The strength of America still lives Posted by: McQ
on Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Under the heading, "Ain't America Great", we read about the planned gathering tonight of those who's relevance and self-worth were defined by the 60s and 70s and their attempt to relive those heady days:
Make noise, not war.
Liberal activists — among them graying leftovers from the Vietnam-era antiwar movement — plan to gather near the Capitol tonight, banging pots and pans to drown out President Bush's State of the Union address.
Yesterday, opponents of the Iraq war kicked off their latest round of demonstrations with an "Impeachment Forum" held downtown in a private dining room at Busboys and Poets.
Featured speakers were 78-year-old former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; longtime war protester Marcus Raskin, 71, who is head of the Institute for Policy Studies; and Cindy Sheehan, mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq.
Mrs. Sheehan — who became famous last year for staking out the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, and just returned from a visit with Venezuelan anti-American President Hugo Chavez — plans to speak tonight to protesters at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
Last week, the group "World Can't Wait — Drive Out the Bush Regime" was denied a permit to gather on the Mall for security reasons. The group won a federal lawsuit and has been given permission to bang away while Mr. Bush speaks to a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m.
The group's Web site has gathered endorsements from left-leaning celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Harry Belafonte and Sean Penn, but it's unlikely that any stars will show up for tonight's protest.
The same old names (a few new ones added, such as Sheehan and Penn) doing the same old tired stuff. Ramsey Clark, on hiatus from defending Saddam (apparently the pot banging was more important than actually defending his client in court), Jane Fonda, Sarandon, Belefonte and, I'm sure, the Code Pink gals.
But that's what this place, this nation, this community, is all about. Instead of viewing it as a gathering of wing-nuts, I choose to view this gathering of 70s holdovers as a celebration of all that's right, still, with this country. While this collection of malcontents and fading stars bang their pots and pans and chant their innane chants, understand that in places from which they just returned, such as Venezuela and, not long ago, Iraq, their protests would not only have been unwelcome, but probably suppressed.
Such childish antics should be celebrated, not condemned.
We have our problems, but we also have our traditions and rights, both of which we still defend vigorously. So tonight I choose to consider the cacaphony of metal on metal as music to my ears and proof positive that while the refugees from the 70s will shout and claim repression and oppression stalk our land, I'll draw comfort from the fact that they defeat their own claim with their discordant din as the bang their mangled spoons on their dented pots.
Uh, to get back to the, uh, the warning that I’ve received you may take it with how many however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown Geritol® that is circulating around us is not specifically too good. Uh, it’s suggested that you do stay away from that, course it’s your own trip, so be my guest, but, uh, please be advised that there is a warning on that one ok?
Terry Valentine: "Did you ever dream about a place you never really recall being to before? A place that maybe only exists in your imagination? Some place far away, half remembered when you wake up. When you were there, though, you knew the language. You knew your way around. *That* was the sixties." [pause] "No. It wasn’t that either. It was just -66 and early -67. That’s all there was."
And the ignorance of Americans lives on as well. You’ve relegated the anti-war crowd to a few Hollywood has-beens, eh? Sorry to break it to you but there are just a few billion people on the side of the Sarandons, Penns, etc., whether or not they want or need that crew to speak for them. This crowd includes a majority of Americans who finally have come to realize the war was bunk.
But keep peddling your wares. If nothing else, the volume of your postings is impressive. You and your kind will are part of an ever-shrinking circle of true believers. Your day will come.
Dale and Jon and McQ... you guys should be proud that you’re collecting more trolls these days. It’s a sign of success, I guess. Though it’s only a higher quantity of trolls. Quality-wise, none of the new guys can beat mkultra.
What day is Mr. T talking about? The A-Team reunion special? I pity the fool. They are a part of an ever-shrinking circle of true believers? Cryptic and mysterious!!!!
The original post was correct. In America, these people, who some feel are nutcakes, do have the absolute right to make fools of themselves. Being against the war, or any war, is their God given (and founding father’s given) right. No problem there. The problem is the "reasons" some of these people are against the war. And Cindy Sheehan? Come on.
Dale and Jon and McQ... you guys should be proud that you’re collecting more trolls these days. It’s a sign of success, I guess. Though it’s only a higher quantity of trolls. Quality-wise, none of the new guys can beat mkultra.
Gotta go with you there, Kevin ... MK is King Troll.
You’ve relegated the anti-war crowd to a few Hollywood has-beens, eh? [...] This crowd includes a majority of Americans who finally have come to realize the war was bunk.
...I would expect a majority of the Americans who have come to realize the war was bunk to be part of the anti-war crowd.
That’s a different set than the majority of Americans, however.
The last polls I knew of seemed to say the majority now believe the war was a mistake.
And it’s not much of a strech to guess that the great majority of the planet believes so too, hence the "billions" comment.
Hey, if you guys believe in the war, by all means stick by your guns. The post is correct in that that is what makes this country great.
But it’s a fantasy to believe the anti-war crowd is made up of a few misfit holdovers from the 70s + Cindy Sheehan. Being in the minority doesn’t mean you are wrong on Iraq by any means, but don’t pretend you are part of some great sensible majority.
