Eschaton commenter Bill Buckner forwarded me this e-mail message:
Congratulations to the Boston Veterans Day 18 for a great action today. We stood peacefully with gags over our mouths and signs saying "American Legion SILENCES messages of peace from veterans". since they refused our request to have Iraq veteran Liam Madden speak. 18 of us were arrested by the Boston Police and charged with disturbing a public assembly, which we were definitely not doing. We were completely silent and peaceful. 15 of the 18 are veterans and 3 of them are women.
Getting arrested along with 92 year old Paul Brailsford (who managed to get the plastic cuffs off in the police wagon!!), 80 something year old Sev Bruyn, 76 year old Tony Flaherty was a privilege that I have trouble expressing. Seeing these guys in cuffs was just such an inspiration.Amazingly enough we get the best media coverage from the local Fox affiliate. Go figure. Thanks to Paul Rifkin for the pictures...In the next day or so we will be figuring out how to fight this thing in court. Stay tuned.
The protesters were associated with the Smedley D. Butler Brigade (Chapter 9 Veterans for Peace). Of course many of you Paxcast listeners will recognize their brigade's namesake since I read excerpts of his book War Is A Racket in the Looking For Guidance episodes. Another famous veteran who recognized the folly of war and spoke out about it--but he was a general and wasn't so easily silenced.
Good on the Boston Veterans Day 18 for trying to show that being anti-war and a veteran are not mutually exclusive. If we truly want to honor our veterans, shouldn't peace be a part of the memorial?
Boston's Fox25 has video.
ntodd
This sort of thing is in our blood, here in Boston/New England.
Always getting up to rubbish like this, defying the established order, annoying our betters, starting revolutions, throwing out occupying armies.
Yep. Business as usual.
What pises me off is that I won't be liable for jury service until 2009. There's no way I could be on any jury hearing their cases.
I'd jump at the opportunity to vote any of them innocent of all charges.
Posted by: Chris Tucker | November 12, 2007 at 01:48 PM
Here's a post I put up on democraticunderground.com:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/unhappycamper/231
Please use any or all of this original article.
Peace,
uhc
Posted by: unhappycamper | November 13, 2007 at 07:12 PM