Sept. 15 March on Washington:
Only one slogan matters
By Judi McLeod
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
This September differs from most others.
The leaves begin to turn, youngsters are back in school.
But as the national and international media momentarily abandon Paris Hilton to focus on General David Petraeus' report to Congress on September 15, two forces as different as the proverbial night and day, will descend upon Washington, D.C.
Paying their own freight, a historic caravan of military families and supporters in cars, trucks, motor homes and motorcycles began their cross-country, pro-troop road trek of some 3,484 miles on Labor Day.
The "Fight for Victory" tour will cross the nation September 3rd to 15th, stopping along the way to conduct some 27 pro-troop rallies during the caravan's crawl. At the rallies, speakers are expected to call for continued support and funding for U.S. troops based in Iraq, and their missions in the broader war on terror.
Force Number One, whose members include mothers with daughters and sons in Iraq, lean on each other. No driving force other than their love of troops keeps them going. As they began their drive to D.C., Mom was asking Pop if he remembered to turn out the porch light and wondered aloud whether the crows would eat up all the peaches and corn while they were gone.
Force Number One is focused on a single positive message: "Support Our Troops".
Force Number Two attempts to blend two issues into one: "End the War" and "Impeach for Peace."
Well organized and long used to the protest as a means to bring about social change, they picked up their pickets as they boarded buses rented by anti-war organizations.
"If you need transportation, visit (answer.pephost.org) to locate a transportation centre nearest you," stated Impeach for Peace org. in an Aug. 31 press release.
"Impeach for Peace" is their rally call: "At the very moment that Congress will be debating the war in mid-September, the people will gather in an historic action demanding that Bush and Cheney be impeached for inciting a war of aggression, authorizing torture, and conducting a massive spying program on U.S. Citizens." (Emphasis, Canada Free Press). But the silence that would follow any impeachment would bring no peace because soon it would be rent with the voices of the squabbling politicians lining up to replace the impeached.
In a flurry of media communiqus, Impeach for Peace promises a cast of "tens of thousands" on Sep. 15, and rumours are rife that they may capture media attention by trying to deface Washington's revered war memorials.
Many Americans, busy struggling with the rent or mortgage and wondering how long they can keep their back-to-school youngsters in lunch and textbook money, will get to see both sides of the mammoth march on Washington over their evening news. Both sides, that is if the media even acknowledges the pro-troop turnout.
Pro-troop protesters made history in Washington on March 17 last year, outnumbering the opposition for once and for all. Being ignored by the media could never erase their memories of putting the run to the other side. And they accomplished this all by standing firmly in front of the war memorial known as The Wall with a collective, unflinching, steely-eyed stare.
The "Fight for Victory" and "Impeach for Peace" movements reflect the political polarization of contemporary America.
Putting a face on typical members of both movements fleshes out the vast difference between both.
The typical pro-troop activist is coming to Washington with his wife and kids in a four-year-old family car, tuned up for the big trip at a small-town garage. Coffee in a thermos, tuna fish sandwiches and homemade cookies will nourish the family while out on the road.
The cars in the "Fight for Victory" crowd are full of smiling people, waving their flags, and tooting their horns on a mission spurred on by thoughts of troops on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The typical "Impeach for Peace" activist, who stands behind slogans, comes equipped with union funding.
Along with some of the holdovers of the anti-war movement circa 1960, today's "impeach them!" advocates are university students, traveling to Washington on a bus filled with other students. They come supplied with bottled water, and if any pit stops are made along the way, you can depend it will be at Starbucks, where political messages are printed on the very latte coffee cup from which they sip.
The "Impeach for Peace" participants are convinced that life will be automatically better if only Bush and Cheney are automatically impeached. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, they think, will yank the troops out of Iraq. America will then return to the land of milk and honey where housing and education are a right and not a privilege.
Lost on them is that Bush, who has let so many Americans down on border issues, is just another politician like Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid.
But the biggest distinguishing factor between the pro-troop American and the Impeach Bush and Cheney crowd is that the former wears a smile, while the latter hides behind a handkerchief.
Moving in for an even closer look, the "Impeach for Peacer" is young and healthy. Wrinkles have yet to line their faces.
Intellectually, they will always be "the Moonbats" to the opposing side.
Moonbats tend to speak out in unison rather than individually, and they speak in singsong chants like "No, no we won't go, we won't fight for Texaco."
Problem is they don't think fighting for anything is worthwhile, not God, not country and certainly not troops. Blaming America for everything, many of them rely on handouts and the false promises of crass politicians like Nancy Pelosi.
Moonbats readily see the tears of the made-a-name-for-herself Cindy Sheehan, but not the heartbroken tears of an average mother whose son's death was borne in painful silence.
They don't believe in the rule of the land or that the best place to impeach Bush was in the last polling booth not on an organized march to Washington.
A closer look at the average "Fight for Victory" pro-trooper shows a face that life on earth has lined with worry and age. Some on the way to Washington by car have to tolerate the real pain of a real old war wound just to make it to the nation's capital.
Unassuming, they lead lives where they don't expect something for nothing; they worked through all the years earning every penny they ever made, and served their country with courage when called.
The anti-war activist considers honouring the war dead out of fashion. To some of them, spitting on the uniform of a soldier recently returned from the arena of war is no crime. Showing respect for one's elders is pass.
Malcontents, their heroes are not war dead but movie stars like Alec Baldwin.
Between Washington protests they lead lives that are aimless. They have earned nothing, fought for nothing and believe in nothing.
And in the end their protest has nothing to do with finding a better America through Impeachment; nothing at all to do with the courageous troops on deck every day to keep the free world safe. Their protest is all about them.
Even as both forces make their way to Washington, D.C. for September 15's much-touted "Mother of All Protests", the pro-victory forces have all ready won.
That's because the only slogan with any meaning is the one that says: "God bless America's troops".
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement