Vigil In Support Of Cindy Sheehan
Saratoga Springs, New York
8/18/05
Support Vigils All Over Upstate NY!!! Get Your Upstate Peace Vigil Pics!
This will be the first of two posts I have for you on the great series of vigils that were held in my neck of the woods. This covers the great rally and what I know about a few others.
I just finished a phone interview with a reporter that was doing a story for the Albany Times Union.
Link here:
She is doing a write-up on the local events and filled me in on the Albany event. She told me that approximately 500 people showed up to show their support for Cindy and the cause of ending this war. She indicated that it was very peaceful and positive.
I attended the rally in Saratoga Springs NY. That is where the shots are from. The organizers for the event had a permit for a 300 person rally. The actually collected signatures of roughly 400 who were in attendance.
It was held outside the Post office in the center of downtown Saratoga. A spot with heavy traffic and great visibility. We also marched a circuit around the downtown letting out signs and candles do most of our talking for us.
Following the march There was a quick speech by the organizers and them they opened the floor for comments. I popped up and let folk know I was heading for Crawford tomorrow. Folks got really fired up at that. So I let folks have it.
Kicked on the public speaking button and reminded people of the parallels between this movement and that we saw started by Rosa parks. I reminded them that this was a historic turning point in our struggle to end the war. Then I reminded folks of the cost in lives on both sides. I wrapped up with the message that it is us the people that will have to rise up and force the politicians on both sides to end this war. This I told them is Bush's accountability moment, in Crawford, in Saratoga, In washington and all across the nation.
That pretty much sent it off with a bang. The organizers came and found me to find out who I was. They were very interested in setting up some interviews since I was heading down. Hence the phone call I mentioned above.
There were an handful (3) counter protesters. One notorious pro-war freep that folks just call "The Colonel" He flipped out when I arrived with my signs calling Bush out as a coward and a snake, the other was a disgusting Pro lifer with a huge dead fetus sign. I will leave the details on that for my next post. It was instructive and would be seen.
But, I really do not want this set of pics and those pics to even come into contact. Sorry I do not have more. Batteries failed. Poor planning.
So here they are:
Fundie Pro-lifers W/ Dead Fetus Sign And A Freeper Invade Vigil (Graphic Photos Warning)
This is a second post on the events tonight in Saratoga and Albany NY. It discusses the meager opposition that arrived and how they were dealt with in a positive and non-confrontational manner.
The first post has all the sweet shots and highlights. This is definitely the lowlights.
The rally was great but had some unwanted guests. When I arrived we found an infamous local war supporter there standing in front of everyone with his lone sign. Apparently he is known as "The Colonel" by the local peace activists. Makes the scene regularly.
He was keeping it pretty cool. He was clearly unhappy. But, "Moms For Peace", etc. he could deal with. He nearly lost it when we arrived with these two.
He started to rant and mumble a lot. Everyone there was great through out. Most ignored him completely. Any one that engaged him at all said things like "please have a nice evening".
Meanwhile he ranted away. The local Fox news affiliate showed up. There were hundreds of anti-war protesters and they interview no one but The Colonel. Fair And Balanced!
I can't wait to see the footage. More repug spin I'm sure. Hopefully they post it:
Stay tuned. Should edit down quite nicely.
While he was interviewed on the other side of the crowd he just kept glaring at me and Malta Blue with our signs. He was fuming. I made sure to grin nice and wide. It was clear that he thought we were the very embodiment of everything wrong with America.
I waved a friendly hello. It sent him off the deep end. mid-interview he comes marching over in front of us, pointing at us and going off about no respect for the troops or the greatest president this country has ever had, blah, blah, blah.
(Malta Blue Can Fill You In On A Previous Chance Encounter She Had With This guy At The Gorcery Story)
As soon as his interview was over (as far as I saw never even once taking a shot of the vigil and I was watching) he announced in a totally defeated voice to us all that he was sorry he could not stick around.
He had to attend a classical music concert. Nice comittment Colonel...
We all bid him good night. He kept going off the whole way across the street, stopped on the opposite corner and ranted for a minute or two as loud as he could muster that nobody supports the troops these days. And with that he receded into the night and was gone.
Them came the really ugly bit. There happened to be a big Anti-Choice rally happening in town as well. I am a little unclear who or where. A Husband and wife decided to show up and try to crash the party with a dead fetus sign that was larger than anything at the vigil.
At first several folks approached him and told him to leave. There were many young children in the crowd and needless to say the parents were upset about it. We informed him that we had a permit to hold a peace rally on that spot and that his permit was for another location etc. He simply refused to leave.
So, rather than allow him to "hijack our thread" as it were, I took my biggest sign and my 6 foot 4 inches and blocked out the giant fetus. I stood with my back to him and refused to engage him despite his talking to me from behind about the "war in the wombs of America".
I stood there like that and he didn't seem to know what to do. He just stood there with his sign 85% blocked out. As soon as people realized what I was up too, a large group of those attending the vigil joined in, raising their signs to cover both sides of their sign. He tried moving to the left a bit and then back. Since there was basically a wall of folks on his front and back that was his only axis to move in. As he shifted we moved with him. None of us spoke to or challenged the man. Just covered up that disgusting and tragically misplaced sign.
Eventually he announced that he was crossing the street. I made sure to provide a friendly escort to make sure he got there OK. Someone had given me a very attractive hand drawn sign with a dove and the word Peace. It was in a tall stick and just prefect to get the job done. Got some nice supportive honks while crossing back Dove in hand.
His wife immediately took the sign and crossed back into our vigil. At that time she was met by the police. They removed her from the group and spoke to her. Eventually she was allowed to stand across the street. But by that point we were marching and they were history.
Quick moral after all that story. Peaceful protest usually means enduring all sorts of provocations. The correct response to those provocations is non-confrontation. They will rant and rave. They will call you all manner of nasty things. They will invade your space. Do not react. Allow the authorities to deal with trouble. Be sure to report trouble so that they can act.
A calm head completely nullified these 3 messed up folks.
