The Redhunter

August 12, 2006

Countering the A.N.S.W.E.R. "Stop the US-Israeli War" Protest

Yesterday I went into Washington DC to join my fellow Free Republic and Protest Warrior friends to counter International A.N.S.W.E.R.'s "Stop the US-Israeli War" protest rally and march. It was a very interesting day as these things go, and a complete report and photographs follow.

In case you are not aware, A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is a front group for the Workers World Party. We know it is a front group because many of A.N.S.W.E.R.'s organizers, and many speakers at it's rallies, are WWP members. David Horowitz has a complete profile of them at his DiscoverTheNetwork site.

Among The Commies

A.N.S.W.E.R.'s plan was to hold a rally at Lafayette Park, which is right next to the White House, and then march down Pennsylvania Avenue, which is again next to the White House. They would continue down 15th Street, make a few turns and essentially circle the White House, ending up in Lafayette Park again where they would close out. Their rally at the park was scheduled to start at noon.

The plan for Free Republic was that we were going to meet in the south corner of Lafayette Park where it is separated by a fence from the White House. We would use our "HUMAN SHIELD" signs, just as we did when we "shielded" the Danish Embassy from a radical muslim group this past February.

I got their early, at about 10:15 or so, where I ran into three other "Freepers" (Free Republic) Maybe 200 leftists had already gathered in the park and were milling about. Since the people with our signs had not arrived yet, I decided to have a look about while my frields waited under a tree.

He showed me a copy of his newspaper, The Militant. One of the articles as about Iran, so I asked him his position on it. He told me that we needed to leave them alone, because all they wanted was nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. I asked him if it was ok then if we had nuclear energy here in the US, and, perhaps realizing the trap, quickly said that he wasn't judging what they were doing but that it was their decision and we should leave them alone. After a few minutes of this I thanked him and moved on.

Here are some books that another guy had laid out for sale

Here's the stage they had set up, and then some of the commies as they milled about. Among all this were some tourists, who had a what in the world did I wanter into? look on their faces.

The organizers had their signs stacked and ready to go. They even had a big "check in" station for the volunteers. They were nothing if not organized, I'll give them that.

After wandering around for a bit, I rejoined my group. However, the police had noticed us. One of our group was carrying an American flag and wearing an NRA hat. Those people don't belong here. "Sorrry, but A.N.S.W.E.R. has a permit for the entire park" they told us, "you'll have to leave." They escorded us out.

Reorganization and The 2nd Boot

I made a few phone calls to the Freepers who hadn't shown up yet and we decided on a new strategy. My group would try and meet up with the Protest Warriors, while Kristinn (the Free Republic leader and guy with our signs) and his group would try and enter Lafayette Park from the other side.

We circled south, making our way around the White House. We met up with some of the Protest Warrors and found out where they were setting up. We then went back up to Lafayette Park to see if we could find Kristinn and his group.

As it was, we got there just as they were being booted. No big deal, he said, "we had some good debate with the leftists". That there were plenty of police around while this was going on was not doubt reassuring to him, I thought.

Getting Ready for the March

We rejoined the Protest Warriors at 15th and Pennsylvania, where they had the permit for our counter-demonstration. The police officers were already there, and after "checking in" with them we set up camp. There were just over 30 of us. As is the usual practice at these events, the police set up a tape that we had to stand behind. They made sure the marchers kept on the street and we had to stay behind the tape. Which was all very fair.

Here are some of the commie signs that one of our number obtained from one of the stacks in the photos at top.

Here I am, ready for action. Behind me you can see several flags, at left the American, middle Israeli, and at right a Christian one. "These'll drive them crazy" the guy who set them up said with a grin. He was right about that.

"Hezbos", btw, is how Rush Limbaugh refers to Hezbollah.

The Tourists

While we waited, tourists and other people wandered about, looking around at us and some of the commie protesters who were just arriving and making their way to Lafayette Park. Most eyed each group and just walked on, not giving any clue as to their sympathies. But we got quite a few "thumbs up", or other indications that we're on your side. It was also obvious who got the "Hezbos" reference.

But in all this I did meet and briefly speak to a few of the tourists.

The most interesting were two young Israeli men, maybe 25 or 30 yrs old. They had thick accents but I could understand them fine. "They don't know, they are ignorant", one of them said, referring to the A.N.S.W.E.R. people. They were from Haifa, one of the northern cities under rocket attack. "How are things there?" I asked. About 20% of the people in the city had left their homes, they said. How about the war, I asked. "We will win", on of them said with a confident look and smile before they were on their way.

I also met an Australian couple, another from Italy, and even a lady from France, all of whom expressed support for our side and thanked us for what we were doing. In turn, I thanked them for their country's support in the war on terror (I thanked the French lady for their help in Afghanistan, which has been considerable).

The Marchers Arrive

At about 2:00 the marchers came down the street and walked past us. Many were decidedly unhappy with our presence, evidenly surprised that they would not have the day to themselves. Which was the whole point of our presence.

The flag with two red stripes and a cypress tree in the middle is the flag of Lebanon. The one with a black, white and green stripe and red arrow near the flagpole is that of the Palestinian Authority.

"No Justice No Peace", a fairly standard slogan and leftist marches

As I mentioned, some of them got very angry with us

Note the "Hands off Cuba" sign. Leftists are great for their mixed messages at these events

Our Chants

Because it was too loud for any one voice to be heard, we would all chant in unison something at them as they went by:

Free Lebanon from Hezbollah!

USA! USA! USA!

Please, Don't, Blow Us Up!

No More Hezbollah!

Shame, Shame, Shame On You!

Iran, Syria, Out of Lebanon!

I coundn't understand most of their chants as most seemed partially in Arabic or something. But I did get a few

Stop Bombing Lebanon!

Long Live Hezbollah!

ConcreteBob, the leader of the Protest Warriors, had the foresight to bring a bullhorn, which he used to great effect

As you can tell, many of the marchers were Arabic in appearance. This guy had on a shirt with the flag of Hezbollah on it

The march ended at about 2:45. I may not have the start time of 2:00 exactly right, as I forgot to check my watch when they first came by and so had to ask someone what time it all started.

The Coffins

After it was all over and we had cleaned up our area, I walked back up 15th to a metro stop. This took us past Lafayette Park again, where I could see that they had reassembled.

We walked up another block or so, where to my left I saw this

Coffins!

This was a favorite of the hard left. Code Pink did this once ourside Walter Reed Army Medical Center, before the arrival of Free Republic shamed them into adopting less obnoxious tactics.

Around the next corner we took a left towards the subway station. We caught the end of their procession. I estimate that they had maybe 15-20 coffins in all

They were taking them to a small park across the street where they were evidently going to carry out their own separate event. I took a photo, but as they were under trees it came out too dark to be useful. I still had my small Israeli flag with me, and the last guy in their procession spoke to me as I took these photos

"Why are you taking pictures?!" he said to me in a fairly confrontational tone. He had an accent, I'm guessing it was Arabic. Then he said something about my camera being a "blunt instrument" or something like that. I decided discretion was the better part of valor and we made our way into the subway station.
Final Thoughts

This is not the place to discuss the morality or politics of the Middle East. I've done that at my personal site, The Redhunter, many times, so please visit it if you want the full story.

I've also been present at many other protests, so while you're at The Redhunter click on Rallies and Protests under "Categories" at right, for photos and reports of many events that have occured in and around Washington DC in the past year.

However, for a quick view of the Middle East from someone who's opinions I share, David Horowitz has an excellent Guide to the Middle East at DiscoverThe Network.org.

The police did an outstanding job,and my hat is off to them. All of us thanked them once the event was over. They have a good sense of humor about the whole thing. "Another day, another protest, huh?" I said to one. He just laughed.

As for the marchers, the Israelis I met where too polite when they called them ignorant. They were marching under the banner of communism, and in a cause which supports terrorists. I call that evil.

Update

LGF has a great video of some the speakers and the march itself, taken by blogger Age of Hooper. Go this his site for additional photos.

Zombietime also has great photos of the "Stop the U.S.-Israeli War" rally they held in San Francisco on August 12 also that you won't want to miss.

I briefly met Tantor of Conservative Propaganda, but so far he has not posted anything about the event.

The Washington Times has a short story on the march. As with most media coverage, the story tells nothing of who A.N.S.W.E.R. is, and ignores the vast number of communist and socialist signs. The only signs in our counter-protest they mention are the most inflamitory ones, however.

The Washington Post did slightly better, describing A.N.S.W.E.R. as "a left-wing group that has sponsored numerous antiwar rallies that often attract socialists and anarchists." They also have a few photos and a short video. But they still ignored the communist and socialist messages so prevalent among the marchers. And the only thing they say about our counter protest is this

"There is no other God but Jesus!" shouted one of the counter-protesters. He held a megaphone in one hand, a Bible in the other.

I don't remember this at all, but don't rule it out. It's entirely possible that the person saying this was not with our group. But it wasn't typical at all of our message. Our objection to the marchers was not religious, but policical.

This Associated Press this story posted on CNN also whitewashes the A.N.S.W.E.R. crowd.

Marc of USS Neverdock catches Reuters in some pretty blatant bias.

Posted by Tom at 8:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 17, 2006

No More Excuses!

I'ms sure that most of you reading this do something for the troops. Maybe you send letters or packages regularly, or maybe you've donated to a program at work or through your church. Maybe you've even visited VA hospitals, or worked there as a volunteer. Perhaps you've participated in pro-troops rallies, which in my book count also.

But maybe for whatever reason you haven't done anything yet. Maybe you're used the excuse that "I just don't have a lot of time or money, and if I only do something small it won't matter." Well, that's just not true. As Chris Missick, former soldier stationed in Iraq, "I hear that from people and I tell them it's just not true. Anything, no matter how small, means a lot to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So without further ado, here it is: this post at FreeRepublic.com is full of links to organizations that specialize in helping our troops in one way or another. Head over there now to see how you can contribute!

Posted by Tom at 10:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 8, 2006

Confrontation with Code Pink at Walter Reed

As readers of this blog know, every Friday night members of FreeRepublic.com and other patriots assemble outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in northwest Washington DC to wave patriotic signs and keep the leftists of Code Pink away from the hospital entrance.

Walter Reed is one of the main hospitals in the United States where our wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan go for rehabilitation. Most stay for months, and over the course of time I've come to meet and know many of them and their families. Dozens of times I and others have gone inside the hospital to meet with our troops and bring them what we can, from books and food treats to coloring books for their kids, you name it.

Last Friday marked the 64th straight week that we have held our rally at Walter Reed. I have attended since last August, so am almost at my one-year mark. Due to time and distance from my house I attend every other Friday. A complete history of our rallies and face-offs with Code Pink can be found on The Redhunter here.

Now that the Pinkos have lost their permit for the corners directly at the entrance they hold their "vigils" halfway down the street, where they are largely out of sight and out of mind. We don't pay much attention to them anymore, nor do the passing motorists. We spend out time waving pro-troops signs, banners, and flags. Lots of people honk their horns for us and/or wave. Our presence at the hospital entrance is to keep them away from the entrance and to provide a general show of true support for our troops.

Due to the holiday, I suppose, we had more people that usual show up on our side last night, maybe 30+ people. I estimate the pinkos had about 20+. Here's a photo of our largest banner. This corner is directly across the street from the entrance to the hospital.

Here's a photo of the corner caddycorner to the one above. The pinkos are a few hundred feet down the street from this corner. It's the one the pinko leaders were to visit (although I took this photo after the confrontation)

The Pinkos Visit

So last night Code Pink founders Medea Benjamin and Gael Murphy decided to pay a visit to one of our corners. I'm still not sure why they did it, although I heard vague reference to them wanting to have a "discussion" or some such matter.

At any rate, they were quickly surrounded by Freepers and the others on our side and a "vigorous" discussion ensued (in the ensuing melee I forgot to turn on the red-eye feature of my camera).

Here two of our people challenge Medea and Gael. Medea is the one in the pink shirt. Gael has the glasses on

Gael (at left) and Medea are engaged by our side in a forceful debate

The guy at right in this next photo is a solder back from Iraq who is at Walter Reed. Later he told me that although the pinkos may be deceived by anecdotal stories of soldiers who oppose the war, in his opinion the "vast majority" support our efforts and despise groups like Code Pink

I didn't hear much of what was said, as there were maybe 20 or 30 people engaged here, with much loud talking and carrying on. I did hear Gael say that they were just trying to "raise awareness" of the war. I shouted at her something like "oh please, everyone knows there's a war on, and how many American's have lost their lives" but so many people were confronting here that she didn't hear or respond to me.

A handful of Pinkos came up to join in the fray, but they were vastly outnumbered. One came up to me, and although I forget how the conversation started, I pretty quickly called her a communist sympathizer (or something pretty similar). "Why?" she asked. "Because you hang out with people who like Fidel Castro, and who supported the Sandinistas in the 1980s." "Why do you say communism is bad?" she asked. I mentioned Robert Conquest's books, and the Black Book of Communism, but she wasn't impressed. After a few minutes she went on her way and I resumed taking photographs.

This Pinko tried to shake hands with Kristinn Taylor, the president of the DC chapter of FreeRepublic.com, but Kristinn declined. Let's be clear; these are not liberal Democrats, Code Pink is a bunch of communist sympathizers who side with the insurgents in Iraq (at least their leaders do), and hate this country.

After about 10 or 15 minutes Medea and Gael decided enough was enough and beat a retreat, rejoining their comrades down the street. We chanted "swim ... to ... Cuba!" after them. Code Pink had planned on spending this past New Year's eve in Cuba, but cancelled the trip when the State Department sent them letters informing them that it was against the law to visit Cuba and threatening fines and penalties.

The Troops Arrive!

Sometime between 9:15 and 9:45 the troop bus arrives at the hospital entrance, carrying wounded warriors who have been treated to a gourmet meal at an upscale DC restaurant. The bus caught me by surprise last night and this was the best photo I got

As usual, the pinkos are gone by the time the troop bus arrives. Despite their claim that they are simply "supporting the troops" and "raising awareness of the war's costs", they show no sign of actually wanting to meet or interact with real soldiers and Marines. Some time ago, when Code Pink still had the corners directly at the hospital entrance, there was an incident in which troops on the bus gave the one-finger salute to the pinkos on the corner. From that evening on, the leaders made sure that they had disbanded their people before the bus arrived.

Who are Medea Benjamin and Gael Murphy?

As I mentioned, Medea and Gael are two of the founders of Code Pink, Women for Peace. Although Gael shows up occasionally at their Walter Reed "vigils", this is the first time any of us had seen Medea here. Perhaps it was Medea who wanted to come up and see for herself who we were.

Medea Benjamin's bio on the Code Pink website.

Gael Murphy's bio on the Code Pink website.

Medea Benjamin's bio on David Horowitz' DiscoverTheNetworks.org database site of leftist groups and people.

The Case Against Code Pink

According to the description of the group on DiscoverTheNetworks.org the term "code pink" was choosen to mock the Bush Administration's color-coded alert system.

Besides their general leftist wackiness there are by my count at least three main pieces of evidence against Code Pink:

"The World Tribunal"

On June 24, 25, and 26 of 2005, a group called Democracy Now! sponsored a "World Tribunal on Iraq" whereby the United States and President Bush were placed on trial for crimes against humanity. They were - surprise - found guilty. Code Pink is listed as one of the endorsers of the event.

Ok, that's weird enough, but if that's all there was to it we could write it off as another convention of moonbats.

However, the tribunal issued a "Declaration of Jury of Conscience" where in section I paragraph 11 you find this

11. There is widespread opposition to the occupation. Political, social, and civil resistance through peaceful means is subjected to repression by the occupying forces. It is the occupation and its brutality that has provoked a strong armed resistance and certain acts of desperation. By the principles embodied in the UN Charter and in international law, the popular national resistance to the occupation is legitimate and justified. It deserves the support of people everywhere who care for justice and freedom.

(emphasis added)

In other words, it is ok to kill American troops. There's no other way to read that paragraph.

The "Beirut Communique"

Gael Murphy represented Code Pink at, and was asignatory to, the "Beirut Communique", which was arrived at during a strategy meeting anti-war and anti-globalization types in Beirut, Lebanon September 17-19 of 2004.

Here is a partial list of demands that the participants of the Communique drew up:

* We support the right of the people of Iraq and Palestine to resist the occupations.

* We call for the unconditional withdrawal and "coalition" forces from Iraq.

* We demand the end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine

* We demand the Right of Return be fulfilled....

* We ask for the release of all Palestinian and Iraqi political prisoners.

In another section, the express their "support for efforts by Iraqis to build a united national front against the occupation."

Although they claim that they "oppose war in all forms", there is not a single word in the communique condemning, or even mentioning, Palestinian, Iraqi, or al-Qaeda terrorism.

If all this is not a statement of support for the insurgent terrorists plaguing Iraq, then nothing is. And in case your not familiar, the "right of return" is a Palestinian plan to flood Israel with their people, so as to vote the nation out of existence in it's own elections.

Aid to Terrorists?

Perhaps the most damming allegation is that Medea Benjamin gave aid and money to the terrorists themselves. From DiscoverTheNetwork.org:

During the last week of December 2004, Medea Benjamin announced in Amman, Jordan that Code Pink, Global Exchange, and Families for Peace would be donating a combined $600,000 in medical supplies and cash to the terrorist insurgents who were fighting American troops in Fallujah, Iraq.

The news was first reported by Agence France Press, and stories were run by the Turkish Press and Space War. There is even a mention of the incident on the Code Pink website

We traveled to Amman, Jordan, with medical supplies, blankets, heaters and water purifiers for the refugees in the camps outside Falluja. Global Exchange received donations of medications from a large pharmaceutical company as well as small donations of supplies and cash valued at $600,000.

Who is right? David Horowitz' site says that they gave the aid and money to the insurgent terrorists, Code Pink says that they gave it to refugees.

In the Turkish Press article cited above, Medea says that she gave aid to "...families of the 'other side'". At the very least, by "other side", she at least means families of those fighting our troops. If someone had given aid and comfort to German or Japanese families during World War II, they would have been guilty of treason.

Examining the matter in some detail in an article on FrontpageMag(also a David Horowitz site), Ben Johnson concludes that "Medea Benjamin has the motive, and her allies have actively comforted our enemies before. And some in her recent Iraqi caravan have personal ties to terrorism."

My guess is that they gave the aid to people who in turn gave some or most of it to the terrorists, or maybe they gave it to people who were terrorists themselves but represented themselves as "refugee workers". Either way, Medea knew the terrorists would get some, part, or most of the aid, and intended this to happen, but also wanted "plausible deniability".

Either way, Code Pink is a disgraceful outfit, and I figure it's the least I can do to help keep them away from the hospital entrance. If you're even in Washington DC over a weekend, stop by and give us a hand. I can't promise any confrontations with the leftists, but can promise lots of friendly waves and honks from motorists, and a lot of thankful troops.

Update

Check out PleaDeal's post on the face-off with Code Pink over at FreeRepublic.com. Notice the salute one of the peace-loving Pinkos gave to one of our soldiers currently being treated at Walter Reed.

Posted by Tom at 7:49 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

July 3, 2006

Cindy Sheehan Goes on a Hunger Strike

Note: This post is still under construction, and it taking longer than it should due to technical difficulties with either Moveable Type or Hosting Matters. You can find the completed post with photos at my other site, Conserva-Puppies. Thank you.

In a blatant attempt to gain media attention, Cindy Sheehan ate her "last supper" today in front of the White House before she goes on a hunger strike to call attention to the war (or her, which is more the truth). Yours truely, along with about a dozen other intrepid FreeRepublic patriots, was there to counter-demonstrate and record the whole thing.

At about 3pm today the leftists arrived at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial outside of the Embassy of India on Massachusetts Avenue in northwest Washington DC. Unlucky for them, we were positioned across the street to greet them.

Here we are on the other side of the street. We had maybe a dozen people on our side. I estimated the lefties across the street to be about 100, maybe more.

In case the photo isn't clear it the banner says "Cindy Sheehan: Starving for Attention"

The Occasion

The point of the affair is that Cindy Sheehan, idol of the radical anti-war left and media whore, has decided to go on a hunger strike along with several other fellow moonbats.

Code Pink Women for Peace orgainzed this affair and the day's events. In an interview on their website, Dc Code Pinker Carrie Biggs-Adams says that it will last "a month or two." Asked why she is fasting, she replies that she is

...committed to fast during this hunger strike because it's time to raise the visibility and the ante. While I spend every day with pink fingernails and a button to publicize my opposition to this war and my call for peace, it's essential that we get more serious and raise the ante and the visibility, and get more people participating in our opposition to the war.

There were plenty of police around, but by their relaxed attitude they obviously did not expect any trouble. Their job was to keep the lefties on their side of the street and us on ours. A couple of times a leftie or two tried to come over and try to debate us, and there were a few shouting matches, but nothing serious.

These guys are having trouble with their dates, or are too lazy to change their sign. Operation Iraqi Freedom started on April 2003, so it's more than 4 years and 1 day. We hollered that they were desacrating the flab, but of course they didn't care. That's one thing I've noticed about leftist demonstrators; they either don't have American flags at all, or they're all jazzed up with something. Rarely do they just have straight American flags.

Reporters were all over the place. They started out across the street with the lefties, but once they realized there was a counter-demonstration they swarmed over to our side to photograph and interview us. Here one from the Associated Press interviews Kristinn Taylor, the president of the DC chapter of FreeRepublic.com, and the organizer of our rally

Good Reporters and Bad Reporters

Many times during the rallys and protests that I've taken part in, I have been interviewed by reporters. I've come to notice that there are two types; the mainstream media, and independents.

By "mainstream media" I mean repoters from newspapers, radio stations, or the like, and I've been interviewed by reporters from the Washington Post, The Associated Press, Dutch Public Television, even "alternative" outlets like the Afro-American (who interviewed me during the big Sept 25 2005 protests). During these street interviews I have received nothing but straight and fair interviews from these reporters. They ask questions like "What is the message you are trying to get out?" and "What brings you to this rally?" They don't try to nitpick or catch you up, either, but just ask the question, accept whatever you say and move on.

Then there are the independents. You never know what you are going to get with them. Sometimes they do it straight, and then sometimes they have an obvious agenda and the "interview" turns into more of a debate.

This happened today with two guys who came to our side. One did the camera and mic, the other asked the questions (I didn't get a photo of them). He only asked me one or two fairly straight questions, then moved on. Settling on a lady in our group, he started in with "I've interviewed Iraq war veterans who say that they've received orders to shoot women and children. What do you say to that?" and "Female American soldiers are afraid to walk across American bases at night for fear that they will be raped (by American male soldiers. What do you say to that?" He went on like this, obviously looking for a reaction and an argument. We eventually told him to get the hell away from us.

On to Lafayette Park

After about 45 minutes or so of this nonsense the lefties gathered their things and marched down Massachusetts Avenue to Lafayette Park, which was about a mile away, maybe less. Lafayette Park is across the street from the north face of the White House. As the street is is only a short distance from the White House itself (maybe just over 100 ft?), for security reasons the street has been blocked off and is essentially now part of the park. This park is the traditional center of anti-government protests, and there is always one leftist group or another holding some sort of protest or vigil. Check it out the next time you're in Washington DC.

We too gathered our things, but instead of following the leftists we got in our cars and drove down. Once we saw where they were set up in the park we again organized our counter-demonstration.

Lafayette Park

After getting their crowd together, the lefties all went up to the White House fence where they chanted various slogans. Unfortunately I did not think to get a photo with the White House actuall in it. It is just off screen to the right.

Notice the big UN flag. Yeah, they'll solve the world's problems. Just like they did in Rwanda

I almost forgot to have someone take my picture. This time I decided to go with a "pro" message rather than an "anti" one. The Freeper under her sign at my left doesn't want her photo on the Internet (if she can help it), something about her work, I think.

The lefties then walked back about a hundred feet and set up camp on the other side of the street. We walked back to about where they had been, and I took this photo with us in the forground and them in the background. The White House is to my right.

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"Thank You For Doing This"

During all this tourists passed by, wondering I suppose if they'd wandered into an alternate universe. Must just snapped photos of the two groups and went on their way, but several times people came up to us, shook all of our hands, and said "thank you for doing this!" At least three were Iraqi war veterans home on leave.

Again, a few times a leftie or two would come over and try to engage us, but the police kept them away. Both at the Gandhi Memorial and at Lafayette Park we spoke with several of the officers, most of them seemed either bored or amused by the entire spectacle. No doubt they've seen hundreds of these sorts of things, and unlike during the '60s, rarely does violence or trouble break out at the smaller ones (the big ones are another story. I've seen the DC police in action, like at the big Sept 25 1005 anti-war protests, and they are out in force and are dead serious in their work.

All of this went on for about an hour. They had a portable loudspeaker system and several of them gave fierly yet boringly predictable speaches. I've heard it all before.

The Main Event

Code Pink had set down a long pink cloth maybe three feet wide and 50 feet long on which they would hold their last supper before the fast (everything is pink at their damn events, it seems).

They had a food preparation table nearby, and most of them then sat down to have their last meal. At this point I left my post and went forward to take some photos.

Here's Cindy, you can see her sitting down in the middle of the photo. I think that the woman standing right above her in a pink shirt is Medea Benjamin, one of the leaders of Code Pink and a commie if there ever was one.

Here you can see a cameraman in the forground. Right across from Cindy were a whole bunch of photographers from the media, which you'll see in the second and third photos

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Ok enough.

At about 6:30 I decided enough was enough and headed for home.

All in all, I find it hard to take these people seriously. Yes Cindy Sheehan will garner some media attention with her stunt. But her and Code Pink are so whacked out of their minds that rational discourse with them is impossible. Their arguments, such as they are, are not to be taken seriously.

What is of concern is how more mainstream leftist groups like Moveon.org and the Daily Kos are affecting the Democrat Party. That is a subject for another post, but suffice it to say for now that I think these things run downhill: Code Pink/Cindy Sheehan affects Moveon.org and the Daily Kos, and they in turn affect the Democrat Party. None of this can be good for our country, because we have a war to win, and the lefties of Code Pink are rooting for our enemies.

Update

Here is the account of the day's events at FreeRepublic.com Be sure to check it out, as Albion recorded what we and the moonbats said and reports some of it verbatum.

Posted by Tom at 11:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 1, 2006

Stories from Walter Reed

Something I haven't really shared with my readers is that I and some others visit the troops recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on a regular basis. The group goes once a week, and while I did this for a few months, time, distance, and gas prices have conspired to cut back my participation to every other week. We bring them things, from cookies and candy to books and videos, to toys and stuffed animals for their children.

Walter Reed, located in Washington DC, is a rehabilitation center, so the troops can be there for many months. Their families often come and stay with them during their recovery, some staying a few days, some longer. Often there are children, who, like kids everywhere, get bored. We do what we can can to make their stay easier.

What I wanted to do is to share with you some of their stories. I have heard many, but these are the ones that stand out.

Rarely are they shy about talking about their experiences in Iraq or Afghanistan, and everyone has a different story. They are all unique.

None of the names below are the real names of the troops involved. I am terrible at remembering names, and wouldn't print them anyway.

Tony - lost part of his leg at Tal Afar last year. "There were some real tough terrorists/insurgents(I forget the word he used) there. A few tried to escape, even dressing as women. It was a hard battle", he told me. "We killed thousands of them." We were sitting down when he was telling me his story, and a wife of another solder walked by. She stepped on his artificial foot and he pretended that it hurt....

John - he had both his legs, but the lower half of one was terribly swolen and was surrounded by one of those cage contraptions. It all looked like something out of a movie. "Shrapnel from an IED", he explained. "But you know, they(the press) don't publish the good things that we're doing."

Larry - is missing both of his arms above the elbows. He has a prosthetic for each, and is pretty adept at using them. I haven't spoken with him yet, my excuse is that there hasn't been an opportunity but in reality I've been stalling. You see, he looks so terribly young, and he has a wife and child.

Doug - looked fine, but was obviously a patient there. He explained that he had a back injury, two ruptured disks. I don't remember the full story, but he and some other soldiers were in a crowd situation, and an Iraqi who he described as "a terrorist" came up behind him. He twisted his body and hit the guy with his rifle butt. With all that momentum, his body armor and gear kept twisting after he had stopped, and the effect he said was to damage his back. He said it didn't bother him much at the time, but after awhile he realized something was seriously wrong with his back. The last time I saw him his leg was shaking uncontrolbly, something about nerve damage, he explained.

Kahn - is an Afghan national. He looks 55, but is probably 40. He is an interpreter for the US Army. He told us a wild story about how he was in some Afghan city with some of our Special Forces guys, and they were attacked by terrorists. Some of our guys were wounded, as was Kahn. Nevertheless, he threw our soldiers into his vehicle and sped them back to base so they could all be treated. We couldn't win without guys like him.

Bill - had no obvious wounds. Big strapping guy, the type you want on your side when things get rough. "Heart attack", he explained. "Can you believe it? I'm only 35. They say it was stress."

Mary - he son might lose his leg. "He was hit with one of our own guns" she explained. "One of the big ones, bigger than the M-60." "A .50 cal?" I suggested. "Yes, that's it", she said. I cringed inwardly. She didn't express any bitterness or resentment about it, and in fact offered to take me on a tour of the facility, to some places I hadn't seen yet. I took her up on it.

Misha - didn't speak much English. He is from Ukraine (or some similar country). Wheelchair bound, he had both his legs but they're pretty bashed up. From what we can tell, he was in a convoy when it was ambushed. We're not sure, but he may have been the only survivor.

Hank - is from Illinois, and comes ever few weeks to see his son, who is a soldier in the hospital. "Damn Army review boards! They should have had him out of here months ago. We wouldn't have to put up with this back home." Every now and then I hear similar gripes from a parent. Like anything else, it's impossible to know the truth of the matter unless you hear both sides. All I can do is nod sympathetically.

Dave - is lively and likes the stuffed animals that we bring for the kids. He always makes jokes and livens things up. He was there for blood clots in his legs. Not directly related to combat, he said, but it laid him up nonetheless.

Joe - was in a wheelchair, missing both his legs above the knee. But something was wrong; he was at least 55 years old and had hair longer than any soldier. We asked how he came to be there. "Vietnam vet", he explained. "I'm in go get new legs. They're making them much better now than they used to." He told us all about how he was wounded in Vietnam. He also told us that he tried to be a mentor to the soldiers at the hospital. "I take them out on kayaking trips, we play basketball, things like that. I show them that just because you've lost something doesn't mean you can't lead a full life." Wow. We asked if he'd run into any war protesters when he got back from 'Nam. "No", he said, "When I got back I enrolled at the University of Arizona and I guess there weren't many of them down there. But if I had I would have given them a piece of my mind."

I tell you all these things not to tout my experiences, or what I do, but because I think their stories need to be told. I also hope that this encourages you to take action to help them out yourself. There may not be a VA hospital where you live, but though the magic of the Internet there are many organizations dedicated to helping our brave men and women.

Maybe you are already taking action, so this does not apply to you. But if not, read on.

There are dozens, hundreds, I suppose, of organizations dedicated to helping the troops. One in which I participate is Adopt-a-Platoon. Despite the name, no you don't have to adopt an entire platoon of soldiers or marines. They have many different levels of participation, so you can choose the one that suits you. I chose the individual soldier support level, so once a week I write a letter, and into the envelope I stuff the comics, sports section, or some editorial for them to read. Occasionally I hear back, but not often.

So do what you can, but I encourage everyone to do something.

Posted by Tom at 9:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 22, 2006

Fran O'Briens Getting the Boot

Readers of the page will recall that at the end of my posts on our Friday night pro-troops rallies at Walter Reed, I mention that we greet a bus full of troops at the entrance to the hospital. The troops are returning from a dinner at Fran O'Briens Stadium Steakhouse, a popular restaurant in Washington DC.

The restaurant is located in the Capital Hilton Hotel.

The cost of the dinners is substantial. According to an editorial in today's Washington Times, they "...cost $3,500-$4,000 each to serve anywhere from 30-60 people. At least the cost is covered partly by a charity, the Aleethia Foundation. But clearly Fran O'Brien's started this tradition at considerable cost to itself."

Two weeks ago, the Hilton gave Fran's the boot. Their lease was not renewed and they have to be out by May 1.

The problem is 1) the suspected reason for the eviction, and 2) the utter lack of compassion their way of doing business shows for the wounded veterans who go there every Friday night.

Shoshana Bryen, writing in National Review, suspects that the eviction is for one of two reasons. The first is that the stairwell leading down to the restaurant is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, and they either do not want to comply or are worried about a lawsuit if one of the soldiers is injured. Right now, they have to be carried up and down the stairs if they cannot walk, and there have been a few spills.

The other possibility is that the Hilton is simply uncomfortable with having so many amputees come through their lobby every Friday evening. Walter Reed Army Medical Center is the primary rehabilitation center for service members from all branches who have serious injuries such as loss of limb.

The Hilton denies all this, or rather doesn't address it head on. A statement on their website reads

For strictly business reasons related solely to the inability to reach a new lease agreement, the Capital Hilton has elected to terminate the lease with the operator of Fran O’Brien’s restaurant at the hotel. This decision was not at all related to the Friday night dinners for disabled veterans but rather a result of lease negotiations that failed.

Whatever the truth, it is certainly bad publicity for the hotel. As perceptions are reality when it comes to business, I would think that they would realize their mistake and reopen negotiations with Fran's. But apparently this is not going to happen.

For more information

Smash the Indepundit:

BUZZ PATTERSON sends:

I just had a long chat with Hal Koster. Our worst fears are not only well founded but grossly understated. It's a complete and thorough cluster @#$%. (Sorry, my words not his). I haven't been this pissed about anything in a very long time.

...Kelleher's(General Manager of the Capitol Hilton) responses to our questions were blatant lies. Despite what Kelleher says, Hilton has done nothing to support the dinners... never met a bus, never contributed a cent, never negotiated for changes to bring the restaurant into ADA compliance, never advertised the restaurant or the dinners within their own hotel, never provided logistical support... in a word, they've done absolutely zip. In fact, Kelleher hides out in his office and has had no contact with Fran's owner

Save Frans is a website dedicated to saving the restaurant. Kelleher, take notice.

Andi at Andi's World has several great posts

It's not about Fran O'Briens, the Hilton, or property rights. It's about the troops

The Hilton responds to the Fran O'Briens matter

Andi Speaks with Brian Kelleher and gets the Hilton's side of the story

The Washington Times weighs in today

According to co-proprietor Hal Koster, the trouble began earlier this year when lease negotiations with Hilton broke down over the installment of a lift for wheelchair-bound veterans to enter the premises, which are at basement level. "We compromised on just about everything else, but we said, 'You have to do the lift,' " Mr. Koster recounted in a phone interview with The Washington Times. But Hilton balked because the costs would be higher than anticipated.

About a month ago Mr. Koster and business partner Marty O'Brien, son of the late Redskins tackle and restaurant namesake, received an eviction notice. "They haven't said anything to us" beyond the official notice, Mr. Koster reports. But to his mind, it was clear enough that Hilton evicted him because it didn't want to pay for the lift.
...

In the immediate future, a rival has stepped in to be the goodwill enterprise that Hilton apparently isn't. Mr. Koster reports that rival Crown Plaza Hotel has agreed to host the dinners temporarily.

However, the Times notes that this is at best a temporary solution, and that the owners of Frans have not found a permanent location downtown yet.

The Bottom Line

Send an email to the Capital Hilton. Let them know what you think. If none of the addresses on their website work, try this one hhonors@hilton.com , or any of the others listed here.

Update

The email I sent to Hhonors@hilton.com generated an autoreply with a generic message. The other email I sent to the individuals listed on the Save Fran's website bounced, whether due to volume or their being turned off I cannot say.

Posted by Tom at 12:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 1, 2006

Friends at Walter Reed

This past Friday night we were honored by the addition of some friends of mine from New Jersey who came down to be with us at our weekly pro-troops rally outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington DC.

Background

As regular readers of this blog know, the folks at FreeRepublic have been organizing these rallies for almost a year now. I joined last August. We do this every Friday night from 6:30 to 9:30. The radical pro-Castro group Code Pink used to hang out on opposite streetcorners from us, but two months ago we got the permit for all four corners, so the pinkos are relegated to holding their anti-war protest a half block down the street where noone can see them. For the full story of these events outside Walter Reed go to "Categories" at right and select "Rallies and Protests".

A Great Rally

Linda and her husband Kieran, and their two children Haley and Michael, drove down from their home in New Jersey to join our rally. I met Linda over a year ago at a GOPUSA Issues and Action Conference in Washington DC. Without further ado, here are Linda and Kieran

Sorry for the blurryness, as my camera doesn't always do so well at night. Also, for some reason my camera resets the date whenever I change batteries, and I always forget to reset it. So no, you're not caught in a time warp.

The weather was beautiful, in the mid 60s. Quite a nice break from the freezing temperatures that we've endured these past several months. If you go through my last few Walter Reed posts you'll see we're dressed as if for a blizzard. However, it was still too windy to deploy the MOAB - Mother Of All Banners, so we just put up our usual half-dozen flags

Here are a few more photos of some of the patriots who turned out to support the troops. These two held down one of the corners beside the main entrance, opposite to the folks in the photo above.

Here are the folks on another corner

Here are my friends from New Jersey again. Kieran is in the foreground, with daughter Haley and son Michael beside him. Linda is hidden behind our many signs

Throughout all this we always get lots of honks and waves from people in their cars. Last night it seemed like we got more than we usually got, the warm weather probably being the biggest factor. Every now and then someone will shout "bring them home!" or something like that but they are few and don't matter. But I also have to think that since we've been doing this so long that most of the drivers recognize us and are ready with their honks and waves.

Messing with Code Pink

Now that the pinkos are halfway down the street we usually just ignore them. But since I had the camera out anyway I decided to head down there and take some photos.

My first trip down there was on the opposite side of the street to where they were. Although there was no light to stop cars, I thought if I took enough time and timed it right I might get in a decent shot or so. Since it was dark the shutter has to stay open a bit longer than usual, and there's a delay anyway with digital cameras, so night shots are always a challenge.

Wouldn't you know it though, no sooner had I gotten my tripod set up with one of their leaders jaywalks across the street to confront me.

"You can't come down this far!" she says when she gets to my side.

"Really?" I said as aimed my camera at the pinkos across the street.

"We have an agreement with your leaders that you aren't to come down this far" she continued

"Well, call the cops" I replied. "None of you are on this side anyway, so what do you care?" I have no idea if she was telling the truth or not about any "arrangement", and I didn't care. She didn't produce a permit and never called the police. I did get a nice shot of her, though.

"Smile!" I said

She didn't.

Then she tried to block my view of her group, but didn't do a very good job

Enough was enough. I got the photo, so headed back.

However, a few minutes later I saw one of our party heading down on the other side of the street to photo the pinkos. I decided to join her.

Wouldn't you know but we were serenaded by their hippie guitar player. He played "America the Beautiful" I think.

What it's Really All About

Enough about Code Pink. They're irrelevant now that we've chased them off.

The troops in the hospital know full well what goes on outside every Friday night. I know this because I've spoken with enough of them, as in addition to this I and some others pay regular visits to the hospital where we bring them treats and things like books, videos, and the like.

Further, every Friday a busload of the recovering troops is taken to an upscale Washington DC restaurant called Fran O'Briens at 9:30ish. We wave and shout and they wave back at us. It's a tough situation they're in, and most seem so young. But we've all got to do our part, and this is the least I can do.

Last night the bus came before I had my camera ready, so here's a photo from a previous night

Posted by Tom at 7:38 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 26, 2006

On Activism - Part III

Don't tell me that you have to live in Washington DC, the capital city of any other country, or even a major metropolitan area to get out on the streets and engage in political activism.

Check out what this pro-Denmark rally a blogger held in Greensboro NC. He's got photos and a story. He says he came up with the idea before Christopher Hitchens, so score one for originality.

Little or big, it all adds up. Freedom must be defended.

See also Part I and Part II of my series on conservative political activism.

Posted by Tom at 1:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 23, 2006

Activism in the UK - A Lesson

Yesterday I wrote about political activism and gave out some practical advice that anyone can use, no matter where you live.

Wouldn't you know it but just that same day I received an email from a friend in the UK Mary Martini, who detailed what she and some others did that she gave me permission to share with you.

There are many lessons in what follows, so read carefully. The biggest two are 1) That the Saudis are not to be trusted, and are guilty of egregious human rights abuses, and 2) average people can get out and do something about it.

What Mary and some others did was to confront Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, during his visit to Manchester a few weeks ago. Their purpose was to force him to confront the reality of torture of innocent victims in Saudi Arabia, and to raise public awareness of an incident that involved several Britons and Canadians a few years ago.

The short version is that in 2001 the Saudi government unjustly arrested several Britons, including her ex husband, and tortured them into making false confessions on Saudi TV. Details are below, but first, let's get on with the confrontation.

Here is Mary's description of what happened:

The Saudi delegation was in Manchester at the town hall, it was trade and investment, Saudi has $676 billion to invest in telecoms petrochemicals ect. I made a banner 6ft high and in big A4 size letter I had on it,

SAUDI ARABIA

ARE GUILTY OF TORTURE

HUMAN RIGHTS

NOT TRADE

At 08 30 the Saudi delegation came walking toward us lead by Nawaf the new ambassador they were all so embarrassed they thought we were greeting them until they read what was written, there was myself James cottle and Bill Sampson and les walker turned up, the TV and radio came, as I live in Manchester I thought it was an insult and an opprtunity to get him. The TV were good and went into the meeting on the pretence of talking about trade but hit the ambassador with the torture, his answer was it is safe in Saudi, the trade minister (UK) was a bubbling mess he didnt know what to say when caught on the hop, we are planning to do one at the saudi embassy but they wont know when. I also made up leaflets (below) to hand out to everyone going in, some of the business men didnt want to know and one pushed me when I confronted them with the human rights issue.

Here is what she had on the leaflets

SAUDI ARABIA TORTURES THE INNOCENT

You may not know what it is like to live in perpetual fear but several British men did when they were framed and tortured into making confessions. Imagine you are working in Saudi and you are arrested for no reason, you may have a family in the UK. you are thrown in prison and made to confess to crimes you know nothing about, you will not have contact with the embassy or anyone civilised you will not see a Lawyer for over a year. You will be deprived of sleep and beaten daily, you are unable to walk as your feet are black and blue and full of lumps from the falanga

(beating of feet) you want to die and think of ways of killing yourself.

You will be taken to a kangaroo court and sentenced, you are not told of your sentence and constantly goaded by the guards, so you wait and wait hoping the UK Government have a plan to get you out, NO they have no plan and left you to rot for over 2 years.

Weakness has set in and your skin becomes dry hangs from your bones,

depression sets in and when you finally see the British consul you are not free to speak.

If you are released, you will have no job no life and suffer from medical problems, Saudi Arabia will keep saying you are guilty and you get no redress for what has been done to you.

The only thing you can do is to warn others of the human rights abuses and advise no Brits to work in the Kingdom.

Lots of lessons here

1) Know where your target will be. Do your homework

2) Have a big sign or signs that no one can miss

4) Use the element of surprise

3) Educate passers by with leaflets so that they get your message

The Background

Mary and I "met" on the Internet through the comments section on a blog. As I recall it she told the story of the tortured Britons in comments on a blog somewhere and I sent her an email asking for details. She sent me many articles, and I wrote several posts about what happened.

Here's a summary of what happened, from my first post on this:

In June of 2001, James Cottle, 51, traveled to Saudia Arabia to work on construction contracts. Within a few short months he found himself falsely imprisoned, regularly beaten, and forced to "confess", live on Saudi television, in the style of the Moscow show trials of the late 1930's.

The Saudis claim that he and seven other Europeans were behind a series of terrorist bombings that occured in the "Magic Kingdom" during November of 2000. The charge was that western bootleggers were engaged in a turf war, and that Cottle and the others were participants. However, in typical Stalinist fashion, they never presented any evidence this claim other than the confessions.

After being arrested in June of 2001 Cottle and the others were subjected to Saudi-style interrogation. The first day they yelled at him and slapped him around. Things got worse very quickly. The second night they started beating his feet. Cottle says that he was beaten six to eigtht hours every night. He spent 11 months in solitary confinement while the interrogations and beatings continued. Eventually he was allowed to share a cell with one of the other Britons accused of the bombings.

British consular officials were able to secure visits to him in jail. Although the questioned the Saudi authorities, the Saudis didn't show them any evidence that he was involved in any bombings.

During all this, his ex-wife, Mary Martini, attempted to secure his freedom through the Foreign Office (the UK equivalent of the U.S. Department of State). She says that she didn't receive much help from them. Initially she followed their request to "stay silent" and not create a public stir. However, after more than a year with no results, she grew impatient.

That James Cottle, William Sampson, Ron Jones, Les Walker and the others are innocent is not disputed by anyone in the West. All of the relevant human rights groups, and I believe even the British government itself, have said flat out that there is no way that these men were responsible for planting bombs in Saudi Arabia (which continued to go off while they were detained).

After a year of confinement, James Cottle and the others realized that their only way out was to confess on Saudi TV, which they did.

Finally, on August 8 2003, Cottle and six others were released. Some were a royal pardon, but their convictions were not overturned. Cottle refused to sign the pardon paper so was granted a clemency, the latter not stating that he was sorry "for what he did." Their treatment at the hands of the Saudis had been so bad that Ms Martini said that "I really couldn't recognise the men at first, obviously because the picture of James they have shown was from when he was about 17 stone,"

Even though James Cottle is now a free man, Martini says that he still bears the scars of his imprisonment. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and relies on heavy medication and counselors. As quoted in the Guardian, Martini said that "James has been very affected by what he has been through. He gets tired from even from normal things like just walking. Making decisions also seems hard, even deciding what he wants to eat, simple things like that."

To the suprise of no one, the arrest and torture of Cottle and the others is typical of Saudia Arabia. Said Amnesty International, "Secrecy, torture and unfair trials are the hallmarks of Saudi justice."

You can find all of my articles on this situation and Saudi Arabia here.

The city of Manchster issued this press release on the visit, which Mary forwarded to me:

Manchester shows Saudi delegation why it’s a great place to do business

A delegation of leading Saudi Arabian officials will be hearing about opportunities to do business in and with Manchester.

Delegates including Saudi ambassador to the UK Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf and Princess Loulwah Al Faisal are visiting the city on January 26 to highlight trade and investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia in a special forum at Manchester Town Hall.

But they will also be shown how much Manchester has to offer as a major international business and investment location.

The ambassador will host a private lunch on January 25, joined by Lord Mayor of Manchester Mohammed Afzal Khan, Sir Howard Bernstein, City Council chief executive and leading companies and partners. The ambassador will also meet local Muslim leaders and visit a number of key development sites in Manchester.

In the evening a reception will take place at the City of Manchester Stadium for the Saudi delegation, hosted by City Council leader Richard Leese and attended by 50 leading figures from Manchester’s business community.

Lord Mayor of Manchester Mohammed Afzal Khan said: "I am delighted our great city has been chosen for this important event. I think it is fitting because Manchester has a long and proud history in world trade and is a major international business and investment location.

And yes you read that right. Apparently the mayor of Manchester is a Muslim from Pakistan. Here's his bio.

When released, Ron Jones filed a lawsuit against the individuals in Saudi Arabia responsible for his arrest and torture. Mr Jones has won the first round, obtaining the right to sue the Saudis. However, the Saudis have appealed, and the case will be heard this April. The British government has been of no help in this entire process, wishing it all to be swept under the rug so as not to interfere with "good relations".

Several of the others also have lawsuits pending.

I havent't seen much in the US press about this, although this article appeared in The Washington Times last June, (it is still available and is an excellent summary and background)

The Victims

Of those arrested, James Cottle, Sandy Mitchell, Bill Sampson, Les Walker, Peter Brandon, and Ron Jones have all been to the Parker Institute in Denmark and have proof of torture.

Glenn Ballard, Jimmy Lee, and Raf Shyvens were also unjustly arrested but they were not tortured.

Jim Cottle has written a long account of his ordeal which you can download here: Download file

Posted by Tom at 10:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 22, 2006

On Activism and What You Can Do

Over the past year or so I've been able to attend many rallies and protests (counter-protests, really) in the Washington DC area where I live. Fanatical blogger than I am, I always write it up here and post photos. A few times I've been fortunate enough to have Little Green Footballs and Michelle Malkin link to me.

When they do the hit counter skyrockets and I get many more comments than usual. I've noticed that occasionally people say things like "If I lived there I would have attended!" I've also noticed this type of comment over at FreeRepublic after writeups of the various "freeps".

No doubt that living near Washington DC provides unique opportunites not available everywhere. I have it easy. Washington DC is politics central, and everyone with a cause is here almost every weekend doing something.

From Watching to Blogging to Activism

I've spent most of my life like most people who are interested in history and politics, reading books and magazines and occasionally talking about it with family and friends. But it never went beyond that.

Even after Sept 11 I admit I didn't get out and do anything. I didn't politic for Republicans during the 2002 elections. I even let the anti-war protests during the runup to the invasion of Iraq go uncountered. At that time I didn't even know that conservatives counter-protested.

My first foray was blogging. I started The Redhunter over at blogspot after loosing a job that had gone sour. I needed something to take my mind off the situation, and writing helped. It quickly became a habit, and as all bloggers know, writing forces you to become more knowledgeable.

In 2004 I listened to some Democrat attack adds targeted at my local congressman, Republican Frank Wolf, and decided that enough was enough. I contacted his volunteer coordinator and the next thing you know I was standing in front of supermarkets handing out flyers.

In August of 2005 I heard on the radio that a leftist group called Code Pink was doing an anti-war protest at Walter Reed Army Medical Center every Friday night, and that some conservatives were also staging a counter-protest. "Hmmm", I thought, "I live pretty close by. I'm going to go over there and see what's up."

One thing led to another, and now I go to Walter Reed almost every Friday night. We've chased the Pinkos away from the entrance, but since they still congregate a block away we're going to keep up our activities until they're gone for good.

I also went to the big anti-war protest last Sept 24 in Washington DC to counter-protest, and last Saturday to the Danish Embassy to act as a symbolic "human shield" against the radical Muslim group The New Black Panthers. There has been more, but those are the highlights.

Click on "Rallies and Protests" under "Categories" at right for writeups on all these events and more.

What You Can Do Regardless of Where You Live

As I mentioned earlier, I fully realize that I am fortunate to live in the Washington DC area where there is a lot going on.

However, based on my experience I've got some ideas that should apply to anyone no matter where you live.

Get Out And Campaign

No matter where you live you've got a congressman, and every two years they're up for reelection. If you like the incumbent, campaign for him or her. If you like the challenger then contact that person.

I know what you're worried about: "I'm not a professional" "I don't have any skills they could use" "I don't have much time" "They'll turn me away"

Not to worry. Believe you me, they'll take you for as long or as short a period as you can spare the time, and they've got jobs from stuffing envelopes to standing in front of shopping centers handing out flyers to putting up (and later removing) the signs you see along the roads. It all needs to be done, and every bit helps.

Contact Local Activist Groups

I know of two conservative groups that organize rallies and counter-protests and have chapters around the country: Free Republic and Protest Warriors.

I'm affiliated with the former and know members of the latter. All you have to do is go onto their websites and there are contact forms you can fill out. If someone doesn't get back to you please send me an email and I'll do what I can through my contacts to help you out.

"But there's nothing going on in my area"

My guess is there's a lot more going on than you realize, you just don't know about it.

Also, don't think that contacting one of the above groups obligates you to anything. Believe you me, whatever you can do, whatever you can attend, it all helps.

Also, if you've got images of 1960s style protests with clouds of tear gas and the cops arresting everyone, forget it. At all the big ones I've been to the police form a barrier between us and the lefties and there's never been any trouble.

In the smaller events just keep your distance and don't let your emotions take control. Advise others in your group to do likewise. Rarely are there personal confrontations and when there are it's because people forget to keep their distance, or let their emotions take them away.

So take the plunge and make the contact.

Monitor the Lefties Yourself

Much of the time the leftists post notices of their rallies and protests on their websites. This is partly how people at FreeRepublic and the Protest Warriors get their information on what the left is going to do.

If you're really bold, get on a leftist mailing list. Most sites allow you to do it free, you just sign up on their site. If you're worried about being identified or don't want to give out your main email address, simply go to yahoo or hotmail and set up an email account specially for that purpose. I haven't done this, but may do so if I feel the need arises.

The point is that I read all the time on various blogs and whatnot about some leftist protest in some other part of the country. These provide a perfect opportunity to get out and counter-protest the lefties. Believe you me, they'll be surprised and taken aback that they don't have the streets to themselves. But then, that's the idea.

Some of the big leftie sites than I'm aware of where they often post notices of rallies are AntiWar.com, Indymedia, and of course MoveOn.org Each of these groups have local chapters, and most of the time each has it's own website. Further, each site has dozens of links to other leftist organizations.

If you do decide to organize rallies or counter-protests yourself, beware that you may need a permit. Different areas have different laws, and it behooves you to become familiar with them.

Support the Troops

Most of all, let's not forget who's fighting the real war; the troops around the world, particularly those in Afghanistan and Iraq. They need our direct support, and this certainly anyone in the country can do even if you live on a mountaintop in the middle of nowhere.

I've spoken to many (relative term there) troops who've returned from one or another theater, and they all say the same thing.

"Send mail. One time or every week, it doesn't matter. A simple letter or a big package, it all helps."

Chris Missick told me that from talking to a lot of people his impression was that people thought that unless they could send the "big" package, it wasn't worth sending anything at all, because one single letter either wouldn't be appreciated or wouldn't matter. He stressed to me that every single thing matters to the troops in the field.

At right you'll see a section called "Helping the Troops". Actually, you'll need to click the left/back arrow of your brower and return to theredhunter.com to see all the blogrolls.

Take your pick as to which one you'd like to contact. I've chosen Adopt-a-Platoon, and have participated in one of their programs for almost a year and a half.

They've got many different levels that you can choose, from supporting an entire platoon, to an individual soldier, to a one-time letter, gift, or package. I've chosen the weekly letter to a soldier one and am on my fourth trooper now, the others having been rotated back home. I usually try to stuff the comics or sports section of the paper in the envelope with my letter, as I'm sure they're happy to have something to read besides the side of an MRE.

In the End

Blogging is great. I love doing this, and I love visiting other blogs.

But there's nothing as rewarding as getting out and actually doing something. Whether it is campaigning, countering the lefties, or just sending a soldier a letter. It all counts.

I don't call myself The Redhunter for nothing.

Posted by Tom at 9:29 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 18, 2006

At the Danish Embassy in Washington DC

Expanded Post - Monday February 20

I spent the earlier part of today at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington DC.

The New Black Panther Party held a protest in front of the embassy as part of the ongoing Cartoon Jihad. I was part of a group of Freepers and other people who stood in between them and the embassy as part of a "Human Shield". The Embassy of Denmark is in the background

From the New Black Panther Party press release:

Speakers Include: Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz, Imam Akbar Bilal, Imam Abdul Alim Musa, Imam Mohammed Asi, Hodari Abdul Ali, and other community and Muslim leaders who will speak in solidarity with the worldwide Muslim Ummah (Community) that is fighting against the intentional debased attack by the Danish and western peoples against Islam. The participants recognize this as an escalation in the American-European War against Islam and the Muslims.

Sponsored by a coalition of Muslim groups and the New Black Panther Party.

Michelle Malkin was there, taking pictures and interviewing people. Here's her pre-post on the event. Check it out, because she's got some background on the speakers and their hate-filled agenda. When she puts up her report I'll link to it.

Countering the Panthers - Why We Do It

Organizing the counter to the Panthers was the DC chapter of Free Republic. These are the folks who organize the Walter Reed demonstrations against Code Pink every Friday night.

The reason we do these things is that we're not going to let these people have the streets to themselves anymore. They're not going to be the only ones in the public square. We learned our lesson in the 1960s and are not going to let that happen again.

It was also a show of solidarity with Denmark. That tiny nation has been the victim of many hateful attacks these past few weeks, and all because of some cartoons about Mohammed published in one of their newspapers. This is all part of the War on Terror and clash of civilizations, and when one of our fellow western nations is under attack, we have an obligation to go to their defense.

We've also seen what has happened at other Danish embassies and consulates, like this one in New York City, where yesterday protesting Muslims held signs like "Responsible Editors Must Be Punished".

Freedom needs to be defended.

Getting Started

The Royal Danish Embassy is at the end of Whitehaven street in northwestern Washington DC. Whitehaven is maybe a quarter-mile long and slopes somewhat uphill. The area is surrounded by trees, all of which make it seem somewhat secluded from the rest of the city. Whitehaven is attached to Massachusetts Avenue, which is known as "embassy row", and as you drive up it you see the flags of many nations. I was told that Hillary Clinton lives in the house across the street from the Danish Embasssy but have no way to confirm that.

The New Black Panther Party and their "other community and Muslim leaders" gathered at the Islamic Center, which is on Massachusetts Avenue not far from where it intersects with Whitehaven. As I was driving on Massachussetts to the Danish Embassy I saw them out front. Or rather, I could hear them, as Malik Zulu Shabazz was ranting into a rather loud PA system.

When I got to the embassy at maybe 12:30 the Panthers were still at the bottom of the hill at the Islamic Center. Maybe a dozen of our people were there at that point. We set up our "human shield" and waited.

(NOTE: As you'll notice the dates on the pictures are wrong. Somehow the stupid camera reset the date and I can't figure out how to change it on the photos. If you know please shoot me an email)

Update: If you enlarge the photo above you'll see that Kristinn is holding a "Durka Durka" sign. At left is one that reads "Bakala, Bakala, Bakalakalaka" I didn't know this, but they are from the movie Team America, which I've never seen. Sorry for my ignorance, readers, but I'm not much of a movie or TV guy. Kristinn says on the FreeRepublic post that "We weren't trying to be antagonistic or incite a riot, but considering the seriousness of the situation and the possibility of violence, we figured we'd get in a few laughs before getting our heads smashed in."

Directly across the street from the Danish Embassy is this house where Hillary Clinton lives. During the event I did not see anyone come or leave it, nor did I see anyone at the windows. I'm sure she was forwarned and wisely stayed away that day.

After a few minutes Michelle Malkin showed up. She greeted us and took some pictures. However, she did not join our group, as she was there in the role of reporter rather than participant. It was a thrill to have her there, as I am a huge fan. Her blog is a daily must-read.

(note; you should be able to enlarge any of the pictures by simply clicking on them. I'm keeping them a bit smaller in this post so that they load quicker for people without broadband)

There were also plenty of police and media. The cops didn't look very worried. They had a strong enough presence, and of course being in Washington DC they have plenty of experience with rallies and protests. We asked some of the reporters who they were with and I remember hearing the Washington Post and Associated Press.

Here is a view down the street from the embassy

Here they come. They brought a pretty decent PA system, with portable generator and all

The Excitement Begins

As the Muslims organized, one of their member began to speak to us. Or rather, like all of them, he ranted. I'm not quite sure who this guy is, but I'll going to do some research tomorrow, so if you come back Sunday evening I'll have more

These next two photos are of Malik Zulu Shabazz, their leader and main speaker. He sounded very much like Louis Farrakhan, and watching him reminded me of films of Benito Mussolini.

I'll have more on him tomorrow. In the meantime, the Anti-Defamation League has a page on the New Black Panther Party that as expected is very good. They also have a page on him, titled "Malik Zulu Shabazz in His Own Words". It's pretty scary stuff. Here's a quick sample

What we have against Jews and others is [sic] simple facts of history: that the Jews have been involved in the African holocaust and that the Zionists are causing problems, you know, for people of color around the world … The State of Israel. The Zionist entity there. It's a problem. It's a problem for our brothers and sisters in that particular area and it's causing problems all over the earth.

Also, here's an interview I found that I found pretty interesting, though not for reasons he'd appreciate.

Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin was doing something I wish I'd been doing; writing down what these guys were saying. In my hurry to leave the house that morning I hadn't thought to bring an notepad. As I'm sure she'll have details on her blog tomorrow, I'll revise this post by including her observations, so be sure and check back.

The Numbers Grow

For the first hour we had maybe a dozen on our side, and the Panthers/Muslims about twice that number. By the time they left at 3:00 they had about 50 people and I counted about 25 on our side.

Here's a view from the top of the street down along our line. I'm the guy in the green jacket holding the Danish flag and the "S" in our "HUMAN SHIELDS" sign

Here's another view along our line

You can see the amusement on many faces. It was hard to take these people seriously. This was not like the protests in European cities, where you had thousands of Muslims of Arabic heritage protest, with their posters threatening violence. While to be sure Malik Zulu Shabazz and his ilk are hateful people preaching racist bile, that they could only attract 50 followers in Washington DC is telling. Most of the time we just laughed at their insanities.

Sometimes Shabazz and the other speakers would try to cajole us into joining them, and at other times they would do all but threaten us with violence (threats on other embassies were a common theme). Sometimes they looked as if they actually expected us to fall on our knees and worship Allah, and looked disappointed when we didn't. They went from speaker to speaker, almost as a baseball team calls in a new pitcher when the old one is no longer effective. It was if they were trying new speakers to find one that would get through to us. Very weird.

At one point one of their speakers was complaining that two Muslims were imprisoned in Europe for questioning whether the holocaust had occured. I and others shouted at him asking if he questioned whether the holocaust had occured. He paused at this, but would never answer us directy.

A few times Shabazz or one of the others mentioned "the Jews". At this we all hooted and hollered and cried "racist!" Sensing that this was a mistake, they changed to railing against the "Zionists".

Michelle pulled several of their speakers aside for interviews. In this next photo she is speaking with Shabazz himself

During all this two guys came out from the Danish Embassy to observe the goings on. They looked more amused than anything.

Here are a few more of their speakers. I don't know who they are but will try to get IDs tomorrow, so check back Sunday evening.

What It all Meant

One of my favorite bloggers, Kat of The Middle Ground, posted this comment on my blog a few months ago

We no longer cede our voice and the public square to only those who "dissent". Something that was necessary at our founding and which we had ceded since the Vietnam days. (see, it's not Vietnam redux...;)

She was responding to one of my posts in which we went to Lafayette Park in Washington DC for a pro-Iraq rally.

I hadn't quite made that connection until she made that comment. And she's right, too, we're not going to let the other side have the streets or the public square to themselves anymore. Freedom must be defended, and it that means standing in front of the Royal Danish Embassy symbolically protecting it from Muslim radicals, then so be it. There are many fronts in the War on Terror, and today I was at one of them.

Update: Media Reaction and other Bloggers

The Washington Post has a short story up on the event. I'm actually in the photo, the guy holding the Danish flag at left.

Kristinn ofFreeRepublic has a great write-up and photos. Check it out. Money quotes:

Shabazz also was quite menacing--in a cartoonish manner. I was reminded of a Twilight Zone episode with a young Dennis Hopper as a Hitler wannabe who is mentored by the ghost of the Fuhrer, himself.

Shabazz gave racist, anti-Semitic, anti-American, Islamofascist diatribes, in between other speakers who gave, well, racist, anti-Semitic, anti-American, Islamofascist diatribes.

...
Two of their speakers started out sounding reasonable, but damn if they didn't veer off into cloud cuckooland soon after. For some reason, they kept blaming the Jews for their problems. What wasn't the Jews' fault was white people's fault, and America's fault, and George Bush's fault, and Dick Cheney's fault, and Halliburton's fault, and oh yes, the Danes' fault.

They started out complaining about the cartoons, but more often than not, the cartoons were an afterthought.

Shabazz came very close to losing his temper with us. When we pulled "Kumbaya" from our repertoire, he started ranting about how lucky we were the police were present. He pointed his hand at one of us and cocked his hand like a pistol and dropped his thumb down like he was 'firing'.

He did loosen up later though and cracked a Holocaust joke.

Joking about the holocaust. That about says it all, doesn't it?

Several of the people who author Smashing Left-Wing Scum were there, and they a great write-up and photos too.

B. Preston, author of Junkyard Blog, was at the event with Michelle Malkin. His initial post on the event is here and he's got a good close up photo of whacko-in-chief Malik Zulu Shabazz. I saw him there taking video and pictures, and yesterday he wrote that he "had hoped to have them edited for your entertainment tonight, but technical problems got in the way. Stay tuned to the JYB and Michelle’s blog—we plan to have an edited video of the protest posted soon."

You can count on it.

Posted by Tom at 10:29 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack

January 28, 2006

Code Pink Kept Away from Walter Reed

Once again patriotic Americans occupied all four corners outside the main entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. Code Pink was kept away for another week, left to lick their wounds asome distance away down the street.

Our brave men and women in uniform no longer have to look at a bunch of left-wing extremists every Friday evening as they enter and exit the hospital.

For months Code Pink held anti-war protests, disguised as vigils, on the two corners right beside the main entrance to the hospital every Friday evening. Once discovered, organizers at Free Republic and Protest Warriors countered them by holding a pro-troops/anti-Code Pink rally on the opposite two corners. This has been going on for about 10 months. I got involved last August when all of this became a national news story after Marc Morano of CNSNews published a story about it. My previous posts on the subject are here, here, here, here, and here.

As I related last Saturday, the Pinkos forgot to renew their permits, and ConcreteBob of the Washington DC chapter of the Protest Warriors seized the initiative and got permits for "their" corners.

Perhaps it was the news of this victory, which was picked up by Michelle Malkin and Little Green Footballs, or maybe it was just word of mouth among the local chapters of the Protest Warriors and Free Republic, but we had great attendance last night, easily presenting a formidable presence on all four corners.

That said, now is not the time to let up! I urge anyone who is within driving distance of Washington DC to please consider attending next Friday evening. We are there from approximately 6:30 to 9:30, though of course please do as your schedule allows. If you need directions or anything else please do not hestitate to contact me, please use the email address at the upper right of this blog.

I believe that if we can keep up the pressure for a few more weeks we might be able to drive a stake through Code Pink once and for all. Our entire objective in this campaign is simply to make them take their anti-war protests someplace else. A military hospital is not the appropriate place for such activities. There are plenty of locations in Washington DC outside the White House and Capitol Building where protests are allowed.

This first photo shows us at the corner opposite the entrance to the hospital. I took it early in the evening, before all of our members had arrived.

Here's the corner by the main entrance, where Code Pink used to set up shop.

And here were are at another of our corners

Where was Code Pink?

What Pinkos showed up were a few hundred feet down the street, where nobody could really see them.

BOOO HOOOO!

Update I

Once again, please check out GunnNutt for her excellent post on last night. As always, she's got great pics and commentary.

Update II

One of our number, tgslTakoma, went down the street to take some pictures of the Pinkos as the sad bunch congregated.

Apparently, however, this was too much for the Pinkos to take, so they threw a temper tantrum. Here's tgslTakoma's account posted at FreeRepublic

There I was, across the street, a six lane street. Just me. And my little camera.

I stood quietly on the empty sidewalk taking pictures of the Code Pink protest at Walter Reed. The one that used to be at the main entrance to the hospital, until they forgot to renew their permit for that location.

Now, they've taken to infesting a location down the street, in front of a small sidewalk park, but still in front of the hospital.

I had gone down alone, with my camera and tripod to document their little public protest.

I had less than a minute's peace to take photos before Allison Yorra and Ann Wilcox of Code Pink came across and told me that I would have to leave the empty sidewalk, across the street from their protest, because they had a permit for where I was standing.

I told them I wasn't disrupting their protest across the street, and that I was holding no signs but simply taking photos. They told me that I was not allowed to be there, and that the police would remove me. I encouraged them to call the police, because I wasn't demonstrating in their protest area, just taking photos, in their protest area where they weren't protesting. They initially declined to call the police, preferring to "handle it themselves."

By now, "Princess", Weasel and some guy with a black beret had joined Allison and Ann around me. They began to block my camera, which was focused on their public protest across the street. No matter which way I turned, there was Allison and her bully-boys.

So I stepped off the sidewalk and into the curb lane of the street, where MPDC does not issue permits unless the road is closed. Allison and the bullies quickly followed. I'd move. They'd move in front of me. I'd move again. They'd again block my view.

What a bunch of losers. Next time I'll make sure tgslTakoma has company when she goes down to photograph them.

tgslTakoma also has great photos, so be sure and follow the link.

Update III

Also covering last night's events are Doll at Freedom Watch and Landry Fan at Landry's Life. It was "Doll"s first Friday, and we look forward to seeing her again! Both Doll and Landry have photos and, of course, their own story to tell. Don't miss either one.

Posted by Tom at 11:34 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

January 21, 2006

The Pinkos Sound the Retreat!

Last night outside the main entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, the anti-war leftists of Code Pink were forced into an ignominious retreat! They