Live Thread: FReeper Hobsonphile To Be A Guest on Jay Severin (Attention Boston Area!) at 5 PM

Wish me luck. Eep!

Ping!

can you post the link so we can listen????

Unfortunately, I don't believe Jay webcasts. However, I will endeavor to post a transcript for folks outside of New England. ;)

I'm sure you'll do fine. Thanks for your efforts!

For those not located in the New England area, a quick transcript:

Q: Now, another war item, not directly related to that which we have been discussing is- this Saturday- it IS actually directly related, let me take that back. I've told you that I think that George Bush's popularity ratings- job approval ratings- are tied to terror and the war, and that war is tied to whether we're going to act soon, how we're going to do it, and a lot of variables. I said yesterday- at some length we talked about how the anti-war movement is starting to gain critical mass in this country, helped along by the mainstream establishment media that's on the side of the protestors. The first big protest (*Actually, there have been several beforehand*) will be this Saturday in Washington DC- one of those marches on the Mall kind of things where even if 10,000 people show up, the networks will say it looks like a crowd of three to four billion on the Mall.

Well, there are some people planning a protest of the protest- a COUNTER-protest- and Stephanie Souders emailed me yesterday to tell me about it. It sounded encouraging and exciting, and so I asked Stephanie if she might be kind enough to spend a few minutes with us and tell us about it. She graciously has accepted, and now joins us as our guest here on Extreme Games. Stephanie, thanks so much for being willing to wander in here to speak with me and the rest of the lunatic fringe.

A: Thank you, Jay, for actually letting me speak this evening. I was actually anticipating that you would read the email on the air, not that I would actually speak myself, so I'm a little bit nervous about this.

Q: That's okay, you just take- it's all in the breathing-

A: Yes.

Q: Just take some good, deep breaths. Tell us- I'm not going to prejudice this by- we have material here, but I'm not going to read that because it's boring for me to read. Tell me what you're doing on Saturday, tell me what it's about, who you're with, what started it- give us the straight dope on this Saturday.

A: Okay. Basically, I am representing a national organization called Free Republic. The Washington DC Chapter of Free Republic is organizing a counter-protest called the Patriots Rally III- there's actually been a couple of rallies before this one. Free Republic is a grassroots, loosely organized organization that was founded in 1996 by Mr. Jim Robinson, who lives out in Fresno, California. There's about 20,000 members (*I've since been told there are more now- apologies*), and the entire operation is funded by the members- privately funded.

Q: You have a website. You have a website, yes?

A: Yes, we do.

Q: freerepublic.com

A: Yes. We're also gathering with another group that calls themselves MOVE-OUT, and that stands for Marines and Other Veterans Engaging Outrageous Un-American Traitors-

Q: (laughs)

A: -which I think is rather pithy.

The protest this Saturday is being organized by the International Action Center, and a subsidiary of them is A.N.S.W.E.R., which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. This group is well known to be a Communist front group. They are anti-American. They are anti-American military. They are not American patriots. Our goal is-

Q: And by the way, Stephanie, if I may interrupt, as I mentioned yesterday, these particular- 90% of the protestors at this thing are not your garden variety, regular American man or woman who happens to be against the war. These are people who are essentially professional anti-American protestors.

A: Yes.

Q: They'd be against us no matter what. They would be against American having entered World War II after Pearl Harbor. They would be against us going after Osama bin Laden after September 11th. They are against Americans, America, the American military. They believe in the American military in absolutely NO circumstance of self defense. These are, as you say, professional pinkos, most of them.

A: Yes, that's absolutely- I actually, personally, have no beef with your average, rank and file individual who's against the war. I think that's a legitimate point of view. You have said yourself that President Bush has not been particularly good at explaining his reasons for going into Iraq, so I can understand a reasonable individual being against the war. HOWEVER, the people who are organizing THIS protest do NOT fall under the reasonable umbrella.

We will be mustering at 9 a.m. at the Constitution Gardens in Washington DC, and at 10:30, we will be lining up along 8th Street in Washington DC, which is along their march route, and we are going to be telling them, through our signs, and possibly conversation as well, exactly what WE think of their point of view.

Q: And if you know, and you could tell us, what might some of those signs say? Because, as a campaign guy, I'm a big believer that- I would usually get off a jet somewhere and say to somebody that wants to give me a seven hour lecture on the campaign, "Just give me your bumper sticker. Show me the bumper sticker from your campaign, and show me the bumper ticker from the other campaign. I'll know 95% of what this campaign's all about." What's the bumper sticker on your side- OUR side? What might some of those signs say?

A: Our signs- some of the signs we've used in the past include, "Peace Through Superior Fire Power" -

Q: (laughs) I love that!

A: (laughs) Um... It's kind of hard to distill OUR point of view on a bumper sticker.

Q: That's okay, I was just wondering. That helps. Yeah, that helps.

A: Basically, we believe in a rigorous national defense. We believe that it is ILL-ADVISED to appease fascists, dictators, and murderers.

Q: Naturally, the signs on the other side will say, uh, "Freedom Now For Gay And Lesbian Left-Handed Chello Players And PS: End Racism Of Course."

A: Right.

Q: They will say, "US Out of Leukemia." "Leukemia for the Leukemians."

A: (laughs)

Q: Or the one Dustin Hoffman saw carried around in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, "Liberate Freedom."

Do you have- are there groups of people from New England that are organizing to go down to this? If anyone listening were interesting in attending, could they, either through the website or anything you can tell us now, hook up with people who are going down to protest this protest?

A: Um, you can hook up with Massachusetts FReepers through the website-

Q: What's a FReeper?

A: A FReeper is what we call ourselves. It's short for Free Republic Member.

Q: Ah, okay.

A: Right. Um-

Q: Is the best thing to do- if someone is listening and they like this idea- is the best thing to do to go to the website?

A: Yes. That would be the best thing.

Q: So, triple W dot freerepublic, one word, freerepublic dot com.

A: Right. And it should- on the front page- it's actually advertised right on the front page- so if they click on the logo, they will find the threads on the forum that are concerned with this counter-protest.

Q: Stephanie, I salute you for doing this, and I'll be thinking of you. And I hope that you will grant favorable consideration to my request that you come back early next week to share with us your impressions of what went on at the big protest and, I hope- won't be bigger- but the BETTER counter-protest with which you'll be engaged this Saturday. Will you come back and talk to us next week?

A: Uh, absolutely.

Q: Good. Good luck, good luck. Thanks for being here today. Again folks, if you're listening and have interest in this, either from afar or to get down there on the front lines, www.freerepublic.com. Stephanie Souders has been our guest, and we'll talk to her again on Monday or Tuesday- hopefully Monday, Jeremy- and get the low down from someone who was there as to what was going on ON THE STREET.

*****

Fantastic! Thanks for posting the transcript. I wish I could have heard it here in D.C.

Little Bill and Electric Strawberry, I hope you guys are coming down. It wouldn't feel like a Patriots Rally without you.

D.C. Chapter ping to the transcript of Hobsonphile's great interview!

Q: And by the way, Stephanie, if I may interrupt, as I mentioned yesterday, these particular- 90% of the [anti-war] protestors at this thing are not your garden variety, regular American man or woman who happens to be against the war. These are people who are essentially professional anti-American protestors.

And then some. Hobsonphile, you did great!

You did a good job, Hobsonphile! Very good.

essentially professional anti-American protestors

Yes, I agree, that's a good line. So true, so true.

Excellent job talking with Jay Severin. I'm disappointed that the audio isn't available, but the transcript is terrific. Thank you.

I haven't heard Jay since Mary Matlin took his place here on KINS back when...Good Luck to all of you.

There was a caller once some back who had receiving problems.

He was from the Cape if I remember correctly.

That person said that the station was web-casting.

Jay downplayed the matter.

I was not able to find a site that does that!

YOu did so great! I wish I could have heard you. Thanks.

GO TRIBE!

Ping!

Wow! You have done a great thing! I read the transcript.
Congratulations, Hobsonphile.

Thanks for the flag, kristinn.

Whoops, a day late or so...but nice job. ;-)

--CWL