No ANSWER, only questions

Last week marked the four-year anniversary of America's liberation of Iraq. In response to the longevity of the project, protests were held throughout the nation denouncing the war. From sea to shining sea, the protesters wielded signs with pictures of Che Guevara and anti-American slogans while disingenuously demanding that our troops be brought home immediately.

The national coordinator of ANSWER, the coalition to Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, Brian Becker, told me in a phone interview that the protests were held as "an effort to reach the people of this county and as they have become more and more vigorous in joining us in the anti-war protest." Becker went on to claim that by protesting, "so-called ordinary people become the central actors on the political stage." I, of course, reminded Becker that as it stands, the president is elected by the people who actually are "central actors on the political stage."

ANSWER associates itself with the Party for Socialism and Liberation - an off-shoot of the Workers World Party - and came into commission three days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Members of the steering committee have held posts with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Free Palestine Alliance - U.S., as well as similarly-minded leftist organizations. In essence, the protesting coalition is a socialist organization aiming to further its own goals through the denouncement of the war in Iraq.

While I believe their plea to bring the troops home is not necessarily disingenuous by itself, I also think that the ANSWER coalition has added protesting the war to its agenda in order to make headlines.

Its main concern seems to be to move America towards socialism, however possible. As Becker said, "The movement becomes a potent force when the people become a factor that the politicians have to reckon with."

In truth, the organizers aim to rally against America. But with the unpopular war in Iraq waning, they have sought to use it to their advantage. The withdrawal of troops is hardly their biggest concern; electrifying the movement is.

Traveling home for Spring Break last week, a venture that took me almost 60 hours door-to-door thanks to the horrid weather, I had the opportunity to meet many people with whom I could commiserate. Yet none are as memorable as the brave men and women of the armed forces who were on their way back to Iraq after a mere two-week leave of absence.

The consensus among the troops that I met, largely apolitical, was that U.S. involvement in Iraq was going well - an impression distant, yet probably more accurate than the feeling of the protesters. The soldiers applauded the surge and said that it had resulted in less violence.

The biggest complaint from the soldiers was not that waiting in line at the airport allowed them to see more women than they had seen in five months, nor was it the difficulty of living in a war zone; it was saying goodbye to their loved ones. I heard the voice of one of our nation's finest crack as he explained to me how he would miss his wife, and how he had not slept in the last two days because he wanted to make his time with her count.

Not one soldier, out of around the 15 that I spoke with, regretted joining the army, nor were they worried that America would lose. What did bother these individuals was the growing animosity at home towards their mission. They explained to me that the insurgents witness the American media's coverage of coalitions like ANSWER and it instills them with hope. Becker's aim to incite a transformation has arguably led to more violence and more American lives lost.

For years the anti-war coalition has urged President George W. Bush to either change tactics or to bring our troops home from Iraq. Finally, several months ago, the president responded. He began by declaring his intentions to change policy and fired several army officials.

While Congress unanimously confirmed Gen. David H. Petraeus, a proponent of the surge, as U.S. commander of troops in Iraq, they immediately followed this progressive step by voting down the entire premise on which he was confirmed. The policy in Washington makes little sense. Bush promised change, and the opposing party failed to even let him try.

I believe that rational people can disagree about the war in Iraq, but the protests and socialist agenda have only hurt the nation and polarized the anti-war movement.

I am not advocating a limit on their free speech; my only point is that our words have consequences - perhaps beyond their intention and scope. The breadth of such detriment is unknown, but the troops in Iraq have felt the ripples.

"came into commission three days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001"

All anyone needs to know about these scumbags..... this group was not formed in protest of the Iraq war, it is a motley collection of treasonous old-style leftists who mobilized IMMEDIATELY after 9/11 to oppose ANY response by American, anywhere in the world. They are lovers of Fidel and Kim Jong ILL and Mugabe, they are the most loathsome types of deranged leftists, but now they are calling the shots for our Demagogic Party (and too often for our nation). They are the original defeatocrats, who wanted to work for our defeat while the ruins of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and Flight 93 were still smoking. They are scum.

"Not one soldier, out of around the 15 that I spoke with, regretted joining the army, nor were they worried that America would lose.

What did bother these individuals was the growing animosity at home towards their mission.

They explained to me that the insurgents witness the American media's coverage of coalitions like ANSWER and it instills them with hope.

Becker's aim to incite a transformation has arguably led to more violence and more American lives lost."

ANY group that is directly responsible for giving aid and comfort to the enemy, no matter what their affiliation or political goals should be exposed as the traitors that they are, charged with treason, and then slammed away in the darkest dungeon in America.

The fact that these anti-war socialists wrap themselves in free speech, and desecrate our streets and war memorials with their smelly treasonous affiliations should compel every warm blooded american patriot to confront them boldly and fearlessly on those same Americans streets and shout them down with LOUD Conservative heckling.

It is the only way to deal with them. Fighting fire with fire is an old Biliblcal injunction and it is time to get out the blow torches to help our troops, not just with their morale, but in a real and vibrant visible way so that the insurgents will have absolutely no confusion about how the silent majority in American feel about the War, Our President, and The important and necessary work our troops are doing.

No more silence people, the anti war folks are on the run, getting more desperate, more in your face, and it is time to stamp them out in American Politics. They have the blood of our soldiers on their hands and it is time for them to be held accountable. If our justice department is not willing to confront their free speech, then I suggest we do it on the streets.

You may think I am calling for a blood bath. Nope, Dale Lanham and I confronted with . a non-violent bake sale And we conservatives have hundreds of similar non-violent steps we can take to confront the anti war hippies and the media to get the message out to the troops and those they are fighting that we are no longer going to sit idly by.

Jenny Hatch

Organizer of the Denver Gathering of Eagles event on March 17th

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