As mentioned in my previous post, I expected to “get my fair share of abuse.” Still, I had no desire to become a “Street Fighting Man.”
Ending up at the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania, the eight of us were on the sidewalk as the leftist rabble passed by in the closed street. The fence behind us separated us from a stairway leading to a basement entrance. The peaceniks could not sneak up on us from behind, but we could not back away from a full frontal assault.
Also, and unlike many of our assemblies in opposition to the peace protestors, we had no barrier separating us from the often violent peaceniks.
(Indeed, a relative of mine is a U.S. Park Police officer in another city. Having tangled with the peace activists, the relative noted that “they sure are violent for being peace protestors.”)
Fortunately, most of the peace protestors were peaceful, although hate, rage, and anger were rampant. There were several hit and run assaults on us, but there was no full scale mob attack. That type of attack can be anticipated from the ANSWER crowd and the pro-Palestinian people likely to be out in force next weekend.
The leftists in the street marched past us as we chanted and waved U.S. flags and our signs. Among the peacenik signs that caught my attention:
“DYKES FOR PEACE” (don’t laugh or they will kick the **** out of you) and
“THE ONLY BUSH I TRUST IS MY OWN” (males who got lucky with her better take their penicillin).
The exhilarating experience of standing with fellow FReepers with a huge number of hostile leftists around is like being in a circled wagon train with Indians riding at your periphery. Therefore, confusion abounds and each person only gets a part of the picture.
Above thumbnail from Exit148 shows the hostile crowd out in the street and a woman (foreground, left) wearing a Faux News t-shirt (a play on the Fox News logo). This anti-fox as I shall call her left the street walked up to us and invaded Dr. Raoul’s personal space.
The anti-fox was shouting at Dr. Raoul with her face about a foot away from Dr. R’s face as he continued chanting into a megaphone “War freed the slaves, war saved the Jews.” At one stage I think Dr. R. summoned the lone police officer between us and the large mass of peaceniks in the street. I think this was after the anti-fox jostled Dr. R or his sign. The police officer walked over & talked the anti-fox into backing up.
A violent peace activist woman ran along our line and hit tgsl and Dr. R. The woman fled. Dr. R. ran along behind her and told the officer. The officer talked to the woman and told Dr. R. that the woman said she was sorry.
I told another woman protestor what had happened and that our people were being assaulted. She justified the other protestor hitting two FReepers by saying that the protestor was “pissed.”
Above Bully for Peace (he’ll hit you if you don’t agree) as photographed by tgsl apparently grabbed Kristinn’s sign and moments later hit tgsl. I was told what had happened as I saw tgsl (very brave person) running after the Bully as he retreated into the peacenik crowd. I believe that she was trying to stay near him so that he could be identified to the police. Kristinn was trying to get the attention of the police, I think.
I went into the crowd about 6 to 10 feet behind tgsl and saw her bag or purse getting jostled. I said through all the shouting “you’re assaulting her.” As members of the crowd were around me, I felt someone touching my forearm. I turned and pushed the guy touching my arm away as he yelled that I had assaulted him.
Not wanting to let the situation escalate, I withdrew back to our FReeper line.
Later Nofel Al-Jazairi of the Iraqi-American Council, who arrived with his kids well after the beginning, used one of the megaphones to tell the peaceniks that he was a victim of Saddam’s torture and that 99 percent of Iraqis want Saddam gone.
The Code Pinkos were now holding up, at waist level, a pink string that apparently extended around the White House (I’m not making this up). I ran along their lines yelling “listen to this guy [Al-Jazairi] who’s lived in Iraq. Learn about the tyrant that you want to appease.”
Numerous military men out of uniform, tourists & others gave us thumbs up signs or otherwise thanked us for our activities.
Above tgsl photo shows Dagnabit in his Saddam outfit. He joined us in mid-FReep and was great in his Saddam costume. Although not visible in the photo, he had a small heart shaped sign or decal on his beret that said “J'aime la France.”. Dagnabit kept saying “thank you” to the peaceniks in a pretty good sounding foreign accent. I kept telling the peaceniks, “Saddam thanks you for your support.”
Dr. R also had a Saddam costume which he wore to great effect in the early stage of the FReep at Lafayette Park.)
As the leftists continued their pink string project, a young guy, apparently a patriotic college student said “ I wish I had a pair of scissors.” I told him that my Swiss Army knife had a pair of scissors, but neither of us wanted to cut the cord that tied these loony leftists together. (If only we could have used the pink string to lasso the peaceniks and deliver them to the tender mercies of Saddam Hussein.)
Kristinn ended up having an extended discussion with the anti-capitalist guy in above tgsl photo. I tried to stay out of it. After hearing this guy applaud Fidel Castro and repeatedly ooze hatred of the U.S. from every pore and in the most strident, outrageous and leftist conspiracy theory terms, it was too much for me to ignore.
I asked anti-capitalist wearing his Che Guvera (sp?) patch and carrying an extremely expensive camera system. “You hate this country. Why don’t you get the hell out? Go to Cuba. Free healthcare and free education. Go & don’t come back!”
Anti-capiltalist responded by saying “I don’t have enough money.” I walked away to allow Kristinn to continue his attempt to talk some sense into this guy. Dr. R. remarked to me (out of earshot of the leftist) that the guy could sell his camera and equipment and get enough bucks for bus fare to Key West and an inner tube for the swim to Cuba.