to believe that they salute the flag when it passes by? Do they support the anti-desecration law to protect the Flag of the United States from being burned? Yeah, right, and I voted for Kerry.
These protesters have as much credibility as the New York Times or Dan Rather. They have no shame in using these icons to support their twisted agenda; icons which under any other circumstances they would deride and the use of which they would ridicule. The motives behind this whole thing are completely transparent. This has nothing to do with Casey Sheehan, they don’t care about the troops in Iraq, they have only two objectives and those are the removal of President Bush and the recapturing of the Congress from the Republicans. Of course they have learned their lessons now and they no longer spit on the troops, but only because that would give them bad PR. Today on Rush Limbaugh’s program a veteran called who went to Crawford to observe what was happening. He reported that he heard a group of these fine, caring, protesters accosting a mother and her daughter who were attempting to remove the cross of their loved one because they objected to the protest. Among the things shouted at them was the epithet, used to describe the fallen soldier, “murderer.” I remember that precise word being used again and again by the anti-war crowd in the 60s. Judging from that, it won’t be too long before they begin spitting again. They truly are a bunch of animals.
I don’t condone or excuse what Mr. Northern did, and he needs to suffer the consequences of his action. In acting on his impulse he overstepped the boundaries set by society and potentially endangered lives. On the other hand, I fully understand his reaction and his motives. I have great contempt for these protesters, they have never fooled me. One has only to look at their supporters to understand what their agenda is. It is unfortunate that Mr. Northern allowed himself to be trapped by their machinations.
When one is confronted by lies, distortions, and name calling, his best move is to refuse to acknowledge it. By refusing to lower oneself to their level, one can avoid these kinds of unfortunate incidents. Cindy Sheehan is entitled, according to the First Amendment of the Constitution, to continue her protest as are those who disagree with her. Hopefully there will be no more of these incidents, but those on the protest line should remember that when you are stirring the pot, eventually some of its contents are going to erupt from the kettle and spatter on you. Hatred begets hatred, and Cindy’s crowd is full of hatred. By treading all over concepts and ideals which a great many Americans hold in high esteem, they are demonstrating their contempt for their fellow citizens. Cindy, herself, by denigrating her son’s service is insulting the service and beliefs of troops and their families who believe differently from her. She should not be at all surprised if the reaction sometimes becomes violent. I suspect that she is aware of that, and in fact is using some of the inflammatory rhetoric recently heard coming from her camp, for that express purpose.
Consider why it is that the Left always brings out the worst in people, never the noblest? Why is it that the Left always seeks to lower the level of discourse, never raise it? Apparently it is born out of the intention to provoke angry responses for the MSM cameras. Cynical people deserve a cynic’s response to their pleas, and the Left abounds with cynical people. Left behind are the noble causes and higher calling of their “better angels.” All that remains is bitter, cynical, and hateful.
"Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try." Peggy Noonan
Jury Nullification.
I think Mr. Northern showed great patience and remarkable restraint...
He did much better than I would have...were I in his shoes.
imo
Running over a cluster of white crosses, whatever the motives of those who put them up, whatever the backstory, comes across on TV as desecrating a memorial. Not smart.
To understand what the public sees, we have to put ourselves outside of our argument. For instance, if there had been a protest outside of Clinton's retreat in Martha's vineyard over the Bosnian war, a Cindy Sheehan-type figure may have been feted by the same folks who are now complaining in Crawford.
Attacking folks like that only builds them up. We should always be respectful in public, even to those who deserve otherwise. NOT in deference to THEM, but as a tribute to our brave, resolute president, who has to face Sheehan and other dissidents every day, even on vacation.
"I believe you use 'feted' incorrectly."
Looks correct to me.
You're both right:
While "fete" means "an elaborate party",
"feted" means "paid high honor to."
I don't know?
It seems wrong with the reference to protesting - holding a vigil against Clinton and the use of the phrase 'the same people':
"feted":
Good, and thanks
I like it when we all get along :-)
When referring to Clintons, your both wrong, the proper word is fetid. ;-)
The real question to be asked is what did they do to cause him to act this way?
They need to understand his pain and ask themselves what they did which would cause him to act. After all, they are invaders to his homeland, there for reasons based on lies and greed. This act should be met with self reflection and not more needless violence.
I am sure that they probably hired this guy to further their own cause. I believe that this is some kind of conspiracy.
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