Was there a "counter protest" in your town?

[michael saulnier]

Apparently San Diego, (a major "Navy town" for those that don't know), had both an anti-war protest and a "counter protest". The "counter protestors" were mostly family and friends of the navy and marine troops that have been sent overseas. According to the news reports there were some heated "discussions" between the two groups when they "met"... but there was plenty of police supervision and no incident occurred. They briefly interviewed some of the "counter protesters" and they said they were there to "support the troops"... and that they were proud of their family members who are stationed overseas. I bet most anti-war protesters share a "pro-troops" POV, unlike at the height of the Vietnam period where troops were often called "baby killers" by anti-war folks and spat upon when in uniform and so on... NOTHING like this seemed to have occured or is likely to occur here. I'm glad that's a lesson we seemed to have heard. So, was there a "counter protest" in your town? guitplayer

[Salyphus]

The counter protest is all the idiots sitting on their couches drooling into their cheerios, staring at TV and buying all the propaganda from the mass media. Without these people, the current administration wouldn't stand a chance. No wonder they want to further decimate our education system!

[Bunny Knutson]

In Berkeley, they had a counter-counter-anti-war protest. :freak: [I apologize for that comment.]

[Virtual Jim]

Here in DC some college students had a protest in front of France's embassy. The Washington Times covered it while the Post ignored it. Go figure. (For those unfamiliar with DC media, the Post is grossly liberal while the Times is sort of conservative. Its a little out there though because it's partially owned by the Moonies)

[Tedster]

Yep, damn it, you BET there was a counter protest. I went to get bananas on sale, but the lady at the checkout counter protested that the sale had ended the day before. BOY, did I protest!!!

[Mats Olsson.]

There was a protest in my town too, but I'm working in the studio the whole weekend so I couldn't go. /Mats NOTE: I might have posted this in the wrong thread! It is all so confusing and frustrating. The protest I was refering to in this post was of course the opposed-to-war event.

[lakeside studios]

2 million of us marched in London against war,including many WW2 veterans,and "middle-Englanders" who have never protested or marched for anything before.We feel deeply insulted.

[Tedster]

[quote]Originally posted by dBunny: [b]In Berkeley, they had a counter-counter-anti-war protest. :freak: [I apologize for that comment.][/b][/quote]Air Force Lieutenant to Air Force Colonel: "Our anti-anti missile missile just shot itself down, sir".

[offramp]

We had one here in Denver this weekend. It turned into the usual bleating back and forth, downtrodden sign-wavers patting themselves on the back. Thankfully, I was away...away in the country, in a valley, looking at mountains out my living room windows, listening to coyotes roam the valley, watching my kitties stalk any of the dozens of blackbirds in the front yard, drinking coffee, listening to (after the blackbirds left) dead silence at 9,500 feet. umm, sorry...what was the question?

[Jotown]

[quote]So, was there a "counter protest" in your town? guitplayer [/quote]You pose a good question. If the majority of the country allegedly support the presidents view; Where are they, and why aren't they marching in support of the war? I always believed that in a democracy, protesters are like cockroaches: For every one you see there are another hundred in the walls. So again I ask....where are they?

[fantasticsound]

[quote]Originally posted by Jotown: [b]...If the majority of the country allegedly support the presidents view; Where are they, and why aren't they marching in support of the war? I always believed that in a democracy, protesters are like cockroaches: For every one you see there are another hundred in the walls. So again I ask....where are they?[/b][/quote]This is flawed logic, Jotown. Have you noticed anti-abortion advocates that protest [i]daily[/i] outside abortion clinics? So where are the pro-abortion advocates? They come out of the woodwork, on occasion, when there is a tangible piece of legislation that could affect or overturn Roe v. Wade, but other than that, they don't show up. Why? The simple answer is, there's no reason to show up. Why protest when the law supports your position? The president's supporters don't need to show up at anti-war rallies. The president already has the go ahead from congress to use military force against Iraq. For now, at least, there's no reason to protest the protesters, with one obvious exception. Military families see anti-war advocates as being against their family members who are serving the country. I'm not surprised to hear that San Diego saw a counter protest. I expect the same thing probably occurred in several other cities with a large military presence. The lack of an organized protest by supporters of a military invasion of Iraq is akin to ignoring a tiny yap dog at your feet. He sounds ferocious, but is virtually harmless. Besides, in Nashville, I got to laugh at [i]anyone[/i] silly enough to protest this weekend. Half of middle Tennessee is anywhere from 4 1/2 ft. to 16 ft. above flood stage. The idea of rallying people in that rain was pretty silly. As you may imagine, the protest was poorly attended. ;)

[Jotown]

[quote]So where are the pro-abortion advocates? [/quote]They are usually [b]in[/b] the clinic having a pregnancy terminated.

[Philter]

[quote]Originally posted by fantasticsound: [b][QUOTE] Besides, in Nashville, I got to laugh at [i]anyone[/i] silly enough to protest this weekend. Half of middle Tennessee is anywhere from 4 1/2 ft. to 16 ft. above flood stage. The idea of rallying people in that rain was pretty silly. As you may imagine, the protest was poorly attended. ;) [/b][/quote]It sure is a lot easier to sit home and laugh at other people than it is to go out and do something to make a difference. Hundreds of thousands braved 15 degree weather to march in Manhattan. You can sit at home and laugh- but no one will hear you.

[Prague]

Originally posted by fantasticsound: [b] [quote] Hundreds of thousands braved 15 degree weather to march in Manhattan.[/b][/quote]15? I'll bet Starbucks sold a lot of lattes. [b][You can sit at home and laugh- but no one will hear you.[/b][/QUOTE] I stopped pandering for attention in the 4th grade.

[fantasticsound]

[quote]Originally posted by Philter: [b] It sure is a lot easier to sit home and laugh at other people than it is to go out and do something to make a difference. Hundreds of thousands braved 15 degree weather to march in Manhattan. You can sit at home and laugh- but no one will hear you.[/b][/quote]You know... some people just don't listen.. I wasn't sitting at home because I was too lazy to put myself out in the elements for a peace rally. I was there because I [i]never intended to protest in the first place![/i] As the meat of my last post mentioned, there's no reason for me to protest when I support the action, and it's all but happened. It would be like sticking around 2 hours after a sporting event to argue with those who thought my team shouldn't win. Let 'em talk. It doesn't change a thing. I'm all for peace. But sitting by while the a few tyrants become a formidable threat to the rest of the world doesn't keep the peace. It encourages attacks. It fosters confidence that we'll stand and take a beating and do nothing about it. Jimmy Carter brought Menachim Begin and Anwar Sadat to a real peace. We watched as, after assasinating Sadat, the extremists took control of Egypt and destroyed the one thread that proved Arabs and Israelis, muslim and jew could be friends, or at least respect each others' right to exist in peace. Iraq is a great opportunity for us to extend assistance to arab people and build bridges between us, after ousting Saddam. It will [i]not[/i] be easy. We almost assuredly will suffer setbacks. But I believe, in the end, it will be beneficial to both sides to oust Saddam and destroy his weapons of mass destruction. I believe anti-war protesters can make a difference. But the beginning of this war is all but a done deal. And I certainly won't lose an afternoon with my family to argue a moot point. If I were on the other side, it would be entirely different. But I'm not.

[Jotown]

[quote]The lack of an organized protest by supporters of a military invasion of Iraq is akin to ignoring a tiny yap dog at your feet. He sounds ferocious, but is virtually harmless. [/quote]Well if you listen real closely you will hear another sound. The sound of Bush backpedaling on his imminent invasion. The prez has grossly mis-calculated American support for his war. Forget about France and Germany if you can't sell the war to your own constituents. The peace marches have definitely slowed down the war machine. It is a classic portrait of democracy and patriotism. This is how a democracy is supposed to work. Don't fool yourself into thinking the prez will go forward if the people say no. He is not that stupid. :rolleyes: Right now he and his team are trying to figure out a way to backout/slowdown gracefully, and not lose face. He has put himself in a bad public relations position. The next few weeks will be interesting.

[fantasticsound]

We'll see, Jotown. I should remind you that we have a republic, not a democracy. The reason we have a republic is even the founding fathers refused to believe that the common man could intelligently ponder and react to the pressures of governing. So we get to vote for representatives, but it's their job to legislate and govern. If they believe the country should react in a way that makes them unpopular with the voters, that's not only their right but their responsibility. Sure, I'd love it if politicians followed MY agenda. But that's probably not best for the entire country. If Bush backs out, it may very well be from public pressure. On the other hand, he will have to go forward if he truly believes the basis for our interference.

[Jotown]

Anybody remember the Boston Tea Party? :D

[michael saulnier]

God Bless America. No matter what happens in Iraq, whether or whenever we see military action... I salute and say a prayer for the safety of our men and women volunteers who choose to risk their lives for us. I hope all of you join me... (at least in the salute part), no matter what side of this issue you're on. guitplayer

[Jotown]

[quote]Originally posted by guitplayer: [b]God Bless America. No matter what happens in Iraq, whether or whenever we see military action... I salute and say a prayer for the safety of our men and women volunteers who choose to risk their lives for us. I hope all of you join me... (at least in the salute part), no matter what side of this issue you're on. guitplayer[/b][/quote]Here, here. I doubt that anyone on this board is against, or not in support of the military. Just as being in disagreement with the president does not make one anti-American, being against the war does not make one anti-military. I for one totally support all of the men and woman of our armed forces. But I don't support the inapropriate use of them.

[Dave Pierce]

Here in the Bay Area, disagreeing with the extreme left in any appreciable way is the social equivalent of farting at a dinner party. And what's worse, the left's positions here are frequently not positions, but "anti-positions". As in "Bush favors education, so we should burn all the schools". :rolleyes: OK, so I'm exaggerating a tad. ;) :p But this long-growing trend towards knee-jerk liberalism is very annoying to me, especially since I grew up here. I don't hate it because I'm a right-wing extremist. No, I hate it because I am a moderate independent who likes to think through each individual issue, and make up my mind on the merits. By pure coincidence, I happen to dislike our current president. I find myself strongly disagreeing with his adminstration sometimes. Other times I find myself in agreement with its policies. But of course, if I say that second bit out loud in the town where I GREW UP, I'm villified as some sort of neo-nazi by people who MOVED HERE LAST YEAR. Yeah, I'm bitter. :rolleyes: --Dave

[Uh Clem]

You mean about counting those chads? there might have been a protest - probably in Florida.

[Salyphus]

[quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b]Here in the Bay Area, disagreeing with the extreme left in any appreciable way is the social equivalent of farting at a dinner party. [/b][/quote]Hmm, could it be that the average intelligence level here is much higher than in most parts of the US? Sure seems that way to me...

[Dave Pierce]

[quote]Originally posted by S.A.L.: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b]Here in the Bay Area, disagreeing with the extreme left in any appreciable way is the social equivalent of farting at a dinner party. [/b][/quote]Hmm, could it be that the average intelligence level here is much higher than in most parts of the US? Sure seems that way to me...[/b][/quote]I was taught that intelligent people kept an open mind, discussed issues openly and freely, and made decisions based upon their own interpretation of relevant data, not upon some "party line" passed down from the powers that be. The fact that this is now anethema here in the Bay Area doesn't sound very intelligent to me. But I'm just a poor dumb musician, what do I know? I suspect that I am going to come to regret posting in one of the political threads here. We'll see... --Dave

[Salyphus]

[quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b]I was taught that intelligent people kept an open mind, discussed issues openly and freely, and made decisions based upon their own interpretation of relevant data, not upon some "party line" passed down from the powers that be.[/b][/quote]My experience is that the former describes the liberal people that I know around here, and the latter a lot of the conservatives that I run into online. ymmv. [quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b][QUOTE] I suspect that I am going to come to regret posting in one of the political threads here. We'll see... [/b][/quote]Nothing to fear from me. I'm open minded, remember? :D

[Dave Pierce]

[quote]Originally posted by S.A.L.: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b]I was taught that intelligent people kept an open mind, discussed issues openly and freely, and made decisions based upon their own interpretation of relevant data, not upon some "party line" passed down from the powers that be.[/b][/quote]My experience is that the former describes the liberal people that I know around here, and the latter a lot of the conservatives that I run into online. ymmv. [/b][/quote]Hmmm. Been around the Berkeley or UCSC campus lately? My guess is not. :D Of course, I didn't say conservatives were any better. They can be just as bad as liberals for having "anti-positions" rather than "positions" on important issues. --Dave

[fantasticsound]

[quote]Originally posted by S.A.L.: [quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: I was taught that intelligent people kept an open mind, discussed issues openly and freely, and made decisions based upon their own interpretation of relevant data, not upon some "party line" passed down from the powers that be.[/quote][b]My experience is that the former describes the liberal people that I know around here, and the latter a lot of the conservatives that I run into online. ymmv.[/b][/quote]Your prejudice is guiding what you see, not the other way around, in this case. Several forum members here are staunchly conservative and do not fit the description you portray. On the other hand, we've had our share of both raving lunatic conservatives [i]and[/i] liberals. Would you like me to lump you in with those liberals? ;) Just because you and someone else look at data and arrive at different conclusions doesn't make them closed minded. It would seem your definition of open minded requires your adversary to [i]finally[/i] realize you were right in the first place, Sal. ;) (I give you more credit than that. Don't fall prey to making statements like the one I quoted from you. It demeans you, an otherwise level-headed, intelligent individual. Of course, that's my opinion based on previous forum posts you've written. :) )