LIVE THREAD: PATRIOTS RALLY FOR AMERICA III (As Not Seen on C-SPAN)

The Field ^ | Friends of DC Chapter -- That's YOU!

[FreeTheHostages]

DC Patriots Rally Counterprotest begins at 9 a.m. today We have a Freeper volunteer -- Pippin -- who will take reports live from the field and post them on Free Republic for us. So look to this thread for live updates of what is going on in DC. The updates should start around 9 a.m.

[Pippin]

Thanks! I'll do just that! :^)

[Mudboy Slim]

"I know who Dickie is..."

See, I really don't...except fer an occasional tailgate party, I haven't really seen them much since the late-80s...Mrs. Helms must be outta politics by now, right?

Old Dominion FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

De nada, mi amiga...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"we're getting mentioned"

MentionedSCHMENTIONED!! FreeRepublic.com and FReepers are the FOCUS OF EVIL to these Leftists!! And I wore my FReeper pins PROUDLY...and the feckless PUNKS didn't do a thing!!

FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Free Republic was mentioned by name as a counter-protest group at the rally on the local CBS news in Indianapolis Saturday night :->"

AWESOME!!! FReepers ROCK...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

" W in '04!"

And a Filibuster-proof Senate...MUD

[Pippin]

Have to go offline now and get ready for church and go to dinner at my parent's house, My family is getting together to select names for who we are going to get Christmas presents for (This is among the adults as every one has to buy for the kids.) And the Christmas coming will be my turn to have everyone over on Christmas-Eve!

SEEYA! Have a nice day, I might be back on later this evening.

[Mudboy Slim]

Later Gator...MUD

[LuvUSA]

Great...I plan on being at the Feb 15th rally....Never done anything like this before. I have only stayed home and looked at C-Spam in disgust wondering what made these peolple not like their country and undersatnd freedom is not free??? Any suggestions on on protocol, etc. regarding the rally?

[LuvUSA]

Yeah, I believe she's out of politics...If my memory serves, I think she was mayor around the time I was in High school(late 80's), and for some reason I thought she was a democrat, but I'm probably mistaken (Dems in this town are rather conservative)

[FreeTheHostages]

The "Official" DC Chapter after action report hasn't been posted because the DC Chapter is still out the field, Freeping today. There are still protests going on today. So sometime later tonight or tomorrow, look for more details with photographs. All of which will NOT be available on CNN.

[FreeTheHostages]

Great question to Pippin. If you can jump in on it, DC Chapter's Doctor Raoul posted in our DC Chapter Patriot's Rally thread a long list of do's and don't's that's very helpful.

To which I would only add that if you feel it's uncomfortable or unsafe -- which would only happen if there weren't enough police to guard you -- you really should retreat. So never go to these things scared. Go to these things assured that you're going to take action *conservatively* to protect yourself and thus not be in dicey situations. That's my avowedly chicken modus operandus. There are braver Chapter members here, LOL, needless to say. Mud among them.

[FreeTheHostages]

Attorney General Ashcrof is a fine Attorney General. You are WRONG! You're a bestest Freeper FRiend, but you're just unspeakably *wrong* on this one! :)

[FreeTheHostages]

Thanks. We should post the whole Washington Times' accurate description of things from http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030119-9622206.htm.

Protesters are met with war's supporters
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Counterdemonstrators were few compared with anti-war protesters yesterday, but they made their sentiments known at the U.S. Marine barracks.

By midafternoon, anti-war protesters were about two-thirds of the way through their march from the National Mall to the Navy Yard in Southeast when they met 80 counterdemonstrators outside the barracks at Eighth and I streets SE. The counterdemonstrators waved American flags and signs, some of which read "If you must burn our flag, wrap yourself in it first" and "What Would You Have Done on Flight 93? Free Iraq Now."
The vanguard of the protest marchers rushed toward the counterdemonstrators but were blocked by a wall of Metro police officers on foot, bicycle and motorcycle, along with six red-jacketed Guardian Angels. For the next 90 minutes, each new wave of protesters brought more shouting matches with their American flag-waving opponents, drawn from the ranks of FreeRepublic.com, called on its Web site the "premier conservative news forum," and Marines and Other Veterans Engaging Un-American Traitors.
Counterdemonstrators brandished signs such as "Welcome million Osama march" and "Free Iraq — Let's roll."
"I came to engage in some stimulating dialogue and to see democracy in operation," said Richard, 47, of Norfolk who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard. "I only wish the Iraqis had the same." He would not give his last name.
"Swim to Cuba, comrade," an unidentified female FreeRepublic.com member shouted through a bullhorn.
Earlier in the day, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa spoke to the group of counterdemonstrators at a rally near the Lincoln Memorial.
"You are the core of America," he said. "Most Americans are sitting home like couch potatoes and watching this."
Although the counterdemonstrators were a smaller group, they were eager to proclaim that not everyone on site was anti-war. One small group of Laotians, representing several human rights groups from that country, blasted Laos' dreary human rights record.
"We ask today for Laos to be added to the 'axis of evil,'" said Philip Smith, director for the Washington chapter of the Lao Veterans of America, referring to President Bush's categorization of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
"Just as Saddam is waging an ethnic war against the Kurds, so has the [Communist] Pathet Lao waged an ethnic war against the Hmong people," he said, referring to a northern tribe.
Aziz Al-Taee, a representative of the Iraqi-American Council who spoke to the Marines and Other Veterans, and the FreeRepublic.com groups, said none of the anti-war speakers accurately described the Iraqi dictator.
"They never tell of Saddam's horrible crimes," he said. "They never want to show pictures of Halabja, but they only want to show pictures of people affected by the [United Nations´] sanctions." Halabja was the scene of a gassing of 6,000 Kurds by Saddam Hussein in 1988.
Kevin Martin, a black retired Navy veteran from Baltimore, said protest march organizers' assertions of fighting against racism are false.
"If all the demonstrators want to end racism," he said, "why do they support slavery in the Sudan?"

[FreeTheHostages]

An accurate summary of the afternoon even yesterday after the rally

Protesters are met with war's supporters
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Counterdemonstrators were few compared with anti-war protesters yesterday, but they made their sentiments known at the U.S. Marine barracks.

By midafternoon, anti-war protesters were about two-thirds of the way through their march from the National Mall to the Navy Yard in Southeast when they met 80 counterdemonstrators outside the barracks at Eighth and I streets SE. The counterdemonstrators waved American flags and signs, some of which read "If you must burn our flag, wrap yourself in it first" and "What Would You Have Done on Flight 93? Free Iraq Now."

The vanguard of the protest marchers rushed toward the counterdemonstrators but were blocked by a wall of Metro police officers on foot, bicycle and motorcycle, along with six red-jacketed Guardian Angels. For the next 90 minutes, each new wave of protesters brought more shouting matches with their American flag-waving opponents, drawn from the ranks of FreeRepublic.com, called on its Web site the "premier conservative news forum," and Marines and Other Veterans Engaging Un-American Traitors.

Counterdemonstrators brandished signs such as "Welcome million Osama march" and "Free Iraq — Let's roll." "I came to engage in some stimulating dialogue and to see democracy in operation," said Richard, 47, of Norfolk who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard. "I only wish the Iraqis had the same." He would not give his last name.

"Swim to Cuba, comrade," an unidentified female FreeRepublic.com member shouted through a bullhorn.

Earlier in the day, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa spoke to the group of counterdemonstrators at a rally near the Lincoln Memorial.

"You are the core of America," he said. "Most Americans are sitting home like couch potatoes and watching this."

Although the counterdemonstrators were a smaller group, they were eager to proclaim that not everyone on site was anti-war. One small group of Laotians, representing several human rights groups from that country, blasted Laos' dreary human rights record.

"We ask today for Laos to be added to the 'axis of evil,'" said Philip Smith, director for the Washington chapter of the Lao Veterans of America, referring to President Bush's categorization of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

"Just as Saddam is waging an ethnic war against the Kurds, so has the [Communist] Pathet Lao waged an ethnic war against the Hmong people," he said, referring to a northern tribe.

Aziz Al-Taee, a representative of the Iraqi-American Council who spoke to the Marines and Other Veterans, and the FreeRepublic.com groups, said none of the anti-war speakers accurately described the Iraqi dictator. "They never tell of Saddam's horrible crimes," he said. "They never want to show pictures of Halabja, but they only want to show pictures of people affected by the [United Nations´] sanctions." Halabja was the scene of a gassing of 6,000 Kurds by Saddam Hussein in 1988.

Kevin Martin, a black retired Navy veteran from Baltimore, said protest march organizers' assertions of fighting against racism are false.

"If all the demonstrators want to end racism," he said, "why do they support slavery in the Sudan?"

[Mudboy Slim]

Excellent coverage, IMHO...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Swim to Cuba, comrade," an unidentified female FreeRepublic.com member shouted through a bullhorn."

BWAHAHAHAHAHA...who had bullhorn duty?!

LOL...MUD

[Dubya]

GOOD READ

[FreeTheHostages]

Now, you *know* that's Tgsltakoma, dont' you!!? Mud, if you had been at the Marine Barracks and seen her and Doctor Rauoul on bullhorn, it would have sucked the air out of your lungs.

Tgsltakoma was saying what was on her mind. She was hilariously emphatic! She was definitely definitely telling them what she thought.

[ElectricStrawberry]

"Oh, well--next time."

I'm holding you to that, my FRiend...MUD

If I have to low-crawl out of this liberal cess-pool that is my home and past the socialist swamp that is NYC, I WILL not miss PRFA IV (Porta-John War III).

You promise me Porta-Johns and I'll promise a protector.