Peace Protestors

[marine]

Ok, now I have seen just about everything.

Last night the Bush speech, prime time, well advertised, you would think people might take the time to watch it with it being such a touchy subject these days.

So here I am in the recruiting office this morning, sitting here minding my own business and in walk two middle aged/older ladies....

I guess they were part of the great peace walkout yesterday where all the students around the country attending federally funded schools and paying off their federal education grants walked out of classes in order to protest Bush and his regime. Anyway, they strut their fat @sses in here and proceed to call me a warmonger and baby killer and signing up children to go off and die.
They ranted for a good 10 minutes while I sat here and dug my nails into the desk to stop from reaching up and slapping them.

After they finished their tirade and making some pretty funny accusations, I asked them what they thought of Bush's speech to the nation last night and some of the answers he gave the reporters.
Their reply? *and i am not freaking kidding here*

One lady said she was out at the time and didnt get to see it.... ok, no problem, I can understand that.

The OTHER lady, says. "I didnt watch it, I was watching a re-run of Dynasty they had on last night instead, what did he say?"

To that lady, I say thank you. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to know and take the time to learn about what it is you are protesting about.

 

[Superman]

Amazing....
I don't know how you kept your cool.......

 

[djv]

They just wanted to come in and visit. Now they can tell there friends they were there. These protesters I can handle if they stick to the point and remain peaceful. Once the war begins they should go home and stay off the streets. They only need open there mouths if they are then standing behind our troops doing there duty.
The protesters learned to many of these ideas from Nam. That time was differant. Our nation did not have a clear view for a end in Nam. The Nam war dragged on at least 5 years longer then needed. Our government did not handle Nam very well. We have learn well from that war. We will never see another Nam.

 

[marine]

After watching some news clips and reading the quotes these protestors put in the paper I am finally starting to see the light.

No, its not that war is wrong either.

The general trend I am seeing, is that the majority of these "peace protests" are done by school/college folks it seems, and when they "go on the record" making a statement to teh media they sound rather unintelligent and unsure of what it really is they are protesting. For most of these kids, they are protesting the war because their mommy and daddy protested the viet nam war... so ma and pa were hippies, lets follow in their footsteps, must be the right thing to do. But when you watch these knuckleheads marching down the street with their signs, and then stopping to have their friends take pictures of them in various poses laughing and giggling like little scholl girls it kinda takes some wind out of their sails.

Also, how come, the public outcry has led to no mention of the prayer in school, because people's opinions and beliefs could be swayed and offended.
BUT, the hippy groups can plaster up these protest signs and banners and have nationwide organized walkouts at the same schools?

Keep on protesting you bunch of hypocrites. You look more intelligent and savvy every day.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Marine you must have the patience of a saint not to tear those women a new asshole

 

[GOAT]

SEMPER FIDELIS!!! MY BROTHER, I CAN DIG IT. USMC RETIRED.

 

[BahamaMama]

absolutely unreal that those who don't even take the time to watch the pres. speech take the time to bitch!!!!!


i know that many of you in here are country music haters, but all of you that are *pro* defending our country, please take the time to download a song from KAZAALITE or the share program of your choice called *HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN* by Darryl Worley. well worth the listen....too bad all the anti violence people can't be forced to listen to it also.

 

[ferdville]

djv - in full agreement with your comments. We did a piss poor job of handling the Viet Nam war on all fronts. Hopefully, we will never make those kind of mistakes again.

 

[marine]

Marine you must have the patience of a saint not to tear those women a new asshole

nah, too much common sense really... I have a cushy job out here.. FINALLY! The absolute LAST thing I am going to want to do is to f*ck it up by putting some old lady thru the second floor window and then find myself kicked outta here and back on USS Gone Forever.

My buddy and me in the office, well, the last peace protest we had we grabbed our chairs and a hot thermos of coffee and sat down on the roof and laughed at all the knuckleheads going by. Kinda similar to a football tailgater. I find that it isnt gonna do any good for me to get pissy. Rather laugh at them. Gets under their skin more for some odd reason.

I heard in Oakland some "peace protestor" put a brick thru the window of the USMC recruiting office one afternoon.

Does anyone else see the complete irony but yet also very very DUMB manuever here?

I can hear the conversation now...
<i> hey Thurston, throw the brick thru the window man! screw them baby killers!
Yes my acquaintance! I think I shall! Gee whiz Monty, that mean, cruel Marine has more voting rights than I do, it just isnt fair! After all, this brick is in the name of peace around the world! *crash*

And hey, as long as we are doing such brilliant sh*t... why dont we go find a Navy SEAL and tell him we just f*cked his momma in the @ss?

 

[PUHD]

Like it or not, you and many others like you fought to give those ladies and the other protestors that exact right: to protest. While many have no clue what they're protesting and others just want to say they've "done something".

Take for instance that Veteran who ran out onto the court to wave the flag in the face of the Manhattan College female basketball player who is quietly and peacefully protesting. IMO, he is no better than the protestors you speak of. IMO again, he disgraced each and every one of you who fought and fight for this country. I applaud your ability to keep your emotions in check on a matter that is very sensitive for you especially when your character is being attacked.

I've had many friends and family in the armed forces, and while I'm not an advocate of war, I do understand that sometimes things just have to be done. This crap has dragged out long enough, and sometimes you just have to take out the trash.

Thank you for everything that you and the countless others like you have done for all of us in this country.

 

[ferdville]

Please explain how the vet that ran on the court to put the flag in the girl's face disgraced other veterans? My guess is that most of the veterans in this country applauded his actions. It is was wrong legally to protest in the way he did, but I hardly find his actions disgraceful. Like the Hollywood Stars, the newly formed group of rappers and rock stars against the war, this girl had a visible platform to demonstrate her views. Who would have paid any attention to this guy if he was just marching around the sidewalk with his flag? He was simply taking his opportunity to be noticed much like she was. I don't fault him for his non-violent approach here. In fact, I would not be happy if this girl played on a team I coached. I think it is clear that she has put her personal agenda above that of her teammates. I believe it could be a divisive issue in a team sport. None of her colleagues have done the same. I am all for everyone's right to protest. But she needs to choose another venue. The very fact that you mentioned, that vets have given their lives so she can protest, makes her actions far more disgraceful in my mind than those of the flag bearing veteran.

 

[marine]

I have to side with the opinion that the old vet crossed the line. No reason to get up in her face like that. He should not be running on the court during a game or even in the pre-game to wave a flag. A little fanatic if you ask me.

Best way to deal with the little media attention piglet is to just not support the school. Why pay the couple bucks to go sit in the stands and boo her? The team and school get their money. Dont go, don't give them the money. And then when they see the stands are empty and their income is slipping they might have a different attitude towards her.

Its real easy, ya know? You dont like what someone stands for or represents, stop supporting them.
Hell, week or two back when I saw the local paper give front pages for 10 straight days to the peace protestors and then give the "support your troops rallies" a two line blurb on like page 8 I stopped the subscription.

 

[djv]

How times change. 40 years ago some little girl from a small out of the way college would have never been heard of. New media now days feeds on anything. Someone had to have called the media in that town. Then they turn around and called the national media. And of course they just happen to be there when the old Vet turns up with his flag. Bless him and forgive her. She has a vew that I really believe was picked up at home. I always say they can protest to a point. Then if they really really don't like it here. Well don't let that door hit you in the ass when you leave. That old vet was full of emotion. Went home and was still mad as hell. But being the true Vet he obvious was. Im guessing sat there and cryed. And there is nothing wrong with that either. I was around some real strong tough men in my life in the service. I tell you what there were a few times we sat around and cryed togeather. Made us even stronger to take care of each other. I said above protest if you wish. When the conflict starts stand behind the men and women doing there job. Even if you dont think our policy is right and dont like the way Bush is handling it.
Im not overall happy with his administration and still hope for no war. I hate war. But Im behind all our troops and would go again if they took 61 year old broken down farts.

 

[Eddie Haskell]

I have an idea. Why don't we stop playing the national anthem before every sporting contest in this country. Then you don't have the situation. Basketball player doesnt turn back on flag. Vet doesnt come onto court.

Extra time could be devoted to allowing more bettors to get there bets down before tipoff.

As a big first amendment proponent, iI applaud the actions of both of them. If your going to play an anthem that talks about "...the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air...", you may be inviting protests. My point is that playing the anthem to honor any country in a sense baits a person who believes, rightly or wrongly, that such country is not living up to the standards it claims to uphold.

Personally, I always preferred America the Beautiful or This land is your land.


Ed

 

[ferdville]

I didn't think I would ever say this, but..............I am in complete agreement with Eddie Haskell regarding the national anthem; especially the part about more time to get down on the game. I hve a son-in-law who is very annoying - always calling me to get down on a game at tip-off. In all seriousness, however, that is a very sensible statement.

 

[PUHD]

From what I know about Manhattanville College, it is a school full of liberal thinkers, philosphy, and social studies and what not. In the vets eyes, as probably with most other vets and currents, he was standing up for what he has done for this country, but by getting in her face like that was a little overboard. He fought to give her that right to protest, but when she uses that right he tells her she is wrong for using it? A little crazy if you ask me. All she did was quitely turn her back and choose not to recognize the flag because she disagrees with what we are about to fight for. it wasnt like she was saying F the flag and F america. It reminds me of the Puritans settling in Massachusetts in hopes of practicing freedom of religion, but in truth the puritan religion was all that was acceptable to practice. Anything else was seen as treason against God and called for a death by hanging. We are going to fight for the right for something, but it shall only be used on the terms that we say are allowable. Granted one is less extreme than the other, but what should be good for one should be good for all.

 

[bjfinste]

One thing that really bothers me about this whole war thing is that being anti-war is considered anti-troops. I think this Iraq war is a crock of shit and I think that Bush is a fawking idiot, but in no way do I hate our troops. Those people that Marine was describing about calling him a baby killer and throwing bricks through windows, those people are complete hypocrites. I can't understand where they are coming from at all. Throwing bricks sure as hell isn't "peaceful".

My single biggest reason for not supporting the war, as selfish as it sounds, isn't the fact that I'm opposed to the unproked invasion of another country or that I think its Bush trying to distract the country from the failures of the economy or that our attention should be on terrorists, not Iraq. While I strongly feel that all of that is true, in all honesty, my biggest reason is that my best friend from high school and a former co-worker of mine here in South Dakota are both at undisclosed locations in the Gulf Region, and a college friend from Madison is in Afghanistan with the Air Force (she recently emailed us pics of her sitting in a fighter jet just off the Afghan mountains- that pic made this more real than anything on CNN).

I don't want anything to happen to these people that are close to me. My Mother lost a brother in Vietnam and my father lost an uncle in WWII. If a war starts, everytime you read a war story in the paper or online, and you hear that someone was killed, its always sad to all of us because its an American soldier. But every single one of those people has a family and friends, and I just don't want to see these people dying for a cause that isn't necessary. I thought the war in Afghanistan was necessary; I don't think so about Iraq. I don't want to debate this, but just remember that when I say that I am opposed to the war in Iraq, it does NOT mean I hate our soldiers or think they are "baby killers" or anything like that.

 

[ferdville]

You make a good point, even though any and all protestors are giving the enemy ammunition for propaganda. However, the right to peacefully protest is sometjhing that we shouldn't take lightly. If and when the conflict begins, I hope the protests don't turn ugly and against the troops as did happen during the Viet Nam debacle. I was very lucky and escaped Viet Nam because I was in college. However, all my friends and acquaintances that went over there and returned, still describe their anger at the protestors while the war was going on.

 

[PUHD]

Ferdville, I hope you're right. Hopefully when it comes down to it, all will realize that this country needs to be protected, wheter or not you like the means by which it's done.

 

[Jhpga]

I have an idea. Why don't we stop playing the national anthem before every sporting contest in this country. Then you don't have the situation. Basketball player doesnt turn back on flag. Vet doesnt come onto court.

Extra time could be devoted to allowing more bettors to get there bets down before tipoff.


Ed

Please explain to me how extra time could be devoted to gamblers.The window doesnt close when Faith Hill starts the national anthem.....It closes when the ball is kicked,tipped,dropped or thrown.Why stop with getting the national anthem removed........lets take down all American flags at the game or on the players uniform cause they may be offensive to non-Americans.Let's take the pledge out of schools cause its not fair that 8yr olds say the word "GOD".....maybe we can get the NFL to ban Patriots as a team name cause it is too American......please..... the national anthem has been played at every game for almost 100yrs.It is an American tradition.If you have problems with it...I suggest that you do not go to the game.