Pro War Rally much smaller than expected: CNN

[Zuni]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/25/war.rally.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 tens of thousands protested 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. (Full story)

"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, California, 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, North Carolina, 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

[wakeme2008]

1. Let's see

Wanted 20,000 got 400 so they got 2% of what they expected. :rofl:

[cornermouse]

2. Drumming up support for a future pro-war rally?

[Cocoa]

3. they must have all decided to enlist

vast majority of people planning to rally in support of the troops, said to themselves, "this is stupid, if I support the troops I should get myself down to the recruting office!"

:shrug:

[acmavm]

4. Idiots. They insist that the war is to protect our 'rights'. But since the

needless and bloodily immoral mess started we have far fewer rights.

What am I missing?

[Vinca]

11. Which of our rights were we fighting over there anyway?

The right to pillage a foreign country based on lies? These people are so uninformed. It's like they're robots.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. They are saying that our troops are fighting for our rights

but that we should not be able to exercise those rights, from what I gather from reading the excerpt. How interesting. And then that Sessions fellow saying we're over there to spread American ideals-which ones, exactly? Pandering to corporate interests? Torture? Shortchanging the veterans by providing less and less health care and slashing benefits to military families? I mean, were the families of military people GLAD theat their benefits were cut? If so, they are loonier than I thought.

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Quick question...

How is what's happening in Iraq right now in ANY WAY related to the United States' freedom?

[KharmaTrain]

12. They Bought The Happy Iraqi Myth

These people are blinded with a picture of this invasion of some great crusade...literally. It's a wierd combination of religious zeal, hard ons for all thing military and constantly being tested to "prove" they're an "Amuricun". Mix the three and some of the goofiest, most irrational things happen.

I've talked to enough of these people...they all have this same imagine inplanted in their brain stems. It's one of "two Iraqs"...the one our "librul" media shows that talks about car bombs and IUDs and then there's the one they "hear from those who are there". This can be a guy who worked in a motor pool in Kuwait (I ran into this turdball trying to palm himself off as having actually faced fire in Fallujah) to hundreds of right wing websites and publication that have no need to ever have to be held accountable for the lies they put out, and then by hate radio and Faux News that hammer home that we're not seeing the "new Iraq". :puke:

IMHO, the short attention span of American public/media is taking a "breather" on Iraq. Katrina literally blew it off the front pages...but this was happening before. Sadly, many people are resigned that this war will go on, the killing will go on...and not sure exactly how they feel about it. They're against the war, they don't believe or trust meeeester booosh and see this war getting worse, not better...but yet, they're not ready to trust a Democrat to make them feel safe to come out with their feelings.

Unfortunately, I think this will take another "Tet" or some massive offensive or attack that kills dozens of Americans before the public gets really energized about this invasion. Too many are more than willing to accept a death a day or a couple here and there, but it's another story when they see a devestating attack and wonder why we're still there.

And these goons are the first to bail on our returning veterans and need to be shamed for their intolerance and arrogance. Here's hoping there is true kharma in this world.

Peace...

[itzamirakul]

7. Pre-historic mentalities...

These pro-war folks remind me of the stories about pre-historic tribal customs where they sacrificed their children to the "fire-breathing gods."

I remember seeing pics of big, old, ugly, gape-mouthed stone heads with fire burning under them, into which mothers willing tossed their little babies to satisfy the rulers and priest (i.e. Bush, Rusmmy, Cheney, et al).

So when these pro-war mothers talk about their dead soldier children I feel absolutely no pity for them because they willingly consigned their children to early graves and they continue to support the men who demanded their deaths.

[5X]

8. That would make a good political cartoon....

for someone with talent. bush tossing soldiers into
the mouth of Iraq.

[itzamirakul]

9. Sure wish I could draw....nt

[Dinger]

10. 100,000 My Ass . . . . Try Half A Million

Predictable assholes.

[dusty64]

13. So where are the quotes

from antiwar people to balance out the story like they did the other day. There were up to 600,000 out against the war and just about every story contained several paragraphs from the prowar 400. Fair and balanced liberal media my ass.

[gratuitous]

19. And not just the lack of balancing quotes

But why is CNN devoting such large coverage to 400 nutjobs? They can't seem to cover a quarter million Americans gathering spontaneously, without major funding, and without the heavy participation and endorsement of either the political or media arms of our society, yet they get all sorts of people out there to cover 400 screwballs.

"Fairness." "Balance." What quaint concepts.

[Atman]

14. Oh, the irony

"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.

"...so we're determined to see to it that they have no right to speak their minds here, either!"



---

[all.of.me]

15. it pisses me off when they equate anti-war with

anti-troops or anti-human. how can we not respect the troops when we want them home?! i just can't grasp their thinking on this.

[HughBeaumont]

17. Hate to break this to them . . .

But we had FAR, and I mean FAR more actual troops on our side than they did on theirs.

[leesa]

16. These people are so confused. They cling so hard to meaningless

phrases and jingos and really believe the propaganda. Sad.

[mod mom]

18. 400 is an over-estimation. More like 200. We encountered it on our

way to the National Gallery. I have pictures but have never figured out how to post images.

In short it was:

BIG FLAG, LOW NUMBERS, SMALL MINDS.

[Zuni]

20. as always