1893, when a small-business owner named Jacob Coxey shook up the nation.

Organized a march on washington DC During the "Panic" years Known now as a depression.

He never made it because Federal Troops awaited him and he was arrested on the steps of the Capital Building for tresspassing.

50 years later to the day that Coxey was arrested on the steps of Capitol Hill, 90-year old Jacob S. Coxey returned to Washington to give the speech that had been cut short by soldiers in 1894.

The First paragraph of his speech:

"The Constitution of the United States guarantees to all citizens the right to peaceably assemble and petition for redress of grievances, and furthermore declares that the right of free speech shall not be abridged".
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Now, I got to say I don't like the fact that the Vietnam Memorial is being used as a back drop for the upcoming anti war protest I think its very distasteful and even disrespectful.

But for me, IM between a rock and a hard place on this thing. On one hand I don't want to see the Vietnam Memorial used as a political tool, But on the other hand I don't want to see anyone tampering with that first paragraph of Coxleys Speech. That single paragraph is one of the things that has seperated us from many other Countries for years and years.

Its all a big dilemma for me.
jinks..

it is a dilemma jinks...and I really don't understand why these people have to use the VN memorial for their protest...that to me, is close to inciting riot......but however you stand on the issue, let's hope that it all stays peaceful...from what I've been reading though, it doesn't look promising...and if there is violence, guess where the fault is gonna lie...it's gonna come down on the Nam vets...guarantee it...lefty

My guess is their using the Vietnam Wall because they knew the response of the whole thing would bring even more exposure to their cause. Now even if its just a thousand protesters that show combined with the others it will look like Millions showed up. The more Noise nomatter what kind of noise the better.

I don't think you can even compare the protesters of now with the ones of the 60s. In the 60s they showed up on foot with bed rolls on their backs and slept on the ground. The new ones show up in SUVs with Tennis Rackets in the trunks and sleep at the Holiday Inns for crap sakes!

They have pulled Demonstration permits and posted names that will be held responsable for any damages that might occure. I hope that the ones that are attending on the other side did the same. I believe that the Iraqi Veterans Against the war will be there. Now, won't that be a sight if something happens, something said and the two Veterans Groups beat the Crap out of each other.

Not to Mention the DC Police. They been trained and advised for this sort of thing by the LAPD. LAPDs motto, Spot a Trouble maker and then make him or her an example. Tends to make the others think.

I think I'll just go Fishing.
jinks...

You said it all, Jinks. I stepped up and swore to protect and defend the Constitution - which means giving every single American their rights, whether I like them or not.

NOTHING, no matter how dear it may be to us individually, justifies violating that oath that we all took.

It is especially important when times or hard or our emotions are high just exactly what it means to be American.

a pro war rally be held at the old World Trade Center?
The guestspeakers could be some of the families who's love ones didn't make it out. No matter what, there's a bad moon arising, again.

that back in the day, they had a chance of being drafted. That's why Jane can't get the college crowd involved and has to get left-wing wackos, radical feminists and queers...because the college kids don't have to worry about having to fight...other young Americans will do it for them.

The issue of free speech shouldn’t be a dilemma at all. It is what it is but I do have a problem with the protestors and the group organizing the counter demonstration, “Gathering of Eagles”. If you read the text of the web site very carefully you can see that it’s a right wing organization and I’m afraid that they are just using the VN Vet as a pawn in their political agenda under the guise of patriotism which is just as bad as Fonda and like ilk using The Wall as a symbolic rallying point. To me The Wall is sacred ground and both sides are wrong.

Pro-War Rally? I have a hard time imagining anybody other than a bunch of chicken-hawks who only get excited about seeing other people shed their blood being pro-war.

And if you are talking specifically about Iraq, why have it at the World Trade Center? What has 9/11 got to do with the Iraq boondoggle? Other than the neo-cons using 9/11 as excuse for their social science experiment in reshaping the middle east, I mean?

I don't like them holding this other silliness at the Viet Nam memorial - but at least I can see the connection. Viet Nam, like Iraq, was a war where America lost thousands of its citizens for no particular reason.

Jack, I respect your views and I can see where you are coming from. It bothers me a bit that the way 9-11 is played down, maybe the U.S. should have done the same about the attack on Dec.7,1941 (I have nothing against rice).
As for the "wall" I like so many others donated money for the building of the "wall" as a place to respect and honor our brothers/sisters not as a kickoff place to belittle the troops now in the military.
What gave me the right to post this? The troopers who fought for in the past.
As for been a "war hawk" nobody hates war more the a person who has been in combat. It seem like the real "warhawks" are the one that likes to have their pictures took in a very safe place while sitting on a "AA" gun or write babybooks.
You guys can put me down if you like but first why not walk a mile in my shoes.
Sorry, didn't mean to make it so long and I'm sure I'll catch some heat from it. Brothers then, Brothers now.

Actually, I don't think that you understand MY position. I have absolutely NEVER said anything against striking back at the people who attacked us on 9/11. Indeed, much of my anger at the current fool who is pretending to be a president of the U.S. stems from his turning his back on those people and allowing them to go free. Rumsfeld, Cheney and Shrub literally turned their backs and let the Afghanis turn Bin Laden loose - and they have allowed him to remain loose for more than three years. There is no excuse for that - period.

The other primary reason for my anger with the assholes currently running the country is that INSTEAD of going after the people who attacked us, they decided to use the 9/11 attack as an excuse to try to restructure the Middle East into a more Israel and West friendly place by overthrowing a pissant dictator - oh, and also as a chance to make a shitpot full of their friends even richer in the process.

It was such an incredibly naive and stupid thing to do. These days, everybody plays along with the lies and pretends that nobody could see how Iraq would sink into the swamp that it has become - but that is pure BS. Nearly every experienced military man willing to talk predicted what happened.

Now, we have been tied up in that crap for longer than it took us to defeat the Germans, the Japanese and all of their allies - Iraq has lasted longer than WWII. Our military is warned down to a nub and their equipment is worn out. All because a bunch of chicken hawks who hid when the war of their generation wanted to send other people's kids out to die in the name of their social science project in the desert.

Yes, I hate Bush - see the above reasons. I wasn't born hating the shitheel, he earned it full out.

And I do not need to walk a mile in your shoes, friend. I have shoes of my own and I have walked my own miles.