AU Students Express Disdain for France’s Failure to Honor its NATO Commitment - After Action Report

13 February 2003 | Jimmy Valentine's brother

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Lead by American University College Republicans, 40 students from American University and Maryland sallied forth to French Embassy on Reservoir Road to decry France’s strategy of hoping the Saddam will go away. As with all conservatives, they had obtained a permit, they were well behaved and had checked in with the Secret Service. They had great enthusiasm and were spirited in their chants as only the young can be. They sang our National Anthem and recited the pledge of allegiance. People leaving the embassy were greeted with shouts of shame and honor your commitment, peace through strength. TV crews were on the scene, so DC Chapter watch the news at 11.

A motley group of anti war folks was also on the scene. I was informed that the unwashed had tried to get in amongst the good guys in the hope of creating a physical confrontation. The good guys wisely requested the Secret Service’s assistance in separating the two groups.

Anglewood, tgslTakoma , and RogerD made the scene. Look for tgsl’s photos later on.

Since I was tagged with filing the report, I apologize to our good Friends at AU for not including their names. Please sign in with more details.

Respectfully, Jimmy Valentine's brother

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

It made this old war horse proud to see young men and women giving the Frogs aka cheese eating surrender monkeys what for today.

[syriacus]

Thanks for posting this.
They sound like young people to be proud of.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Ok it's up, tgsl where are the pictures?

BillF, how you doing with the meds?:.)

[Lunatic Fringe]

bump

[dutchess]

Oh HOW VERY COOL!!!! Sounds like DC Freepers are becoming a role model for a new generation! Thanks for the report and looking forward to pictures!!!! God bless our next generation of patriots!

[Angelwood]

These enthusiastic young people were wonderful. They brought creative signs, a stuffed Saddam doll which for a while hung in a tree holding a white flag, chanted faster than us older folk are used to doing, and sang very loud. They brought plenty of the French national flag -- torn white scraps of material on sticks -- in case any across the way needed one.

It was a pleasure to stand beside such a patriotic group.

[Angelwood]

Thanks for taking on the task of writing the after-action report, JVb. Nice hugging you again.

DC Chapter Ping!

[McGavin999]

What a great report! I love to see this happening. We may be small in number (compared to the anti-American leftists) but we're far more clever and effective.

[tgslTakoma]

I just got home after making an errand run around town. DC is not a place for swarthy males this evening.

[FreeTheHostages]

True fact. At work until 6:45 p.m. Had to stay. Then went and bought leftover pastries at the Au Bon Pain on 19th Street? Grabbed a cab and went over. Arrived at 7 p.m. All dark.

I picked up the phone. This lady answered. I said, well, have my protestor friends left? She said, "Yes, they were very nice. I'll come talk to you."

This lady, petitie, 30-ish, with short hair, dressed in black, came out of the Embassy booth. She almost seemed to feel sorry for me that I missed them. I asked her how it was. She said they were nice and polite. She said the media came. I said, "When you estimate the number of protestors, can you add one more to the list, because I was here too and I don't like France's policies?" She said "yes" but I think only because she felt sorry for me.

LOL, kinda pathetic Freeping on my part, huh? I didn't even have that much to do after 5 p.m., but I had to stay in case something happened at 6:30. Sigh. Now I get to say what everyone else always does: YOU GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN!

Good work. Um, anyone want some leftover pastry?

[FreeTheHostages]

I came at 7 p.m. per above! Does that count? LOL. RodgerD, I would have gotten there earlier if I could just to see what sign you had!

Good work, guys.

[FreeTheHostages]

"Your bread is stale and your wine has turned to vinegar!"

LOL

[diotima]

ON NOW! UNSPUN with AnnaZ and Mercuria!
6pm pdt/9pm edt

We'll be speaking with Freedom Alliance's FRED GEDRICH about Kofi & Krew (and Saddam, too!). PLUS... Boneheaded Lie-beral Quotes Commie Rat Bastard of the Week Anna's NEW Waste Of Ink Award

Click HERE to LISTEN LIVE while you FReep!

Click HERE for the RadioFR Chat Room!

Miss a show? Click HERE for the RadioFR Archives!

[FreeTheHostages]

Um, when I got there at 7 p.m. and no one was there, that lady at that booth had to let a car in and she interrupted talking to me to talk to them and it was *possible* that they wondered if I was there to protest France's policies so she might have told them.

LOL, how pathetic am I? TELL THE AU STUDENTS TO PICK A LATER TIME NEXT TIME, we all have jobs.

It's great being in coalition with the Republican college kids though. Sound like that they had that organized well.

BUMP FOR THE AU KIDS! We's got to get thems some proper FReeper names.

[bmwcyle]

Good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FreeTheHostages]

"They brought plenty of the French national flag -- torn white scraps of material on sticks -- in case any across the way needed one."

Now, wasn't that nice of them?

[BillF]

BillF, how you doing with the meds?:.)

Please don't taunt me. I told you on the other thread that I ran out of meds. Now waiting for Hillarycare to buy the new supply.

Anybody have a sign saying: "With friends like the French who needs enemies?"

[zip]

Give me QUALITY over quantity every time.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

RogerD was under cover for reason best left unsaid.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

They sound like young people to be proud of.

Thet are indeed. Capable of thinking for themselves. They organized the protest on their own. They done real good.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

See you should have come out to play. Your wit was missed.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

TELL THE AU STUDENTS TO PICK A LATER TIME NEXT TIME, we all have jobs.

What we have here is a conflict. We have jobs, they have studies. It was their show and they did great. I got them to do the "We gave peace a chance , we got 9-1-1."

[Dengar01]

My friend is studying at AU this semester. Hope they took it to the froggies good.

[montag813]

As a former leader of the AU College Republicans, they have made me very proud with this action. We did roughly the same thing back in 1986 (showing my age) in front of the French Embassy back when the bastards wouldn't let our F-111's over their territory on the way to Libya. We should have retaliated economically then, and I hope we will do so now.

[potlatch]

BUMP!!

[tgslTakoma]

Pictures are up on Angelwood's Webshots account. I will now start posting links to them...

[RodgerD]

JVB is being generous in giving me credit for attending. I basically jumped out of the car and said hi to him, Anglewood and tgslTakoma for all of 4 minutes. They looked good and I was impressed also by the spirtited AU young pubbies. The little anti-war/America group looked, as usual, as if they'd spent the night in a dumpster.

[tgslTakoma]

Round one of photo links:

I could hear the chants from up on the hill

AU and UMD College Republicans chanting "Shame!" as French Embassy personnel exit the compound.

"Stop the Axis of Weasels!" "Surrendered Already? We're not surprised."

College Republicans and Freepers line across from the embassy

Pro-Saddam French Club

Veto This!

Appeasement kills!

Angelwood waves the French flag ;-)

Stop Saddam!

First Iraq - the France

1918 & 1944 - You're welcome

Peace through strength!

[tgslTakoma]

More pics:

Saddam - The time is now.

Viva la Iraq?

It's time to smacky that Iraqi !

We tried this with Hitler.

Guess which one is the conservative.

Reservoir Rd is a busy street, especially during rush hour!

Keep the faith, FReepers. The youth of America are NOT all a lost cause!

Chirac is a cheese-eating surrender monkey!

French Resistance (picture of frog) "We give up!"

Red Riding Hood (France) and The Big Bad Wolf (Iraq)

American Flags flying high!

God Bless all these kids. Our leaders of tomorrow.

Also, please excuse my typos...

[tgslTakoma]

More pics:

Save Turkey - not Iraq!

Count the pro-Saddamites - unlucky thirteen by my count.

Beware conservatives with bullhorns!

The young man with the bullhorn told French jokes, to the delight of the protesters and passersby.

She's responding to the honks of support from passing cars.

Close-up of sign on pro-Saddamite side.

Surrender monkey in a tree.

News guy showed up for some quick filming.

The CRs sang "God Bless America"...

crowd shot

Lots of positive response from passing cars Not to worry, though. A few meanspiritedarrogantcondescendingliberals flipped us off, too. And as JVb said with a laugh, "It's been a successful FReep, we've been flipped off!"

France surrenders - again!

Another quick getaway from the embassy.

A final note about the photos... I tried several times to capture the complete message on one sign, and kept missing it. It read, "France - The Maginot Line in the War on Terror."

[GUish]

Great pictures (I'm even in one, holding the "Stop the Axis of Weasels" sign...yessss!!) The protest was a blast, and I'll be putting up an after-action report on my blog if anyone's interested. I had to leave before things got really interesting, apparently, but it was heartening to finally see conservatives in the majority at a protest rather than getting lost in a sea of hippies

Just to nit-pick, don't forget that the Georgetown CR's were out doing our part as well!

[ClancyJ]

Thanks so much for the great pictures and for all your ongoing effort.

I agree - it warms my heart to see that some young college students are smart enough to see through all the propaganda the left promotes. The ARE our future and they make me proud.

[tgslTakoma]

Welcome to FR! Be sure to post a link to your after-action report on this thread, GUish; and please accept my apologies for not crediting GU CRs for being there, too. :-)

Hey DC Chapter folks! Say hello to a new FReeper!

[FreeTheHostages]

Hey, Welcome! Don't forget to check on this new post about the Nightline's coverage of the French. Turns out the Hobbit (that's my nickname for Ted Koppel) just loves the French.

[FreeTheHostages]

You're the best honey! Sounds like those College Republicans are good patriots, too.

[L_Von_Mises]

Looks like you all had a great time and let the "cheese eating surrender monkeys" know what America thinks.

Those College Republicans are great and their signs were hilarious.

I like the pic of the College Republican and the French Club co-appeaser. The contrast is priceless.

[FreeTheHostages]

aw, thanks, I was bummed I couldn't make this one. I really appreciate the photos, Tgsl.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

What's the latest on Iraq's al-Qaeda (or is it al-Hater) connections.

[tgslTakoma]

Check out GUish's blogspot. It looks like he's got a sense of humor that will fit right in with the rest of the DC Chapter.

[tgslTakoma]

From GUish's blog, where he posted the protest announcement and added his comment: "Good times will be had by all. A note to attending students: embassy workers attempting to surrender are to be reminded that, despite long-standing French custom, capitulation usually takes place after a war breaks out. If workers are insistent, they are to be directed to the German Embassy farther down the road, where personnel should be well accustomed to dealing with Frenchmen waving white flags."

ROTFLOL!

[FreeTheHostages]

LOL. You know what they say: "Going to war without the French is like deerhunting without an accordian."

[GUish]

lol Well I was going to mention that my blog entry is up, but clearly that's been noticed. Thanks for visiting, I really appreciate it! I'm trying to convince the images to work properly, but this is a constant source of headache for me.

[tgslTakoma]

Webshots.com won't allow anything but linking to their pages. When I have some time, I will put up some of the photos on my homepage; but be forewarned... like most conservatives, I don't have much free time. Way too many people and lefty groups need FReeping in DC. We call it "a target-rich environment." Then there's the job, the kids...

[Ligeia]

In today's Washington Times: Students protest French stance on Iraq . They got some press!

The students stood on Reservoir Road NW in Georgetown holding flags and signs that read "Appeasement Protects Saddam" and "We tried this with Hitler."

[BufordP]

Wish I could have been there.

[tgslTakoma]

Slightly more than a dozen showed up.

Hi, Ligeia. It looks like Jabeen Bhatti of the WT got the numbers wrong; maybe the reporter used to wotk for the Post?

Dear Jabeen... take a look at the photos I've linked. I think 35 (from my late-in-the-event photos) rates a better description than slightly more than a dozen.

[gaspar]

When will I again drink beaujolais? As the Spanish say: El dia que la rana tenga pelo (the day the frog grows hair).

[BufordP]

Great pics!

[BufordP]

Beaujolais? Heck, I have to quick drinking Grand Marnier! What's a good non-surrender-monkey alternative?

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

a member of Georgetown University Peace Action

I checked my school's student newspaper, apparently the WWP has cells on universities throughout the US organized under Progressive Student Alliance. Do a google search.