Pudgy Indian

It was a good day yesterday at the vigil. Two recruiters only came out once to smoke cigarettes. We got lots of support, several thumbs down, and one flip off.

An elderly black man came up riding on his bike. He informed Bob and I that he was a war hawk. Bob is the old guy, member of Veterans for Peace, who stands on the corner with his signs like "Sweden 250 years without war." His sign this week said "War is a Racket," and on the other side, "Read General Butler's Book." Anyway, this elderly black man came up to talk with us. I had seen him talking with Rhonda before. So he informs us he is a "war hawk," as I stated previously. So Bob and I set about asking if he ever read Smedley Butler's book, "War is a Racket." I set into giving him a history lesson on how wealthy white guys tried to recruit Butler into building an army to take over the U.S. government and setting up a pro-corporate fascist regime. I informed him how they wanted to use McCarthur, but McCarthur was unpopular amongst the soldiers especially because of his actions against the "Bonus Army" on the White House lawn. He took his little history lesson and decided to go look it up himself.

Rhonda was doing her work in informing the people that walked by...and I just have to say it...OH LAY! SHE WAS LOOKING FINE! Anyway... Peace, it's a wonderful thing.

As we were packing it up, a blonde woman came up and starting informing us that "[we] make [her] sick." She was very confrontational, and like ALL people I have ever met with arguments like hers (unlike the previous gentleman mentioned), they like to hit and run and not have their propagandized ideals challenged. Of course she had to ask one of those stupid questions (yes, there are such things as stupid questions, especially in this context) "Where do you come from?"
I informed her as she did her best to disappear into the restaurant that I came from here and that her people slaughtered my people in order to create this wonderful condition of privilege that she so enjoys now. Mind you, I didn't get to get all of that out because the best way to win an argument is to RUN AWAY, which she did so well.

As we packed up our signs and got ready to go, I saw the woman back at her car digging something out. Knowing I didn't have much time to discuss this issue with her and seeing she was somewhat of a captive audience, I yelled so she could hear me above the traffic and through her car. "Sign up! You should never support a war unless you are willing to take up arms and fight in it yourself because you are asking others to do your killing for you." I doubt this did much good, but she has the proper military attitude. Get in there with some form of violence. Have no desire for peace, because peace is not your job. Doubt she'll sign up, though. She seems like the type that would much rather cheer on the killers from a safe distance than to fight beside them.

I tell one and all that show a lack of support for us to "sign up." I don't care if they're elderly even. If their hands can flip us off or give us the thumbs down while gripping their steering wheel with their other hand, then they damned well can pull the trigger of a gun and murder people themselves instead of sitting at a safe distance while asking others to do their killing for them.

Quick look at the land of alleged "freedom." Women are oppressed in this nation still. Rhonda's handout mentioned how a woman's risk of sexual abuse and rape are increased when they join the military. She printed an article she had found about it along with the names of the Americans killed in Iraq this last week. Women are regularly sexually harassed and raped on a regular basis in the military. It even mentioned some recruiters raqing female recruits on the couches of their recruiting office. There's some "freedom" for you.

Indigenous peoples still face genocide on a daily basis in this nation.

Racism is rampant in this nation, that is why they are building a wall between Mexico and the U.S. and not between Canada and the U.S.

Blacks are still oppressed. A 5-year-old black girl got handcuffed by police for throwing a fit in a classroom. Imagine if that was a little white girl. Black peoples votes are often targeted by this administration. The military is recruiting from racist hate groups now. This nation has still NEVER answered for slavery NOR lynchings.

People are losing their jobs everywhere, including middle class jobs. The unemployment services are being reduced while multi-billion dollar corporations get our tax money for free.

There are just a few bits of the alleged "freedom" I know of going on around town.

# posted by Eugene @ 3:09 AM