AFTER ACTION REPORT: RALLY FOR THE TROOPS II RICHMOND CINDY'S DITCH TOUR STYMIED BY LOCAL FREEPERS

09-20-05 | flora mcdonald

[Flora McDonald]

GottaLuvAkitas1 and I arrived at the FReep location (the VA Army National Guard Recruiting Center in downtown Richmond)at the same time as one of the VCU College Republicans. We quickly realized that the office was vacant! They had moved and there were 2 small For Rent signs in the front window. Justanobody drove up and there were now four of us.

After a phone call we found out the actual location but meanwhile the Veterans For Peas had arrived. We attempted to cover the For Rent signs with our bodies while one of the men unrolled a long plastic banner on the sidewalk in front of us.

"Come over here and help me hang this up", he said. Maybe he was one toke over the line but our signs, flags and balloons should have been a dead give away. I told him no, his banner was disgusting, crap in fact.

Meanwhile one of the womyn discovered no one was home. Several of them rushed for cell phones then came back and asked us where the Recruiting Office had moved to. Despite the heat, the aging hippies and Guitarzan we didn't break and the location remains a secret to this hour.

As the Ditch People gathered they lined up in front of us to block us from view so we quickly moved in front of them and stood on the curb where our signs could be seen to better advantage. We had arrived first and in our lovely town, no permit is needed for peacable assembly.

Mr. McDonald, some young adults & students, Mrs. Moose4, and a family with 2 boys arrived to fill the ranks.

One of the protesters whipped out a huge bullhorn and started to yell into it.

"This is going to be great!" I thought. While I was trying to decide whether to crank up the bagpipe music or Metallica's Puppetmaster, a very upset man came out of the studio next door and said they were doing a live Spanish radio broadcast. No noise please!

A bit later a couple of the womyn with the Ditch Tour had made themselves comfy leaning on a very nice auto, putting their drinks on the roof and placing signs around it. Somehow they set off the car alarm (a loud honking one). A very upset man (especially when he saw the stuff on his car) came out of the studio and drove off squealing tires leaving a lot of rubber behind.

Guitarzan showed up and only played one tune. He effectively drowned out the voice of an 89 year old retired Air Force protester who was being interviewed at the time. The reporter seemed quite disappointed by this and mentioned it on air later in the afternoon.

Ironically this same reporter talked about what a quiet group the protesters were and how clean and concerned they were. That made me smile since several of them were in a crowd screaming the F word and other vulgar chants outside the Jefferson Hotel when Dick Cheney came to town.

It was a great encounter, we stayed on message and it was fun.

Oh, I almost forgot, Cindy was a no-show and the protesters were heard asking what happened and where she was so I was able to tell them in a resonating voice:

CINDY'S IN GITMO! ALL YOUR BUS ARE BELONG TO US!

(thanks to the FReeper i stole that line from)

[Flora McDonald]

Turning the thread over to GottaLuvAkitas1, justanobody and Mrs. Moose4 (I forgot your FReeper name! It was great to FReep with you today!)

[Flora McDonald]

PING!!!

[church16]

You guys/gals rock!!! I am deploying in a few weeks, thank God someone has our back in this country. Give as good as you get! Thank you for taking the time to show these clowns that they may be loud but they don't represent much more than themselves.

[Flora McDonald]

It's the least we can do for you guys. You are all our sons and daughters.

I read your homepage and I gotta tell you. The humor on this site is what keeps me coming back. Not to mention some super people.

God bless.

[Earthdweller]

This needs to be nominated for the Funniest Freeps hall of fame!

BAHAHAHAHA!!!

[Flora McDonald]

Dontcha just love it when a plan comes together?

[MEG33]

Stay safe..Thank you for serving our country!

I love this place,too!

[MEG33]

Flora..This is priceless..Love you guys for doing this!

[martywake]

Holy Crappolla Batman! Cindy Sheehan is still a topic?
Seriously though, since this woman obviously has no real productive vocation who is paying for her to get Freep'ed all over the country?
God bless all you guys.

[zip]

Way to go, Flora and all. Isn't this fun?

Thank you for being there for all of us.

[Deetes]

Thanks .... Bump ! ;-)

[Flora McDonald]

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Richmond Times Dispatch

War protesters rally in Richmond
They are part of national tour led by activist mother Cindy Sheehan
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, September 20, 2005

A lunchtime anti-war demonstration in downtown Richmond yesterday drew as many pro-war supporters as protesters.

About a dozen participants in the nationwide "Bring Them Home Now" tour stopped in front of the Virginia Army National Guard office at 304 W. Broad St.

The tour, with stops in more than 40 cities, is an effort to convince President Bush to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq.

Participants were met by a counter-protest of about a dozen people, who waved signs supporting Bush and the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

(snip)

Michelle DeFord, an Oregon resident who has been with the tour since it left Texas, lost her son in Iraq on Sept. 25, 2004.

(snip)

DeFord became active in the anti-war groups soon after her son's death.

"I know this is what he would have wanted me to do," she said. "I think his life was wasted . . . We need to go after the people who are responsible for 9/11, and some of them are in the White House."

Just a few feet away, Todd Vander Pol waved a sign supporting the war. So did his two sons, 9-year-old Harrison and 14-year-old Mitchell, and his wife, Jill.

"We feel strongly that the war needs to be finished, that the president is absolutely right in finishing the change of leadership for the Iraqi people," said Vander Pol, a Hanover County resident. "The president has been very supportive of others' rights to voice their opinion. Our opinion is that we support him."

(snip)

[PROUDAMREP]

Stay safe out there.

[Flora McDonald]

who is paying for her to get Freep'ed all over the country?

Halliburton signs my paycheck. I think Karl Rove signs hers.

[Flora McDonald]

justanobody brought the most awesome signs and has quite a story to tell. She has been working non-stop on FReeps both at home and abroad.

GottaLuvAkitas1 called in a local radio station and gave them the "right" side of the story. Superb job.

I just stood on the curb and bellowed every now and then. One line that consistently shut them up was:
AL QAEDA LOOOOOOOOOOOVES PEACE PROTESTERS!
another was
CINDY SAYS BRING THE TROOPS HOME...FROM NEW ORLEANS NOOOOOOOWWW!

[3IDVET]

Thank You for your courage, standing strong in ugly face of America's enemy... I send a big HOOAAHH out to all the Frprs involved in this Operation..

3IDVET

[catfur]

CINDY'S IN GITMO! ALL YOUR BUS ARE BELONG TO US!

Just love the response. Fanfrrepintastic for all of you.

Nothing does the heart so good as a FReep well done.

Thanks for the after action report.

[catfur]

er the word is correctly spelled FANFREEPINTASTIC

[Bahbah]

Great report. Many thanks.

[johnny7]

“ALL YOUR BUS ARE BELONG TO US!”

LOL!... leave it to a FReeper!