Another day, another protest. Today is ANSWER’s “Day of Action”. Since the Iraq War started five years ago today, all of the organizations that have sprung up to cash in on the war decided to have an eight-ring circus in downtown Washington DC, because as one IVAW member told me, the war is about money – apparently for the moonbats, too. My coverage was abruptly ended when I was ID’d as “one of those Milblog guys at Winter Soldier”, so excuse me for not getting all I should have.
I was there bright and early for the festivities. It must’ve been a little too early because the Code Pink gals were looking especially raggedy;
They even had their own marching band;
Complete with mascot;
Everyone headed out to their respective “actions” and I went looking for the recruiting station, where I figured the action was going to take place. But the Freepers beat me to it;
[youtube 6ge2psjY6Ao nolink]
The recruiters felt safe enough with moonbats roaming around to come outside for air – thanks to the Freepers and a few ladies from the Second Amedment Sisters who were in town for the Supreme Court doin’s yesterday.
A large police contingent stationed at the recruiting office was helpful, too. This particular officer told us his son is in Iraq with the Air Force.
This kind fellow brought coffee to the Freepers;
Up the street from the recruiting station was the American Petroleum Institute – since the war is about money and oil, it was a good target for the Greens to block people from going to their jobs;
And the most energy efficient way to get your bicycle into the city is to bring it in a U-Haul pickup;
I went several blocks away to the IRS – where apparently they hand out cash for fueling the war machine while starving children. On my way there, I passed a group of guys wearing media passes, ten steps behind them, moving her tiny legs as fast as she could was Code Pink’s head troll Medea Benjamin – I just thought that was funny.
I got to the IRS just in time to see 20 or so people getting packed up for the hoosegow;
[youtube z4eIGtaofx4 nolink]
I went back to McPherson Square and was lucky enough to record some poor distraught veteran who had gone into Iraq five years ago today tell us about how he figured out that Bush had lied to him in the first three days and describe some atrocities that didn’t happen – but that we should “imagine” happened anyway.
[youtube N57QMzmadQs nolink]
You might notice that while I filming that video, the police roared out of the park behind the speakers – they were headed to the recruiting station, so I cut short the video and scurried over the station, but I missed the protest there. I did however get there in time to catch “Barbie” Benjamin riding in her toy bed;
I noticed that it was nearly time for the “veterans” event to begin so I took off for the ten block walk to the National Archives. I passed by the White House and notice that there was no “action” there;
I got to the National Archives just in time to catch the drama queens of the IVAW, Veterans for Peace and their mish-mash bands of friends and enablers. Notice how they show their love for this country.
[youtube OliV6mF7nrE nolink]
And right upfront is every Leftist’s heart throb, Adam Kokesh – so you just know someone’s going to get arrested. I also noticed that the IVAW fellas have stopped wearing military uniforms and they’ve opted for the black sweatshirts these days.
So they arrived at the National Archives and charged up the steps with their upside-down flags;
[youtube k4cQhbk62Z0 nolink]
And explained to the crowd why they fly the flag upside down (I can’t understand a word of it – so good luck)
[youtube ovA51wNAmWU nolink]
George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice showed up;
And so did the DC cops to cart off Kokesh and his merry band of trespassers on Federal property;
They read some long speeches about the typical blather “Blood for Oil”, “War for Exxon”, etc…. I lost interest waiting for the police to cart them off.
The chivalrous side of me was my downfall though. One of the IVAW guys (I don’t know which one – one of the little loud mouths) started yelling at the female security guard because she wouldn’t let him go up the steps and I told him to calm down that she was just doing her job. Then he yelled out “I know you! You were at Winter Soldier – one of those milbloggers”.
As the crowd pressed in on me, I beat a hasty retreat – but another one of the IVAW guys started following me up the street calling me names – he had a buddy with a video camera to get it all on film in the event I knocked the little halfpint out. But they got nothing – except I left the event just as the DC cops arrived to arrest Kokesh, so I didn’t get pictures of that little theater.
Most of the protesters were the same demographic as attendees at Winter Soldier – old hippies reliving their hey-day.
Thus Spake Ortner, my battle buddy at WSII, has pictures at The Sniper as well as some hillarious commentary.
While you’re in the mood to look at Moonbats, zip over to the Left Coast at Zombie and see if you can spot the spelling error on Cindy Sheehan’s sign.
The Freepers wanted me to remind you all that March 29th is the third anniversary of their Freep at Walter Reed every Friday night and if you’re in town – make it.
UPDATE: The Washington Post (that neocon rag) estimates protest numbers at a thousand – tops. The Washington Times concurs. I’d thought it was a little more, but we can use their number.
