As one who has been at many protests including, many of the “anti-war” and “peace” variety I am disgusted with the way they are conducted.  It seems to me that some at these protests don’t want to bring light to Iraq but want to somehow make themselves into “martyrs”.

I have watched as protesters spit,puched, kicked and verbaly abused others including cops.  They get arrested and then I see a blog post crying about the poor protester and our eroding freedom. 

As for how they know they will be arrested is because they will trespass or block the way of those of us who want to say a prayer for the troops(and their safe return) at St. Pat and then cross the street to show our kids the tree. 

When I watch, I can’t believe I am on their side.

Scott,
The narcissistic self-promotion you dissect is part of the pathology of self-hatred that resides within a significant portion of the anti-war Left. Far too many long not for Peace, but for America’s defeat.

To be near N.Y.U. days after 9-11 and to see and hear some of the thoughts expressed by the children of privilege who attend that school was chilling beyond description. I suspect many of them will gladly embrace the harsh discipline of Islam, rather than endure meaningless lives devoted to the acquisition of consumer goods.

This is of course, tragic for countless thousands of souls and does not bode well for our future. It also complicates building the kind of coalition that can end our quest for Empire. Many people inclined to join will experience the same revulsion as expressed by Marty and many will avoid the nihilists that often organize “peace marches”.

Let us hope Christmas touches the hearts of all around us in a very deep way this year.

Ah, Scott, as they say, politics make strange
bedfellows, and one cannot always choose one’s
allies…

I mean, look at this forum. How many here, in this
very forum have expressed hartred of the Catholic
Church, in the old fashioned “Scarlet Woman” trope.
How many are Randians who just believe that all
religion is evil? How many show that they true God
is the White Race to which they belong?

Yet you continue to count them as allies.

Why should it be any different with those on the Left?

@Adriana:

You’re making a lot of assumptions, and, in the meantime, you’re failing to address the point of the post: Are those for whom antiwar activities are just a way of drawing attention to themselves actually doing anything to end the war?

@Scott

Sorry I went on a tangent, but I was voicing my
disquiet as to some of the other contributors to
this blog, and the realization that, except for
the opposition to the war, we seem to have so little
in common, and would otherwise be at each other’s
throats.

As for the people involved, it would not surprise me,
alot of them are veterans of anti-war agitation, and
there were quite a number of “useful idiots” there,
plus genuine idealists who have been soured by how
little attention was paid to their ideals, or their
inability to put them across. Unfortunately for a lot
of them, it is more of a psychological need than a
concerted plan of action (since the USSR is no longer
giving them proper guidance).  In a way it is sad,
because life changed all around them, they do not know
how to adjust, and all they have left is anger.

Now if this anger is put to some good use…

You’re making a lot of assumptions, and, in the meantime, you’re failing to address the point of the post: Are those for whom antiwar activities are just a way of drawing attention to themselves actually doing anything to end the war?

No.  When my wife was a reporter at the local paper here in Western Mass she had to cover a Cindy Sheehan rally.  It was a carnival atmosphere that included a hip-hop dance routine followed by the insane rantings of Sheehan, who was beginning to lose credibility at that time.  Of course, now she has served her “usefulness” to “the cause”.  But it was clear on seeing her in person how carefully her handlers had managed to contain her looniness.

We had another local incident here recently in Greenfield, Mass.  The owner of a local shopping plaza has a sign that says “God bless America.  Support our troops”.  An out of town protester called Waffles T. Clown--no, I am not making this up--dressed up like Uncle Sam and climbed on top of the sign.  He got himself arrested as a result at no little cost to the town of Greenfield, which is economically depressed as a result of the mills closing. 

Did Waffles T. Clown contribute to bringing the troops home?  No.  I don’t really know what an ordinary citizen can do outside of voting for anti-war politicians.  But the “anti-war movement”, as it is currently constituted, is not the answer.

@Brad, as I consider that those remnants of the Cold
War are acting out their own psychodramas, you
can imagine that I believe that anything that
actually helps end the war is a coincidence.

On the other hand, if they had proper guidance,
they might do something useful. But…

Scott the only effective antiwar movement is from the old right coalition of Ron Paul libertatians allied with paleocanservative Taft Republicans.The only effective leftwingers against the war are the Naderites.60’s syle activism was pushded by Old left communists and there new left kids. Many like Horowitz are now Neocons.

Scott,
Any anti-war agitation is a good thing,
self serving or not.
Atrocity always brings out the opportunists
but the net result is public attention to
the atrocity itself direct or indirect.
Narcissits unite! Let’s end this “war.”