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| "Freepers" at a rally in Stamford, Conn. |
Posted on 02/28/2007 4:34:39 AM PST by cf_river_rat
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| A long time ago, he was in the Navy, fighting for freedom. But nothing gets him fired up like America's involvement in Iraq. And for this quiet 60-year-old, nothing gets him angrier than people who came out to protest against him and behave in a manner that he believes to be disrespectful. Stolz belongs to Fayetteville Peace with Justice, a group of antiwar activists whose members, for the most part, also support animal, minority and gay rights. A fourth annual peace rally is set for March 17 at Rowan Park and Stolz plans to be there. At a peace rally last year, Stolz displayed a flag out of red, white and blue Christmas tree lights that measured four-by-six feet. There were a total of 2250 lights - the number of American soldiers that had been killed in Iraq at that point in time.
"I'd say the American political system is in distress," Stolz said. Local musician Dan Speller is a 20-year Army veteran and has been in "everything from Grenada to Bosnia." Fayetteville Peace with Justice invited Speller to be the headline musician at the upcoming rally. Speller considers himself an activist for peace. He said his participation is a way to express support for the troops and is a cry to bring them home. He resents anyone who questions his allegiance to this country or his military service. "We are not anti-patriotic. We are not antimilitary," he said. "We are concerned citizens of this country and we are concerned about the lives of our children fighting and dying and we want some answers. We see other countries pull out every day and if other countries are realizing this is a futile situation, why are we still sacrificing our youth?" As a veteran, Speller feels his military service gives his antiwar message credibility. He said soldiers don't have the freedom to question or disobey orders. He said rallies and protests are a way for average citizens to express their political feelings. "We are having a peace rally," Speller said. "It's not a protest. We want peace overseas and we want peace in our own communities." On a recent evening, members of Fayetteville Peace with Justice huddled in a small activity room in a church on Fort Bragg Road and hashed out the details for the upcoming March 17 rally. They discussed strategies. They passed around a petition to stop a local grocery store from using a certain brand of pork products. They sought volunteers for other rallies and gatherings. They listened to a story of a military wife who recently had antiwar lawn signs torn down and the word "terrorist" painted on her door. The woman's husband is deployed to Iraq. When she put up new signs, she allegedly found a copy of a news article in her mailbox. The article was about a blaze that destroyed the original Quaker house that stood in what is now downtown's Linear Park. The 14 people gathered that evening discussed what they could do to help her and her two children. Eventually, talk returned to the upcoming rally and what was being done to prepare. They bemoaned members of Free Republic, called "Freepers," who will hold an opposing protest at the same time on the same day in the same park. The local March rally is one of several "freeps" held nationwide in cities like Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco. Freepers are preparing for upcoming events just like the antiwar protesters: they carpool, meet up and host like-minded members from other chapters, and spread their message to anyone who will listen. At rallies and behind the scenes, members from both camps protest the presence of the other, sometimes in quiet defiance, sometimes with megaphones. Sometimes they taunt each other. Both camps say soldiers are the real victims and both groups deny being antimilitary or anti-American. Both camps have military veterans in their ranks. Both include members of all ages and races. Members from both sides have said their group's messages are apolitical, misinterpreted and misunderstood. Both sides are grass roots and rely heavily on donations and vocal volunteers to organize events and the internet to get the message out. Local freeper Diane Fanning said she and her husband, a Vietnam veteran, attended anti-antiwar rallies together while he was alive. She said her husband was greeted with angry mobs when he returned from his second tour overseas. She said people threw rotten fruit at him and called him vulgar names and thinks his participation in activism helped him confront the confusion and anger he had pent up inside. "The attitude of the antiwar crowd towards the returning soldiers bothered him until the day he died," Fanning said. Fanning had some harsh words about antiwar protesters. "The different groups who will be converging on Rowan Street Park all are drawn from the same mold as the antiwar crowd of the '60s," she said. "They do not like anything having to do with our military, although to make themselves palatable to more people, they will say they support the troops but not their mission. They are talking out of both sides of their mouths." Carolyn Culbreth doesn't consider herself an active freeper but said she will be at Rowan Park on March 17 to counter the antiwar protest and said she will be surrounded by a few proud and outspoken freepers. "I'm there because Jane Fonda is not," Culbreth said about the outspoken antiwar celebrity. "I am labeled 'pro war,' but war kills on both sides." Culbreth's father retired from Special Forces and she said she is proud of his military service. "My dad put me in my place," Culbreth said. "Our military has allowed us to have these freedoms." Culbreth's daughter, Julia Bryant, is a 10th grade student at Terry Sanford High School and will team up with best friend Destiny Dimare to show their support and appreciation for the troops. "She loves our veterans," Culbreth said about her daughter. "(Bryant) said, 'You can tell a real veteran because they have pride in their eyes,' and that's what she told me when she was little." Bryant said she doesn't think antiwar activists dislike service members nor does she think the opposing side is "pro war." "I think it's how everybody shows it," Bryant said. "I'm doing this for myself. I don't talk about politics if it comes into play. Any time you see any kind of soldier, say 'Thank you for your service, sir or ma'am.' And they look at you and say, 'You're so welcome.' And they're not used to hearing that and it makes them really glad to hear that." Bryant's event will be held under the Market House on March 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. Bryant said outspoken adults from both camps send soldiers the wrong message when they mix politics and protests. In event flyers, Bryant pleads, "Help us clean up the wrong message sent to our troops that adults are responsible for." "We need to say, 'Thank you. Thank you for your service,' she said. "We need to be thanking them for our freedom." |
Dtogo took this pic in Stamford, and I hosted it for him. To the best of my knowledge it only appears in wastedyears' AAR here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1778669/posts
No one asked me for permission to edit and use the photo.
On the other hand, maybe they quoted Diane and Carolyn accurately...maybe.
To Jim Stoltz. Boo frickin' hoo.
Crybaby.
Unusually even-handed coverage of FR, I think.
NC Ping
Dtogo - anyone ask you for permission to use your photo? I credited you in the original AAR.
nothing gets him angrier than people who came out to protest against him
The left does not tolerate dissent.
Hypocrite, thy name is liberal.
read it again, they are trying to tie us to Vandalism and gestapo like tactics.
Note they didn't quote a single Freeper, but they did quote a bunch of war protesters.
A rather sensible article, and the quotes from Diane sound just like what she's said to us.
Of course, in describing the "anti-war" side, they don't mention the men in tutus and other bizarrities ...
Diane Fanning is a FReeper, as was her late husband.
Dstarr, pinging you because you're quoted in the article.
In case anyone missed it, this is proof in writing that liberals believe that they are the only ones who have the right to be heard.
I missed that, it was buried in the article.
Still to describe acts of vandalism and threats just before launching into segment about the Free Republic and it's members is an obvious attack intended to let the reader into believe that Freepers are behind those attacks.
Freepers are never accused of being anti-military or anti-American.....and, thusly, don't need to deny it.
Freakin' "peace" weenies that call for the Victory of the Iraqi Resistance or for soldiers to shoot their commanders or to desert their unit or refuse deployment....are the ones needing to deny it, but I can see right through 'em, just like I can see that the UJP fall under the umbrella of the Worker's World Party....a nice group of Comrades.
Any reason why this was removed from Activism/Chapters sidebar?
I didn't get that from the sequencing in the article, but it could have been intended.
Good question. If this doesn't qualify, I don't know what does.
If it wasn't intentional then Freepers would have been in the first paragraphs instead of immediately after allegations of abuses by "pro war" types, I'm not pro war, I'm anti surrender.
"We want peace overseas and we want peace in our own communities."
and we DON'T?? This guy is delusional. Yeah, it's all Bush's fault...we get it.
Oh, and did the "military wife" report these alleged incidents of vandalism and terror to her local police? Hell, I can march into any meeting and say I'm the wife of a soldier in Iraq and here's what happened to me. Doesn't make it so.
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