This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Protests/Rallies

  • Just a glimmer, but…

    Hico man acquitted in Westboro Baptist spitting trial

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Fayette County man was acquitted Friday of battery charges for spitting on a member of the Westboro Baptist Church during a protest outside a Catholic church last year.Billy Spade of Hico told the jurors that as the son of a deceased coal miner, he was offended by protesters holding signs that said “Thank God for dead coal miners.”

    But it was the sign that said “Thank God for dead Marines” that sent him over the edge.

    A roadside bomb killed a friend whom he looked upon as a little brother while he was serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, Spade said. So he took aim at Shirley Phelps-Roper’s sign and spat at it.

    Sometimes we hillbillies do the right thing.

    Senior Assistant City Attorney Gene Webb, who served as a prosecutor during the trial, told the jury to ignore Westboro’s message and focus on the act of spitting.

    “We have a victim who, I assure you, no one in the city agrees with [her] message,” he said, “but the Constitution of the United States protects their right to free speech, no matter how despicable it might be.”

    In defense of Spade, Kanawha County Public Defender George Castelle said Phelps-Roper’s actions and signs were carefully calculated to goad others into responding.

    “They were signs designed to make [Spade] angry. They were signs designed to provoke him,” he said. “They got what they wanted because they invited it.”

    Castelle noted that the counter-protesters, who numbered between 50 and several hundred, applauded Spade as he calmly left the scene with police officers.

    “Billy Spade is not a criminal,” Castelle said. “If anything, he’s a hero.”

    The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning its not-guilty verdict to Municipal Judge Ann Charnock.

    Sadly, in light of the SCOTUS decision this is probably NOT over.

    [added] Looking at the comments I have to offer a further reminder akin to what Susan noted.  Nullification is a local phenomenon. This particular case has been de Facto  decided by SCOTUS. The civil/tort issues are way out of my purview.

  • Don’t worry, I am a musician.

    You know, I have to ask what makes people think that they can be subject experts something completely unrelated. Like take the following below.

    Let’s attend the Austin rally for the Int’l Day of Action/Million Musician March

    This is the event we discussed at the last Meetup. It’s the annual event led by Austin musicians spotlighting the terrible financial and human costs of the ongoing wars. Event at State Capitol 12pm to 3pm, parade through downtown from 3pm – 4pm
    Sponsored by Instruments for Peace

    Contact: Richard Bowden

    Except that the numbers were much lower then their name suggested. Oh and the Under the Hood/IVAW regulars were there. They also seemed to be in smaller numbers compared to their protests in July at Fort Hood.

  • Mark your calenders for March 19

    The Left is planning another anniversary march in DC for some idiot march they had back in the 60s. It’s scheduled for March 19th this year in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House. My old friends, the DC Chapter of the Free Republic, are planning a counter-protest;

    The DC Chapter of FReeRepublic is once again organizing a Support Our Troop Rally to counter the anti-American protest by ANSWER, Code Pink, IVAW and other moonbats.

    WHERE: We have permitted FREEDOM PLAZA (Main gathering point) and the Arlington MEMORIAL CIRCLE (If the moonbats to march to the Pentagon).

    DATE: Saturday, March 19,2011
    TIME: 11AM till we are no longer needed to support our troops (3PM or so)

    FReeRepublic thread

    We will organize at Freedom Plaza and go to the White House for noon.

    Some small details are still being worked out. But we will have banners, signs, flags and hot drinks. Feel free to bring whatever you want.

    Please spread the word. Last year they had about 500 people, or so they said.

    Thanks and hope to see some of you there.

    Trooprally on FReeRepublic

    AS ALWAYS: Rules of engagement are – obey and respect law enforcement, no foul language, no violence

    I’ve enjoyed the DC Chapter and their protests since the Clinton years, and they inspired the counter-protests which have sprung up across the country, most notably, the March 2007 counter protest which marked the birth of the Gathering of Eagles.

    If you’ve got space on your calender and the money to make the trip, please do. I’m rearranging some stuff to make it this year.

  • Alleged defections in Libya.

    This has just post a few minutes ago.

    Members of a Libyan army unit told residents of the flashpoint eastern city of Benghazi Sunday that they had defected and liberated the city from forces supporting the four decades of rule by Moamar Ghadafi, Reuters reported.

    And speaking from Benghazi, a local man named Benali told Sky News that anti-regime protesters were now in control of the city, the second largest in the oil-rich African nation.

    Now there are a lot of unanswered questions here like the number of soldiers and rank. But one of the biggest is how the Lybian government will react to this if this story is creditable. We shall see where this all leads.

    Also the US is attempting to apply pressure to Libyan to back down its threats of action against the local protesters.

    U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration also signaledthat the Libyan government might face consequences if it did not take heed of warnings to rein in its security forces and respect its citizens’ right to protest.

    Something tells me that they will not be impressed.

  • That time again.

    The semi-annual gathering of protesters of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation closing off one of the main gates for a weekend. The SOA watch host these protests on regular dates. Also it seems that they get upset when people react to the protests that cause the gates to be closed. The God Bless Fort Benning Day is used as a counter protest to these guys showing up. It is interesting and not surprising to know that many of the SOA protesters try to get free food at the God Bless Fort Benning day event. My wife had to explain to a few of them that trying to close of both gates would be bad considering that many people live on base and need to get out to buy items not found on post.

    Over the seven years we’ve been doing the Friday nonviolence trainings, we’ve had to take into consideration a number of situations. The police have set up fences, increasingly restricting access to adjacent property. One year Fort Benning blasted “patriotic” music at us, attempting to drown out the speeches and music from our stage. “God Bless Fort Benning Day” has become a counter-event which has also grown over the past years. Fort Benning has also become a major base for soldiers going to and returning from Iraq, raising local people’s opposition to the presence of demonstrators.

    Or how about the punishments that they complain about when they try to enter the base they hey have done in the past.

    Trainings also take place to prepare people for roles such as Peacekeepers and Legal Observers. For those who engage in civil disobedience, sentences have been from 3 to 6 months. Therefore a strong support system has been created for those considering that risk ,to help them through the discernment process and during and after their time as prisoners.

    But of the mention about the concern about violence from the usual suspects.

    The 2nd Annual God Bless Fort Benning Rally got underway at the old fairgrounds Sunday, across from the Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum. The event features food and entertainment and is designed to counter the message of the SOA Watch protest at Fort Benning.

    Mayor Bob Poydacheff spoke to News Leader 9’s Jo Giles at the event and said he was pleased with the effort and the turn-out. He also indicated that event organizers did the right thing by relocating their rally away from the massive protest.

    Fears of violence or confrontations with “fringe groups” forced that relocation. Organizer Miriam Tidwell told News Leader 9 in a live interview that she didn’t want to risk any confrontation with the protestors that might result in injury to any of the people or children attending her event.

    There have been increased fears of possible violence surrounding the SOA protest this year, not because of the regular crowd of thousands of SOA Watch marchers but because of additional “fringe groups” attending this year’s event.

    But really the only people that really win are the people that rent parking spaces and sell food near the Victory Drive area.

  • That Restore Fear Rally in DC yesterday

    P1050675

    I decided that taking my CCW training and then drive to Virginia to drink free beer and eat free food at Sniper’s house was more important than watching a bunch of Leftist buffoons trying to act like they’re moderate (people who are so smart that they’ll get their news from The Comedy Channel). But our buddy, Skye, went and took pictures while she waited to run the Marine Corp Marathon. You can see her pictures at her Flickr Photostream.

    Donald Douglas at American Power Blog assembled some links and pictures from the net and TV.

  • Westboro meets Free Republic’s DC Chapter at Arlington

    The Free Republic’s DC Chapter is the most stalwart and persistent group on the planet. Aside from all of the other events they protest and counter-protest, they stand watch at the main gate of Walter Reed every Friday night – every Friday for the last six years (I think) through all kinds of weather.

    The day before their appearance at the Supreme Court yesterday Fred Phelp’s Westboro “Baptist” Church showed up at Arlington and TroopRally and his crowd were there.

    Wastboro Baptist Church at Arlington National Cemetery 2010-10-05 (14)

    I recognize my old friends from the days in DC.

    Wastboro Baptist Church at Arlington National Cemetery 2010-10-05 (12)

    Wastboro Baptist Church at Arlington National Cemetery 2010-10-05 (13)

    Wastboro Baptist Church at Arlington National Cemetery 2010-10-05 (17)

    Wastboro Baptist Church at Arlington National Cemetery 2010-10-05 (20)

    These photos were all taken by our friend, Smorgasbord, who was kind enough to not only make the trek to Arlington from Philadelphia and stand with the Free Republic DC Chapter for us, but he sent us these pictures as well. That’s him with the PVC Pipe Sign on his head. Thanks, buddy. I guess Smorg was rewarded by bumping (figuratively speaking) into actor Danny Devito on his way home.

    I’ve loaded all of Smorgasbord’s pictures to my Flickr Photostream if you want to see them all.

  • More on the Phelps v. Snyder USSC case

    Our legal correspondent defected and sold his work to the American Legion. Anyway, you can see his initial work, pictures of the protesters outside at ,The Burn Pit.

    In the meantime, I’m trapped in the real world, so keep those tips coming – I’ll get to them sooner or later.