After-Action Report from Anti-Kerry Freep, NYC, Feb. 28

Feb. 28, 2004 | firebrand

[firebrand]

The protest rally against John Kerry went very, very well, thanks to the great organizational talents of the sponsors and the anti-Kerry enthusiasm of the Vietnamese-Americans.

At 11:30, the entire block across from Kerry's headquarters, at 373 Park Avenue South, was already crowded with Vietnam Vets and many, many Vietnamese-Americans. Freepers were at first lost in the crowd but we eventually found one another. Here is the honor roll:

NYC GOP Chick
Davide
Laserlock
Tabi Katz
Always Free (who came up from Baltimore and even took a NYC subway for the first time ever)
hellinahandcart
Coleus
Cacique
rmlew
Doctor Raoul
Clemenza
jmstein7
mich0127 (fellow law school student of jmstein)

We also were happy to see Alan Finger, of the American Flag Institute, Don Rosenberg, of the National Traditionalist Caucus, Alice from Woodside, and other constant activists from the area.

Rolling Thunder rode up, and the TV cameramen started jockeying for position. Then all the wonderful speeches, including our own Doctor Raoul, who pointed out that the flag in the ninth-floor window was backwards. Kerry, is that your office, and if so was that you, or another typical Democrat, who hung that flag?

People were interviewed by Reuters, NBC, the New York Times, and the New York Post, among many others. The rally was so big that it was hard to keep track of everything.

Firebrand handed out 200 flyers with material from the wintersoldier.com website and from elsewhere on FR. I never saw people so eager to take flyers as the people at this rally. They brought ice-cold bottled water and delicious sandwiches and flags and signs for everyone--and on top of that they read our material!

Freepers repaired to the Abbey Tavern afterward, where we ate and drank and talked freeper talk.

Big bunches of thanks to Jerry Kiley, the rally organizer, from Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, to the other people who worked so hard for this, and to the cooperative and protective cops of the 13th Precinct.

Many pictures were taken by freepers and will be appearing on this thread shortly. When they are up, I will ping everybody.

Thanks for being behind us in spirit, everybody. We couldn't have done even the small part that we did without you all.

[Mich0127]

Do you know if Kerry commented on the protest today? I am curious what he has to say...wonder how he is going to twist this one to work for him!

[firebrand]

Here's the "report" from Reuters. I told this guy not to underestimate us this time, the way they did last march. So he's telling the world there were only 200 people there. Somebody should do something about this organization.

The beginning of our dialogue: Reuters guy: Where are you from? Me: Free Republic. Reuters guy: What's Free Republic? Me: What's Reuters?

Next time somebody sees me talking to the press, drag me away bodily.

[Bringbackthedraft]

"Kornblau also says Vietnam veterans who actually served with Kerry are his strongest supporters."

Yeah, but I think he is refering to the ones at the protests.

[firebrand]

Even Snoozeday says we had 400. Come on, keep trying, you might get within a few hundreds of the number any day now, guys.

[hellinahandcart]

Oh for heaven's sake. People were packed in like sardines, shoulder-to-shoulder, and spilling onto Park South. There were eight hundred easy.

Reuters hates U.S. soldiers.

[cyborg]

You could be a model.

[firebrand]

Nah. GOP Chick touched that picture up. : |

[Bringbackthedraft]

"John Kerry served his country honorably," said Mark Kornblau, New York spokesman for Kerry's campaign. "This protest is being organized by an individual who has made a career of profiting from tragedy."

And what tragedy would that be?

"Kerry served his country honorably", fine, but so did Benedict Arnold. Its not so much that he served its what he did aftewards. (OK they may have also blown his service out of proportion but they did the same with Gore. Get use to it. They have their heros, and they put down the ones who are Republican all the time. How many remember the 52' and 56' elections?)

[MeekOneGOP]

Alright ! Way to Freep, guys !!

[potlatch]

That's cute, Meek. I'm on an animation search right now. If my computer explodes, it's because it's OD'ed on gifs!!

[Flora McDonald]

I posted it on mich0127's thread but it bears repeating. You guys made the 6 o'clock news down here in Richmond. You were on NBC Channel 12. There were some great shots and believe it or not the comments were fair and to the point!

It was wonderful to see Vets, FReepers, Bikers and Vietnamese Americans come together like that.

Congratulations! Job well done!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Way to FReep, baby!

Thanks! We had a great time, and it was really heartening to see such a large turnout of Vietnam War Veterans *and* Vietnamese-Americans. Those people *really* hate John Fonda Kerry! :D

[Coleus]

Hunger strike in front of United Nations for human rights
in Vietnam on International Human Rights Day
(New York, Dec 9-10, 03)

[Flora McDonald]

Hey helmut!

Pictures on this thread.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the after-action report and pics. Congrats to all who attended and helped put this together.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you FReepers, way to go!!

[U S Army EOD]

I just got back from Pensacola, FL from seeing my first grandchild. While down there I went over to Eglin AFB to the EOD school and was taken through the IED section. Let me tell you, we have learned our lessons and are still learning them. I was impressed by the new equipment I was shown and the professionalism of the current EOD folks. They are so much better than we were.

But while down there I had an interesting experience. I stopped to get gas at a station that was owned by a Vietnamese family and also got me a cup of coffee. I asked the owner if he was Vietnamese and he said yes but wanted to know why. I told him I was a FReeper and was part of the Vietnamese Americans and Veterans Against Kerry. He asked me if that was the group that was trying to stop Kerry from being elected and I told him yes. He got a big smile on his face and told me the coffee was free.

[Tabi Katz]

Thanks Chick! Great shots, as always (except the one of me contemplating the ceiling)! :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Thanks Chick! Great shots, as always (except the one of me contemplating the ceiling)! :)

Well, contemplating the ceiling is a tough job, but someone has to do it! ;)