What Noble Cause? Vietnam ... Veteran Not Welcome at Vietnam War Memorial

[bemildred]

I joined seven Vermont bus loads of concerned United States citizens in converging on the nation's capital, Washington D.C. on Saturday, September 24, 2005. We endured twenty-two hours on a bus which afforded little opportunity for sleep and twelve hours on our feet in solidarity with the multitude protesting George W. Bush's illegal war on Iraq. It was a tiring day, made so in large part by standing in place for two-and-a-half hours at the corner of Constitution Avenue and K Streets as the feeder marches converged on the rally site nearby. Wave after wave of people streamed by as we awaited our turn to step off into the march. We were standing at corner where Camp Casey was established and the Veterans For Peace were gathering. More than one-quarter-million people had come to Mordor to say, "Stop the war! We've had enough". I joined hundreds and hundreds of Veterans For Peace (VFP), Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and the Gold Star Mothers for Peace in being the lead contingent of the march. We marched three-and-a-half miles through the streets of D.C. passing the institutions and their immense buildings that make war profitable. We passed in front of the White House where we expressed the people's growing displeasure with this regime. In no uncertain terms we let the occupant of the People's House know that impeachment is in the wind.

One of my veteran brothers from Vermont, a Vietnam combat veteran burdened with PTSD and unable to stay in one place for very long headed off to pay his respects at the Vietnam War Memorial. Upon arriving at the Vietnam Memorial he held his VFP flag with both hands and gazed at the black granite wall. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at the myriad of names while holding the dove-on-helmet VFP flag in his hands. No sooner had the tears flowed then he was ordered to put the flag down. Not being easily intimidated this former G.I. questioned the D.C. authority on the rationale for having to remove his flag. He was then told he had to leave or be arrested. This Vietnam combat veteran who was sent to kill others in Vietnam under the pretense of protecting the American way of life was now being threatened with incarceration for practicing it!

The U.S. system inculcates obedience to the State. It indoctrinates children from a very early age in the schools to parrot the Pledge of Allegiance. The words of the National Anthem sung at sporting events state that we are "the land of the free and the home of the brave." However, the free are not those confined to paying their respects to fallen comrades within the narrow parameters as defined by the State. Telling my Vietnam combat veteran friend how he can mourn is not living in the land of the free. His resistance, however, is testament to our still being in the home of brave.

---

An Ohio man as he was being arrested at the White House said it was "an honor to be arrested with this group of people." The crowd chanted, "Arrest Bush". Yes, indeed, do arrest Bush. The tears of my Vietnam combat veteran friend and comrade, the arrest of Cindy Sheehan, and the collective exhaustion of the 300,000 plus gathered in Washington D.C. on September 24, 2005 will not be for naught. The time is approaching when their noble cause will be realized as the thugs and criminals in the White House are removed. The world's second super-power, the People, are in the process of making certain this happens shortly. Impeach George W. Bush.

Civil Libertarian

[global1]

1. Everyone Has Got To Hear This Story About This Vietnam Vet...

lets see what the Swiftboaters have to say about this one.

KICK - vote for the greatest

[katinmn]

2. A Vietnam Veteran For Peace not welcome at the Wall?

:grr:

Because he had a flag with a dove on it?

:grr::grr:

We need to impeach the whole lot of war profiteers and hypocrites.

[Gnostic]

3. What charge??

Under what exact infraction would he be arrested and cited for? According to the story, he was'nt demonstrating, he was merely observing the Wall (which god knows is his right to do as a Nam vet) and holding the flag in his hands. What exact charge would they have arrested him for?

That is truly scary.

Stalin lives after all.

[hobbit709]

4. I would have said

"Arrest me and I want a jury trial"

[Gnostic]

6. EXACTLY what I would have done as well

[libnnc]

5. kick

[Catchawave]

11. Thank you for posting this....

:kick:

[incapsulated]

7. I want to know who this "D.C. authority" was.

It would be sooo much easier for everybody if they just wore those brown shirts.

:mad:

[Virginian]

13. Remember that DC is the Bluest of blue.

No other region voted against Bush with the percentages DC did. It only goes to prove that you cannot pick your neighbors. That is why they have no Senators and only one non-voting member of congress. Did you notice the DC license plates? They say "Taxation without representation." Note to next Dem Congress: Get a Senator or two for DC.

It doesn't make sense. The only thing I can think of is someone took the authority to tell him to put the flag down. Someone from the Sunday protest may have spoken as if he had authority.

[bemildred]

14. D.C. Police Lead Nation in Shootings

Lack of Training, Supervision Implicated as Key Factors

The District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department has shot and killed more people per resident in the 1990s than any other large American city police force.

Many shootings by Washington police officers were acts of courage and even heroism. But internal police files and court records reveal a pattern of reckless and indiscriminate gunplay by officers sent into the streets with inadequate training and little oversight, an eight-month Washington Post investigation has found.

Washington's officers fire their weapons at more than double the rate of police in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or Miami. Deaths and injuries in D.C. police shooting cases have resulted in nearly $8 million in court settlements and judgments against the District in the last six months alone.

"We shoot too often, and we shoot too much when we do shoot," said Executive Assistant Chief of Police Terrance W. Gainer, who became the department's second in command in May.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/dcpolice/deadlyforce/police1page1.htm

[speedoo]

8. I hope the Vietnam Vet sues the "authority".

We are not told whether he was arrested, or simply forced to stop his mourning.

Either way, a lawsuit seems in order.

[buzzsaw_23]

9. Needs to be Seen

nominated

[AuntiBush]

10. Speechless!

Tell your friend he cries not alone.

Impeach George W. Bush is right!

[dbeach]

12. Get their names

when the pigs whine..get their names . Wish your friend tells Bernie Sanders and gets his story published at VVA who would love to hear of VN Vets being harassed

BTW Patty Murray is only Sen who stuck up for the Vets who suffer with PTSD and got the VA review temporarily blocked . TOO BAD she will vote for Sloberts but at least she got that one right.
Bush orderd PTSD Vets investigated for fraudelent claims ..this mockery from the prince of fraud and king of TREASON.

SUCH 1984 OCEANA

OVER 58 ,OOO died and millions of Vietnamese ..while the chikenhawks partied on and plotted the overthrow of the US Constitution at
the U Chicago with Prof. Leo Strauuss the godfather of neo-cons

[Wind Dancer]

16. Great idea to contact Bernie Sanders.

This just makes me so angry......... :grr:

Prince of Fraud and King of Treason are perfect names for these criminals - you just can't make this shit up.

58,000 died and 110,000 committed suicide while the hawks spit on their graves.

[dbeach]

21. now the chikenhawks target the sick and suffering Vets

who served in the war zones and most PTSD recipients are VN vets..so its the uber insult that the chickenhawks target the VN Vets who sacrificed for their party time in college.

WHAT did they do in college ?? well at U Chicago the neo-cons plotted in classroom exercises the overthrow of the US govt.

So the TREASON of the neo-cons has long roots

[me b zola]

15. Thanks for sharing this story with us

All the more reason why we must take our country back.

[bemildred]

18. Not mine, just thought it was worth putting up.

I was around back then, knew a lot of vets, I
don't like authoritarian cops shitting on them,
they paid their dues and they deserve respect.

[SeattleGirl]

17. Unbelievable -- they told him to go away because he had a

flag with a DOVE on it? For criminey sakes, aren't the cons always telling us that "freedom's on the march"? Well, asshats, this man was holding a symbol of peace, and he gets told to leave? Oh, wait, I guess freedom's only for other countries, not America! Pukeheads.

Best to your friend. My heart aches for him.

Kicked and nominated.

[young_at_heart]

19. Not on local news, I bet

My local station gave about as much time to the "support the troops" event as they did to the "anti-war" coverage. This story and similar tales never seem to be broadcast. Very sad.

[Just Me]

20. That makes my heart,...hurt.

Such obnoxious betrayal against our people, our military, our country, our "democracy",...hurts me,...hurts all of us.

DAMNIT!!! :grr: How dare any leadership deceive and betray and exploit us!!!!b

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. I had an anti-war friend who was very welcome at the wall.

His name is on it. He and I were against the war before it really got going. He had extended his enlistment to become a pilot but opposed the war. He never became a pilot (or, at least I don't think he did) but I recently checked the names on the wall and there he is. Cannon-fodder in a war he thought immoral.

[dbeach]

24. and the chickenhawk band played on

and keeps playing ..war profiteering every step of the grand march
to damnation

[_ed_]

23. What law was he breaking?

Having the wrong opinions about the war?

As a fellow combat vet, this story really sickened me. It's almost incomprehensible to me that a veteran can't go the the Wall and pay his respects without getting fucked with by DC police thugs. What happened to this country?

This is something that really hits home with me. I really get sick of right-wing chickenhawks telling me my opinions don't matter because I'm a liberal. I laid my life down for this country, I think I should be entitled to hold unpopular opinions. EVERYONE, no matter if they served or not, should be allowed, for that matter.

Sorry, rant over...

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. In the light of this, it's interesting to speculate

how two Vietnam vets bearing these different placards might be received at that Vietnam War Memorial:

one placard carrying a photo of marine General Smedley Butler, who refused to join the conspiracy between some of the big banks, such as Morgan Grenfell, to murder Roosevelt, but denouncing them;

and the other placard, carrying a photo of the CEOs of the said banks, though not critical of them.

[bemildred]

26. I expect the flatfoot would have liked Smedley's uniform.

But you never know these days. He might have thought they
were both OK, suit-droids are good too.

[Joe Chi Minh]

27. Yes, that's a very weird phenomenon.

Working class blokes, usually promoted to a relatively low supervisory position, who almost fall down at the feet of some bloke who's wearing a tie - or, wow, a suit and a tie...

I once worked as a hospital porter, and George L, the head porter was just such a nutter. A nice enough bloke, all in all, but completely sycophantic in relation to the doctors and administrators to a demented degree.

These are two of my favourite stories about him:

One Christmas George was carrying a case of spirits, whisky or gin or zummat, belonging to the Doctors, when he tripped. And a porter who witnessed it, said that he curled himself round the box to protect the bottles from breaking!

The other incident occurred on the occasion of the pending visit of the then Health Minister, Enoch Powell, who was one of long line of Tory "mad monk"-type extremists.

He stationed himself in the car park at the front of the building, to usher in Enoch's car, when he arrived. The story was that he turned away Enoch's Morris Minor, and ushered in a district nurse driving a Wolsely! But I've seen other cases just as mad.

[bemildred]

28. Those are good.

I used to work in a sawmill, and it was always a bit
depressing to see the foremen lose their lower-class
perspective as soon as they were "elevated".

I always liked the Morris, a nice simple little car.