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 ...
http://messopotamian.blogspot.com/2003_11_01_messopotamian_archive.html
AHLAN WA SAHLAN; GWB
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE; THE MERCIFUL
Ahalan (= Kinsmen: it means you have come amongst kinsmen)
Wa = and
Sahlan (= Plateau or plain easy land: meaning you have trodden welcoming land)
These are the traditional words of welcome in the Arabic language.
Yes GWB, though the visit was brief, it was very meaningful. We know that you have come, not as the President of an invading nation, but as the friend who wishes to renew commitment to our people, and as long as your intentions are what you have repeatedly said (and we don't doubt your sincerity), the land and the hearts welcome you.
It gives us pain that the visit is so short and that the masses cannot in the present circumstances come out to give you the welcome that you deserve, but the day will come, the day will come (God's Willing). Yes the day will come when the millions will come out to welcome the best friend that the Mesopotamian people have ever had, and he will be amongst the most devoted and allied people that America will ever have.
The bones in the mass graves salute you, Avenger of the Bones.
Hail, Friend and Ally, Hail, Sheikh of Sheikhs, GWB; Descendant of the Noble Ancient Celt.
Alaa
# posted by Alaa : 6:14 AM
Amazing. They forgot to mention he's a member of Code Pinko.
See reply #10.
It is impossible to "support the troops" and yet not support their mission. Nobody has been drafted, our troops have VOLUNTEERED to go into the service, knowing full well the areas of the world they might be sent. They believe in it and so do I.
It's nothing but leftist agenda to insist we need to bring the troops home and to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. While every one of them sadly mourned, a KIA count of 2000 in two and half years is nothing less than stunning professionalism and success. Pulling out would demean every sacrifice, every soldier's effort in the great accomplishments we've made there.
But that's what they really want, to demoralize the military. As usual, the Code Pinkos are full of it.
What an excellent post. Very well stated and so true. And if we had an honest media, they would report on the stunning successes that our military has had. And they would report how the Iraqi people are living with far more freedom than they've had for 30 years.
You've got FReepmail.
Were these quotes from this Friday? If so, they missed the "civil disobedience" story. Readers from this region are not amused by buses that block traffic.
Was WaPo following ol' what's-her-name around, that woman who has used up her fifteen minutes of fame, and then when she scuttled away the Post "discovered" this story instead?
This reporter could was negligent not to have spoken to military families and the families visiting their loved ones at WRAMC.
I can well understand why a ComPost reporter wouldn't have wanted to - it would have been really bad for Code Pinko's image.
If only we could've done this to the vietnam war protesters........
these a-holes must be pissed that they have a little opposition.
Kristinn,
I am in complete shock that the Post printed your line about Code Pink supporting the terrorists. Since when did the CommiePost start publishing the truth?
Yes, I agree with your correction.
Thanks for the ping.
More often than not, Murphy said, soldiers at Walter Reed, their relatives and hospital personnel have said, "'Thanks for being here.' That's why we come back here. That's why we can take the risk of offending. They want the war to end, and they want the wounded to be taken care of."
It's easy (and comfortable) for the reporter to accept as fact Murphy's saying that the soldiers appreciate Code Pinko being there. It would be just as easy to find out from the soldiers whether that's actually the case or not. I don't think this WaPo reporter really wanted to find out.
Kristinn, and the rest of the DC FReepers, just rock. Look to DC for "how-to" advice for FReeping, they are the masters. Period.
"As long as it takes," Murphy said.
"Until Code Pink stops protesting outside the hospital," Taylor said."
Not a bad article. It could have been much worse.
Who says the reporter didn't get the soldiers' and their families' opinions? The reporter might not have liked what they said and chose not to report it.
Kristinn, it would be helpful if you or another DC Chapter FReeper could compile some of this evidence against Code Pink and Gael Murphy into a tri-fold pamphlet that could be easily copied, folded, and distributed at your FReeps. Those tri-folds would have been invaluable at the White House/Sheehan FReep on Wednesday night. The evidence is damning and it would serve to better educate those on our side, those who are undecided, and may even discourage some on their side to see who they're associated with and the truth about what they're really up to.
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