Kokesh jailed in DC already

Photo from Washington Post

Adam Kokesh, the little ex-Marine (I know ya’all Marines say there are no ex-Marines – but this guy fits, believe me) who made a stink about the Marines downgrading his discharge because he wore his uniform at anti-war protests and poorly representing our fighting men and women while still in the service, was arrested Thursday, according to the Washington Post;Â

The demonstrators, members of the antiwar Answer Coalition, have been in an ongoing dispute with the District and Park Service over their right to post signs in public places.

The D.C. government has fined the coalition about $20,000 for posting signs, and the Park Service has asked the group to remove them.

The coalition countered by filing a lawsuit challenging the District’s regulations. The suit is pending.

The group assembled for a news conference yesterday at Lafayette Square to promise to put up more posters, regardless of possible sanctions. Within minutes, the pledge was tested. An officer approached and asked whether the demonstrators had a permit for their gathering.

Here’s a link to the Youtube video of the arrest of three “activists”. I get the impression that they were there just to get arrested. The Park Police officer (not a Metro cop as many news reports record) asked them to stop putting up posters and they continued. How hard is it to not put up posters.

The ANSWER clowns have put those garish yellow posters all over the city – disregarding the ordinance that forbids it. The posters stay up for months after the protests end and eventually are either posted over by new ANSWER posters or city workers have to remove them – at great, useless cost to taxpayers (since it’s DC, all US taxpayers pay for the removal).

Now, the incident happened in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, which is policed by Federal Park Police since it’s a national park – the Park Service forbids putting posters up in national parks. I guess Kokesh and his little buddy, Tina Richards, didn’t factor that in to that little demonstration of their idiocy.

Of course, the “activists” blame Bush in the video – he’s so unemcumbered by his duties, he’s worried about two halfwits putting posters up in Lafayette Park. The Park Police would’ve done the same if Clinton (either one) was President.

The closest thing to an incident I’ve had with Park Police is Mother’s Day last year when I confronted some Code Pink goofballs in Lafayette Park. The Park Police asked me to leave the park and then they escorted me off. I shook their hands when I left and thanked them for their good works. It was that easy.

I’d say the police did us all a favor – those ugly yellow posters are all over the city and they’ll still be all over the city next Spring. I’ve wondered how the city can let them get away with it after they passed the ordinance three years ago to prevent this de-facing of the city.

In the beginning of the video, you can see the Park Police ask them for their permit to assemble – of course they didn’t have one. Again claiming their First Amendment rights. I hope none of them are lawyers.

But Lt. Phil Beck of the U.S. Park Police said the officers took action only after the demonstrators ignored a command to remove a table and stop posting the signs.

That’s all apparent in the video. I guess if they’re this wired up before their “Die-in” next week, it ought to get real interesting. And I’ll be there to capture it all. I love this non-paying job.

Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Politics, Support the troops