Monday, November 12, 2007

Anti-war Iraq vets banned from Veterans Day parade.

Thinkprogress:

Anti-war Iraq veterans were banned from participating in a Veterans Day parade in Long Beach, CA, because “we do not want groups of a political nature, advocating the troops withdrawal from Iraq,” said one organizer. Brandon Friedman notes that the organizers seem to have no problems with groups advocating staying in Iraq, however.

Interesting how this organization can pick and choose what vet organizations to ban. This organization never condemn the VFW on their political concerns:

Or how about this headline from the VFW on April 3, 2007:

VFW Tells Congress to Set Aside Troop Withdrawal Language: New Reid proposal tantamount to surrender

And how about this?:

Among the veterans being turned away, Jason Lemieux, a Marine who served three tours in Iraq, told Puente he was under the impression that free speech is one of the freedoms for which he fought.

"It feels like I've been betrayed by the very people I fought to serve," he said. "They should be embarrassed by themselves."

Explaining why the groups are not being allowed to march, Thuente said, "They just don't fit the spirit of our parade."

She also added that parade organizers are "not allowed to take a political stance." Actually, they took one the moment they decided who could and could not take part in the parade.

Adrian Novotny, who heads the Long Beach Chapter of Veterans for Peace, finds the organizers' action absurd. He notes that the group was allowed to march last year.

Thuente says parade coordinators failed to fully check the group's application before last year's parade. If they had, she says, Veterans for Peace may have been banned then.

But what about "Military Families Against the War?" What part of that title did the parade coordinators not understand. You don't have to comb through its agenda, by-laws or parade application to know what it stands for. Yet, it, too, was allowed to march last year.

"Military Families" is what it says it is: a support group for those with family members in the war. Does that make them somehow un-American, disloyal, or treasonous? As the parent of a soldier who has served in Iraq,

I like to think it does not.

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_7411756



2 comments:

KittyBowTie1 said...

Something similar happened in a parade here. The anti-war protestors were allowed to be in the parade but they were not allowed to enter the city park after the parade, where everyone else went.

SP Biloxi said...

Interesting. It is more of a picking and choosing in certain organizations. Nevertheless, it is sad that this country is divided and have to honor the vets and troops on Veteran's Day with contraversy.