Posted on 01/20/2006 4:50:58 PM PST by armymarinemom
{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}
I am so proud of you! I wish I could come there and help.
Good job you two. :)
Been using that tagline for about six months. Glad to see a mild version of that reality has finally materialized. Gotta agree with BMWcyle: ConcreteBob is the FReeper of the year.
This is from weasle's blog
I saw something amazing tonight. I was going to talk about the visit to a few patients in Walter Reed on Monday, but I want to get this down in words while the details are fresh in my mind.
When I arrived, it was obvious something was wrong - there were freepers and “protest warriors” on all four corners, and they showed no sign of moving. There were two other members of the vigil there, and they looked unusually tense.
Only took a few moments to find out what was going on. It seems that the Primate House had discovered that Code Pink’s permit for the two corners closest to Walter Reed had expired. So, their purpose there being to protest Code Pink’s presence, they took the next logical step and picked up a permit for all four corners.
Was I angry? No… more like seething, and ready to bite my tripod. :D
One “gentleman” was doing the rhetorical equivalent of chest-pounding across the entrance, but about all I heard was “every week, it’s going to be worse!” After being told “why don’t you call the police?” (because no laws were being broken, duh! They didn’t like that for some reason), and after being offered the chance to look at the permit, I decided to take them up on it to find out exactly what area they had (they didn’t like that either, and said “we don’t have to show you anything!”) I’ll admit I was barely civil, and only barely, but life is like that.
I hung back and took pictures and video, noting the triumphant signs, jeers, and cheers, chainsmoking like a fiend. When others arrived for the vigil, I walked over and quietly let them know what had happened, so as to avoid any scenes. Allison came and was treated pretty shabbily by one or two of the Primates, but held her temper very well. Once Carrie got there, she displayed surprising aplomb, and gently coaxed all of us to the wide half-circle between the gates - a large open area, free from parked cars in front of it, and with supportive neighbors across the street.
What was interesting was that it didn’t feel like defeat. It felt like someone had just done something pretty rude, and it was time to move on and do what we were there for. A few people from the community came by, a few soldiers spoke with us, and a gentleman riding a motorcycle and wearing a Rolling Thunder emblem on the back of his jacket gave us a thumbs-up after reading our signs. Perry played guitar, and played harmonica or sang as the mood took him, but this time the music not only seemed right, it was perfect. We were there, still supporting the veterans inside. It wasn’t a matter of a permit, or a particular space (as much as this very territorial critter was thinking of it in those terms when he first got there). I even held a sign (well at least until the freeper with the camera went away - didn’t want to disappoint her).
For the first time in ages, we were in no hurry to leave at 9 on the dot - not having a permit was kind of liberating, and the distance from the Primate House meant that we couldn’t understand a word they were saying in those occasional moments they were hollering at us. We laughed when we saw that there were freepers occasionally bringing their cameras across the street from us, over to the side of us, or even using the cover of a bush while we were talking before we left.
It was then I realized something deep down that I’d known intellectually all along: Code Pink’s vigil has nothing to do with the freepers, and never will. The Walter Reed vigil started because the soldiers are there inside, and need support for when they are discharged.
The freepers never would have shown up at all if it weren’t for Code Pink being there.
Funny how these things work out.
Oh, and… see you next week. *grins*
Let me know, and if I can meet you at Lejeune, I will.
Keep me posted with Fayetteville, because if I can, I will be there. Mine was just out of boot camp last year, and I couldn't go.
My son is stationed at Lejeune and we're only about an hour away.
Excellent work by a most excellent chapter. Keep on fighting the good fight. You know we are there with you in spirit if not actually in person.
Unbelievable. They are so into the socialist mindset that they don't get the point about FR putting the sign up (much less that THEY righteously took it down) and post from FR files rather than bothering to supply their own.
His explanation about Heaven's Door is just sick.
Great work. We are proud of you. I believe in free speech, but these idiots in CP are obscene. There are laws against obscenity. They should be enforced.
You know, it would be great to have a translation about what is on the original signs.
Great News....I'm lovin' it...
YOU ALL DOWN THERE IN D.C. ROCK!!!!
Great news! Keep up the good work! Let's continue to show support for our military - if it were not for them, we would not enjoy these freedoms!
bttt
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL !
This is so good.
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