That’s the question asked by The Real News Network
Back on Thursday, May 15, 2008 I asked a question as well: PEACE Is A Political Statement?.
Both of these are asked as to the Why? a Veterans Organization was banned from marching in Memorial Day Parades. Mine covered two chapters of Veterans For Peace
Chapter 139 (North Olympic Peninsula) and Chapter 016 (Washington D.C.) have both been banned from parades! In both cases, being too political was the reason cited for the ban.
The Real News Network covers the Parade in Washington D.C., the Capital of this Country, The Country And Citizens We Veterans Served For!
The Washington, DC chapter of Veterans for Peace is barred from DC’s Memorial Day Parade
Thousands of people gathered in downtown DC for the annual Memorial Day parade. American flags lined the street and viewers showed their support of US troops and their patriotism. Instead of a flag, Michael Marceau held a banner, which called for peace and stated that his veterans’ organization had been “kicked out of the parade.” The Real News Network spoke with Michael and parade attendees to understand where Americans believe peace belongs in this day of patriotism.
There is a transcript at the Real News Network link above { their video can be found there as well }, but here are a few statements from that transcript:
Transcript
National Memorial Day Parade
Washington, DC
May 26, 2008TEXT ON SCREEN: The Washington chapter of Veterans For Peace tried to take part in this year’s National Memorial Day parade. The coordinators of the parade refused their application.
PALEVSKY: There was a veterans’ organization called Veterans for Peace, which states that it is for bringing the troops home from Iraq, that was kept out of this parade.JEROME, PARADE ATTENDEE: Well, I guess whoever organized the parade has some kind of a right to keep people out that they don’t want in, but I also think that those people have a right to march, I think. I mean, a war is supposed to bring a country together, not divide it.
PALEVSKY: What was your intention of joining the parade?
MARCEAU: Well, we just wanted to give-we have two World War II veterans who are still active in chapter activities whenever they can be, plus the widow of the man, Delwyn Anderson, for whom our chapter was named. We had planned to put them in convertibles and just go down the street carrying our Veterans for Peace flag here and several American flags, and that was about the extent of it. All we wanted to do was be visible and be acknowledged as someone who has stepped up to serve their country when their country asked them to.
Now when did this Nation, who puts out Human Rights Violations Lists Yearly, calls for Peace amoung Nations, Condemns those that Wage Wars or Criminal Terrorism, Believes itself a Christian Nation of Peace, Excepts those who are Persecuted in their own Countries for Speaking Out about their own governments Unpeaceful Actions and Human Rights Violations…………………………………………..,you could write a book on what we say we are and what we think we are, Start Believing That PEACE Is Not Only Political But Unpatriotic???
And why are We, the citizens of this country, excepting this Double Speak of the few who use their Political Ideologies to push their Fear and thirst for Wealth and Power!
Many of us who belong to Veterans For Peace served in a theater of War and Occupation, Vietnam, that was Sold to the Nation, and us, as to Stop The Expansion of a Political Ideology, Communism, that this Country Condemns as being one that wants to wage War to Control others and spread their Ideology, 58,000 of our Brothers and Sisters names are etched into the marble of a monument, in that Capital city, it’s called “The Wall”!
There’s a new monument, in that same National Capital city, finally after all these years, dedicated to those who fought and died in the Righteous War against another Ideology, Nazism, in Europe, and the Waring threat waged by the Japanesse, in the Pacific!
There’s also another monument dedicated to those who died and served in the War of agression by the North Koreans and their supporters the Communist Chinesse!
There are Veterans of those Conflicts as well as our other adventures in War, and in ‘Peace’ time who are members of Veterans For Peace with chapters spread around the country!
Peace is Democracy, Peace is Patriotism, Peace is Freedom, Peace is Leadership, Peace is Religion, Peace is Tolerance, Peace is Righteous, Peace is Personal, Peace is that which we should be leaving to the generations coming, World Peace Was this Nations Main Goal, NO MORE!
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because there you are. right there. beautiful question.
thanks!
That link to therealnews is excellent. Any way to propagate that through the blog?
to veterans who as former members of the active duty military, were charged with defending our freedoms, including that of free speech–with their very lives, if necessary–why is that considered “patriotic”?
I just viewed a You Tube Countdown interview where KO quoted a newspaperman named Carter:
In the Bush Administration they will go to any lengths to preserve the lies. Shame on those public officials and their brainwashed sheep in the general population who believe it is “patriotic” to deny free speech to people who fought to preserve their freedoms.
the Bu$h/Cheney cabal likes the war, and anyone who opposes their cabal is de facto unpatriotic?
/snark