Posted on 02/16/2003 3:03:02 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:41:50 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
This is not to say that we haven't had a near riot condition on several occasions, but until we can gt all the lurkers to claim their spot, better 50 here and 50 there.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/844795/posts
Really. That'll help. </sarcasm>
My letter to the editor...
Regarding your "More than 100,000 marchers fill Civic Center" story 2/16. It's interesting that your reporter chose to label FreeRepublic.com as a "right-wing" group but failed to attach any labels to A.N.S.W.E.R.
For the record, A.N.S.W.E.R. is an ultra-liberal, communist group.
Cheers,
Drango
The Press Democrat: Print a Story http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/17counter_a1.html Pro-war faction braves sea of marchers Bush supporters from Sonoma County try to change minds of SF protesters February 17, 2003 By DEREK J. MOORE
Dressed in an argyle sweater and black gaucho pants, Mary Morrongiello stood out from the throngs of peace marchers Sunday at San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza.
The Sonoma real estate investor stood in a sea of people she labeled "morally bankrupt" while holding a big yellow sign that read "Freedom is not free."
"I think it's important to be a voice for the silent majority of Americans ... who support Bush's policy in Iraq," said Morrongiello, whose Valentine's Day gift this year was her husband's watching the kids so she could attend Sunday's protest.
Morrongiello was with a small but vocal contingent of counterdemonstrators who waved U.S. flags, chanted "U.S.A." and verbally jousted with peace marchers between rows of police officers.
The debates, while heated, did not result in any arrests, police said.
David Chu, an environmental engineer from Santa Rosa, tried to hand out pamphlets he printed himself that said, "Freedom from the Butcher of Baghdad." He didn't have many takers.
"I'm from Communist China. If America had liberated Tibet, 2 million Tibetans wouldn't be dead now. Same thing with Iraq," Chu said.
Small pockets of counterdemonstrators were interspersed with thousands upon thousands of anti-war marchers. Standing virtually alone, Morrongiello confessed that she felt a bit afraid.
The mother of two said her views, and a bumper sticker on her pickup that reads, "France, Germany and Russia -- Axis of Weasel" have put her at odds with many of her Sonoma neighbors and even members of her own family.
She said she has a brother who dodged the Vietnam draft and still lives in Canada, and another one who works in law enforcement as a drug agent. But her own views were decidedly on one side of the debate over whether America should go to war in Iraq.
"I would go myself if I could. That's how strongly I believe in it," she said.
At one point Morrongiello found herself going toe-to-toe with Sebastopol resident Rustie Woods, who wore a battered leather jacket and had her hair dyed purple.
"Where do you get your energy?" Morrongiello countered to Woods' demand that the United States find alternative sources of fuel before going to war in oil-rich Iraq.
"You know how I get my electricity? From the sun. I have a photovoltaic array which heats my water at home," Woods said.
"You've been in the sun too long," Morrongiello said.
Woods accused Morrongiello of falling victim to the Bush administration's "propaganda," to which the Sonoma woman replied: "We need more propaganda, not less. We need caricatures of those monsters."
Finally, after 15 minutes, Morrongiello gave up.
"Go march, OK. I have respect for you. I do," she said to Woods. "But my blood pressure is going up and I have a long day ahead of me."
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As a couple of fellow SF FReepers have pointed out, our counter-protest yesterday was very successful. We ended up with almost 60 people attending, which for SF, is a minor miracle! Also, we ratcheted up our organizational and media skills, which got results.
Having said that, I agree that actual Press Kits would be a good idea for future reference, so that our message and talking points are consistent.
I also like the idea of organizing our own rallies, instead of always responding to the left's events. We certainly have the numbers, we just need to mobilize the "silent majority" to speak out. I have this fantasy about organizing something huge---maybe in D.C. and getting people from all over the country to attend. Then again, we might get beseiged by rabid leftists and Islamic terrorists, but what else is new?
Just some random thoughts here, but I definitely agree that we could create a larger movement out of all this, which would force the media to pay attention to us.
STL
whose figurehead is Ramsey Clark, now a friend of Saddam. Actually, ANSWER was setup by other communist groups as a "front" for the their "peace" movement. Check out International Action Center, Richard and Brian Decker, members of the Worker's World Party. Brian is a member of their secretariat. The more you did, the worse it gets. That "friendly" peace activist that your newspaper interviews is probably a communist.
Good. But I am on "first name" basis with four reporters and the ombudman at the SacBee. I keep asking them why they put those communists on the front page but don't label their affiliation.
We are planning on having our first official Bay Area Chapter meeting on 3/15. I’ll be posting information about that very soon, so stay tuned for the details.
After the success of our SF counter-protest yesterday, a few of us thought it would be a good idea to capitalize on the momentum and meet a little sooner, to do some brainstorming, organizing and planning.
So we’ve planned an earlier meeting for next Saturday, 2/22, at 1pm at the Pacific Coast Brewing Company in Oakland. It’s right near a BART stop (12th St.) and Drango has already checked it out and found it suitable for a meeting of this kind. Luckily they also have a web site, which includes directions. Click here for that info.
So come on down----any and all are welcome---we’ll be just as happy if 5 people show up as 50! Please FReepmail me if you are planning on coming, so we can keep a head count.
Also, if anyone is interested in being added to the Bay Area Chapter ping list, send me a FReepmail and let me know.
SeenTheLight
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