Fw: "tanks" in LA streets were lost, friendly

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Thinkcivic@aol.com

To: Thinkcivic@aol.com

Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 6:39 PM

Subject: Comments on tanks in LA streets

BG:  I picked up these comments from the indymedia site..  It looks as tho the tanks had lost their way, probably on the way to a Veterans Day parade...
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Was @ Fed. bldg. on eve of 9th...
Calling out words of war protest, several of the soldiers gave us the thumbs up. One person gave them literature on finding help to get out as they seemed to have an empathy for the cries of the crowd.
BUT THEN an utterly moronic woman started screaming at them that they were murderers and baby killers and other foul verbal attacks. I gently shared with her the fact that the three men in the tank in front of us appeared supportive, then she screamed at me even more hateful sentiments...
So, like, didn't we learn anything from Viet Nam, mostly in regard to the importance of the human beings that are soldiers who have become caught in the middle of the nightmare? So many of the kids in the military today come from financial disadvantage and this was a way to be able to afford an education.
TRUST ME, those KIDS IN THE TANKS are most likely scared to hell about what they are about to face.
People irrationally screaming hideous accusations at soldiers are not helping, but are rather hurting the "cause". It isn't the soldiers that should be hated, go after our leadership with your words of anger, go after those who compel little boys to be forced into acts of war. ...Too bad someone doesn't ship Bush's daughters off to the front lines, wouldn't that make us all much more trusting of the President's resolve in sending other people's children to be killed?!
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...well, there is a housefly in my kitchen, can I get some republican idiot to send an Apache helicopter to dispatch it? ....just send the bill to the taxpayer.....
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I was among the protestors at the Federal Building on November 9th. I believe out nation faces profound risks and has lost its moral compass by adopting the Bush preemptive attack doctrine. His extraordinary and close-minded positions require extraordinary energy in opposition. When the "tanks" (okay LAV's) passed us the first time, we all just found it to be utterly bizarre. When they came back, it seemed way past bizarre. The comment under the lead "Robo Cop" says he was in one of the LAV's and that their visit was not part of some intended "fly by" exercise. I'm glad that he weighed in here; it is comforting to know that some of the soldiers know we are out here and participate in the discourse. He doesn't say what they were doing there. Maybe, they were on some other top secret mission to protect Westwood (or just a little too embarrassed to admit that they couldn't navigate LA streets). I don't really buy either of those explanations, but I suppose I still believe his statement that this was not intimidation directed at the protest (since that goal wouldn't make sense either). In the middle of the incident, I did not perceive any animosity from the soldiers on the LAV's (they actually seemed friendly). I also want to note that the LAPD, who stepped in, were also controlled and professional. Young men in uniform are instruments to carry out the policies of our country's leadership. Although that makes most of them pawns for George Bush's wrongheaded plans, many of them (unlike their commander in chief) are conscientious and openminded citizens. We don't want to alienate them unnecessarily. They are faced with a dilemma that no American should be forced to deal with. In my view, the protestors were (in general) not hostile to the soldiers either -- although everyone was anxious to make it clear that U.S. military vehicles don't belong at antiwar protests for any reason. Oh, of course, a few protestors can't resist overstating the message when faced with troops and military vehicles. Hey, most people who take some hours out of their daily lives to hold signs on public streets have deeply felt emotions.

The "incident" arose in the context of post-election 2004. The Bush Administration has made it all too clear that they will now be increasingly aggressive in pursuing their extreme right wing agenda, both domestically and abroad, while reaching across the political spectrum to reconcile with everyone who agrees with that agenda (huh?). So, I guess the Westwood incident was probably just some freaky thing. That was this time. But, in an odd way, this does foretell where we are headed.
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Those weren't 'tanks' they were Marine APCs. They were obviously on their way to another location and crossed paths with the protest. Apparently a lot conspiratorial overreactors seem to think it was planned. The Marines on the other hand looked befuddled about the whole thing.
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Story is also at http://www.DemWatch.blogspot.com and http://www.MyDD.com
Lost LAVs

Hey guys. Some people aren't going to be convinced that this was NOT an attempt to stifle expression, but this sounded fishy to me from the start. Thursday is Veteran's Day and today is the USMCs 229th birthday. The vehicles in question are LAV-25s, not Strykers or Coyotes. They're operated exclusively by the USMC.
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A post script:
After I tried to share with my fellow female to have compassion for the soldiers who gave us the thumbs up, and she then lit into me with her venom, a man in the crowd re-acted in suit and began screaming at the soldiers with the same hostility... then another, then another; it started a wildfire of hate amongst a portion of the crowd and caused a sadness in the eyes of the boy/soldier in the rear tank, possibly even some fear of us...
How sad.
How sad.
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BG
thinkcivic@aol.com