Posted on 10/30/2005 4:10:30 AM PST by Valin
Outside Walter Reed on Friday Nights, Two Camps Stand Their Ground
Every Friday night, Gael Murphy and Kristinn Taylor meet in Northwest Washington, separated by a bustling four-lane road -- and a whole lot more.
Since spring, the two have stood firmly on opposite sides of Georgia Avenue NW in front of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Murphy leading a coalition of war protesters, Taylor marshaling supporters of the Iraq war.
Both sides say they are there to support the troops. Beyond that, there's little common ground.
"They start yelling, 'Murderer!' 'Traitor!' They call me by name," said Murphy, a co-founder of the women's antiwar group Code Pink. "It's aimed at disrupting our vigil."
To Taylor, a spokesman for the local chapter of FreeRepublic.com, a politically conservative Web site, disruption is an honorable goal.
"It's galling for us to see them across the street," he said. "They've endorsed the terrorists."
The Friday night gatherings near the District's northern tip, about six miles north of the White House, have become one of the most visible reminders in Washington of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 U.S. troops. That they are being staged outside a military hospital that treats the war's wounded makes the standoffs all the more pointed -- and controversial.
The war supporters, many of them known as "Freepers" because of their devotion to FreeRepublic.com, insist it is unpatriotic and demoralizing to protest the war in clear view of wounded soldiers. They started congregating along Georgia Avenue on Fridays after learning that the protesters were out there delivering a "despicable" message.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Thank you for your honorable service.
============================================
More nonsense. Failure (interesting word choice since it is not obligatory) to support any particular mission does not mean, as you say, that it means that you want military lives spent in vain. I do not believe that you have supported every past use of our military or will support every future use of the military.
The only failure I see here is a person like you who just spends their life at a keyboard picking cyber fights. How worthless a life you have.
Cindy and Teddy would love to hear from you.
=======================================
Why? Did you support the ten year long mission in Kosovo (no end in sight btw)? Or Haiti or Somalia? If some numb-nuts gets in the WH and throws away some GI lives in a wag the dog scenario you would support it? You would support throwing away more so that the first weren't killed in vain?
Nope, there is a difference between supporting the troops no matter what and supporting the mission no matter what...that's part of the freedom of the democratic republic that we have.
====================================================
He writes trying to pick a fight from behind a keyboard and totally oblivious to the irony of it.
I'll agree that one can disagree with a particular mission from a political standpoint. However, the article is about the troops and I have been referring to the military, and not politicians. It is disingenuous to claim to support our military if you then turn around and do not support their mission and their efforts in accomplishing that mission. That's the sort of back-door undermining that the RATS do, and I'll for one, have no part of it.
Do I think Klinton was right in dragging us into Kosovo at the request of the United Neuters? No. Do I support our troops, and their mission there. Hell Yes.
Thank You for your service, We will not let these american communists liberals turn this into woodstock. If it makes you feel any better the vietcong have friends like john kerrry, and with friends like that.....
=========================================
We are probably closer to agreement than not. The difference as I see it is that the mission is too often politically motivated and not militarily necessary. I use Kosovo as an example because I've been there with the troops at Camp Bondsteel and in the Pristina area. Once we leave the killing will begin, picking up where it left off, and the reason we are there to begin with was for clinton's political purposes.
As for supporting the troops, I don't stand on street corners and have my picture taken, my activities are a little less public. But, I have raised well over $25k for the wounded at WRAMC through the site referred to in my tag. My wife and I have also gathered and delivered in excess of $10K worth of winter clothing for the families of the 10th Mtn Div. I could post a picture of these deliveries but that would be self-aggrandizing, not my style. I can talk about these here and still remain anonymous, although some freepers do know who I am because they have contributed to our efforts.
If I took a survey of all our people and asked them why they were standing across the street from Walter Reed on a Friday night, how many of them would say because of the pizza?
That pizza quote was lame.
My new tagline.
I like it, Spiff.
"They start yelling, 'Murderer!' 'Traitor!' They call me by name," said Murphy...
**
Yeah, those would be 2 of your names, Gael.
You go, Kristinn!
You know I'm just jerking your chain, right?
Why are you picking on WTC11?..
I knew someone would, but I suspected it would be Buford.
"That pizza quote was lame."
Hey, that was me, that the writer was quoting.
Seriously though, the point of me including pizza in the report is so that new people know that they don't have to stop to get food before the event. Stopping might make them late, unless they get off work early.
Thanks for your kind words. There are still Americans left, and America still lives.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.