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AmericanProtest.net > Troop Rally and Peace Fair |
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Troop Rally and Peace Fairby Wayne Boettcher When rumors of a U.S. troop surge hit Baghdad recently, a lot of terrorists quickly left town. Others redoubled their efforts to kill women and children with their sneaky, underhanded method of planting bombs in civilian areas. But soldiers and police were quick to seize the initiative. Dividing the city into 10 security districts, Iraqi forces recently seized a huge cache of explosives from the cowardly terrorists. And more Iraqi peacekeepers are pouring in. “We have seen a decrease (in violence) in the last three weeks, a pretty radical decrease, actually,” US Army Lieutenant General Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, recently told reporters in Baghdad. Meanwhile, other forces were planning their next move against America. Innocuously named the "Peace Fair," the annual gathering at Reid Park in Tucson brings together "anti-war" groups including Code Pink and the Tucson Club of Communist Party USA, who boast of having been involved with the "Peace Fair" coalition for over 20 years. Undaunted by Iraqi war success, the grim minions of socialism assembled in their usual fashion to oppose any hint of military victory for the USA. Prizes were awarded from various local businesses and radical groups. The event was scheduled for February 24th, 2007 from 11 am to 5 pm. The Pro-Americans of Tucson had plans this day as well. Our first step was an early morning scheduled rally at the gates of Davis-Monthan Air Base, which has been going on for some time during various Saturday mornings. Military flags, Pro-American banners and signs of troop support are displayed while citizens wave and smile at the troops and veterans who pass in and out of the base. Occasional shouts of thanks and support are given to open window cars. A bullhorn helps boom out the message that their efforts are appreciated. This was a typical rally of good times and happy thoughts. Besides the smiles and wave backs we received from the men and women of the Armed Forces, passing cars also honked their support for the troops. Truck air horns were the loudest, and antique cars blew a klaxon sound. Voices yelled out car windows with glad shouts as well. Sometimes the timing worked out where the cars of military people were backed up waiting to leave and enter while the crossing cars past set up a thunderous din of support. Then I would grab the bullhorn and say to the troops: "They are all honking for you, the American Armed Forces, because America loves you!" This time I left early with a small force of dedicated Pro-Americans consisting of Free Republic's teenage Superman-Z, his dad Robert and myself. Our mission was to protest the several hundred attendees of the annual Tucson Peace Fair. Last year a few of us had protested at the main entrance toward the end of the fair. This time, I wanted to try the beginning for just a few hours on a side entrance closer to the actual event. The others agreed. I arrived at the park entrance first and found a great parking spot in the shade. I had three double sided signs, "Don't Believe Left-Wing Propaganda And Lies" with "Say No To Communism" on the other side, "We Support The Troops and Their Mission" with "Remember 9 - 11" on the other side, and "Code Pink-o defeated at Walter Reed" with "Over 500 WMD Found" on the other side. I also brought the UN "flag-mat," a homemade representation of the UN flag to stand on. Of course I am never at a protest without printed articles to hand out. Robert had the bullhorn but it was hardly necessary because of how close we were to the cars and the low volume of traffic noise. However, he used it immediately, calling out "God bless you," to a frantic looking person driving by who urgently wanted us to inspect a certain finger, probably to see an "owie" she may have had. Hopefully Robert's impromptu prayer had a healing effect. The Marine veteran's sign read "Yo Troops, Rock On" on one side and "Remember, they still want to kill you," with a photo of 9/11 burning towers on the other. "You don't know who did 9/11!" shouted another lady in a car turning left. "You have no idea! If you only knew…" the bellowing grew unintelligible as she drove into the park. For those who think 9/11 conspiracy theorists have finally acknowledged the facts about what happened, be assured: many are still out there! A man named Jay with a repetitive forced laugh stopped by on foot and said he knew I was a FReeper (a member of Free Republic's website) because I was protesting Communism and wore glasses. He seemed to feel that Communism was irrelevant to Peace Fairs but stopped laughing when I showed him a newspaper photograph of Arizona's district leader for Communist Party USA leading a protest. I also explained that the same person was a top organizer for the Peace Fair and most major "anti-war" events in the area. Jay admitted these were powerful facts. A furious car driver shouted from the left turn lane on the street that Communism had nothing to do with "anti-war" activities. I held up a printed report and called out that here was a photo of Cindy Sheehan and Hugo Chavez (a prominent Communist dictator) together in agreement. The accompanying article details Code Pink's ties to Marxist ideology. The angry, fast moving driver pulled in, whirled around the median and drove up to accept a copy. Superman-Z's sign was a peace symbol fashioned out of a B-52 bomber with a circle around it. The lettering said "Peace - The Old-Fashioned Way." With a large American flag he took a position in the entryway median where puzzled peaceniks passed, hesitantly slowing in confusion. You could almost see the smoke shoot out from their ears as thoughts obviously raced through their heads. I imagined them to be thinking something like this: Why would someone with a peace sign have a right side up American flag? Hey, that peace sign looks funny. Hey! "General" Pat showed up a little later and took a walk around the fair. Later she came back loaded down with signs and a Marine flag after stopping at her car. At 1:30 pm we decided to leave. I took a turn around the outskirts of the fair myself. I didn't want to possibly start a riot by going through the middle, since lots of people would recognize me as the anti-Communist from the entrance and sometimes peaceniks get real mad about my sign. I wasn't there to disrupt anything but merely to protest Communism and support our successful troops by handing out articles and holding a sign at the park entrance. It's a great way to stand up for the troops - and America. Wayne Boettcher is the head of AmericanProtest.net Related Links: |
