Originally posted by: Feldenak
Are you totally deranged?
Did you even read what went on or are you just posting headlines?
Originally posted by: dababus
Originally posted by: Feldenak
Are you totally deranged?
Did you even read what went on or are you just posting headlines?
can you be more specific who are you talking to.
I wasn't there at the Tuesday night demonstration in Westwood, but I did do some follow-up investigation this morning about the two armored vehicles.
Turns out the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration was having a Veterans Day parade and celebration this morning (Wednesday). I drove over and walked in to the WLA VA to look around at 10:50am.
Lots of marching middle school ROTC "cadets" (including 11-to-14-year-old boys and girls from Mt. Vernon Middle School all in US Army uniform, some shouldering parade "rifles") and a high school band and antique cars filled with VAFW members. And two USMC Striker armored vehicles complete with 6 or 7 Marines in fatigues and body armor giving junior high ROTC kids and adults tours of the vehicles.
I talked to one Marine with one of the "Striker" vehicles. He told me they had driven the vehicles up from Camp Pendleton the night before (Tuesday) on the freeway. Getting off the 405 Freeway North taking the Wilshire East (instead of WEST to the VA) offramp, they would have passed Wilshire and Veteran where the anti-war rally was underway protesting the attack on Fallujah in Iraq.
I asked him if he was "rolling around Westwood" Tuesday night. He said, "Yeah, and we drove past that anti-war demonstration. We was lost. We're not from L.A. We didn't know where this place (WLA VA) was. We were trying to find it."
"Did you drive around the block twice?" I asked.
"Yeah, we did. We stopped to ask them (the protestors) directions, but they weren't very nice."
There was more conversation, but that was the gist of it from the Marine side concerning the armored vehicles. For what it's worth.
I've also been receiving emails from friends who were at the rally who tell me the LAPD officers said they had no idea why the Striker armored vehicles had shown up.
Originally posted by: Feldenak
Originally posted by: dababus
Originally posted by: Feldenak
Are you totally deranged?
Did you even read what went on or are you just posting headlines?
can you be more specific who are you talking to.
Sure, a quote from further down on the page:
Edit: My mistake, I thought you wanted me to clarify what I was asking.
I wasn't there at the Tuesday night demonstration in Westwood, but I did do some follow-up investigation this morning about the two armored vehicles.
Turns out the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration was having a Veterans Day parade and celebration this morning (Wednesday). I drove over and walked in to the WLA VA to look around at 10:50am.
Lots of marching middle school ROTC "cadets" (including 11-to-14-year-old boys and girls from Mt. Vernon Middle School all in US Army uniform, some shouldering parade "rifles") and a high school band and antique cars filled with VAFW members. And two USMC Striker armored vehicles complete with 6 or 7 Marines in fatigues and body armor giving junior high ROTC kids and adults tours of the vehicles.
I talked to one Marine with one of the "Striker" vehicles. He told me they had driven the vehicles up from Camp Pendleton the night before (Tuesday) on the freeway. Getting off the 405 Freeway North taking the Wilshire East (instead of WEST to the VA) offramp, they would have passed Wilshire and Veteran where the anti-war rally was underway protesting the attack on Fallujah in Iraq.
I asked him if he was "rolling around Westwood" Tuesday night. He said, "Yeah, and we drove past that anti-war demonstration. We was lost. We're not from L.A. We didn't know where this place (WLA VA) was. We were trying to find it."
"Did you drive around the block twice?" I asked.
"Yeah, we did. We stopped to ask them (the protestors) directions, but they weren't very nice."
There was more conversation, but that was the gist of it from the Marine side concerning the armored vehicles. For what it's worth.
I've also been receiving emails from friends who were at the rally who tell me the LAPD officers said they had no idea why the Striker armored vehicles had shown up.
Originally posted by: steeplerot
Nasty, I don't know why these tanks were rolling in front of civilians but hopefully this is not a sign of what is to come. BTW Every protest is important as dissent is a cornerstone of our Democracy.
Hey guys. Some people aren't going to be convinced that this was NOT an attempt to stifle expression, but this sounded fishy to me from the start.
Thursday is Veteran's Day and today is the USMCs 229th birthday.
The vehicles in question are LAV-25s, not Strykers or Coyotes. They're operated exclusively by the USMC.
Wednesday
Nov 10
10:00 a.m.-
12:00p.m.
VA Greater Los Angeles Veterans Day
Parade
VA West Los Angeles
For Info call (310) 478-
3711
VA West Los Angeles
11301 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Hospital Line
Again, I wasn't there Tuesday, but if his report is accurate, then I couldn't agree more with Daniels. Really and effectively demonstrating peace takes discipline and brains and creativity and maturity and the presence and flexibility to turn opportunities to advantage, not just opposition.
We're all learning together.
>>Daniels wrote:
Calling out words of war protest, several of the soldiers gave us the thumbs up. One person gave them literature on finding help to get out as they seemed to have an empathy for the cries of the crowd.
BUT THEN an utterly moronic woman started screaming at them that they were murderers and baby killers and other foul verbal attacks. I gently shared with her the fact that the three men in the tank in front of us appeared supportive, then she screamed at me even more hateful sentiments...
So, like, didn't we learn anything from Viet Nam, mostly in regard to the importance of the human beings that are soldiers who have become caught in the middle of the nightmare? So many of the kids in the military today come from financial disadvantage and this was a way to be able to afford an education.
TRUST ME, those KIDS IN THE TANKS are most likely scared to hell about what they are about to face.
People irrationally screaming hideous accusations at soldiers are not helping, but are rather hurting the "cause". It isn't the soldiers that should be hated, go after our leadership with your words of anger, go after those who compel little boys to be forced into acts of war. .
Originally posted by: Feldenak
Originally posted by: steeplerot
Nasty, I don't know why these tanks were rolling in front of civilians but hopefully this is not a sign of what is to come. BTW Every protest is important as dissent is a cornerstone of our Democracy.
A couple more quotes from that site:
Hey guys. Some people aren't going to be convinced that this was NOT an attempt to stifle expression, but this sounded fishy to me from the start.
Thursday is Veteran's Day and today is the USMCs 229th birthday.
The vehicles in question are LAV-25s, not Strykers or Coyotes. They're operated exclusively by the USMC.
Wednesday
Nov 10
10:00 a.m.-
12:00p.m.
VA Greater Los Angeles Veterans Day
Parade
VA West Los Angeles
For Info call (310) 478-
3711
VA West Los Angeles
11301 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Hospital Line
Calandar listing the parade
Originally posted by: dababus
LOS ANGELES, November 9, 2004 - At 7:50 PM two armored tanks showed up at an anti-war protest in front of the federal building in Westwood. The tanks circled the block twice, the second time parking themselves in the street and directly in front of the area where most of the protesters were gathered. Enraged, some of the people attempted to block the tanks, but police quickly cleared the street. The people continued to protest the presence of the tanks, but about ten minutes the tanks drove off. It is unclear as to why the tanks were deployed to this location. Uploaded here is video from the event.
I talked to one Marine with one of the "Striker" vehicles. He told me they had driven the vehicles up from Camp Pendleton the night before (Tuesday) on the freeway. Getting off the 405 Freeway North taking the Wilshire East (instead of WEST to the VA) offramp, they would have passed Wilshire and Veteran where the anti-war rally was underway protesting the attack on Fallujah in Iraq.
I asked him if he was "rolling around Westwood" Tuesday night. He said, "Yeah, and we drove past that anti-war demonstration. We was lost. We're not from L.A. We didn't know where this place (WLA VA) was. We were trying to find it."
The vehicle in that picture doesn't look like a Stryker or an LAV-25. In any event, I find it extremely hard to believe that any such vehicles wouldn't be ferried down from Camp Pendleton on a transporter, rather than "driven" down on their own steam, on the freeway, no less.Originally posted by: dababus
Text
Originally posted by: Perknose
The vehicle in that picture doesn't look like a Stryker or an LAV-25. In any event, I find it extremely hard to believe that any such vehicles wouldn't be ferried down from Camp Pendleton on a transporter, rather than "driven" down on their own steam, on the freeway, no less.Originally posted by: dababus
Text
Something ain't adding up here.
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
If they actually deployed the Marines, all of the protesters would be dead.
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
If they actually deployed the Marines, all of the protesters would be dead.
Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Looks like United States marines were deployed to smack down this 2-bit demonstration... right :roll:
CsG