Posted on 03/06/2007 10:58:59 AM PST by Reaganite84
Conservatives Plan Convoy to Counter Anti-War Protest
Conservatives activists will set out Thursday on a nationwide caravan ending in Washington D.C., to counter anti-war protests scheduled to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the launch of the Iraq war.
The "These Colors Don't Run" caravan begins Thursday in San Francisco and moves through the southern United States, stopping for more than two dozen "pro-troop" rallies along the way. The caravan ends in the nation's capital, where the activists will join the "Gathering of Eagles," a counter-protest to the anti-war demonstrations on March 17.
"We're going to bring thousands of Americans together in a positive and patriotic fashion to say loudly and clearly that we support our troops and their missions," Melanie Morgan, chairman of the organizing group Move America Forward (MAF), said in a release.
MAF spokesman Robert Dixon told Cybercast News Service the group expects 30 to 40 people to make the 8-day, 3,500-mile journey. The group expects thousands of others to join for individual legs of the trip and for the rallies scheduled in major cities along the way, he added.
The caravan is being led by members of Gold Star families - Gold Star families are families who have lost members in combat - parents of soldiers currently deployed in Iraq, and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"It pains me greatly to see some people in this country determined to invoke a Vietnam-like malaise surrounding the war on terrorism," John Ubaldi, a Marine Reservist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in a release.
"We can't sit back and allow some of the nastiness and negativity directed towards our troops and their missions to go unchallenged," he added.
Ubaldi said he wants his fellow soldiers "to know that many Americans are supporting them and pulling for them to achieve their missions."
The convoy will culminate in the counter-protest on March 17. The group plans to erect American flags they collect on the cross-country trip in a display on the National Mall to show Americans' support for the troops and the war.
The demonstrations aim to show Americans' support for soldiers at a time when opinion polling points to waning optimism and increasing frustration with President Bush's handling of Iraq.
A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted in late February found that 71 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's conduct of the war. The survey found that more than half of Americans believe the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, and 70 percent believe the U.S. military "cannot do much about" fighting among Iraqi factions.
Anti-war activists are planning a massive demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the March 2003 invasion. Organizers from Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) say they expect "tens of thousands" of anti-war protestors to descend on the nation's capital for a march to the Pentagon to call for an immediate troop withdrawal.
Promotional material seeks to compare the scheduled march with anti-war efforts during the Vietnam War. This year's march comes 40 years after an anti-Vietnam march to the Pentagon in 1967.
ANSWER's march will include appearances by former Democratic Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, veterans of the Iraq War and the wife of a deserter who fled from the military before being sent on a second deployment to Iraq.
In a statement on its website, ANSWER derided the counter-protesters as "some tiny pro-Bush groups who support the war in Iraq, and who normally mobilize about 25 people to hold signs when massive antiwar protests take place."
We will see how many we can get there.
Sorry, I thought it said "CNN", I should have known better.
God Bless these people.
I can't wait!!! And FReep Founder Hero, JIM ROBINSON, is coming along with the caravan - I hope you all come out to support the effort, and let's show America we love our troops, we support them, and we won't allow the anti-war crowd to defeat America's fight against terrorism!!!
I'm waiting here on the right coast for all you Freepers to descend on DC!
I'll be there, then again I work a few blocks away from the memorial so it's not that much of an effort.
...but I'll try to bring a really cool sign :)
Good for you. Take care all who go to defend this nation against its enemies. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
God willing I will be there.
Somebody bring me a sign that reads
A.N.S.W.E.R.= Terrorist Sympathizers and American Traitors.
Could someone list these two dozen stops? I'm wondering if any are in SC...
Thanks!
Just click on the map for the full itinerary! See you when we reach South Carolina.
I'm bringing my 13 yr old son and a good friend to DC on March 16 and 17.
On Friday the 16th we'll honor our war wounded at Walter Reed Hospital and Saturday the 17th we'll stand with our veterans and other protroop folks and defend the Vietnam War memorial.
I think many of you will be surprised at the number of vets and their families attending that weekend!
Lets get a group so big that we make the ANSWER (formerly the Communist workers rights party)cretins more than a little nervous about committing their usual acts of mayhem.
Will you stand up for what's right and join us in our efforts?
I have 3 seats left in my Suburban for any veterans, freepers ,MAF or patriotic individuals that might want a lift from the Tidewater area.
See you there!
Yorktownpatriot
I want to get on the bus! How much does it cost??
250 max and thats being generous.
Gee, the get an idiot, a traitor and the wife of a coward. Impressive indeed.
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