(PHOTOS) Army and National Guard invade Cambridge (and Patriots met them)

[unhappycamper]

The Massachusetts National Guard, City of Cambridge to Celebrate 230th Birthday of the U.S. Army The Massachusetts National Guard will join with the U.S. Army and the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts to host a national celebration in honor of the 230th birthday of the United States Army, on the Cambridge Common, birthplace of the United States Army, Tuesday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The celebration will commemorate the proud heritage and mutual commitment shared by the Massachusetts National Guard, the City of Cambridge and the Unites States Army that began in the earliest days of our country's existence, and continues to the present day and beyond.

The National Guard has activated over 9000 soldiers and airmen in support of the current Global War on Terrorism at home and abroad. The Army's four oldest organizations, organized in 1636, are Massachusetts National Guard Units: 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry, 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery and the 101st Engineer Battalion.

The U.S. Army was formed on June 14, 1775.

In addition to the planned festivities, we also wanted to voice our displeasure at an unjust invasion and occupation of a soverign country. There were a number of arrests; I don't have any numbers. Perhaps you can catch some of that on the 6 o'clock news. :sarcasm:

Walking down Garden Street from Harvard Square


Each sign was unique. (All of the signs had been rendered before noon.) Here's one


Some of the people and their signs












The Samantha Smith Chapter of the Veterans for Peace was there


As was the Smedley D. Butler Chapter


Hey! It's Cambridge, whaddayaexpect?


And my favorite sign of the day

[YankeyMCC]

1. Love the

Washington quote.

[Say_What]

2. "Save the troops, kill the War"

Lots of great pix. That one with the cheeks is funny too.

[paineinthearse]

3. I have more to add

My son has his phone cam and needs to upload, but we need some kind of a cable.

Patience.

Looks like you were there early, I'd say there were >250 demonstraters there by 1PM.

The most creative were dressed to go to a party (it was the army's "birthday"), complete with little pointed hats and party noisemakers; as the army paratroopers landed in the fenced-in area, they blew their horns and sang "happy birthday to you".

[TaleWgnDg]

4. oh, too damn funny . . . ROFLMAO !

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how very true!


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[Chuletas]

5. at risk of getting flamed

The woman's sign is very insulting to those that serve(d), I saw it and was instantly turned off by the protests. I attended the ceremonies, the demonstrators certainly didn't change the minds of anyone that already didn't have strong feelings on the war.

I'm not sure what purpose the browbeating by some of the demonstrators was for, or the fact that one woman demonstrator seemed to be picking on military families. Yelling and screaming from the side that most of the protestors were not on. Additionally it's one thing to scream and yell when the Bush administration official was speaking a whole other during the pledge of allegiance led by an 11 year old whose father was killed and during TAPS which is a very important part of military family's lives. It is a way we say good-bye forever.

I understand the fight against militarism and the war,but there is a better way to go about it then attacking soldiers.

BTW: having worked in Cambridge for many years, there are plenty of "poor imbeciles" there.

my humble opinion

[TaleWgnDg]

6. Insulting? au contraire!

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Insulting? au contraire! It is not "insulting" (as you say) to divulge the smoke and mirrors of recruiting efforts for a war that should never have occurred. Smoke and mirrors atop a wonderful historic anniversary, i.e., the colonial birth and birthplace of America's 1st Army (u/ George Washington)! And upon the city Green in which such Army first publicly assembled !?

How dare the U.S. Army flim flam the public! How dare the U.S. Army take advantage of such glorious American history of which we all are proud! How dare the U.S. Army muddle our colonial history by recruiting for Bush's unnecessary and immoral war in Iraq on such a proud and historic anniversary!

And, how sad that you internalize such as being a personal affront to those who have honorably served. Then to say that there "are plenty of" residents of Cambridge with IQs of imbecile? I beg to differ, for no matter the IQ or the income status of those of Cambridge, most if not all are too damn sophisticated than to fall for this hypocrisy as demonstrated by the U.S. Army's recruiting efforts for Bush's immoral war in Iraq. No wonder the overall recruitments are down and continue to fall, month after month!







"We never should have gone to war for ideological reasons driven by politics and based on manipulated intelligence . . . . The Administration’s dishonesty, lack of candor, and lack of planning have brought us to where we are today, with American soldiers dying, Iraqi civilians living in constant fear, and with no clearer picture of our strategy for victory in Iraq than when we started." - U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) (italicized emphasis added by TaleWgnDg)




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[TaleWgnDg]

8. As an additional follow-up . . .

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As an additional follow-up . . .



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[PuraVidaDreamin]

7. Nice!

Good photo essay, all inclusive group!

My hubby once wore a pair of those butt cheeks shorts
for halloween, sans under garments. Got such a nasty
rash! :hippie: