“Ron Paul is the choice of the military veterans”
Well, that’s what Adam Kokesh told the crowd based on the number at this rally. If I had to guess, I’d say there were a few hundred participants, but less than a thousand, though. I know that won’t jibe with their numbers, but, I’m being generous. You can guess from this video of the crowd;
I talked with one guy who came from Florida, so geography wasn’t a factor in participation. This guy came in his police uniform and tolf the crowd that he is a Marine Corp veteran, his father is a veteran and supports Ron Paul and his grandfather, a veteran, supports Ron Paul, too, so that means all veterans support Ron Paul…that was the theme of the whole event – all veterans support Ron Paul. I guess I should have spoken up, but I didn’t.
I saw a lot of mixed uniforms but, this guy was completely decked out. I’m pretty sure that him wearing the uniform, whether retired or not, is against the regulations;
Then there were these dinguses;
I didn’t see any fund raising going on, but these guys were selling T-shirts with Ron Paul’s Air Force portrait on it;
This was the only guy I stopped to question because he was wearng Ranger shit everywhere, but he seemed legit. He was wearing a CAB, but he said he was a commo guy. He had star on his jumpwings, but he named the right jump for 3/75th in Iraq.
There were an awful lot of Air Force vets there, I don’t what that means, but I thought I’d throw it out there for discussion. There were also some hobo-looking MFers hanging around the periphery. One was especially ghastly smelling, I was afraid to get his picture because that smell might have seeped out into the blog.
I have more pictures at my Flickr Photostream, if you’re interested.
Category: Ron Paul
Atta Boy!
pretty paul-try attendance.
Perhaps I’m old school, but I find it a complete disgrace to the uniform and its meaning to pin an “end the fed” pin to it. I find that kind of dishonor abhorrent.
Question… Were most of these guys wearing E-5 and below rank (apart from the creepy old officer guy)? I know I’m a simple pog in the JAG Corp, but it’s a small community and I don’t know of one officer who supports this crap. In our community, we generally view the Paulbots as a complete sideshow joke. I figure the military supporters are mostly lower enlisted who think they know everything and can do better if only the leadership would get out of the way (while that’s true to some extent, snuffy isn’t the guy I’d turn to instead).
Ummm not MY choice as a Veteran, and I resent people speaking for me in such a manner, to the point where he will never get my vote. I refuse to wear the tinfoil hat or drink the kool aid!
Lucky #4: Tin foil hats are not all bad. Take a kevlar helmet, line the thing with the foil, and voila!
Mind you I’m still adapting to kevlar after spending years with the old tin pot.
Wait one… clear blue sky here and I need to track the chemtrails while I can.
Yeah… I support Ron Paul?
Ron Paul? No forkin’ way!
So does anyone else see something seriously wrong with a senior Warrant Officer that cannot put together his ribbon rack together correctly? Or know when to wear the uniform or not?
Looks like a giant poser rally.
Jonn-if you’d answer your twitter, could have said hello.
That said: I’d put it at about a thousand total at the rally, and three to five hundred marching. It shouldn’t be that hard to count-8 columns, just find a side vid from the actual march, everyone was dressed right from where I was anyway.
The reason for the difference in numbers is because only people with proof of service physically on them were allowed to march. Squad leaders went down the line and checked IDs and 214s before stepping off.
Yeah, Adam showboated: but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that folks came from all over the country for this. It strikes a chord-maybe not with all veterans, but it’s still significant.
500 hundred is a significant voting block? Ummm. Not really.
Hundreds of thousands, perhaps as many as several million if you could count everyone stuck in traffic attempting to get to a rally of conservatives, are considered insignificant, so good luck with anyone taking this very small bunch of loons seriously.
I always hate it when I see is the choice of veterans. Like we are all one hive mind, monolithic voting bloc. Veterans are just as varied and disparate as any other group. Personally, I would never vote for Ron Paul. I would also never vote for Rick Santorum. Do I claim my views to be that of “veterans”? Of course not. And it always bothers the hell out of me when someone just assumes that because I am a vet, automatically has my support.
500? Significant? In most localities that wouldn’t get anyone elected Drain Commissioner, or Dog Catcher, er Animal Control Officer.
And, looking at the video and pics, I’d put the “crowd” at far less than a thousand.
@11 – I feel the same way…I get chafed also when I hear an empty headed politician talk about what the ‘American people’ want.
SPC Skeleton Hands sure has some bling for an E-4. Not to mention the Navy “Don’t Tread On Me” patch. There I go analyzing things too much.
@14 cont… not that he’s actually in uniform.
Did you tell these gentlemen that you were going to post their photos online and insult them? Where is the courtesy to a fellow vet? Just because they disagree with you that goes out the window?
In the pics, CW4 Parks appears to be out of uniform. If the event took place before 1800, the Chief needs to be wearing a 4-in-hand tie, and service cap. The exception would be him attending a wedding.
@16 – I don’t necessarily disagree with them, I’m just jealous that an E-4 has two awards higher than anything I’ve received and I’m an E-8.
@16… If a vet desecrates the uniform in a public display of partisan grandstanding like these guys, then they willingly open themselves up to public scorn.
I wonder if Methis and other phony vets are hiding in the crowd somewhere.
I can’t understand why even a slack jawed jackwagon would put class A ribbons on an ACU blouse.
@19 it doesnt look to me that any of them are bringing shame to the uniform.. They are merely exercising the rights that they fought for..
I am sure Jonn Lilyea wouldn’t appreciate people taking pictures of him in uniform at a Santorum rally
@22… That doesn’t make sense. They can march and support any fringe or mainstream candidate all they want as vets. But here they took the uniform and turned it into a partisan billboard. That’s insulting and opens them up to my free speech right to object. But you’re right that it doesn’t shame the uniform per se… It shames the Army.
And I think Jonn knows better than to wear a uniform at a political rally. Like any other vet, he can march without using the uniform as a partisan tool.
@23 Jonn like most on this site is a partisan tool
JAGC #23: Trolls… Shrug. Common sense has no merit when dealing with ’em.
@25… Yeah… I gather from his last response that he had no rational rebuttal to my previous post. I call that a win in expressing my point. Also, not sure if you caught the irony of the troll bashing Jonn for calling out the vets in the photo, but then he turns around and bashes Jonn despite the fact that he’s a vet with his own personal opinions.
But what this demonstrates is that the Paulbots don’t view their guy as partisan, despite the fact that Ron Paul is merely a Republican politician. Shame on Paul for sanctioning the use of vets and active duty troops as partisan billboards, in many cases to their own personal detriment. If that’s not the action of a partisan politician, then I’ve got a bridge to sell.
Um, DildoDave, to which party am I partisan? Ron Paul is a Republican. Are you saying that I’m Democrat?
For the rest of you, I have a critique coming on the actual content of Kokesh’s speech tomorrow.
JAGC #26: Caught it, embraced it, etc. However, I’ll argue that a win against a troll is fleeting at best. As I said, common sense doesn’t work.
@JAGC I am guessing you were or are an officer?
Ron Paul isn’t popular among war mongering conservatives and it’s primary season so your trying to get your boy nominated no harm in that.. But as far using troops as billboards something tells me you guys never had a problem when Bush and Rummy were trotting out Soldiers for photo ops.
I never see this site going after Romney, Skunk vomit (gingrich) or Santorum.. I wonder why
This is the kinda of ad that have been flooding youtube lately.
I held my nose and voted for Obama last time (and may do so again), so don’t cast such wide assumptions. And yes, I’m a judge advocate and Iraq vet, so please feel free to attack my service and role like you have done to other vets.
Zero P… Yes, I fed the troll. But you are spot on.
I haven’t read all the comments. too Lazy.
Ron Paul is nuts (obviously). While I am not a fan of Big Government, I certainly don’t want to see our military gutted, which is what he will do.
#31, just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. There’s a search function at the top right corner so you don’t stick your foot in your mouth up to your knee again.
@33 I am a vet also and I could tell you were an officer by how you completely missed the point.. Sorry to disturb you I am sure you have some joe that needs chaptering
@31, the reasoned intellect from Vet’s Today is heard from, once again.
I suppose I could say that you are a complete idiot (or close-minded blind Ronpaul follower) for missing my point. As for your attack on officers and the JAG Corp, sounds like you have some experience with the military justice system and/or administrative separation.
@38 Yeah I do have experience with UCMJ and the admin seperation I was an NCO for 7 years so I had to deal with Soldiers getting chaptered as for me I got an honorable discharge. I got an article 15 or 2 while I was in but as a great man once told me you aint a real NCO until you get an article 15. You wouldn’t understand that and I don’t expect you to, we are from two different worlds..
Careful JAGC, drunkard Dave was SF, you don’t want to piss him off.
I was an NCO prior to joining the JAG Corp, as is the case with many JAs. I don’t need a lecture from a discipline case who couldn’t follow the NCO creed and actually justifies your disciplinary problems through a WWII-era adage. Child, we are in two different worlds. Only difference is your world is stuck up your ass.
You all ruined my ravioli dinner
@40 Yeah I was SF and it was because of Soldiers like you people that I went to selection
The more I see of Ron Paul the more I wish the mother ship would just come and take him home.
As a Veteran I am ashamed of these soldiers who wore their uniforms to this function. I am especially ashamed of the ones who wore all kinds of nonsensical crap on their uniforms. It really doesnt matter (at least not to me) who they are supporting its the fact that each and every one of them should know better.
@39: “I got an article 15 or 2 while I was in but as a great man once told me you aint a real NCO until you get an article 15. You wouldn’t understand that and I don’t expect you to, we are from two different worlds..”
Really? You are correct in your statement about being from 2 different worlds. On what fucking planet is it a prerequisite to being a real NCO by having at least 1 article 15 under your belt? Jeezus cripes you’ve must be drinking the bong water by the fucking gallon with the horseshit coming out of your mouth.
I’m just a civilian trying to get into the army numbnuts.
@46 I am grateful I won’t have to serve with you
@45 are you the helicopter mechanic who never deployed and never made E5?
@45 far better men than you told me that line about article 15s.. I guess you POGs just have a different mentality
DUIDave, you answered your own point. Presidents for how many years have had photo-ops with active, retired and veterans. Those active and retired were in full, regulation uniform. Veterans were dressed appropriately also. They were also being honored in one way or another, either receiving the MOH or finally getting something they earned years ago. I don’t remember seeing any service member in a utility blouse with their ‘bling’.
This was a political rally and the Gunner is in violation of regulations. The two in the utility blouses, especially the Spc, deserve any disdain thrown their way. Big difference. I’ve been involved in politics since before I could vote and after my service. I remember having classes where we were told about wearing our uniforms to political events and this was back in the ’70s! After my service I wouldn’t
even wear a t-shirt with anything Marine Corps. Just to be sure.