After Action Freep A.N.S.W.E.R. AUSTIN TX 3/20/04

3/20/04 | the Bat Lady

[The Bat Lady]

I kept hearing about the A.N.S.W.E.R .having rallies in 200 cities around the world. Austin, TX was one of the ones listed on their website. No details were posted but I planned to go for weeks.

Gracey had the details and instead of being at the State Capitol, they were meeting at a park and marching 2 miles to end up right across the street from the police station.

I heard most of the other H.O.T. Chapter were going to Crawford after the leftists finished in Austin and bus-pooled to Crawford. I couldn't make that trip so just decided to do the Austin leg.

[The Bat Lady]

I wanted to get the tread started so others could post too.

[daviddennis]

Well, we're in suspense up here! What happened next?

D

[Sally'sConcerns]

Start off by telling us your experience with the Austin part.

I lived in Austin for a total of 8 weeks and was glad to get out of there. I much prefer San Antonio, Houston or DFW.

I'd love to move back to San Antonio as it's my favorite town in Texas.

[The Bat Lady]

I loaded signs in the car and the burka outfit and went to the police station. Under the interstate was a parking lot that had an old hippie bus, water and about 5 unwashed.
I drove up by them and asked if this was where the A.N.S.W.E.R. was going to be and he said they were NOT affiliated with answer. Other groups, stop the war and Americans for Peace etc. he invited me to park right by the stage. :)

I said that I was on the other side, so would go over to the other side to park and give them proper space. he smiled and said that would be nice and I would be safe. That was nice.

I put on the Burka and grabbed my sign....
BUY MY OIL AND FREE MY PEOPLE, WHAT A DEAL!
and the flip side
VISULIZE LOSING THE WAR
with a flag sticker and the bumper sticker that says
Evil wins when good people do nothing.

I walked by him again and thanked him for the safety comment... I told him about Gracey getting spit in the face and he grimiced. So we parted friendly.

I took up a post across the street. Right on the police station corner

[annyokie]

My neice wants to go to college there next year. Could you FRmail me with some info?

Thanks!

[Neets]

Kudos!!

BTT

[Indy Pendance]

Great job!

[The Bat Lady]

I was there for quite a while and they had about 5-10 guys hanging out with all the water and stage set up.

Thank goodness when I was getting nervous, WOSG came up with some signs.

He was just in time too, because not long after that they came pouring around the corner. Maybe about 200 but later on the Rush station, they reported THOUSANDS.
(Either lying or lazy journalism. i called them to correct their numbers or send a reporter to check on it.)

That was better 2 against 200. Fair odds we thought....
actually I was going to yell.... look out we have you surrounded.

A little later we had lots of cops on our corner and the SGT said that only one cop could be right with us. What a bummer. They recommended not arguing with them and then nothing gets started. Neither of us will change the other so just let it go.

WE had several girls come over to our side so that our signs would be blended in.

Dwills and her hubby came and took some of the signs and then when the girls kept coming to our side, she went over to the other side with the huge pack of leftists.

Brave lady!

There sure were lots of charactors there, lots of STREET theatre.

My hubby is taking me out to eat so will post more of the conversations later.

[auzerais]

I've always been intrigued by why A.N.S.W.E.R. didn't do like so many other leftist-marxist outfits.

Every group I've ever come across usually is named
"The COMMITTEE to/of/for/....blah, blah, blah"
.

So I believe that those goons should rightly go by the acronym:

C*ANSWER

As so should any anti-anti-war signs we make to oppose their idiot-filled demonstrations.

[eddie willers]

I lived in Austin for a total of 8 weeks and was glad to get out of there.

I lived there '80-'82...LOVED it.
('course...I was a silly liberal back then)

Pretty town nonetheless.

[The Bat Lady]

OH, before I leave I will say the most amazing part. I had 2 young girls tell me they liked the burka and my sign... visulize losing the war. They said they think about that all the time. AS IF they wanted the US to lose. it is incredible that they would actually want their own country to lose.

I had to go and didn't get why they thought that was a good idea.

[eddie willers]

So did you name yourself after the Congress Street Bridge bats?

[Neets]

The operative word being "YOUNG" .....

They'll learn.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Neets]

I had to go and didn't get why they thought that was a good idea.

They probably don't know why they thought that was a good idea themselves.

[Sally'sConcerns]

Austin is pretty and so is the surrounding hill country. Of course you can get to the hill country from San Antonio. :)

The people in San Antonio were much friendlier than people in Austin. I lived in San Antonio for six years and would visit Austin periodically. I liked it better that way.

[eddie willers]

I made one visit to S.A. while I lived in Austin and did the Alamo/Riverwalk thing.

Great fun and Pearl Beer!

[SandRat]

Lets see how does that old "Churchill" statement go ....?

Oh yes!

if you are not liberal by the time you are 20 you have no heart; if you are still a LIBERAL by the time you are 30 you have no brains.

[eddie willers]

if you are not liberal by the time you are 20 you have no heart; if you are still a LIBERAL by the time you are 30 you have no brains.

I had to expand the outer edge to 40...
Otherwise I didn't fit in. :o)

[SandRat]

Hey folks didn't live so long during Churchill's day as they do now so a little adjustment is natural. Kinda like adjusting for inflation; no that's a Bob Dole Commercial, um, ah, adjusting for current dollar values?

[exit82]

Way to go,Bat Lady!

Thanks for standing for truth and honor and for America today.

Loved your commenabout bing 2 vs. 200 and wanting to shout--"We have you surrounded"

Priceless!

[The Bat Lady]

I'm back from a GREAT dinner and here is more of the story.

Before the biggest crowd of them showed up, when I was still the only one.... several people came by to look at the sign and one guy (mid-east looking) had several flags.

I asked him what they were and he said Iraqi and Palestine. I couldn't believe it but he went across the street and unfurled them for thier side.

He stated empatically stated he was against all war.
Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo and the 1st Gulf War.

I said well at least you are consistant.

Gotta admire that, but I wonder now if he ever took to the streets when Clinton went into Bosnia and Kosovo?

[The Bat Lady]

I forgot my bat!

[GeronL]

we North Texans are just too lazy to go out and FReep apparently =o)

[Fiddlstix]

He stated empatically stated he was against all war.
Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo and the 1st Gulf War.

[The Bat Lady]

Had a leftist reporter wearing a PNN (Pentagon News Network) shirt on and don't think he liked it that I didn't laugh right away. He asked if he could talk to me and I said well Im an oppressed woman with no schooling so what would I know ... but sure.

He said that it wasn't true that Iraq was better off. His "facts" the electric and water aren't as good as I think.

I said I didn't accept his "facts" because I'm reading
soldiers blogs and they say different. Are they lying?

Well they just are telling the whole story.

I asked if it was not true that schools and clinics were being opened in the hundreds and thousands. Well he has been to Iraq qand he brought back a school teacher and her son who was shot with scrapnel from a US missle? or bomb? not clear but then he didn't finish the story.

Bush actually killed more people than Saddam. I asked how and he said the sanctions. Oh but if Saddam had followed the rules, then the sanctions would have been lifted.

I asked if Saddams palaces could have bought the people more comforts and he said he had seen them and it just wouldn't have been enough to really help the people out if he had spent that money on the people instead.

Then he started in about how good the UN was, and I said the UN was a pretty good debate team of dictators and he said not that part, the UNICEF program, the food program helped out more..... I said the OIL for food that Kofi was being paid off with and he said it was nice talking to me and moved on across the street.

Good Riddence!

[The Bat Lady]

Then after WOSG was there, we were just chatting and a girl walked by wearing a Kuchinch shirt. I recognised her. I had people holding candidate signs outside my polls for the primary and she was holding a kuchinch sign and was running against the Dem. precinct chair in my precinct. She would be my counterpart in the precinct. She is really nice gal but hasn't studied enough to know to know about economics, history etc. but she is enthusiatic. She of course went to the other side.

[The Bat Lady]

Then there was the kid who took lots of digital and then talked for a while and then we parted I'm sure he didn't believe a word but he was nice about it. I told him, he was a gentleman during his interview. I didn't keep notes about that one, but he had "facts" that totally didn't sound right to me, and couldn't back up where they came from, then changed the subject.

[The Bat Lady]

So did you name yourself after the Congress Street Bridge bats?

LOL Sort of, I have been a rehabber of the bats in Austin for about 16 years. So when I signed up on FR and they asked what I was known as, I put in the Bat lady. That is what everyone called me when I went to pick up the bat they had found.

[Bob J]

Good work Bat Lady! Keep your powder dry and let's gear up for the "National Day of Vigilance Against Terrorism" on Sept 11!

[bluesagewoman]

Sounds like you had a busy day! Thank you for facing off with the peaceniks.

[WVNan]

Thank you for your service for the "right."

[ladyinred]

Bush actually killed more people than Saddam. I asked how and he said the sanctions. Oh but if Saddam had followed the rules, then the sanctions would have been lifted.

Is this "reporter" really this stupid? I would have laughed in his face for this comment. Sheesh, we need to encourage a mass exodus for these anarchists. They would be much happier living in Iran or Syria or someplace like that I am sure! (Or Cuba!)

[exit82]

And this is a "reporter"?

My head would have exploded!

Good thing you were more gracious.

[DrewsDad]

Great Work Bat Lady and others. Thank you for correcting the appeaseniks.

I took my parents to the Houston aquarium yesterday and saw a few protestors(less than 50) from over a block away. There was a lot of construction in the area, so it was hard enough getting to the aquarium, much less talking my folks into driving by so I could yell at them. About all I could do was give a few stragglers a thumbsdown. I think most of the HAT chapter was in S.A. shooting and didn't see any counterprotests organized.

Did anyone move on to Crawford?

[SandRat]

I wonder now if he ever took to the streets when Clinton went into Bosnia and Kosovo?

Count on it not happening. This scum never protests a "Fellow Traveler."

[WOSG]

The camera guy was from "IndieMedia". Guy named Eric. I was able to give a 5 minute defense on the war.

My report. I showed up to join Bat Lady at 10:40am,
with many signs, some nicely laminated:
Visualize World Freedom
World Freedom: Now Iraq, Next N Korea, Cuba, Iran, ...
We Support our Troops, our Cops, PResident Bush
God Bless our Troops, our COps, PResident Bush
Want Peace? Defeat Terrorism.

A great collection - I just needed folks to carry them!

As Bat Lady said, I'd estimate the leftist crowd at about 200. the main leftist rally went from 11am to 12 noon, I was there about 10:40am to 12:20. They were partly protesting the 'police brutality' of incidents in recent years, and reused a sign they'd used in previous protests on it. Most of the leftists were real dregs of society types, young unwashed. We were on the other side of the street from the leftists protesting and behind the stage, so we didnt get to hear what they had to say - good for my blood pressure.

We had a few 'guests' show up on our corner. One woman though she was being smart by having a "war=terrorism" sign. to complement my "WANT PEACE? DEFEAT TERRORISM" Sign.
Gave me an opportunity to ask stuff like "So, D-Day and attacking Hitler, that was an act of terrorism, eh?" and "So if war is terrorism, then terrorism is war. So that means 9/11 was an act of war. huh." She didnt reply ... but we had a few others come by and try to engage. I had a few 'conversations'.


At one point one of the police officers interjected to 'break up' our conversation that was becoming a bit heated. An anti-capitalist leftist was trying to lecture about all the problems in east autin and we dont have real democracy blah blah blah.

And BatLady, what the heck was that guy dressed like a cat with the shopping cart supposed to be? Some


an airhead from "American Friends Service Committee" with another anti-US slogan (or was it 'stop police brutality' - I asked if they supported stopping the police brutality of Saddam Hussein) engaged in lengthy discussion.

She spewed the usual are we going to drop bombs on every dictator. I said, "Name a dictator in power today worse than Saddam Hussein?" She was clueless and was asking her friends
"Help me, name one ofhtose African dictators" ... "Idi Amin" "He's dead" I said. It was laughable.
"okay, how would you liberate North Korea from their communist dictator?"
"Well I am riding my bike and not using oil."
"Which does absolutely nothing to help the people of North Korea"
She said, well I dont know much about north korea so let's talk about the middle east.
she thought I was "closed-minded" because I could readily refute everything she spewed, she insisted I give her time to make her case, and when I said "Okay, you have one minute and started looking at my watch, she whined "you are not listening to me." Goodness, I feel sorry for any dude who ends up in a relationship with her, 10 minutes with her,
and she was already a nag.

The leftists have a pretty hermetically seal world-view, they actually dont understand the concept of differences of opinion and think if only we would unlearn the stuff we know we'd come to their way of thinking.

I used a question to another leftie "Name a country you would rather live in than the United States?"
They came up emtpy-handed.

It was okay to have 4 of us, with 4 of us and 200 of them, we were pretty well matched. But it would be nice to have a bigger crowd. 10 or so would have really made a difference!

Neither we nor the leftists made the papers much. The AAS had an inside metro/state article on Crawford Texas, they mentioned in several paragaphs some locals who were upset with them, but no mention of freepers.

[WOSG]

No, they dont protest the UN imperialism or any leftist brutality, but when I asked a leftist "what about Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo?" I did get a leftist to concede that "Clinton was an imperialist too".

[WOSG]

They only admit stuff when backed into a rhetorical corner.

Watch how they act. Overall, the international left had NO PROBLEM with military adventures that ADVANCED UN POWER OR GLOBAL SOCIALISM. None. There were zero protests over Kosovo.

But the point at least may help some of the dupes to wake up.

[Trteamer]

I put on the Burka and grabbed my sign.... BUY MY OIL AND FREE MY PEOPLE, WHAT A DEAL! and the flip side VISULIZE LOSING THE WAR

Way to go! FReeping the lefties is so much fun! Keep it up.

[The Bat Lady]

And this is a "reporter"? My head would have exploded!

He was a reporter for a left wing something maybe online... I don't know that I was too gracious but I have learned not to let my head explode. That has happened before and it doesn't make our side look good so I have learned to try to control it.

but it is really hard when they are so unlearned, I just have to keep repeating ... they went to a government school, they went to a government school, they went to a government school, .... it is the only way to keep your sanity.

[The Bat Lady]

Dear #40 VISULIZE LOSING THE WAR

The worst thing was to have those 2 girls say they loved my sign because THEY DO WANT THE US TO LOSE THE WAR. IS THAT OUTRAGEOUS!

I asked them if they would like to wear this burka every day. It was hard enough to deal with the burka and the sign, I said I couldn't imagine taking care of kids and doing the shopping while wearing a burka. They didn't have a comment.

[anymouse]

bump for later

[netmilsmom]

I have to ask. Where did you get the Burka???

[El Gato]

Pretty town nonetheless.

That it is, but it's Hell to get around in anywhere near 'rush hour'. The town is just too linear North to South, with too few North/South arteries.

[eddie willers]

The town is just too linear North to South, with too few North/South arteries.

Back in '82 (hard to believe twenty two years ago!) you had I-35, Mopac and they were just completing the loop on the west side. I lived near the Travis/Williamson county line. "Pray for me....I drive 183".

I imagine the hippies have kept any good roads from being built since I was there.

But unless things have drastically changed, Austin's "traffic problem" was minuscule compared to Atlanta's.

[republicandiva]

The worst thing was to have those 2 girls say they loved my sign because THEY DO WANT THE US TO LOSE THE WAR. IS THAT OUTRAGEOUS!

Think I would have lost it at that point. Young men and women are dying so these two spoiled brats can have the right to protest, yet they have no appreciation of how lucky they are to live in this country.

Don't know how you maintained your composure, but you do us all proud. GREAT JOB!

[dwills1964]

"those 2 girls say they loved my sign because THEY DO WANT THE US TO LOSE THE WAR. IS THAT OUTRAGEOUS!" I know, the idiots on the other side who were trying to provoke me kept talking about the U.S. needing to lose the war because we're only in it for the oil! Today I find myself wondering if these folks were stoned, stupid, drunk, delusional or just seething with that much hatred for America? One thing's for certain, only 3 to 4 of the 150-200 Liberal Reich present at the "rally," had bathed & used deoderant more than once in the past 2 weeks! Talk about some STANK! My husband was disgusted with one of the bralass jiggling over-40 women (obviously a burned-out hippie)who sauntered over to our side. Lucky for us, she was wearing a tank top. At first he thought she had someone in a headlock then he realized it was her bushy armpit hair! He was heckled by a homosexual fella who said white christians were what was wrong with the world today. He was also called something I found terribly amusing, "Brutality Lover!" What the Sam Hill is a brutality lover?! LOL :-O)

[DrewsDad]

Thanks for being there.

[DrewsDad]

Thanks WOSG for organizing this and putting forth the effort you did.

Great JOB Heart of Texas FReepers!