This guy is a jerk

Gavin King:kingg@tcp.newsltd.com.au is a jerk. He is actually much, much worse.

What did he do?
Read all about it.

More Video of the Anti-War Rally

I came across this video over here. Take a good look at the crowd. Does it look like the "thousands" written about in the press, or the 10,000 claimed by answer?

Gathering of Eagles / Anti War Rally

I made the long trek to DC this past weekend to see the Anti-War rally. I interviewed Capitol police, a few members of the Gathering of Eagles, and a few anti-war protesters.

(I'll blog about this in greater detail later and upload pictures... hopefully this afternoon).

Well it took a little longer to get the pics on to my laptop, but I am happy to be getting this post up.

Now I must admit I had hoped to be in the thick of things during the protest, but it was St. Patty's day and well... I was enjoying corned beef and cabbage and a pint of Guinness in a nice warm Irish Pub while the hundreds upon thousands of protesters were freezing in the cold and making idiots of themselves.

I started up on Capitol Hill and walked down to the Wall. While walking around the Capitol Building, I saw Capitol Police marching around the perimeter of the Capitol Building. They were marching 2 officers wide by about 7-8 deep in full gear. I thought about taking a picture of one of the several groups, but didn't want to draw their attention from the tasks. I also thought that taking pictures of a security detail in DC might draw the wrong kind of attention to myself.



When in front of the Capitol Building, I looked out towards the Washington Monument and didn't see much in the way of protesters or signs... just a lot of tourists with their families. I walked over to two of the Capitol Police, the two furthest to the left, to ask them a few questions.

I asked if there had been any vandalism to the Capitol Building or any of the monuments. He said that there hadn't been any reports of vandalism at that point, but that the protest was ongoing. I asked if there had been a lot of protesters. He said not at the Capitol, but that there were "a couple thousand" protesters somewhere between the Pentagon and the White House.

This was the view from Capitol Hill:


If you look at the middle of this picture you can see a yellow banner and some tents where some of the Protesters had made camp.

There were about 8-12 tents. Not a lot, really, for the millions upon millions of protesters who marched that day.



This is a pretty good representation of the tents. Several of the tents were large enough to sleep 5-6, and two of the tents were for meetings.



A few of the tents did not look large enough for anything other than a small curled up child.



Surprisingly, the ACLU did not show up and demand that these crosses be taken down.



I was afraid that maybe I had missed my chance to see the protesters. I did see a few here and there. Mostly in groups of 2-3, and occasionally in groups as many as 15-20. In all I estimate we saw 300-400 protesters. I am sure there were more, but most of the estimates I heard from people who watched were about 2000.



It is hard to see from this pic, but these protesters were carrying an effigy Bush with a flag covering his eyes. In one hand was a TV with CBS/ABC/FOX/CNN on it. In the other hand was an SUV and the names of some of the larger oil Companies. The protesters were chanting, "Don't be blinded by patriotism!" They were also chanting something about how the press is covering for the Bush's friends in the oil companies.



This guy was sitting right outside the Lincoln side entrance of the Wall. Below is another large crowd of what turned out to literally be billions and billions of protesters.



This large throng of protesters was right outside the Lincoln Memorial. Almost all of the protesters we saw came from that direction. When I was walking through, tourists outnumbered protesters about 10-1.



This was pretty typical of the signage. I posted this one out of order, it was near the tents.

When we made it to the wall, we did notice a few protesters. The ones we saw were solemn, respectful, and some of them were crying for loved ones lost. The wall, however, was untarnished.



I saw some of the Gathering of Eagles crowd and asked if there were any problems. "None, thank God," was their answer. One of the GoE members told me that Capitol Police had set up Metal Detectors at the entrances to keep cans of spray paint out. I asked if the protesters had become unruly. What I was told was the the great majority of protesters we visited the wall that day did so with all due respect.

Below are a few Vietnam Vets who came out for the GoE to protect the wall. These guys seemed pretty cool. They said there were LOT of Vietnam Vets, a large number of Iraq War Vets, and even a few WWII fellows all out to protect the monuments from vandalism. I asked if there were any altercations with the protesters. He said there was a good deal of shouting back and forth, but the protesters ultimately knew better than to start any trouble with their group.

He told me that there really weren't that many protesters and that there were at least as many and probably more Gathering of Eagles members than protesters.



I know that the Washington Post described the crowd of protesters in the thousands and the crowd of Gathering of Eagles in the hundreds. The protesters have claimed that their numbers were closer to 10,000.

I showed up when things were just about completely wound down. I estimate that I only saw a few hundred protestors, so 2000-2500 seems like a very reasonable number for the actual count. It was a really chilly day, with a strong cold wind that cut to the bone, so I am sure that the weather could have played a role in the rather low turn out.

Global Warming Solution Out of This World!

UFO science key to halting climate change: former Canadian defense minister

OTTAWA (AFP) - A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change, a local paper said Wednesday.

"I would like to see what (alien) technology there might be that could eliminate the burning of fossil fuels within a generation ... that could be a way to save our planet," Paul Hellyer, 83, told the Ottawa Citizen.

You just can't make this stuff up.

I actually think this idea makes perfect sense. The same moonbats that believe that aliens exist, and are being hidden from the public (No, not mexicans, aliens from outer space), believe in global warming. I think the US government should take advantage of this. Why not have a top Bush administration official release a statement that, yes aliens exist, and yes it is all a huge conspiracy, and yes, their technology can solve the problem. THEN the government could say that the alien technology can actually reverse the effects of global warming, and that we are just waiting to use it until the earth warms up enough to necessatate it. Viola, problem solved. (j/k)

Read more about global warming.

Q&A: Cheney on Taliban and Suicide Bomber

Vice President's Remarks to the Traveling Press
Aboard Air Force Two
En Route Muscat, Oman

via White House News

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes, I was -- they provided me quarters there overnight because you all know we got weathered in. It seems to me I think it was about 10:00 a.m. this morning, I heard a loud boom. And shortly after that, the Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate, apparently a suicide bomber.

They moved me for a relatively brief period of time to one of the bomb shelters nearby, near the quarters I was staying in. And as the situation settled down, and they got a better sense in terms of what was going in, then I went back to my room. It was almost time to leave.

Q What do you think the symbolism is there for the -- for whoever carried this out? They said publicly that this was aimed at you. What does that --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Who said that?

Q The Taliban --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I hadn't heard that.

Q It was a Taliban spokesman quoted, saying that the attack was trying to get you.

Q What we're quoting them as saying is that they took responsibility for it, and they said they were aware that you were there.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I hadn't heard that.

Q Did you at any time consider changing your itinerary about Kabul after learning this news? Or was that never--

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Never an option.

Q I guess, the question was, do you suppose in light of the current situation in Afghanistan that if a group does the act that it did and it suggests that they were going after you in some way, it's more a self-serving symbolic statement to their own people, look, we're on the attack against the Vice President, regardless of how ludicrous it is because you were so far from the scene of the actual incident?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I think they clearly try to find ways to question the authority of the central government. Striking at Bagram with a suicide bomber, I suppose, is one way to do that. But it shouldn't affect our behavior at all.

There has been much ado about this attack on the Vice President. I for one am thankful that Cheney is alright. Apparently a LOT of people don't hold the same sentiments. It is sad really, that political discourse has come to this.

I think if the shoe were on the other foot, and by that I mean if the attack target had been Al Gore or Bill Clinton, I like to think that the Right would rise to the occasion, expressing outrage at the attacker, not the target of the attack. I like to think the conservative right would take the opportunity to advocate the annihilation of our enemy, not make comments like "darn, they missed." I like to think that I am right about this, and I *might* not be, but I like to think I am.

I guess it will take an attack on some moonbat on the left to test this hypothesis.

After 9/11 there was no left/right distinction. We were all Americans. An attack on one of us was an attack on all of us. Maybe that is the difference between the left and the right. The right refuses to forget 9/11 while the left refuses to acknowledge it.

I think Cheney really is a brilliant individual: "it shouldn't affect our behavior at all."

If only that were completely true. If only the press would pay more attention to the US victories over terror instead of the suicide attackers and cowardly road-bombers. If the press would take the same amount of time to report the terrorist's defeats as they do their "achievements" in carrying out the thoughtless slaughter of innocents, then terrorism would not work at all, and the Islamo-fascists would give up.

Watada Trial Begins Monday

Trial of US soldier who refused to go to Iraq opens Monday

WASHINGTON (AFP) - First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the first US army officer to publicly refuse orders to go to Iraq, will go on trial in a court martial Monday at Fort Lewis, Washington, according to his supporters.

Watada is being tried for his refusal in June 2006 to be deployed to Iraq on the grounds that he opposed the decision of President George W. Bush to launch the war.

I don't have much to add that I haven't already covered.

He will be found guilty. He is guilty. The press is really to blame.

Giant Duck of Peace

I saw this on LGF today and got a good laugh out of it

An outraged anti-war protester writes about our post on the Moronic Convergence in Washington DC:

You might want to correct your subtitle for the anti-war protest duck.

It is a PEACE DOVE! I know, I was there.

Also, the sign that says “Just Poop” is a nice way of saying “Sh-t or get off the Pot” in regards to doing something about ending the war/occupation.

I would have posted my comments but your sight seems to be overwhelmed. I can’t register. I hope this info gets added somehow though. You’ve got some pretty ignorant readers out there.

Sue, Philadelphia, PA

Sorry, Sue, but to me this will always be the Giant Duck of Peace.

Aaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!! Giant Duck of Peace. heheheh.

I share Sue's shame... I can't get registered at lgf either.