PICTURES! Orange County Young Republicans "Support Our Troops" rally at South Coast Plaza (2/8/03)

"Support Our Troops Rally - 8 February 2003" at www.amazing.com ^ | February 9, 2003 | RonDog, daviddennis, FIT-AIM-ACT and the Orange County Young Republicans

[RonDog]

From the after-action report posted by daviddennis on www.amazing.com:

Support Our Troops Rally - 8 February 2003

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, time to once again counter the leftists and support our fine military forces in their upcoming liberation of Iraq.

Our group of about 100 charming, chanting people was united in the cause, and morale was sky-high. Support from the public was excellent, with almost constant honking from the cars. A few big trucks joined in with their mighty blasts, an impressive sound indeed!

Ron was there with his Saddam mask and toy missiles which he enjoyed flaunting. I think we need to get someone to dress up as a weapons inspector to follow him around!

Homeless activist Ted Hayes was there as well. It might seem strange to have a homeless activist at a Republican rally, but it was clear that he was with us all the way.

Ted is a very interesting person. He brings a welcome breath of fresh air into the homeless debate by actually doing something about it on a personal level instead of waiting for our creaky old political institutions to help him. He has created a dome village as an alternative living environment for the homeless. I'm not sure how it works, and the web page, sadly, is not much help. But I like the overall idea very much even if I don't quite get the details yet.

Most of the signs were designed by the Young Republicans on a central theme. Unfortunately, I didn't see as much creativity in sign design as I've seen in previous events. Particular thanks must go, then, to the fellow who invented the "Saddam is a Smoking Gun" sign. Great work, guy!

All in all, it was an impressive event. There was total harmony, with complete silence from the left. Perhaps they were off in a more supportive venue...

CLICK HERE for more

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Please click on the smaler thumbnail images posted above to see a LARGER version.

[RonDog]

See also the pre-FReep thread:

CA Young Republicans: "Support America/Support Our Troops" Rally at noon - SATURDAY (2/8/03)
Orange County [CA] Young Republicans ^ | February 3, 2003 | Jennifer Kerns, Vice President, External Affairs, OCYR
Posted on 02/04/2003 9:30 PM PST by RonDog

Orange County Young Republicans
P.O. Box 11081
Newport Beach, CA 92658
www.ocyr.org

NEWS RELEASE - For immediate use

Contact: Jennifer Kerns
Vice President, External Affairs
949/679-7559
E-mail: External-VP@ocyr.org

CROWD RALLIES AT FIRST KNOWN
"SUPPORT AMERICA/SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" RALLY

Weekend rally such a success, crowd asks for encore;
Second rally set for this Saturday (2/8/03)

CLICK HERE for more

[DoughtyOne]

Way to go guys.

[Steel Wolf]

Californian expatriate bump! Good luck!

[RonDog]

Ted Hayes, FIT-AIM-ACT and the Young Republicans will hold our NEXT pro-USA rally at the L.A. Marathon:

FIT-AIM-ACT's "March Against TERRORISM" at the L.A. Marathon
(March 2, 2003)
www.FITAIMACT.org ^ | January 20, 2003 | Ted Hayes (with FIT-AIM-ACT)
Posted on 01/20/2003 9:58 PM PST by RonDog

Activist Ted Hayes and Justiceville/Homeless USA are inviting Americans of every religion, ethnicity, race, and background to join the March Against Terrorismsm. Our primary goals are: 1) to give all Americans an opportunity to show their outrage against terrorism, 2) to advocate the liberation of people and Homeless people abroad, and 3) to actively support our military through FIT-AIM-ACT...

Please make plans NOW to be there!!!

[Blue Scourge]

Ha, keep up the good work, California will be free again one day.

[RonDog]

And, mark your calendars NOW for THIS amazing seminar:

Would you like to be MORE EFFECTIVE politically?

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Please make plans TODAY to attend
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on SATURDAY, April 26, 2003
from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

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For more information - or to RSVP - please contact:
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[rintense]

I am SO proud of all of you!!!! God bless you all.

[cake_crumb]

The "Saddam IS a Smoking Gun" sign was quite good. But as someone who gets a particular kisk out of adding UN other interesting words, such as "UNexpert" and "UNintellectual", I'd like to nominate the "UNnecessary" sign for at least an honorable mention.

Great work, thank you Young Republicans, and thank you patriotic FReepers!

BUMP!!

[TontoKowalski]

After the Great Election Theft Attempt of 2000, Fred Barnes said that one of the interesting things that happened along that rocky path was the advent of conservatives hitting the streets in protest, or in support, of the candidates. Now we know that Freepers were personally freeping long before 2000, but I think he was referring to widespread nation-wide taking-to-the-streets.

He predicted that conservative activism would be a growing phenomenon, and reading this wonderful after-action report and others like it, I can see that he was right.

Still, it takes a leader, and, though I don't personally know you, I'm proud of you for stepping up to the plate, and I thank you for sharing your story.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET


"IS it SAFE?" = HILLARY on Armed Services Committee


http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic/php?t=629


NEVER FORGET

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

All in all, it was an impressive event. There was total harmony, with complete silence from the left.

Great report! Ron, did you bring this event together? 100 Young Republicans with signs...in public...that is so cool.

Thank you!

Forwarding this thread to other Young Republican groups in Florida.

[HangFire]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Will do my best to make the next one... Keep up the great work RD!

[DoughtyOne]

No it's not. The Clintons continue to have a pipeline to top secret information that foreign powers would be willing to pay top dollar for. Hillary makes no bones about the fact she prefers socialism. She is a threat to national security.

[cake_crumb]

I don't know if I have the right man, but I BELIEVE Ted Hayes was interviewed on Fox News early on in GW's presidency. He pointed out that the numbers of homeless people do not diminish during Democrat presidencies : the media just doesn't REPORT on the homeless when there's a Democrat in the Oval Office. Only when we have a Republican president does the left or the media bother with the homeless.

For examples, he used all those exposés during Reagan's presidency, contrasted by the notable lack of media attention while Bubba reigned, though there were just as many homeless, then contrasted the Bubba years to the news reports about the homeless immediately following GW's inauguration.

[Lady Jag]

Republicans are so much happier and better looking than Democrats we should get out more often.

[abner]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Wish I could make this events!

Looks like a great time was had by all!

[daviddennis]

You are right - UNnecessary was a great sign, too, as was Free Iraq (held by the same family as UNnecessary). Very nice people; I should have mentioned them.

D

[Mo1]

EXCELLENT!!! .. Great Job in supporting our Troops

God Bless You All

[Capitalism2003]

Wow..wish I could have been there. It's nice to see people my age who aren't Berkley hippie freaks...you all ROCK!!!

[Wolverine]

RonDog...You are making it happen!!! Thanx

[cake_crumb]

"Kisk" = "kick"

(**sigh**) keyboards are NOT my friends...

[eleni121]

California - beautiful...especially you guys.

A nice tribute to the great leader of nation and state as well: Ronald Reagan!

[RonDog]

Great report! Ron, did you bring this event together?
100 Young Republicans with signs...in public...that is so cool.

LOL!

Thanks for the kind words, but FReeper daviddennis wrote this after-action report (and took all of these WONDERFUL pictures) - and the Orange County Young Republicans did most of the heavy lifting on the rally itself.

They had over a hundred people at LAST WEEK's event, without ANY help from us.

And Paul Nissan from FIT-AIM-ACT was instrumental in getting Ted Hayes to attend.

I will take credit for promoting their event here on FR, though - and that WAS me in the Saddam mask. :o)

[Libertina]

Thanks for the ping & the pictures RonDog! Your Young Republicans were great! The Puget Spund Chapter & other orgs will be having a rally on March 1. I really enjoyed the UN signs :)
UNneccessary BUMP!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for the report and the pics, Ron.

[LisaFab]

Congratulations and thanks to our California Patriots!

[RonDog]

I'd like to nominate the "UNnecessary" sign for at least an honorable mention.

LOL!

The Orange County Register agrees with you!

On page five (5) of the "LOCAL" section of their (offline) PRINT edition of today's paper (2/9/03), they have printed a MARVELOUS "pro-Bush" picture of the (fired up) Young Republicans, including that "UN-necessary" sign, a large poster of President Bush, and other signs that said, "Let Freedom Ring," "Free Iraq," and "HOLLYWOOD" surrounded by a giant red circle with a red diagonal slash - representing "NO!"

Above OUR picture, they printed an "anti-war" image of the SORRY-looking lefties in Laguna Beach. :o)

See their ONLINE version at www.OCRegister.com:

Sunday, February 9, 2003

Competing Iraq rallies held
Demonstrators in Costa Mesa back U.S. policy,
while an anti-war protest goes on in Laguna Beach.

By PETER LARSEN
The Orange County Register

Demonstrators of different stripes hit the streets of Orange County on a sunny Saturday, speaking their piece about war and peace as a threatening storm blows ever closer to Iraq.

"None of us want war - that's not the point of this thing," said Linda Migge of San Juan Capistrano, who spent her lunch break at a rally near South Coast Plaza to support President George W. Bush's policy on Iraq and the men and women who might fight to enforce it. "We're just here to support our troops."

The demonstration to show support for American troops drew about 75 people, many of them dressed in red, white and blue clothing, waving flags and placards at passing cars.

"There's real people out there, putting their lives on the line," said Kelly Martin of Newport Beach, explaining why she came to the demonstration organized by the Orange County Young Republicans.

"It's nice to show them we care about them," said Jennifer Prahser of Yorba Linda. "We don't like war either, but sometimes it's necessary to prevent further catastrophes."

Lee Lowrey, head of the Young Republican group, said they decided to start the rally at Bristol Street and Anton Boulevard - the same site used by war opponents on Friday nights - to show support for the military. They intend to continue there most Saturdays from noon until 2 p.m.

In Laguna Beach, an anti- war protest launched in March met as usual from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Though most weeks have seen as many as 30 people lined along Coast Highway at Main Beach, over the past month the numbers have swelled to more than 100 each week.

Eleanor Henry held a sign that noted the grief felt at the loss of the space shuttle Columbia, and predicted a war will multiply that grief many times over. "Seven died by accident," the sign read. "Fifty thousand will die by war. War is not an accident."

Henry is one of the founders of the rally.

"We just felt we had to start educating the public that this thing was just wrong," she said. "It isn't that I don't support the troops. My heart goes out to them.

"And probably Saddam is pulling the wool over our eyes," she said. "But if we know something, why don't we tell the inspectors?"

Her friend, Irene Bland, also backed more inspections.

"This war is going to be mean so much destruction," she said. "It will set the whole Middle East on fire. Who knows what will happen to Israel if we attack Saddam? And it will create more terrorism.

"I just feel from the bottom of my heart that we have to find a peaceful solution," Bland said.

---

CONTACT US: (949) 454-7363 or plarsen@ocregister.com

[HighRoadToChina]

Great job you guys! Hope to do the same for our enemy terrority rally next Sunday in SF.

One-time CA FReeper ping!

[RonDog]

The Puget Spund Chapter & other orgs will be having a rally on March 1.

It appears that they ALSO had a pro-USA rally YESTERDAY, from the Seattle Times:

Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific

Hundreds rally to support U.S. troops

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

Saying it's about time U.S. military troops realized that many Americans support them in a possible war with Iraq, hundreds of Puget Sound-area residents waved American flags and "Support Our Troops" signs yesterday at rallies in Bellevue and outside McChord Air Force Base.

"We want our soldiers, our airmen to know as they're being deployed that Americans support them," said Sheryl Sheaffer, 49, of Sammamish, whose son is in the Army. "We don't want their last image to be that of the anti-war protesters."

Demonstrators waving "Free Iraq" signs and a "Land of the Free/Because of the Brave" banner, packed four corners at a busy downtown intersection near Bellevue Square. A constant stream of cars blared horns.

Sheaffer and her mother, Nadine Gulit, helped form Support Our Troops, a grass-roots organization in Western Washington, about four weeks ago. They were frustrated after watching another anti-war protest on television, Sheaffer said. "We have to get out and speak for ourselves," they decided.

Now, Sheaffer says, they're speaking on national radio shows and getting e-mails from around the country asking how to form other such groups. They hope their efforts will start a groundswell of national support for the troops and for President Bush.

"I believe in my country," Sheaffer says. "I believe in my president. Sometimes for the sake of all we have to stand up and be strong."

A Newsweek magazine poll of 1,003 American adults last week found 70 percent would support military force against Iraq, with 60 percent supporting a U.S. strike even if inspectors don't find evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

Still, Claudia Joines, 52, of North Bend said she feels U.S. troops in the Middle East are "getting the message that most of America is against the war. We are trying to send the message that regardless of politics, we support you."

That doesn't mean that they want a war, said Joines, one of several members of Marine Moms Online who attended yesterday's Bellevue rally. "We are extraordinarily proud of our kids," she said. "Many people misinterpret that pride as us being warmongers. We're military moms. We don't want our kids to be shot."

A few anti-war protesters also showed up yesterday, some debating with those who support a war with Iraq. "It's just like in Vietnam," said Janice Faris, 60, of Newcastle. "You get the troops over there so you have to support them."

Chuck Lawrence, 52, of Sumner says that as a Vietnam War veteran, he knows firsthand what it's like to come back to a country in which veterans were ostracized, and in which friends he grew up with didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"I want to make sure that what happened to me doesn't happen to this generation," he said.

He doesn't take lightly his decision to support a war to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "I want to see the people there freed," Lawrence said.

Outside McChord Air Force Base, about two dozen people showed up at a rally organized by Operation Support Our Troops-Pierce County.

Carolyn Verone, 56, of Puyallup said she never wants her Army son to see the kind of lack of support that Vietnam veterans got both during and after the war. Her son called her yesterday to say he was being deployed to the Middle East.

"I had friends who were killed (in Vietnam)," said Verone. "My brother and husband fought there. What I saw from the soldiers that came back — it was very depleting in my heart to think that nobody cared for them."

She said she doesn't believe that all those who are against the war are against the troops. And she herself expressed some ambivalence about whether the United States should go to war against Iraq now.

But she says her participation yesterday was "not for the war and not against the war. It's to support our troops."

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company

[Chi-townChief]

This is great to see!! I know that the Young Republicans have been criticized a lot here on FR as "chickenhawks" but would we really rather have our young adults burning American flags and spitting on soldiers like they did in the 60s and 70s?

[lodwick]

bttt

[RonDog]

"chickenhawks"

As I posted on a previous thread:

The definitive analysis on this "chicken hawk" fallacy (IMHO) was written in a Washington COMPost article - which we are not allowed to post the FULL TEXT of here, but here is the HEART of that unassailable argument:

"...The second variant of "chicken hawk" is that veterans per se are uniquely qualified to make judgments on matters of war and peace.

How does that work, though? Does a former airborne ranger get twice as loud a voice as an ICBM crew chief? Does the stateside finance corps lieutenant count more than the civilian who came under fire running an aid mission in Mogadishu?

According to this view, to fill a senior policy position during a war one would of course prefer a West Point graduate who had led a regiment in combat, as opposed to a corporate lawyer turned politician with a few weeks' experience in a militia unit that did not fight.

The former profile fits Jefferson Davis and the latter Abraham Lincoln. Not only did Davis turn against the Constitution he had sworn to uphold, he was a poor commander in chief, while Lincoln was the greatest of our war presidents.

Being a veteran is no guarantee of strategic wisdom..."

more

[RonDog]

Republicans are so much happier and better looking than Democrats...

And SMARTER, too!

Check out this picture of a not-so-bright "anti-war" protester, posted by FReeper Cagey on another thread:

[Audit_Jesse]

Call me shallow, but I gotta say, the brunette in all blue with the pooch... stunning! :)

[farmfriend]

Too bad we can't draw this well.

[ChadGore]

I love Freepers !

[TheSpottedOwl]

Wow, great thread! My favorite sign was the UNnecessary one :) Finally some publicity from the newspaper, too!

[RonDog]

On page five (5) of the "LOCAL" section of their (offline) PRINT edition of today's paper (2/9/03), they have printed a MARVELOUS "pro-Bush" picture of the (fired up) Young Republicans, including that "UN-necessary" sign, a large poster of President Bush, and other signs that said, "Let Freedom Ring," "Free Iraq," and "HOLLYWOOD" surrounded by a giant red circle with a red diagonal slash - representing "NO!"

And, NOW, thanks to the diligent legwork of FReeper hole_n_one - who tracked down a hard copy offline, scanned it, and then hosted the digital image on his website - that marvelous offline image is now available ONLINE:

FReepers RULE!

Thanks, hole_n_one!

Way to go, Orange County Young Republicans!!!

What a GREAT-looking bunch of true Americans!

The caption reads:

"PRO-BUSH: A rally to support President George W. Bush's policy on Iraq drew about 75 people to Bristol Street and Anton Boulevard in Costa Mesa on Saturday.
Organizers say they intend to continue to hold court there most Saturdays.
War opponents use the same site on Friday nights."

[RonDog]

Call me shallow, but I gotta say, the brunette in all blue with the pooch... stunning! :)

LOL!

CONSERVATIVE ladies are the BEST!

There were a LOT of attractive pro-USA women (and men) at this rally!

THEY are our "secret weapon" - to guarantee large crowds for FUTURE rallies!!!

Too bad that David did not post any close-up pictures of the gal in blue with her dog, though - as her EYES were particularly captivating. :o)

[redheadtoo]

RonDog, it was great to finally meet another freeper in person. It was a perfect day for a rally. After listening all week, to weather reports predicting rain we ended up with a beautiful, cloudless day with a gentle breeze. It's great to live in southern California

We had a nice crowd and at one point had people filling all four corners. Our people were all up beat and enjoying themselves. We had a great response from the public and a lot of local news coverage.

I saw the news story broadcast by channel 4. They showed the group as they marched up to the freeway and back. Afterwards they advertised an antiwar program that they broadcast on Sunday morning. That show was hosted by a local news reporter named Laurel Erickson.

I have never met Laurel but I used to work for her younger sister Andrea. Andrea is a extremely, far to the left, liberal who is not above using her position to punish people who express conservative view points. The best way to describe her personality is to compare her to Hilary Clinton. Andrea and Hilary are truly birds of a feather. I suspect that Laurel Erickson holds similar views as her sister. So I doubt that the Sunday morning show was in any way objective.

I left yesterday's rally feeling tired but very good. I look forward to future events. Someone mentioned plans to hold rallys once a month. I think with greater notification we can get even bigger crowds.

[RonDog]

Whoops! There was a BAD link to the LARGER image in my original post of THIS image:

(MORE attractive conservative women at the rally-
with "Saddam" unmasked in the background.)

[maxwellp]

Hello Aloha Ronnie - I remember you from the NewsMax forum. Did they close that down? I don't see it on the site anymore.

Regarding Hillary on the Armed Services Committee - you are right on target. I was horrified when I learned about it. We can only hope the other Committee members keep her in line. Regards.

[daviddennis]

The dog was in a particularly fierce mood, unfortunately, so I couldn't have gotten as close to the Lady in Blue as I would have liked! :-)

D

[maxwellp]

I, too, wish I could attend these events, but I live in the middle of no place. However, to support our troops follow the threads listed here on FreeRepublic. It's very important for them to hear from folks at home and I've received so many, many great responses from them. I'm in Upstate New York and found a guy who came from here and we e-mail each other frequently. My husband and I made a "Support our Troops" sign and stuck it in a mound of snow outside our house. Then we were wondering about all the folks driving by honking their horns. One day I was outside, about to get into my car, when a tractor trailer truck went by and he gave a loud honk and waved. I noticed a large American Flag on the side of the truck.

[snippy_about_it]

Pinging you to Pictures from the Orange County California freep. yahoo!

[comwatch]

Talk Radio you can TRUST... Promo for Stand for America - Defend Our Troops
Freepers On-The-Air and Rallying America to confront the Anti-America Protests!

If you plan to counter the anti-everything bunch somewhere, list the location, time and any talk radio stations in your area.  We'll support your effort with emails to the station's news department and hosts. Perhaps our Moderators can suggest a better way to keep these threads updated and visible when people hear FreeRepublic.com as the source for counter protests in their area.  See the Breaking News post at: Freeper Talk Show Networking - Counter Protests

---

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[farmfriend]

Great addition to the thread. Way to go.

[Doctor Raoul]

You guys did great. I'm jumping up and down as I type.

Need a sign around your neck, "Rodham Hussein".

[ALOHA RONNIE]

ALOIHA Max...

...In -Time of War- doesn't the Enemy Within HILLARY RODHAM need be taken OFF our most sensitive Senate Armed Services Committee in order that our National Security be protected...?

...An outstanding.. www.Newsmax.com ..Forum that was most useful in exposing The Enemy Within HILLARY RODHAM...

...was taken down a few months ago in favor of some kind of new posting engine, yet to debut. Thank you very much for remembering us from the Good Ol'Newsmax Forum days.

...NEVER FORGET to keep accessing CARL LIMBACHER's -Inside Cover- Article on the Home Page, keeps the Enemy Within HILLARY RODHAM on the run, for sure.

...Case in point: MADELAINE ALBRIGHT's having to deal with TV Questions about BILL CLINTON's refusal to bring OSAMA bin LADEN to an American Jail and Trial during the 1990's...

...for FREE.