As the Stones sing ...
"I went down to the demonstration, to get my fair share of abuse."
Only this time, having recently moved to DC to work on the progressive political takeover, I swore to myself I would just mingle with the crowds, check out the banners, listen to what people had to say, and then ride over to Haines Point for a few easy laps along the Potomac.
That plan lasted for about 10 minutes. Until that is a Gathering of (b)Eagles descended from the heavens. More on the flip side ...
First thing is ... people really embrace their own group style. So it's not so surprising how much the (b)Eagles stand out in a crowd of peaceniks.
I found myself gravitating towards a cluster of (b)Eagles and listened as two women (aka shrieking harpies from hell) reamed out an aging grey beard who was holding a standard issue ANSWER anti-war poster. He was straight out of central casting and looked like he didn't know what had hit him. Another (b)Eagle leaned in, a sixtyish black man. He screamed at grey beard, insinuating he'd dropped too much ACID and smoked too much WEED in the 60's. He did this while laughing a knowing laugh, cradling an American flag in his his right arm, and doing a joint sucking parody with his left hand.
Anyway. I watched and listended for a bit. The quarters were very close. People were face to face. Cheek to cheek. Some quite angry. A group of anit-war folks carrying a coffin came "too close" to the (b)eagles and were jumped by several wearing West Virginia MC leathers. The capitol police in riot gear moved in and tackled a few of the (b)eagles.
A few yards away I leaned in to talk to one of the (very young) Iraq
vets who had been deeply propagandized by again vets and shrieking harpies about the indignities suffered by returning vietnam vets (the apocraphal spitting, etc.) and how the current anti-war movement disrespected and despised today's soldiers.
I got him aside and mentioned that my brother had done a tour in Iraq, that I thought the entire war and policy was misguided and a terrible foreign policy disaster, but that my respect for the men and women of the armed forces was unquestioned. He said .. "well sir, you are one in a million".
I told that it wasn't so. That in my 4+ year experience with this anti-war movement, the vast majority of demonstrators and people who were against the war had no truck with the troops and respected their service to the country.
That he didn't beleive me for one second shows how much these poor fuckers have been propagandized by hate radio and the Coulters and Hannitys and Savages of the world.
Overhearing my conversation, this really large vietnam vet (probably) who is wielding an American flag like a weapon, leans in and screams in my face, spit flying ...
"If you don't support the mission, if you don't support the President, you dont love your brother, you want your brother to die!"
I'm almost speechless, but not quite. Calmly I attempt to explain that there is a difference between criticizing the president or the policy and loving my brother and respecting the service of the troops.
He clearly is having none of it and repeats the crap about not loving or supporting my brother and that I "really want him dead."
Ok, so this is really going nowhere fast. I try to appeal to some of the other (b)eagles who are surrouding me using a little Clinton jujitsu (there is nothing like invoking Bill or Hillary's name to send these guys around the bend) by saying that just because they didn't support President Clinton when he sent troops to Somalia and Bosnia and Kosovo assuming correctly that they had been propagandized by Rush to see these military interventions are misadventures) that didnt mean they hated the troops, right?
This blew their minds and set them to yelling even louder.
One more round of "you hate your brother and you want him to die" and "you look young enough (i'm 50) to join up, you should go over there and fight the jihadis" and "the soldiers are dying in Iraq so that faggots and queers can have freedom of speech here in America" was enough.
I told them these were really nasty things to say. What did being gay have to do with anything and that I loved my brother very much. I walked away shaking my head.
A couple of the peacniks who were listening to the whole thing said nice try.
I'm guessing if you asked the (b)eagles they would probably tell a different story.
In retrospect, I don't think these poor damaged motherfuckers really represent your average American, but I have to say that there is a yahoo tipping point beyond which democracy really can't work. I'm pretty sure we haven't reached that threshold yet ... though we may be getting close.
Sheeeeesh!!!!