FR FOUNDER JIM ROBINSON FREEPS WALTER REED, Week #75, 9/22/06

DC Chapter | September 29, 2006 | Albion Wilde

[Albion Wilde]

with photos by [Mrs]Trooprally, Upchuck, and GW student Luke

Washington, DC, September 22, 2006-- It's a balmy Indian summer evening, and all four corners of the entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center are swarming with nearly 70 FReepers and a Freeping dog. A man in a red "Free Republic 10 Year Anniversary" ball cap takes in the scene from his vantage point near the Mother of All Banners on the northeast corner. It is Jim Robinson, Free Republic's founder, who flew in from California for this special Free Republic weekend in the nation's capital for honoring the troops.

Photo by Upchuck.
Guest of Honor and Free Republic founder Jim Robinson came to Washington, DC for the Venezuelan Embassy and Walter Reed FReeps on Friday and the Support the Troops Rally on Saturday, making him a DC Chapter "3-fer" (three FReeps separated by less than 24 hours).

Since JimRob was here last year, the Code Pink demonstrators have been pushed away from the main gate by DC Chapter ingenuity, so his view across the street is of the main gates of Walter Reed completely surrounded by FReepers with troop-honoring flags, signs and banners, large and small. This Friday-evening FReep, now in its 75th week, has moved decisively away from countering Code Pink to its present focus on cheering the military and their family members who come and go from the gates. And the number of young people has been steadily growing. Tonight, there are dozens.

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
This night, besides the many young people from various DC organizations who have been attending frequently, the start of the fall semester brought eighteen students from George Washington University College Republicans. Their constant motion around the four corners brought verve and humor.

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Not buyin' what Code Pink is sellin': These young people remain unconverted by the Passion of the Old Hippies.

One of the college men commented, "We support out troops in spite of being from a very liberal campus. Many of our professors try to indoctrinate the students every day. For example, in my Logic class, virtually every example of logical fallacies given by the professor is about President Bush or the Iraq War. Another professor advertised an Iraq war protest in class. Academia is supposed to be a forum for many ideas, but it has become a platform only for the left."

Photo by Upchuck.
College Republicans on the northwest corner are visible to the hospital windows (left rear).

Attendance at this week's FReep has only been surpassed once, in August of last year when Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity provided publicity. Tonight, FReepers from around the country flocked into the Capital for Support the Troops Weekend, for a total of 68 FReepers and one canine patriot.

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Regulars and out-of-staters man the MOAB on the northeast corner: (left to right) FReeping_In_Silence, unknown lurker, Leofl from Texas, BufordP, Exit148 from New Jersey (seated), ArmyMarineMom from Maine, Jim Robinson (seated) and Syncro from California, Fraxinus.

FReepers present were: Albion Wilde, AllRightAlltheTime, ArmyMarineDad, ArmyMarineMom, BlueBlade, BufordP, ConcreteBob, Danang68, DoozerDude from Ohio, Exit 148 from New Jersey, Fraxinus, Freeping_In_Silence, Gretchen15, GunsAreOK, I Love W, Jimmy Valentine's Brother, Jim Robinson from California, JoyJoyfromNJ, Justanobody, Kristinn, Leofl from Texas, Pasquale from New York, whose son is with the Army in Afghanistan, Sasha123, Sensei Ern, Snoopy (canine FReeper from South Carolina), Syncro from California, Taco Mamma, TFroatz, tgslTakoma, 3D-Joy, Tom the Redhunter, Trooprally (Mr. & Mrs), and Upchuck from South Carolina.

GW students included: Alexis, Bill, Brand, Brandon, Chris, Claire, Dan, Gary, John, John H., Keith, Laura, Luke, Peter, Sergio, Stephanie, Tom and Will.

Lurkers and friends included: Barbara, Bill from Maryland, Brittany, Brynne, Cordelia, Ethel & George, Eva, Jerry from Ohio, Tierra, Tony from Ohio, Tyler, Olga, Protest Warriors Matthew and Russell & Joyce from Pennsylvania, and Korean War veteran Tim.

Photo (left) by Upchuck. *** Photo (right) by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Smartly uniformed Korea veteran Tim Swarbrick, Commander of the Bravo Delaware veteran's organization, poses with two of the college women. His signs paid tribute to the gallant service of Korean War Veterans.

Protest Warriors were out in force:

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
ConcreteBob and AllRightAlltheTime, back with us after a too-long absence. They are both FR and PW members.

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Protest Warrior Matt (right) with Olga (left) and other young people on the northwest corner.

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Protest Warriors Russell and Joyce from Pennsylvania.

Photo by Upchuck.
The handful of pitiful Pinkos don't even need to face the street, because the beeps of passersby aren't for them -- they're for the troops, and for our signs honoring the troops.

Photo by GW student Luke.
Protest Warriors help the Pinko vigileers to demonstrate their true loyalites. Although the Pinkos' comfort level is so disturbed by wounded soldiers who try to talk to them outside Walter Reed that they ask them to leave, none of the Pinkos asked the Commie flag bearers/fake terrorists to leave.

Photo by Upchuck.
The gimlet-eyed Swedish Pinko sympathizer and, apparently, the only unattractive Scandanavian woman on earth, returned to wag her uninformed tongue. (for the back story, click here and scroll down to "Pinko Interloper #2") Leofl and ArmyMarineDad easily demolished her pathetic arguments, causing her to concede that Islamofascism is to Islam as the KKK is to Christianity, and that Sweden never bore the brunt of Hitler's version of fascism. She also couldn't hide her shock when they informed her that Medea Benjamin supported Fidel Castro.
What's that leaking out of her nose? Brain cells?

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
A little lost Pinko wanders to our area, in search of human decency.

WRAMC Garrison Commander Puts In a Good Word

TgslTakoma reports that as she was standing on the southwest corner with JoyJoyfromNJ, a car with an officer in it emerged from the gates and sat for a moment at the traffic light. "I waved," she continued, "and said, 'Thank you for keeping us safe.' He rolled the window down and said, 'I want to thank you for being here. I'm the Garrison Commander. It means a lot.' "

As the FReep began to wind down, Jim Robinson, asked to comment, added, "How grateful I am for all the servicemen who work so hard to preserve our freedom. They sacrifice so much. God bless 'em!"

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
A group of the college students cross Georgia Avenue, preparing to punk the Pinkos.

But no FReep would be complete without a little good-natured prank or two at the Pinko's expense. This night, as the Pinkos huddled to confer at their prompt nine p.m. quittin' time (well before the buses arrive back at the gate containing soldiers they say they support), about 20 of the young people descended as a group to stand at the perimeter of the Pinko area. The students just stood there, at about fifteen yards, and gazed at the Pinkos, who were bunched together with their backs turned. Suddenly aware that they were under scrutiny, the Pinkos began to look over their shoulders at the students, who spontaneously set up a chant:

Watchin' the COM-mies!
Watchin' the COM-mies!
Watchin' the COM-mies!

Again, no problem for the Pinkos.

The FReepers stayed around to wait for the buses and cheer our brave men and women of the U.S. military!

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Hoo-ah for the little bus!

Photo by [Mrs]Trooprally.
Soldiers wave from the big bus. Tom the Redhunter and the horde of other FReepers on four corners wave back.

* * *

For a complete library of former Walter Reed FReeps maintained by BufordP, click here.

[Albion Wilde]

Better late than never!

Join us tonight
as we Cheer the Troops
and their families

at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Georgia Avenue at Elder Street
6:30 - 9:30 pm

Parking available on Elder Street or the church parking lot on the east side.
We have water and we order pizza.

Our troops sacrifice so much!
Come and honor them, and have a great time doing it!

[Albion Wilde]

Ping!

[steel_resolve]

Seeing people out there supporting the troops gets me pumped.

[Albion Wilde]

Mega-ping!

[Liberty Valance]

[bmwcyle]

All of those people who came out to help are wonderful.

Thanks to all

[Albion Wilde]

Thanks! And you've got a great tagline!

[lysie]

Excellent. Thank you.

[Albion Wilde]

Tag! You're it! Ping!

[Bahbah]

the main gates of Walter Reed completely surrounded by FReepers with troop-honoring flags, signs and banners, large and small.

This is just such a great thing.

[Notwithstanding]

Sitting here stationed outside of CONUS as I read this, lump in my throat, I am very grateful to you all for going out of your way say thanks.

I can only imagine how those who are injured must feel when they see you there sacrificing in your own way to make it clear to those who really need to know that patriotic Americans do love our troops.

[Danae]

Man! That is SO Awesome! Thank all of you for doing this! I wish so much that I could afford to go there for a vacation and FReep my heart out at Walter Reed! Oregon is a LONG way away though! Some day I am going to do it though! Until then, thank you so very very much!

Danae

[Notwithstanding]

BTW, my wife and I are raising 7 little home-schooled patriots.

[Albion Wilde]

God bless you, Notwithstanding! It's a privilege.

[Doogle]

...thanks for the report, these reports always pick up my spirits and make my day.


Doogle

[paltz]

great job freepers!

[tiredoflaundry]

Very Kewl!
BTTT!!!!!

[Coop]

Great pictures and report, AW. Especially nice hearing the kudos from the base commander.

[evets]

God bless you all!

[trisham]

What a handsome chap that guy Robinson is. Who is he, anyway?