Sure he is, he's got a uniform! 8^)
Posted on 10/18/2005 8:03:59 AM PDT by SmithL
Berkeley's Veterans Day ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 11, was abruptly canceled on Monday because the volunteer organizing committee split over the political content.
At issue was a proposal by the chairman, singer/songwriter Country Joe McDonald, to have Bill Mitchell, a co-founder of Cindy Sheehan's organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, as the keynote speaker.
Mitchell's and Sheehan's sons were killed in Iraq the same day.
Some committee members worried that Mitchell would inject an unwelcome note of partisanship into the event, which has been scrupulously non-political in years past.
"If you want to have an anti-war rally, count me in," said Linda Perry, an aide to City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. "But not on Veteran's Day. It's neither the time nor the place."
Edwin Harper, adjutant of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 24, which has participated in past Berkeley Veterans Day observances, threatened that his group would pull out.
"They have the other 364 days and 23 hours to make their political point," he said. "This one hour should be reserved for honoring veterans, period."
McDonald, backed by other members of the committee, disagreed, saying that not permitting Mitchell to express his point of view would be tantamount to censoring free speech.
"Their position was that no matter what he said, because he was a member of Gold Star Families, he wouldn't be allowed to speak," McDonald said. "I've been doing this for 10 years, and this is the first time content and affiliation ever came up for discussion. I was shocked to find this kind of narrow-mindedness in my own hometown, in Berkeley, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement."
Last week it appeared that a compromise had been reached, with McDonald agreeing to drop another proposal to include anti-war songs by the group Annie and the Vets.
But on Monday, McDonald circulated an e-mail among the committee reading, "The disagreement over the participation of Gold Star Families, with their anti-war reputation, in our 2005 ceremony has made it impossible to continue. Without consensus we have no program. The event is cancelled."
This would have been Berkeley's fourth annual Veterans' Day ceremony, but the event has its origins in a memorial ceremony nine years ago, when McDonald and then-Mayor Shirley Dean sponsored a visit of the traveling Vietnam Wall -- a.k.a. "The Wall That Heals" -- to Berkeley.
"There was no dispute over political content back then," said Perry's husband, Tim, another committee member. "But you have to consider the context: There was no war in Iraq going on back then."
Give Country-Joe McDonald an "F"!
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Good grief. Country Joe McDonald? A through and through lefty. I don't blame the veterans.
Country Joe...just another old washed-up hippie trying to recapture the rapture of the Vietnam days.
Sounds like there is a small glimmer of sanity.
He's no vetran.
So instead of cancelling the anti war speaker and going forward with the Veterans Day event, they cancelled the entire thing?
This actually made me laugh out loud. I can't even conceive of how these people can build a bridge between not having a lefty as a guest speaker and censorship. I'm speechless...
Puke your guts out ping.
"McDonald, backed by other members of the committee, disagreed, saying that not permitting Mitchell to express his point of view would be tantamount to censoring free speech."
This is where the liberals miss it so badly. The Constitution guarantees, the right to speak - it does not guarantee, the right to be heard. I agree with those who said the event is to honor veterans and Mitchell and Sheehan have 364 other days to put forth their message.
But .. I agree - Berkeley is a "People's Republic" and has been for many, many years.
They probably realized thet their constant hate mongering againt the military might not be timely or well received on Veteran's Day.
I haven't heard Country Joe McDonald's name since the 60's. Apparently he has not changed a bit. Still the selfish anti american little creep he always was. And I agree he gets an "F" for fool.
There's probably just a simple misunderstanding at the heart of this. Country Joe most likely thought he was buying into an event celebrating the sacrifices of the Viet Cong.
Country Joe McDonald as chairman of the Veteran's Day committee? Veterans shouldn't live in Berkeley.
That's like having the neo-nazis speak at the More Morons rally in DC.
Lefties hate, hate, hate the military. From any war. From any year. They just cannot stop themselves from pissing on the military, regardless of context.
Veterans -- like Edwin Harper -- DO live in Berkeley. It's a beautiful town, and apparently not TOTALLY overrun by Communists. I salute veterans like Edwin Harper, and other patriots who maintain their pro-American, pro-military stand in the face of overwhelming leftism. They're heroes. However, they should go ahead with the event minus Mitchell.
Sure he is, he's got a uniform! 8^)
Proof of this can be seen on PBS this week. Last night, they ran an anti-Vietnam piece, with 'veterans' saying it was all meaningless and extolling Madison, WI anti-war demonstrators circa 1967.
Tonight, they will be prosecuting Abu Ghraib for the zillionth time, complete with speculation on pervasive torture within our military. Right up Dick Durbin's and John McCain's alley.
The left aims to bring about defeat and disgrace for our military once again, as they did with Vietnam.
It seems only veterans work on Veterans' Day. So I would have missed it anyway.
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