Vets Arrested Trying To Remove Peace Display

Milwaukee Channel.com ^ | Nov.12, 2005 | AP

[radar101]

Five veterans were arrested and taken to jail Thursday night after ignoring police orders not to touch flags planted by an anti-war group.

The five were charged with criminal trespass after they attempted to pull up the 2,000 white flags in Waterville, Maine's Veterans Memorial Park. The flags represented the 2,000 U.S. soldiers killed in the war in Iraq.

The group Waterville Area Bridges for Peace and Justice called the display an important visual reminder of the lives lost.

Waterville Police Chief John Morris, who is a Vietnam veteran himself, said the group had a legal permit to place the flags in the public park.

The veterans said the flags were planted in "sacred ground."

Morris said, "I spoke to them as a veteran and suggested that legitimate veterans' organizations do not resort to civil disobedience to make their point. I warned them, very carefully, that they were not allowed to do destructive behavior on these flags. If they did, we would have to ask them to leave the park. If they refused to leave the park then we'd have to arrest them, and that's what happened."

The five veterans were booked at police headquarters and released after paying $40 to the bail commissioner.

[Cagey]

I don't think they should be removed. In fact, I totally understood where RA was coming from when he said he had served this country to protect freedom and that included the freedom for people to protest.

And he did come around and agreed that in this case, it was right for the vets to want to remove the white flags when it was realized that the place in question is indeed a cemetery and memorial for American Veterans.

It takes courage in this forum to post that one's opinion has changed. I rarely have seen that and I admire my fellow veteran for doing what he did.

[RadioAstronomer]

After re-reading your post. I got it. Boy am I dense today. LOL!

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks. I first spoke up without all the facts on hand. Fortunately (and indeed I mean fortunately) you corrected me on that. :-)

[Larry Lucido]

Why was placing the flags in the memorial park NOT criminal trespass - but removing them is?

Any attorneys out there wanna 'splain this one?

Well, I'm sort of the Lionel Hutz of attorneys around here, but the best legal theory I can put forth is that the first trespassers "called" it and got "dibs."

[LibKill]

After re-reading your post. I got it. Boy am I dense today. LOL!

Dense? You have nothing on me there. Sometimes I am a regular blockhead. You could drive 8-penny nails in and I would not get it for a couple of days.

Freegards!

[jws3sticks]

Then its dedicated to me as well. I still don't agree with what the vets did.

...and its dedicated to me also and I DO OBJECT TO THE DESECRATION AND FULLY SUPPORT THE VETS.........

I totally agree! My father is in such a "park", called Arlington National Cemetery.

I think if some jerk put a little white flag on his grave I'd break their f**king neck with my own hands.

Arrest me, I don't care!

[Cagey]

Well, I'm sort of the Lionel Hutz of attorneys around here

You just ruined my image of your being the Jackie Chiles of FReeRepublic.

[DJ MacWoW]

It takes courage in this forum to post that one's opinion has changed. I rarely have seen that and I admire my fellow veteran for doing what he did.

I understood how tiresome it got to respond to something when a person had changed their mind.

I agree about RadioAstronomer having courage but I was afraid it was flamebait and, for myself, I can only smile and explain for so long then........BOOM! :)

It was there for several hours and quite a few got to see how a real freeper acts. I also admire freepers who apologise, which he did repeatedly.

[Cagey]

spoke up without all the facts on hand

I've been there. There have been times I've posted a story, commented on it, and then read the complete story. Hahahahaha

Seriously, how many times do people make a comment that may be incorrect and when called on it they simply vanish from that thread? That happens all the time.

[RadioAstronomer]

You mean like the guy who wanted me Zotted? LOL! :-)

[Cagey]

LOL!

I told him that was the dumbest comment on FR so far today and yes, he did vanish. Probably "Zotting" someone on another thread, I'm sure.

[Larry Lucido]

Hey! I move for one of those bad law thingys. You know, a mistrial. That's why you're the judge and I'm the law-talking-guy.

[norton]

Probably my very first:
BUMP!

[RadioAstronomer]

Probably "Zotting" someone on another thread, I'm sure.

ROTFLMAO!

[RadioAstronomer]

Probably my very first: BUMP!

:-)

(Psstt... Bump to hard and the thread alarm will goes off requiring JR to reset with his FR key fob)

[Cagey]

I know exactly what you mean. I avoided visiting any Vietnam memorial for quite a few years and about six years ago I finally got the courage to visit the Vietnam Memorial here in New Jersey and despite the pain I felt, I am more than glad I went.

If I heard there were white flags planted at that memorial, I'd be back there tonight to remove them.

[Dashing Dasher]

I never noticed the words, "I got dibs" in the Constitution.

I'll look again.

Thanks.


Dasher

[Larry Lucido]

It's right there, under the penumbra someplace. It has to be. :-)

[Dashing Dasher]

Pen um, or Bra?

Which is it.

[Anselma]

"Allowing anti-war activists to post flags in a Veteran's Memorial is like allowing the KKK to post crosses at a Martin Luther King memorial."


Exactly right.

I'm not surprised at a heavy-handed "Peace" rally-
in a town that hosts a liberal arts college (Colby College). Oh, The Humanities!!!*&#$!