You Call This a War?

Perhaps the Legion will bring nukes.

American Legion Declares War on Protestors -- Media Next?

Apparently, even a bunch of old retired American Legionnaires* can set leftists such as the ones at Editor and Publisher to wailing incoherently, simply by speaking a little harshly to the poor babies.

NEW YORK The American Legion, which has 2.7 million members, has declared war on antiwar protestors, and the media could be next. Speaking at its national convention in Honolulu, the group's national commander called for an end to all “public protests” and “media events” against the war, even though they are protected by the Bill of Rights. [SNIP]

In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction.”

He explained, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies." This might suggest to some, however, that American freedoms are worth dying for but not exercising.

Doesn’t sound to me as if the folks at E&P are clear on this concept called war, much less the constitutional one known as freedom of speech. Hint: no part of the three branches of government has the Legion as one of its components.

If this is Drudge account is true, however, some leftists ought to be quaking in their leather-less footwear.

Anti-war protestors besieged wounded and disabled soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C, a new web report will claim!

CNSNews.com is planning to run an expose on Thursday featuring interviews with both protestors and veterans, as well as shots of protest signs with slogans like “Maimed for a Lie.”

The conservative outlet will post video evidence of the wounded
veterans being taunted by protesters, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Interesting how the twits would harass guys and girls in wheelchairs, etc. but quail at a little forceful language from an old guy from a veteran group. Must be those issues some folks have with "daddy."

Additionally, I can envision a little “suppression of dissent” as turnabout for those who would seek to demoralize injured soldiers.

Now that would be a war.

(Thanks to Wizbang and LGF)

*Disclaimer: I’m one of those old, retired Legionnaires.

Comments

[skinner]

Im sick of ,supporters of the war, Feeling they cant exercise the same rights these self rightious war protestors do . The only thing I can figuere is , We have way more integrity . Plus the liberal run media wouldnt show it any ways. We are a majority,
and we support our troops / country . Cadmus was appealing to these protesters Logic , plus they're ethics ? morality. compassion decency patriotism.
Just a couple of things these people are completely Devoid of.
I say dont just keep it up BARN STORM IT .

[Tony]

Those who can do.
Those who can't teach.
Those who can't teach, administrate.
Those who CAN'T do any of the above, protest those who CAN do one of the above.

[Beth]

Juliette,

I don't remember anyone protesting in front of Army Hospitals in the 60s and 70s, this is a new and horrid low.

Makes me want to take a look at our educational system and figure out why we are turning out such numbskulls.

I wonder if Cindy Sheehan would be protesting outside of Walter Reed had her son survived but lost a leg? Sadly, I suspect she would.

I'm all for the American Legion's war on people protesting outside of hospitals.

[Timmer]

Remember, not everyone in the Vet's groups are "old guys" anymore. You and I are both good examples of that.

I'm a life member of the VFW now. What's funny was that I was putting off joining because I didn't picture myself as one of those OLD guys and then I saw that the guys sitting at the VFW Table at the BX were younger than me.

[Justin]

I think liberals are just laughing at these guys--calling for an end to all "public protesters and media event".

I agree, protesting in front of a hospital is stupid and disgusting. But war supporters have to start facing up to the fact that the American public is turning against the war (mainstream opinion, not just leftwing peaceniks). A majority of American now think the war was a mistake.

http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

Who is going to enlist to keep our troop levels up in Iraq if we have to keep troops there? If hardcore supporters of the war won't do it, how can we expect the average American to enlist? I'm serious about those questions, and they aren't some type of veiled "chicken hawk" argument. I'm on the fence about whether we should start pulling out of Iraq, but I'm afraid that are decision may be driven by troop levels than strategy.

[baldilocks]

Timmer:

Remember, not everyone in the Vet's groups are "old guys" anymore.

Do I go around nitpicking your rhetorical points, Timmer? Obviously, I only have to look down my shorts and at my Legion card to figure that out.

[Cass]

I tried to trackback to this article. I know someone read it and clicked, cause I was "called on the carpet" for it, LOL! keep up the good work!

[caltechgirl]

Heh. Good for the Legion. They'll be getting some extra $$ when DH's membership renewal comes in.

[Steve]

As for the public support for this war being so low. Naturally if the story in Iraq has been reported so negatively as it has there would be a drop in support. But thankfully George Bush is a leader and does not follow the advice and strategies of a Dick Morris.

Polls mean so so little in regards to almost every issue and especially this type of issue. I work around the public and I know that half (maybe more like 7/8ths) of them know so very little about all this that they aren't really worth polling as though that should even be hinted at as something that could determine policy. They all aren't so much as dumb but just busy with their own lives as maybe they ought to be.

As Jay Leno demonstrates when he goes out on the street to question people about many simple matters many bright and nice people really just don't know much of what is going on. It is my assertion that if I could have them for a portion of their time for a half a year these polling numbers would be very different regardless of what someone tried to then convince them of.

So when looking at those polling numbers, I am claiming, that more information to them would move those numbers more to the positive and that is an important thing to consider.

Our troops are generally reporting high morale and that they see the mission as positive. A car bomb going off in a city the size of L.A. isn't going to demoralize military personel when soldiers such as these fought in wars where artillery, and planes, rained bombs down constantly and civilian casualties were seen about everyday.

[bill]

the most dangerous hand gun in the world is the fist of an old vet showing up in front of a military hospital- hippies and commies beware!

[Justin]

So when looking at those polling numbers, I am claiming, that more information to them would move those numbers more to the positive and that is an important thing to consider.

Steve, what information are you talking about? I pretty much could have guessed that war supporters would blame the bad poll numbers on negative media coverage. The situation in Iraq by all accounts is getting worse. I think we should probably stay (I'm wavering in my support now), but it would be nice if the Bush could actually articulate a strategy. If he doesn't soon, there will be a lot more main stream war protesters, and no one to acually fight the war in Iraq.

Most Americans realize that are reasons for going to Iraq were shaky at best, and the right cannot continue characterizing people who do not support the war as hippies and commies.

the most dangerous hand gun in the world is the fist of an old vet showing up in front of a military hospital- hippies and commies beware!

Real nice Bill-advocating terrorism.

[Steve]

Justin said to me: "What information are you talking about?"

Thanks for asking. There is so much to this whole picture I cannot cover this in the space offered in this blog of course. It is just that your mind on this issue is able to fit within the confines of this blog space.

The situation in Iraq is maybe getting worse, maybe it will get better, but it isn't really all that bad as it is now. It all depends what your expectations are not what you thought someone else's expectations were.

A constitution is about to be passed that has been described as being the "most liberal in the M.E.". Now don't get all bent up over that word "liberal" because after all we all may claim some portion of ownership as well to that word. The Iraqi forces will continue to be trained and come on line and hopefully ("hope" not a bad word)in 3 months to a year things really begin to settle down and that this has residual effects for the whole M.E., the U.S., and ultimately the whole world.

If this should be so, and it takes another full year, this amount of time will not appear to have been all that big a deal in history's rearview mirror and the left will appear to be truly ridiculous and unable to have patience, foresight, genuine concern, perseverance, hope, or balance.

[Lisa Gilliam]

Justin I guess you didn't see the interview of one of our soldiers from last week on NBC.Matt laurer got his butt handed to him on a platter by an officer.The officer told Mr. Laurer that if he read the stories in American Newspapers he would get depressed too.that is why I hardly ever read them anymore in fact, the sales of the newspapers are low and the tv ratings for cnn,nbc,abc,and cbs,are getting lower and lower because nobody trust them anymore and they aren't the brightest stars in the world to begin with.If you really want to know what is going on over there go and read Michael Yon's online magazine and you'll get the straight skinny instead of the load of BS that you get from our media.

[skinner]

I put as much credence in polls as I do horoscopes Whos taking these polls? and where and what point are they trying to make? At least horoscopes dont tell you " sorry , Youre getting run over by a truck tommorow" , This Jay Leno analogy was great , every time I watch his street interveiws , I think , " and these people can actually vote ?"
These are youre ,Colledge educated brainless wonders , The same people who kept Kerry so close in the race . They couldnt form an opinion on their own If they where given a script , Which doesnt make any since either , SO I REST MY CASE , If I didnt have so much free time id get busy beating the crap out of thes Bi-valve , bottom feeding , gastropods .

[skinner]

p.S. YES i DID GO TO COLLEDGE

[Justin]

Steve said:

If this should be so, and it takes another full year, this amount of time will not appear to have been all that big a deal in history's rearview mirror and the left will appear to be truly ridiculous and unable to have patience, foresight, genuine concern, perseverance, hope, or balance.

Steve, I hope you are right. Unfortunately, I don't have faith in this administration's ability to even change a lightbulb in Iraq, but I do have faith in our troops' ability and commitment there, and that is what does give me some hope.

Lisa, thanks, I've been reading Michael Yon's site. While I do agree that the MSM tends to report "bad news" (fires, wars, floods, crime), and that the bad news dominates the Iraq news, by many objective standards the war isn't going well, especially when US are talking about success being defined as a low grade cival war in Iraq, and our troops are talking about the best we can hope for is a stalemate in Fallujah.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12476559.htm

[Steve]

I think we may have the best administration ever put together to handle a situation like we have in Iraq. GWB is especially suited to the times to be able to handle all that he has come up against in the large entertainment industry, Internet, Soros-527s, and "internationalist groups". Democrats definitely have no one to offer for times like these.

1. Gore? or Kerry? Big no.
2. Clinton. No.
3. George Bush Sr. Not really.
4. Ronald Reagan. Still don't think so.
5. Jimmy Cater. Definite no.
6. Gerald Ford. No.
7. Richard Nixon. No.
8. Lyndon Johnson. Definite no.
9. John Kennedy. Don't think so.
10. Dwight Eisenhower. Maybe.

[Justin]

Steve said:

I think we may have the best administration ever put together to handle a situation like we have in Iraq. GWB is especially suited to the times to be able to handle all that he has come up against in the large entertainment industry, Internet, Soros-527s, and "internationalist groups". Democrats definitely have no one to offer for times like these.

Steve, that is the most perplexing thing I've heard in a while. I'm glad you have so much faith in Bush, but why? What has he done to show competence? Even if you think the war was a good idea, it's difficult to argue that the administration has executed it well.

[Justin]

And wait, Steve, are you really saying that you have more faith in the Bush administration than Reagan, who helped topple communism, or Bush Sr., who helped pull together one of the most diverse coalitions ever to fight the Gulf War?

I'll give you three democrats who could handle the war better than GWB:

1. Joe Biden
2. Hillary Clinton
3. Joe Liberman

[skinner]

Justin ???? And people call my comments ridiculous , At least I have the since to agree once in a while. Hillary couldnt defeat the French while they were running away . Let HER eat cake.

[Steve]

Yes, I do think that GWB and his administration are the right people at the right time. Better than Ronald Reagan or George Bush Sr. could do in the circumstances we are in today.

And I'll say this that the three choices you gave are so bad I just don't know where to begin but I sure learned a little more about you.

Joe Biden has played this from the "vulture" angle (I mentioned a week ago) from the beginning. Or politically speaking, the Wall Street "put" option I mentioned earlier. I hear all kinds of encouragement from soldiers and their families and americans in general about this effort in Iraq and all Biden ever produces from his mouth is sour urine.

Hillary? Simply no, way way too much went on in the 1990s to ever think of her as being a leader of anything worthwhile. Too many shady connections with people who have been part of the problem in the 1990s and during this war in Iraq. She is neither honest nor a sober thinking person and neither are the people she is hopelessly connected with.

Joe Lieberman I could almost go along with in some position at a time like this but not as president. And I think he would even agree with that. He is about the only honest and sober thinking person the democratic party has now. Honest and sober enough in his thinking to understand that at times like this he shouldn't be president.

I do think they have executed this war well the more I think it over. This make believe scenario of what you would do if you had it to do over again is a little difficult because you have to decide in this thought experiment what you are given to know ahead of time. But the more I see this and think it over I am actually really amazed that it is going this well. It really could have been a lot worse. This war has truly been a testament to the power of ones attitude in its perception of life's circumstances. Attitudes are self fulfilling and destorting and this is coming from someone who should know because I am generally not all that positive either about most other things.

Richard Meyers is right that there really is a lot at stake in Iraq and the oil revenues of Iraq cannot be used for a fedayeen and terrorist-type regime. Considering what I see is at stake in Iraq and the kinds of suicidal/homicidal people we are up against (afterall, just for one example, floor plans of American schools were found in Iraq, think Breslan Russia Sept 2004?) it is a wonder how well it has gone for our troops. The Iraqi people have possibly suffered the most from these Islamists just like they historically have.

I think there are a lot of people who have spent their time in a lot of hand wringing and heated rhetoric need to take a whole new look (I think sometimes they wont because of the guilt it would cause, or i.e., to far invested in negative rhetoric to give it up now) and reconsider what "bad" really is, and has historically been, when it comes to war. Consider what is at stake now, and what is at stake for the projected future of the world in respect to Iraq.

[Kevin]

It's funny, these legion types didn't think this way when they printed an open letter to bring our troops home during the war in Kosovo.

[baldilocks]

If they did, Kevin, then they were wrong and, one would suspect, unfairly partisan. In order to confirm this, it would be helpful if you would provide a link. That's what I do when I make assertions of fact at other sites.

[skinner]

I have to think < How long did the civil war last? How many lives were lost ? How long did It take for a REAL PRINCIPLE to be acknowledged for Its existence
If theyre is NO reason for this war Id please like the war protestors to explain [WHY} to me . YOU HAVE THE CRYSTAL BOLL!!! " Frank Zappa" . One other question How long did it take SADAM to take power in Iraq?
How long did it take for him to issue Murder Rape And Torture ilicense To his " army" and Sons.
Tell me its O.K. that it was only a 25 year rein of terror and the sanctions were working. Then
Justify your Ideas by telling us We rushed in too early against Hitler TOO . YOURE IDIOTS > PLAIN AND SIMPLE .

[Kevin]

Here is the link you asked for:
http://web.archive.org/web/19991217104012/http://www.legion.org/yugoltr.htm

[Justin]

Steve, I don't find your concerns with either of the three people I mentioned convincing. Hillary was involved with "shady people" in the 1990s? What does that mean? Did she kill Vince Foster? Hillary is more competent in her sleep than GWB will ever be. Biden a vulture? I'm not sure what that has to do with the conduct of the war.

It's funny you think the war is going well, what exactly would have to happen for you to think it wasn't going well? I'm cautiously optimistic, but come one, the place is about to break out into civil war (if it isn't already), the terrorists and counter-insurgents appear to be gaining strength etc.

Obviously nothing you say is going to convince me that GWB is nothing more than a complete incompetent, and nothing I can say can convince you that he is not competent.

baldilocks says: Justin, this is what I like about you: honesty. Seriously.

Today (8/30) I've had visits from a number of charlatans of your political persuasion; that's why I mention it. Thanks.