[antimedia] antimedia: Despite my distrust of the media....

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Posted by antimedia:
Despite my distrust of the media....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1174620624.shtml


   ....there are a few that [1]get it right.

     ......it turns out that the best reason to hit the pavement on
     Saturday was over in Washington, D.C.
     You would have been hard-pressed to hear so in most media coverage,
     but Vietnam veterans and other concerned Americans showed up from
     as far away as Hawaii and Alaska - one unofficial estimate pegged
     their numbers at 30,000 - to ring and defend the war memorials in
     the nation's capital, easily outnumbering the ANSWER protesters who
     drew the bulk of the coverage.
     Kristinn Taylor, D.C. coordinator and spokesman for Gathering of
     Eagles, said anti-war protesters tried to break through their lines
     and reach the memorials, but "they were not successful." Taylor
     said the Vietnam vets came together and took a stand for an
     important reason: "They do not want to see this generation of
     American servicemen and women be put through what they went
     through."
     As a frequent protest crasher, I'm sorry I missed this sea change
     in the tired old script of Iraq demonstrations. It was even more
     uplifting to read messages left afterward on the Eagles' blog by
     participants.
     "Forty years lost in the wilderness," wrote one. "Forty years in
     exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in
     the air. I can feel it. ... We have to care enough to save it. I
     have hope again."

   The quote is from my good friend, Bill Faith. His expression reflects
   the feelings of many Vietnam vets. For most of their adult lives, they
   have quietly gone about their business, avoiding the limelight and
   staying far away from the turmoil of politics. Scarred by their
   experiences returning to a nation that rejected them and despised
   them, they wanted nothing more than to go home and be left alone.
   At first, as the Iraq war began, they felt conflicted. No one hates
   war more or wants war less than they who have survived it while
   watching their buddies die. Yet they also know that when evil
   confronts you, you must stand and fight, even to the death if
   necessary. So, they kept their thoughts to themselves as they
   struggled with their feelings.
   Some formed organizations to support the troops. Others shipped
   packages overseas. Still others wrote letters and emails to feed
   morale. Some began blogging. Many saw their own sons and daughters
   shipped out to a war zone. Some tearfully greeted their return in
   coffins, knowing all too well the personal cost of war.
   Then John Kerry "reported for duty" claiming hero status when vets saw
   him as a traitor and a back-stabber. Jane Fonda appeared at an
   anti-war rally dislodging long-suppressed images of a young American
   traitor posing on an enemy gun used to kill their buddies. Cindy
   Sheehan began shrieking about her son's "wasted" death and using the
   names of the dead in her political crusade.
   Intense old feelings of anger and betrayal began to stir. Vet began
   talking to vet, fearful that their younger brothers might suffer the
   same fate as they had. Fred Phelps began his detestable "protests" at
   funerals, and vets rose up. The Patriot Guard Riders was formed to
   honor the dead and protect them from political manipulation.
   In January protesters defaced the Capitol building, and vets jumped to
   their feet. In two months, the same protesters would be back in DC,
   threatening to deface the Wall. This could not be. Dishonoring those
   who made the ultimate sacrifice was a step too far.
   A prairie fire spread among the vets. A Gathering of Eagles was
   formed, and vets around the world began to mobilize.
   Hobbling on canes, riding in wheelchairs, bent over from age and the
   ravages of war, they came. From west and east and north and south they
   came. From as far away as Hawaii, Alaska and Belize, they came. On
   motorcycles, in buses and planes and trains and cars they came. To
   honor their brothers in arms they came. To defend the memories of
   their fallen comrades they came. To prevent the criminals from
   defacing hallowed ground they came.
   And they conquered. They overcame. Just like in Vietnam, they were
   victorious. Once again they defeated the enemy completely. This
   victory was different though. This time they defeated their demons,
   their tormentors from the past. This time they shamed and embarrassed
   the very people that had spit on them and defiled them. This time they
   put the traitors in their place.
   What the future will bring is anyone's guess, but the healing and
   restitution that took place last Saturday is echoing across this land.
   The Gathering of Eagles whet the appetite of many who could not be
   there but now clamor for details, for scraps they can treasure. There
   will be another Gathering of Eagles. And another. And another. The old
   feelings of pride of service and patriotism for country have been
   stirred. The old reasons for volunteering and risking life and limb
   for God and country have been stirred up.
   Who's going to put that flame out?

References

   1. http://www.dailynews.com/bridgetjohnson/ci_5490740