The anti-recruiter war
Last year, the anti-war movement discovered that they can’t stop the war through Congress – mainly because Congress doesn’t want solutions to problems, they only want issues. So the anti-war crowd decided they would attack the troops who are detailed as recruiters. At about the same time, the Army decided to build a $12 million pilot facility called the Army Experience Center at Franklin Mills Mall near Philadelphia which has a variety of video games designed to give potential recruits a taste of the Army. I can’t wait to visit and try the shoe-shining and the latrine-scrubbing video games.
Since it opened last year, the AEC has stuck in the anti-war crowd’s craw. They’ve protested it at least once before that I know on February 16th – it kind of fizzled out, of course. So this past Saturday, they decided to make a concerted effort towards shutting the AEC down.
Our own Raoul was on the scene, of course, and he phoned in a report last night. He met them in the church parking lot where they assembled at St. Luke’s United Church of Christ. In short order, Raoul was able to get the church’s secretary to call him a mother f@#%er twice.
All of the Leftist reports say they had over 300 people to protest, Raoul tells us it wasn’t even 200 – which is surprising since the Left also says that over 30 groups participated. Even if it was 300, with 30 groups, that’s piss-poor attendance.
But the whole thing is comical. Here’s 200-300 people protesting video games. They had slogans like “If you’re not old enough to drink, you’re not old enough to kill”. So I guess, like me, they think the drinking age should be lowered, too.
IVAW Winter Soldier, Jesse Hamilton was there. His deep intellectual contribution to the discussion was; “You can’t simulate the heat. You can’t you know the cries of people who are getting killed. You can’t simulate the noise when things are exploding around you.” Well, ya know what Jesse, they get an idea of what it’s like during training, don’t they? It’s not like they load the kids on buses outside the AEC and take them straight to Iraq, do they?
Here’s a local TV report;
One blogger from the Left, who certainly thought highly of himself and his actions that Saturday afternoon at the mall wrote;
The complaint was read out loud, which had a profound effect on everyone who was there shopping, and visiting the various eateries.
People stopped to listen, and really couldn’t believe what was happening. I myself, was part of a group of protesters who donned death masks and the names of fallen soldiers and stood directly in front of the AEC, which was at that point surrounded by police.
But that didn’t stop us from demanding that it be closed and they should cease and desist corrupting our youth. Those of us in death masks stood silently by and watched the rest of the group shouting at the recruiters. “Stop stealing our kids” “No wars for empire”, “SHAME ON YOU!” to the endless pounding of drums.
It seemed to me that the recruiters were becoming a bit unnerved….
Yeah, soldiers who had faced an armed enemy on foreign soil were unnerved by a bunch of smelly geezers. I’m sure. And as far as a “profound effect” it had on shoppers, I’m pretty sure they were real impressed by loud-mouthedclowns interrupting their day of shopping to scream intellectually vacant chants like kindergartners.
Someone should probably point out the Army isn’t stealing anyone’s kids. Everyone who joins is an adult in their own right, making their own decisions and the fact that these pathetic cowards think that kids are stupid enough to think war is a video and need rescuing says more about the fantasy land these clowns occupy than it does about America’s youth.
ShotgunDroid sent us this video from GamePolitics;
Seven people were arrested, one was Elaine Brower, who I mentioned in the earlier post, the others bravely wore hoods and masks. The whole confrontation lasted 9 minutes. One of the arrestees wrote;
After only one warning, the police decided to aggressively arrest seven of the protesters who were wearing death masks, peacefully standing in front of the AEC and not blocking the entrance. Taken to a distant precinct, the civil affairs Captain vowed vengeance by trying to charge the seven with a “misdemeanor in the third degree.” After 6 hours in the most deplorable conditions, they were released to return to court in June.
Yeah, in the video, you can see how aggressive the police were. I saw where they even refused to arrest one little old bag who was begging for it. And the captain “vowed vengeance”, huh? Or, maybe he vowed to enforce the peace.
Raoul reported that only people who were angry were the folks trying to get in the AEC. Fox reported that the anti-war protesters have to keep their lawyers employed;
Anti-war protesters are suing. They claim the Army Experience Center is endangering the welfare of children.
What children, you retards?
Most of the pictures I see say “Courtesy of Bill Perry” so I guess I fixed his camera well enough. Hey, Bill, Raoul says he saw you standing safely off to the side.
Raoul also reports that our buddy Pinhead was there and was showing anyone who would pay attention his VFP card to prove that he really is a veteran while Raoul pestered him for the month’s pay Pinhead owes Raoul on their wager. Yeah, we never said you aren’t a veteran, Dennen, we were wondering about the World War Two medals you wore at protests.
I’m sure Raoul will have more to add in the comments.
Raoul adds:
It was a failure for them.
1. They mobilized from NYC to DC, promised 700 people, delivered 200. That’s 29%.
2. They got just one news story. The local Fox affiliate did a 333 word article for the website, no film. Another TV station showed, no story on the news that night.
3. They got better than they gave. Three counter-demonstatrers owned their rally at St Luke’s. Our PA was louder than their’s and they had to listen to our “Teach In”.
4. St Luke’s Church Secretary called me a “Mother F**ker” three times.
5. They pissed off a lot of locals stuck in traffic as the geezers walked a mile in 30 minutes.
6. You couldn’t tell there was a demo just 40 yards down the mall.
7. People coming and going at the mall mainly ignored them
8. They pissed off the teens who let the geezers know it.
9. They were in the mall for less than an hour.
10. The AEC opened 10 minutes after they left.
Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Usual Suspects
I don’t know Jonn, the hours I spent playing Contra on Nintendo really messed with my head. I tried the 30-guy code in Iraq and it didn’t work. Uh, Impeach Bush!
Jonn, Pinhead had posted here that a DD-214 is required to become a “Veteran” member of VFP and offered fo bet a month’s pay. Very clearly in their application it states that you can provide a DD-214 or other documentation, so he owes me a month’s pay. And Pinhead doesn’t have a clue about the 16% of VFP “Veterans” for which VFP has no documentation of service. Plus a group called Veterans For Peace has a large number of non-veteran members, about 24%. So almost half are suspect. The AEC is at the end of a hall. Turn left and out you go to the parking lot, righ and you’re at the AEC. I was there before the hippies. I was about 40 yards down the hall at the corner of the food court getting a drink when they arrived. Their chants hardly carried. Only because I knew they were coming and what they were supposed to say did it register. They stayed mabye 30 minutes and then fled from arrest. A lot of big mouth’s like Code Pink and Bill Perry stood on the sidelines trying to not look like a suspect and get arrested. In fact, in a re-enactment of his Winter Soldier testimony, Bill Perry ran away to the back of the crowd and stood in the doorway of of Dave & Busters observing, just as he fled an ambush with out warning his unit per his 1970 “testimony”. When he did venture out after a long time hiding, he stayed at the edges. I explained to two teens with me about Perry’s testimony and startled, he took a few photos of us and fled. All in all, the failed. This was a major mobilization and many hippies went AWOL and failed to report for duty. Just two IVAW that I saw. Didn’t see Matthis, but then again, it was Saturday and he was probably out trying to score a nickel baggie. The teens I was with told the hippies they had no right to stop them with their protest. Some old hippie skank wouldn’t answer if… Read more »
All Chiefs and No Indians at this one. The anti-war movement is falling apart.
I just can’t get over what a potty mouth the church secretary has.
The law in Philadelphia is masks are illegal if you use them while commiting a crime. In this case, they were tresspassing on private property.
Yep, the church secretart called me an MF’er three times. The last two with a smile on her face after I told her the first time made her look bad. She replied to that with, “You made me come all the way over here.” She walked from the church steps down the street and back to avoid the grass because I was ignoring her.
I told her, “I didn’t make you do anything, you have no right to my time.” That floored the little liberal communist. That’s when she made a point of repeating it again twice while smiling.
Jonn,
I’ll have to make a correction to that email, apparently Fox did have film, but I didn’t see on the 10 o’clock news. Perhaps it was on the dinner time news.
Also…we had a woman who fled the Soviet Union come up and very earnestly tell us, “They are communists.”
So we let her use the PA and she told them if they don’t like America, she lived under communism and they should “Get the hell out.”
It was very similar to a conversation with an Italian who spoke virtually no English, but seeing Cindy Sheehan and the rabble near Crawford said plainly, “Communists”.
I demand you folks stop using the word ‘geezer’ as a pejorative.
Older ones, or perhaps elders, is preferable.
Your agist agenda is demeaning to a growing number of elder Americans.
Jackass(es) is a better term anyway. It covers a larger age span and, except for maybe PETA, engenders fewer potential protesters.
You really don’t want a bunch of elders descending on you… Some of us carry canes or use walkers.
Jonn wrote: “…demeaning to a growing number of elder Americans. ” It’s also demeaning to a shrinking number of elder Americans. If the shoe doesn’t fit, take it off. 🙂
I think its funny that the cameraman at the 3 minute mark is packin serious heat at a peace protest
I’m so peeved I couldn’t make it – too many commitments in one day too far apart 😉
Good job though Raoul as always!
WOW! Hippies roaming the earth, whats next Diplodicus spotted in New Jersey?
ponsdorf,
I use “greezer” to emphasize that it’s the same crowd from the 60s. It works pretty well.
That was a police officer with the camera and gun.
Jonn,
And don’t forget what a badass Dennen is wearing that tiger strip camo.
“…can’t wait to visit and try the shoe-shining and the latrine-scrubbing video games.”
Don’t forget the “Joys of KP” in the Battalion Mess first person scrubber game …
Fake ranger Ward Reilly sporting Cammo OG 107s and unsat Sailor Dennen decked out in Tiger Stripes… Uniforms worn by elites they never could hold a candle to. Were these guys separated from the same afterbirth, vomit pool,dung heap, or landfill?
The anti-military leftists love to target recruiters because it plays toward their own bigotry in that they think all soldiers are so stupid that they are swayed by predatory recruiters wearing slick uniforms and videogames. All soldiers are poor and stupid, that is until they join their cause, then they are born again as highly intelligent truth tellers who have seen the error of their ways.
Dang, I wish they would open up one of those here in SE Michigan. My 10-year old would love it (OOPS; he would have to wait a couple of years), but the fun would be when the whackos in Ann Arbor mobilized…
First of all Raoul please do not confuse Christians with the things that hide among us, the difference centers on what comes out of their hearts, a “church secretary” that use that language has no god but herself/himself and is very proud of the fact. A Christian knows where we came from and where we are going at the end. A Christian knows who our founding fathers are and what they stand on/believes/ a Christian knows that the law of the land rest on the Constitution and understands that as a soldier we are sworn to defend it from those over there and those over here. Oh, yeah, my son graduates soon and is tailoring his college studies to the Air Force, my son in law is in Iraq with the 82, his brother will be deploying soon with the Marines and I served 21 years with the Army, first as a grunt and then as a Scout with the Air Cav. And yes, we are all Christians and that means that we believe in The God of Abraham, Isaiah and Jacob, that He is our maker, that He became man to save us, that by His will we are a nation, and that it is our duty to serve this nation, and protect it from all enemies foreign and those that hide among us. Please do not throw us into the same bucket/
thanks/
an old soldier and a dad
Wolfpack46,
How do you go from my account of what the church secretary said to me throwing you into the same bucket?
“I demand you folks stop using the word ‘geezer’ as a pejorative.”
Yes, please be politically correct. I think the appopriate term this week is a choice between “calendar-impaired” and “Archaic-American”.
But, anyway… video games as brainwashing tools for recruiters? Next they’ll be forming a boy band… Yvan Eht Nioj!
Bullnav, or they could open one in Grand Rapids and the mayor could show up too. What a dickwad he is!! He could join the “activists” from Calvin and Aquinas colleges. The amazing thing is that one hardly ever sees any “activist” from the Baptist college in town, guess they’re too busy studying and preparing for the real world.
And then there’s CODEStink & Bill Perry….Hey Bill! I fingered out yer game, dude. You and Lahiff gord ahead and hug each other for now.
HA!
Raoul has a small part of it right…
“After 6 hours in the most deplorable conditions, they were released to return to court in June.”
Most deplorable… let’s see now… does that mean they were flown to Southeast Asia and dumped in an effing mudhole, 95 degrees & 99 per cent humidity and barraged with AK fire, or perchance dumped in a tiger pit or a Hanoi Hilton…or were they sent to Iraq or A-stan in the 130 degree heat ( but it’s a DRY heat) and subjected to raghead snipers, RPG pilots and a few dozen IEDs??? Exactly WHAT deplorable conditions??? These people tend to raise my ire just a touch.
If anyone here is on facebook, go to the AEC fanpage to check out what these people are saying about those who serve:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-PA/Army-Experience-Center/52043061864?v=wall&viewas=1498742488
Note how all of the Army/AEC/Constitution supporters are keeping the discussion respectful and above board while the haters are just hating.
Here’s one exchange on the AEC facebook page:
Larry Dillard: “Your Army defeated global totalitarianism in the 1940s. Your Army defended South Korea in the 1950s. One need only look at North Korea today to see the alternative. Your Army stopped genocide in the Balkans in the 1990s. Your Army deployed and Soldiers died trying to stop the cycle of violence and starvation in Somalia in ’92-3. Your Army today is working with national governments in Central and South America to combat narco-terrorists. Your Army today continues to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Check today’s news on what’s happening in the Swat Valley in Pakistan — not a nice alternative.”
Response from “Oskar Castro”: Your army has done nothing to stop genocide in Darfur. Your army allows rapists to get away with their crimes and punishes the victims. Your army has partnered with para-military groups in Colombia… groups the US state department labels “terrorists”. Your army recruits children under the age of 18 in direct violation of international law.
Trust me, they won’t listen, not even as the bad guys knock down on our front door. It will unfortunately take another catastrophic event or something similar for them to even CONSIDER listening to reason, and they will just discard that consideration anyway. This is the lunatic fringe at work, and at least, they were only able to muster a small number and not impede normal Optempo in any way for very long. I read this as an attempt to reinvigorate the decaying retrograde that is the anti-war movement in the United States. They are ceasing to form a coherent and unified message.
My heartfelt apologies for not contributing anything deeply intellectual – I neglected to ask Fox to include me in the process of choosing the sound bites for the news clip. Maybe this is a little more intellectual:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/An-Iraq-Veteran-s-Reasons-by-Jesse-Hamilton-090505-668.html
My sole intent at the event was to express my discontent with the Army Experience Center – and have I not earned the right to express my opinions about an organization in which my family has served for over 200 years? It seems as if the counter-protestors as well as the individuals on this board are more concerned with attacking those with opposing views rather than defending the Army Experience Center (and please do not confuse the Center itself with the recruiters). Finally, for the author to have the audacity to imply that veterans at the event are “pathetic cowards” without knowing anything about them or their service is laughable.
You’re mistaken, Jesse. I know more about the veterans at the event than they want me to know. And starting tomorrow, I’m going to know more about you.
Jonn Lilyea, you are creepy.
It seems as if I wasn’t clear, Jonn. I merely wanted to point out that the sound bite from the video didn’t give a thorough representation of my views (which is why I posted the link) and that I did not appreciate being called a “pathetic coward” (honestly, who would?) for expressing my opinion.
If you feel the need to know more about me, feel free to ask.
John, do you think these “pathetic coward” asshats will ever learn not to mess with you?
To tell you the truth I hope not. That way you can keep exposing them!
Steve – Did you read what I actually said at the event, or did you just ignorantly pass judgment? I don’t think I’m being radical here by stating my discontent with the way the military is handling itself – especially when it comes to this recruiting station. Most (if not all) of the gentlemen with whom I served find the place just as much joke as I do.
That being said, Steve, instead of attacking the character of someone you don’t know – why don’t you defend the Center’s existence? Provide me with one scintilla of evidence that would lead me to believe that this $12 MILLION GAME PALACE (paid for with our hard earned tax dollars) is a good idea.
That it helps those that have been on several deployments from not having to deploy again by helping finding new recruits. Or we could always go back to the draft.
Sporkmaster, if the Army wanted to help those who have been on multiple deployments from not deploying again, they would increase the overall size of the force. They’re doing this, (adding 30,000 soldiers over the next three years) but that’s not enough to make any noticeable difference.
I would love to see this country go back to a draft. From the Wall Street banker’s son to the Congressman’s nephew – a draft would ensure that everyone has an equal chance to fight our nation’s wars. And with that being the case, our politicians would be more prudent in making the decision on whether or not to go to war.
But the only way to do that is replace those that are ETSing on top of the increased size. Also this at the same time as the President’s Heath care plan.
But with the draft there are always exceptions such as college and other restrictions. Also there would be more people trying to dodge service then there is already today.
I mean look at Air Shows and other like events. Because I remember getting to climb in a tank at a Army event when I was a kind and that was over 20 years ago. So this to me is the same thing but with more because of computers.
#36 Jesse
Congress controls the size of the Army. I’ve seen the draft and I’ve seen the all volunteer force, I prefer the all volunteer force. That in no way reflects badly on the service of those who did their time and stepped when duty called. Just saying that if you volunteered to be there if makes for a better day.
Luck in Battle
Jesse Hamilton Says:
Provide me with one scintilla of evidence that would lead me to believe that this $12 MILLION GAME PALACE (paid for with our hard earned tax dollars) is a good idea.
Hey IVAW asshat, If it saves 1 single life it is worth EVERY cent.
Or do you think American soldiers are worthless?
Don`t make me start getting into your background with John.
JR and Sporkmaster – No system is perfect, and I agree that there are problems with a draft. I just think it’s a check against politically fueled wars. Also, I don’t think that there should be any exceptions other than serious medical ones (and perhaps some other “common sense” ones). Want to go to college? Learn to shoot a rifle first. Overweight? Your Drill Sergeant will square that away.
Steve – Please explain your rationale that the AEC saves lives. It’s a recruiting station, not a training center. If anything, it takes away funding from troops on the frontline. I never said that the lives of American Soldiers are worthless, so stop putting words in my mouth. And I’m proud of my military service, and flattered that someone would want to learn more about it by “checking my background.” If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Having something “put in your mouth” violates don’t ask, don’t tell. Typical for the IVAW.
John: He just made the list.
As someone who sees both sides of the “draft debate” and has a direct effect if the draft is ever re-instated, I will say this: I personally don’t like the draft, because I want our fighting force to want to be there. I don’t want some drag-ass to be half-stepping because his attitude sucks. That would imperil others lives, or make those that aren’t half-stepping pick up the slack and have to carry more of the work load.
However, there are many other countries that have mandatory service obligations for all men when they turn a certain age. Do they create an effective defense or fighting force? I don’t know, it depends if their society looks down on the military and instills that attitude in the children as they grow up. Switzerland is a neutral country, yet they have mandatory conscription. Some within our own society have worked very hard to portray the military and service therein as a very bad thing since the Vietnam war. Countless movies have been made to demonize and vilify both the entity and those that served. Many of those have been based on half-truths and out and out lies told during the original “Winter Soldier” conference. You can always tell if the movie is going to be “anti” if the military as a whole and the chain of command is portrayed as doing something evil, or completely wrong and the hero of the movie is the private or junior NCO that has his heart bleeding all over the screen for some perceived injustice that has occurred. It’s all crap and it was designed to put a certain attitude into those that watch it.
They’ve been trying the same things now with the absolute BS that is coming out of hollywood’s latest take on our current engagements. I refuse to watch any of them, because I know just from watching the trailer whether it’s going to have an “anti” slant to it.
That’s pretty fucked up, Steve. All this dude is saying is that he disagrees with the AEC, which is a pretty huge and unethical waste of money. Because of his disagreement with this center, you want to engage in character attacks? That’s pretty low.
Have you ever watched those scientologist nutjobs on YouTube? Whenever anyone criticizes them, they show up and start demanding, “What are your crimes?” They believe that if someone is criticizing them, that person must be some sort of criminal, usually a child molester. Sometimes I see the same behavior here. Someone criticizes something the military does, and out come the cries of “What are his crimes?” along with suggestions that the person must either be fake or a former shitbag.
CRaissi Says:
“unethical waste of money” & “the person must either be fake or a former shitbag.”
That sounds like the IVAW at it`s best…..
I almost forgot: “nutjobs on YouTube”….
OldTrooper:
There is also an irrational reactionary acceptance of everything the military always does. Sometimes I wonder if many people understand some fundamental things about the military they defend. I’ve tried here to talk about how war is an extension of politics, that the politicians make the policy that the military executes, and why it is appropriate to question and lobby to change the policies of a republic.
This is some pretty basic and fundamental stuff, something you could have seen from any chairman of the Joint Chiefs on a Sunday morning talk show over the course of the last decade. Admiral Mullen will defer policy questions by saying, “Well that is a policy decision, and it is not my job to set the policy.” And yet when I say something similar, I’ve been attacked as “anti-military.”
I realize there are some genuinely anti-military folks out there, but there are some genuinely mindless supporters of the military as well. I just hate seeing what should be a rational discussion dominated by these two sides yelling slogans at one another and calling the other unpatriotic. You’re not one of those types of people, but there certainly are a few of them on TAH.
What are your crimes, Steve?