A volatile situation will escalate as a united front of New York and Long Island peace groups mark the 4000th American military death in Iraq with a rally at Smith Haven mall, tomorrow at 2pm.
"This is a sad and important milestone. We're saying enough: Bring the troops home," said Janet Egan of the Suffolk Peace Network, a coalition of Suffolk groups that is sponsoring the 2 p.m. rally along with the South Country Peace Group and other organizations.
The Suffolk groups will be joined by Nassau-based groups including the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives. Other organizations expected to take part include North Country Peace Group, Code Pink Long Island Women for Peace, Long Island Veterans for Peace, MoveOn and Pax Christi Long Island, the Catholic peace movement.
Additionally, CodePink will be handing out a certain number of FREE TICKETS to see the movie STOP LOSS the StonyBrook AMC/Loews!
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The situation is volatile because for several weeks, large numbers of members of the Gathering of Eagles have been harassing members of CodePink and other groups as they protest near recruiting stations in Patchogue and Huntington. The "Gathering of Egos", as they are none-too-affectionately known, have been extremely verbally abusive to the elderly women of CodePink - an act they seem to confuse with honor and patriotism.
It should be noted that a counter-recruitment demonstration that occurred in Suffolk County one week before the explosion at the recruiting center in Times Square drew 50 members of the Gathering of Egos.
CodePink and the Raging Grannies, who have protested at the station in Times Square, were immediately blamed by these psychotic right wing elements for the explosion - another laughable fantasy from the Rambo koolaid overdose squad.
These same charmers have been seen on the Topix bulletin boards attached to the Newsday article threatening to "drive an 18 wheeler into the crowd of protesters". Somehow in their warped and twisted worldview, an attack like this on a group of peaceful civilians at a shopping mall is not an act of terrorism.
Saturday is sure to be interesting. Once again:
CodePink will be handing out a certain number of FREE TICKETS TO see the new movie STOP LOSS in the Stonybrook AMC/Loews theater.
Stop Loss, which opens today, is Kimberly Peirce's bare-knuckled, boots-on-the-ground look at the Bush administration's implementation of the Iraq war from a spin-free zone. Read the NY Times review of the movie here.
If you're in the local area, have the stomach to deal with deranged wingnuts, and want to lend support to the anti-war movement, please come by.