LONG HAIRED FREAKY PEOPLE VS HYPER PATRIOTS
I guess the local peace rally on Saturday was pretty interesting. Apparently, there was no police officer. Bad idea!

The protests occur at a five way intersection in my town. The anti-war people stand on one corner. The pro-war people stand on the corner across the street from them. It's been pretty much the understanding. Every so often, a pro-warrior will come over and exchange words (sometimes unpleasantries) with the anti-war crowd or vice versa, but usually they stay away from each other. Wisely, if you ask me.

Apparently without a police officer, such restraint went out the window last weekend. Although there was no violence, there were reportedly threats. One of the people from our group (Adirondack Greens) was accosted by two pro-war people for having an upside down flag. An upside down flag is a sign of distress, if I remember well. He was told that it was a desecration. Ok, fine.

Then, it seems to have esclated. One of the pro-warriors challenged the guy from our group to "go out behind [the adjoining] Burger King" and have a fight. The other pro-warrior threatened to "immolate" (burn alive) the guy from our group.

Personally, I think the guy from our group should have pressed charges for the threats of physical violence.

Frankly, this is why I don't go to these rallies. I went to one because I was specifically invited by the organizer, who's a friend of mine. But these protests shed heat, not light, as evidenced by the incident I just recounted. I am interested in having a rational, intelligent debate; this doesn't exclude passion, so long as reason and facts and demesure are not excluded. Shouting and screaming and name-calling doesn't do anything for me. I went to one because I was requested and because I wanted to express my opinion in public once, for the record, so to speak. I did it once. I don't regret it. I'm not doing it again, for reasons which I've alluded to in other essays (published elsewhere).

It's impossible to having a rational debate in that context. I didn't have a sign because I couldn't think of a curt little slogan. "Support the troops: bring 'em home" is the best I could come up with but I didn't bother. I've spent countless essays, numerous emails and thousands of words trying to hash out my views. Trying to condense that into one simplistic little phrase? I won't do myself that injustice.

But I hope this little nugget reminds you that there are extremists on all sides of this question, not just among the "long-haired freaky people." (A few of the guy in my group were called fags because they have long hair. That was the level of the discourse)

And don't offer any rationalizations for those twits who threatened the guy from my group. You can't even rationalize that they were veterans indignant at this "disrespect" because there were very young and there was nothing to indicate they were veterans. Furthermore, most veterans I know conduct themselves with a little more dignity and self-respect.

A final irony. One of the guys who complained about the 'desecration' of the upside down flag was wearing an American flag bandana and an American flag pair of pants. This guy was letting the stars and stripes absorb his sweat and rub up against his genitals and butt crack. Is he really in any position to lecture about how to properly treat the flag?