[Peace-discuss] squeak for war

[Ricky Baldwin]

Some of this, I believe, approaches true fascist
rhetoric.  Official statements are of course less
overt and maybe only neofascist.  At any rate, I just
like the fact that they expected 20,000 and got 400 -
and this fact made it into the article.

Ricky


Praise, Anger at Pro-War Rally in D.C.
 
By ELISABETH GOODRIDGE, Associated Press Writer
9-25-05 

Support for U.S. troops fighting abroad mixed with
anger toward anti-war demonstrators at home as
hundreds of people, far fewer than organizers had
expected, rallied Sunday on the National Mall just a
day after a massive protest against the war in Iraq.

"No matter what your ideals are, our sons and
daughters are fighting for our freedom," said Marilyn
Faatz, who drove from New Jersey to attend the rally.
"We are making a mockery out of this. And we need to
stand united, but we are not."

About 400 people gathered near a stage on an eastern
segment of the mall, a large patchwork American flag
serving as a backdrop. Amid banners and signs
proclaiming support for U.S. troops, several speakers
hailed the effort to bring democracy to Iraq and
Afghanistan and denounced those who protest it.

Many demonstrators focused their ire at Cindy Sheehan,
the California woman whose protest near President
Bush's Texas home last summer galvanized the anti-war
movement. Sheehan was among the speakers at Saturday's
rally near the Washington Monument on the western part
of the mall, an event that attracted an estimated
100,000 people.

"The group who spoke here the other day did not
represent the American ideals of freedom, liberty and
spreading that around the world," Sen. Jeff Sessions,
an Alabama Republican, told the crowd. "I frankly
don't know what they represent, other than to blame
America first."

One sign on the mall read "Cindy Sheehan doesn't speak
for me" and another "Arrest the traitors"; it listed
Sheehan's name first among several people who have
spoken against the war.

Melody Vigna, 44, of Linden, Calif., said she wants
nothing to do with Sheehan and others at nearby Camp
Casey, an anti-war site set up to honor her son,
Casey, who was killed in Iraq.

"Our troops are over there fighting for our rights,
and if she was in one of those countries she would not
be able to do that," Vigna said.

The husband of Sherri Francescon, 24, of Camp Lejeune,
N.C., serves in the Marine Corps in Iraq. One of the
many military wives who spoke during the rally,
Francescon said that the anti-war demonstration had
left her frustrated.

"I know how much my husband does and how hard he
works, and I feel like they don't even recognize that
and give him the respect he deserves," Francescon
said. "I want him to know and I want his unit to know
that America is behind them, Cindy doesn't speak for
us, and that we believe in what they are doing."

Organizers of Sunday's demonstration acknowledged that
their rally would be much smaller than the anti-war
protest but had hoped that as many as 20,000 people
would turn out.

On Saturday, demonstrators opposed to the war in Iraq
surged past the White House in the largest anti-war
protest in the nation's capital since the U.S.
invasion. The rally stretched through the night, a
marathon of music, speechmaking and dissent on the
mall.

National polls have found steadily declining support
for the war in Iraq, with a majority of Americans now
believing the war was a mistake.

In an AP-Ipsos poll this month, only 37 percent
approved or leaned toward approval of how Bush has
handled the situation in Iraq; strong disapproval
outweighed strong approval by 2-1, 46 percent to 22
percent.
___
On the Net:
ANSWER Coalition: http://www.answercoalition.org
Gold Star Families for Peace: http://www.gsfp.org 
Families United for our Troops:
http://www.unitedforourtroops.com




		
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