Bread and Circuses, 9/11 Style

August 10, 2005 1:52 PM

You can't make this stuff up: Rumsfeld announces that the Bush administration is planning to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with an "America Supports You freedom walk" from the Pentagon saluting the troops deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, followed by a show by "country music superstar" Clint Black at the National Mall. (Not to imply that Saddam Hussein had anything to do with 9/11 or anything...)
posted by digaman (136 comments total)

The terrorists have won. Hands down.
posted by wendell at 1:56 PM on August 10, 2005

I wrote to the Department of Defense this morning asking them to tell me how much money the Pentagon is devoting to this nonsense, and why that money isn't being used to properly equip the troops in Iraq or support the veterans returning with PTSD and other medical issues.

Appalling.
posted by dlugoczaj at 1:59 PM on August 10, 2005

It the walk culminates with Bush committing ritual suicide at Ground Zero then I'm all for it. Otherwise, this is (yet another) shameless attempt to link Saddam and 9/11 and hope that people don't forget that 9/11 was perpetrated by Osama bin Laden, who's still at large. Still, four years later, the greatest military force on the planet can't hunt down and capture/kill one guy. I am and continue to be unimpressed.

And if they are walking so that all of the outraged Americans can pelt Rummy and Dick and Bush with rotten tomatoes then I'll for it too. Or, better yet, it would be awesome to have the parade route lined with people that all, at a signal, turned their backs on them, the politicians, not the soldiers.

The gall of these asshats is impressive. But I know I won't be spending my 36th birthday anywhere near any of these bozos.
posted by fenriq at 1:59 PM on August 10, 2005

Way to piss off damned near everyone, Rumbo.
posted by leftcoastbob at 1:59 PM on August 10, 2005

No way - this is a hoax. I swear, they aren't stupid enough to think this won't make them into laughingstocks.
posted by docpops at 2:03 PM on August 10, 2005

how quickly we go from solemn ceremonies and quiet memorials to parades and country music fun.
posted by brucec at 2:05 PM on August 10, 2005

All these treasonous liberal wet blankets! I'm sure it's a completely sincere tribute that just happens to fall on the same day that those Iraqis bad, bad men flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
posted by digaman at 2:09 PM on August 10, 2005

It's a hoax.
posted by Dean Keaton at 2:10 PM on August 10, 2005

Weird: the Washington Post is listed as a "supporter" of the event.
posted by brain_drain at 2:10 PM on August 10, 2005

Now look, there is no proof that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 in terms of planning or funding the attacks, but you know he was psyched, really really psyched that it happened. Which cannot stand. I've also heard that country music superstar Clint Black gives Osama the heebeejeebees because of his "fucking rubbery ass face" so a net win I think. You guys don't have to hate America 24 hours a day do you? I've also heard from several disabled, traumatized and unemployable vets that they would prefer a parade that would "lift the spirits of Americans who can't possible understand the joy of losing a leg for the USA" to medical care or anything else. Well one guy said he would rather a 24/7 morphine/ecstasy drip and a coupon for 17 slow mineral oil handjobs from that one filipino nurse than a parade in his honor, but he had a swarthy-koranic look. Our Boys, Our Boys.
posted by Divine_Wino at 2:11 PM on August 10, 2005

The official press release.
posted by digaman at 2:12 PM on August 10, 2005

As you were saying, Dean?
posted by digaman at 2:13 PM on August 10, 2005

Hmmm...I wonder if they'll let me march with my "No Blood for Oil" shirt on. Anyone want to come with?
posted by footnote at 2:13 PM on August 10, 2005

Does the heart logo remind anyone else of the zipper scene from "There's Something About Mary"?
posted by brain_drain at 2:17 PM on August 10, 2005

Read about it yesterday, it's no hoax. Perhaps they can fly a plane into the Washington monument? That would be spectacular.
posted by fungible at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2005

I just threw up a little, in my mouth.
posted by mosch at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2005

"Freedom costs a buck o' five..."
posted by BobFrapples at 2:19 PM on August 10, 2005

I wasn't offended until I saw they were playing country music. Now I'm pissed! (We all know who listens to country music...)

/me working on picking up on the LeFi cues
posted by dios at 2:19 PM on August 10, 2005

The way these scum (Bush, Rumsfeld and friends) claim to "Support the Troops", while laughingly sending them off to die ("bring 'em on" as Bush said about attacks on US troops), is continually surprising to me.

Really, it surprises me every time.

How can people be so utterly dishonest? As soon as we've seen how evil these people are, it seems our minds straightaway forget again, as though we're physically unable to maintain the memory of such blatant evil; and then, they do something else, like this, that surprises us yet again.

I imagine it's a bit like the continual surprise all the recent amputees must feel, every time they look at their stumps. I mean all the recently injured US troops, the ones with fewer legs and arms than they had before Bush sent them off to Iraq, whose numbers don't seem to figure in the media too much, for some reason.

I hope some of them turn up to join in Rummy's little festival. I'd like to see them up front on Fox News more often, too. Support our troops. Indeed.
posted by cleardawn at 2:20 PM on August 10, 2005

Let's take back 9/11. Here's what I propose: On September 11, everyone should bring a plate of cookies to their local firehouse. Let's turn the day into a day of thanks to all the people who step out on a limb or do a dirty job no one else wants. Say thank you to EMS and sanitation workers. Thank a cop or a fireman. Hell, you can even be nice to your waiter. It's just a thought.
posted by MotherTucker at 2:24 PM on August 10, 2005

If this thread turns into a discussion of country music, it will be the third time TODAY that trolldios has succeeded in changing the subject of a MeFi thread. The terrorist has won.
posted by wendell at 2:24 PM on August 10, 2005

dios: you know that the outrage is over a continued false link between 9/11 and Iraq.

But if you want to be obstinate, argumentative and trollish, feel free. It's impossible to get banned from MeFi for trolling under the right-wing umbrella.
posted by mosch at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2005

Rhetorical question: is there anything... no matter how benign.... that this Administration could do that wouldn't create outrage from some people on this website?

Pissed because not going to the funeral services of soliders... pissed because throwing a march to support the soliders... pissed because trying to recruit new soliders... pissed because soliders aren't getting rotated off fast enough.... pissed because he isn't pulling troops out.... pissed when it breaks that the troops are coming out...
posted by dios at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2005

If this is an attempt to rally public support for the war, it's pretty ham-fisted, isn't it?
posted by mr_roboto at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2005

I listen to country music dios, Clint Black is about as country as a soundscan ranking. Try harder.
posted by Divine_Wino at 2:26 PM on August 10, 2005

mosch, you are a smart guy. You know damn well that the allusion to Clint Black... a country singer... is a cue.
posted by dios at 2:26 PM on August 10, 2005

Here's a little number to get those teenage vets dancin' out of their wheelchairs to head back over there and kick some more raghead ass!


YOU CAN WAVE YOUR SIGNS IN PROTEST
AGAINST AMERICA TAKING STANDS
THE STANDS AMERICA'S TAKEN
ARE THE REASON THAT YOU CAN

IF EVERYONE WOULD GO FOR PEACE
THERE'D BE NO NEED FOR WAR
BUT WE CAN'T IGNORE THE DEVIL
HE'LL KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE

SOME SEE THIS IN BLACK AND WHITE
OTHERS ONLY GRAY
WE'RE NOT BEGGING FOR A FIGHT
NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY

WE HAVE THE RESOLUTION
THAT SHOULD PUT'EM ALL TO SHAME
BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF DEADLINE
WHEN I'M CALLED IN THE GAME

CHORUS
I RAQ, I RACK'EM UP AND I ROLL
I'M BACK AND I'M A HIGH TECH GI JOE
I PRAY FOR PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR
AND I NEVER WILL FORGET
THERE'S NO PRICE TOO HIGH FOR FREEDOM
SO BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU TREAD

THIS TERROR ISN'T MAN TO MAN
THEY CAN BE NO MORE THAN COWARDS
IF THEY WON'T SHOW US THEIR WEAPONS
WE MIGHT HAVE TO SHOW THEM OURS

IT MIGHT BE A SMART BOMB
THEY FIND STUPID PEOPLE TOO
AND IF YOU STAND WITH THE LIKES OF SADDAM
ONE JUST MIIGHT FIND YOU

CHORUS II
I ROCK, I RACK'EM UP AND I ROLL
I'M BACK AND I'M A HIGH TECH GI JOE
I'VE GOT INFRARED, I'VE GOT GPS AND I'VE GOT THAT GOOD OLD FASHIONED LEAD
THERE'S NO PRICE TOO HIGH FOR FREEDOM
SO BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU TREAD

BRIDGE
NOW YOU CAN COME ALONG
OR YOU CAN STAY BEHIND
OR YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE WAY
BUT OUR TROOPS TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE
FOR THE GOOD OLD U.S.A.


I ROCK, I RACK'EM UP AND I ROLL
IN THE USA
I ROCK, I RACK'EM UP AND I ROLL
I'M TALKIN' ABOUT THE USA


-- "I Raq and Roll," Clint Black [mp3 link]
posted by digaman at 2:26 PM on August 10, 2005

I'm with MotherTucker. Surely somebody can come up with a counter-event for 9/11 that the rest of us can get behind.
posted by wendell at 2:28 PM on August 10, 2005

If they did something benign, I wouldn't be outraged, they're the very model of a modern mega-malignancy.
posted by Divine_Wino at 2:28 PM on August 10, 2005

C'mon guys, unzip your hearts and walk for freedom!
posted by cog_nate at 2:28 PM on August 10, 2005

I'm not trolling by asking these questions---I am being serious. I am trying to figure out why people would get pissed off at a walk that is intended to show support for our troops. There is no good reason to be angry about an attempt to show solidarity and support for people who lives are on the line. If you don't agree with them being over there, fine. But to be angry over the attempts at others to show support is nonsensical.
posted by dios at 2:28 PM on August 10, 2005

This kind of jingoistic bullshit is precisely why I want to be able to decide where my tax dollars are spent.

I'd happily spend the extra few days it would take to fill out the forms specifying exactly where.

Donald Rumsfeld is doing his part to make America suck more every day.
posted by wakko at 2:29 PM on August 10, 2005

dios writes "Rhetorical question: is there anything... no matter how benign.... that this Administration could do that wouldn't create outrage from some people on this website? "

Catch Osama bin Laden.




Remember him?
posted by mr_roboto at 2:29 PM on August 10, 2005

I am trying to figure out why people would get pissed off at a walk that is intended to show support for our troops

The fact that is being done with taxpayer money in a time of budget deficits and record defense spending, for one. Also, it reeks of propaganda in the worst possible way.
posted by Dr_Johnson at 2:31 PM on August 10, 2005

Subway is one of their sponsors. I informed them earlier today that I'll no longer be patronizing their establishments. Lockheed Martin is a sponsor also, though I'm not quite sure how avoid that one.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 2:32 PM on August 10, 2005

I'm really quite serious. I hate the way 9/11 has become National Terror Day. We're giving up all our power to the government by allowing them to keep reminding us of something we NEVER will forget anyway.

When I walk past a firestation, I almost feel the way I used to when passing a church. It is a holy place. Those men and women died just doing their job. Let's thank 'em again and again.
posted by MotherTucker at 2:33 PM on August 10, 2005

It's a WALK! How much does a WALK cost. And it has corporate sponsors. And I bet Clint Black is playing for free (or a small fee).
posted by dios at 2:34 PM on August 10, 2005

But to be angry over the attempts at others to show support is nonsensical.

That's a pretty red herring.

I (and, I am certain, everyone else here) have no problem with a march in support of our troops. But, holding it on the fourth anniversary of 9/11 seems more than a little shady, given that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. It's out of place and will only give people the wrong idea, serving only to further equate what should be two separate and distinct concepts.
posted by wakko at 2:34 PM on August 10, 2005

Lockheed Martin is a sponsor also, though I'm not quite sure how avoid that one

I for one have decided not to buy planes.
posted by Dr_Johnson at 2:34 PM on August 10, 2005

And I'm looking into alternate sources for my cruise missles!
posted by mr_roboto at 2:35 PM on August 10, 2005

Dios, I know you're being intentionally thick-headed, because I actually read all your posts, but I'll try to explain this to you very patiently. The reason why this upsets some people is because they believe that our troops were sent to Iraq under false premises (WMDs and a connection to 9/11 are the two most flagrant), which means that a bunch of great American kids -- who I have visited at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, recently returned from Iraq with missing limbs and brain injuries -- are making heroic sacrifices for a government that doesn't deserve it. Thus, protesting this particular war -- and making sure that an administration this morally bankrupt never gets into office again -- may be the most patriotic, most respectful-of-the-troops thing you could possibly do.
posted by digaman at 2:37 PM on August 10, 2005

Wonkette's take on it. . .
posted by Danf at 2:38 PM on August 10, 2005

dios, read this slowly. Saddam Hussein did not have anything to do with 9/11. Having a walk on 9/11 to honor the soldiers dying in Iraq is attempting, yet again, to connect 9/11 with Saddam Hussein.

9/11 was not about Iraq, it has never been about Iraq.

This is such an ugly and blatant attempt to smear a tragedy with more lies because, apparently, Bush either can't or won't catch bin Laden (I'm leaning towards won't because he's such good business friends with bin Laden's family).

That you refuse to see the mockery that this is tells me you're either intentionally being obtuse or have your head so far up the administration's ass to think this shit smells like roses.
posted by fenriq at 2:39 PM on August 10, 2005

By the way, I really like the idea of doing something for the local firehouse on 9/11. Maybe something for the local police station as well.
posted by fenriq at 2:40 PM on August 10, 2005

And I bet Clint Black is playing for free (or a small fee).

The majority of Americans now believe that it was a mistake to go into Iraq. Given that, how is Clint Black's jingoistic drivel above anything other than one giant troll? I'm only asking you because of your expertise.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2005

...which means that a bunch of great American kids -- who I have visited at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, recently returned from Iraq with missing limbs and brain injuries -- are making heroic sacrifices for a government that doesn't deserve it. Thus, protesting this particular war

Fucking dig it, digaman. My sister's ex-boyfriend just got hisself blown up over there and he's getting all the carepackages and visits and moral support that my entire lefty till death AMERICAN PATRIOT family can sustain. And the people who sent him there to lose his legs are getting all the venom and activism and prayers for their eventual imprisonment that my lefty till death AMERICAN PATRIOT family can sustain.
posted by Divine_Wino at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2005

Subway is one of their sponsors. I informed them earlier today that I'll no longer be patronizing their establishments.

People actually eat at Subway?
posted by showmethecalvino at 2:43 PM on August 10, 2005

It's a WALK! How much does a WALK cost

O.K., let's pass the costs. I personally get suspicious of a rally held on 9/11 that is all about supporting troops in Iraq. This seems like a sneaky way of reenforcing a questionable line of argument used by this administration as a rationale for military action. because it commemorates victims at the same time it praises the administration's current strategy, it doesn't allow for reasoned differences of opinion (because attacking the administration's rationale gets equated with attacking the troops, as well as the victims of the Trade Center bombings). This therefore has all the markings of propaganda: state-sanctioned (and funded) publication of a particular ideological position.
posted by Dr_Johnson at 2:43 PM on August 10, 2005

I for one have decided not to buy planes.

That I can easily avoid, Dr_Johnson, it's the ones I already have that I don't know what to do with.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 2:44 PM on August 10, 2005

Dios, the reason this particular act is obscene is because it is:

(a) another attempt to fool the dumber 50% of Americans into believing that there is some link between 9/11 and Iraq.

(b) another attempt to make Rummy and friends look tough and military, while ignoring the fact that they sit on their fat comfortable asses and send other people's children off to die

(c) an attempt to celebrate US state terrorism and the deaths of thousands of people - something that should, most people would feel, be mourned, not celebrated, though perhaps you are really, seriously, senseless enough not to see that.

... there are probably more, but that will do for now. What would it take for you, Dios, to accept that Bush and Rumsfeld are war criminals and crooks? What would they have to do before you would accept and admit that obvious truth?
posted by cleardawn at 2:45 PM on August 10, 2005

I am trying to figure out why people would get pissed off at a walk that is intended to show support for our troops.

You're not stupid enough to believe that the primary goal is to show support for the troops. The real point is propaganda -- it's for the people at home, not the people in Iraq. Now, in and of itself, there's nothing wrong with *that*, either, except that this Administration has done no shortage of things that show how little they really do care about the troops. Insufficient equipment and slashing of veterans' benefits are just the tip of that iceberg.
posted by Slothrup at 2:45 PM on August 10, 2005

Subway is one of their sponsors. I informed them earlier today that I'll no longer be patronizing their establishments. Lockheed Martin is a sponsor also, though I'm not quite sure how avoid that one.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 2:32 PM PST on August 10 [!]

That's easy, buy your missile systems elsewhere. I know I will.
posted by substrate at 2:46 PM on August 10, 2005

fenriq, yep, firestation, policestation, EMS workers, sanitation workers. Let's bring them a plate of cookies.
posted by MotherTucker at 2:48 PM on August 10, 2005

This walk is pathetic... as is Clint Black.

But I guaran-fucking-tee you they will eat this shit up in the "Heartland".
posted by BobFrapples at 2:50 PM on August 10, 2005

Lockheed Martin is a sponsor also, though I'm not quite sure how avoid that one.

There's an SR-71 on display in St. Paul, and I'm totally going to sneak over and spray-paint "lemon" all over it. That'll show 'em.
posted by COBRA! at 2:51 PM on August 10, 2005

fenriq, MotherTucker, I will be there with cookies, but I still think somebody ought to start organizing something to directly counter the March of a Few Thousand Cynical Asshats. After all, it's just a WALK. Like the ones they call out the riot police for...
posted by wendell at 2:53 PM on August 10, 2005

But I guaran-fucking-tee you they will eat this shit up in the "Heartland".

I wouldn't count on it. People are pretty good at smelling desperation.

This event smacks of "jumping the shark" to me.
posted by Slothrup at 2:55 PM on August 10, 2005

Freedom costs a buck o' five.
posted by Rothko at 2:56 PM on August 10, 2005

Freedom is on the _____.
a. stroll
b. saunter
c. amble
d. promenade
posted by gigawhat? at 2:56 PM on August 10, 2005

But I guaran-fucking-tee you they will eat this shit up in the "Heartland".

Hi, Missouri here. There's a lot of us quite full of their shit at this point.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 2:57 PM on August 10, 2005

But I guaran-fucking-tee you they will eat this shit up in the "Heartland".


Let me amend my previous statement...

...IF they also happen to be wearing an embroidered or puffy paint sweatshirt with a Teddy Bear/Kitty Kat/American Flag on it.
posted by BobFrapples at 3:01 PM on August 10, 2005

I'm leaning towards won't because he's such good business friends with bin Laden's family

Whoa now, I was with you until here. Bush's impotence in capturing ObL has nothing to do with the supposed family connection. Bringing in ObL would require pissing off the warlords in Northern Pakistan (where he is camped out) and thereby bringing down the tenuous regime there. Let's just get that sorted out before our tin foil hats get too tight!
posted by Pollomacho at 3:01 PM on August 10, 2005

Jesu Christo, tu padre es un mejor ...h.le...
posted by Finder at 3:03 PM on August 10, 2005

The government will turn any walk, march, etc. into a police action, looked over by swat-team-outfitted, machine gun toting national guardsmen. Ignore the fuckers. They've been getting far too much attention for far too long.

Bake a plate of cookies. Kiss a sanitation worker. Bring a bouquet of flowers to the police station. We have to get back our humanity someway.
posted by MotherTucker at 3:03 PM on August 10, 2005

Slothrup, you have more faith than many of us, myself included, in the heartland. I would love to be proven wrong but I have little expectation that those in the middle states can see beyond the stream of lies.

Marvinthecat, good to hear! Let's hear more of it!

Pollomacho, his business ties with the bin Laden family are well known, he allowed 30 odd members of the family to leave the US after 9/11 without even interviewing them. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it is just incompetence but I wouldn't bet against it.

And its not a tin foil hat issue, this is publicly known business dealing with the Carlyle Group in Saudi Arabia and with the bin Ladens.
posted by fenriq at 3:06 PM on August 10, 2005

i just called the number at the bottom of the DOD web site and spoke with a very nice man. He seemed to be quite baffled about it as well, but being that he was sitting in the Pentagon, he couldn't say much, tho he started by saying "I am glad you called. I was nodding off to sleep".

anyway, i think these cats have mistaken themselves for comic book super heros.
posted by tarantula at 3:07 PM on August 10, 2005

I agree with MotherTucker's sentiment.

However.

I get the feeling that if enough of the wonderful reactionaries (on the left) get wind of this, they will probably try and organize some kind of counter-march, what-have-you. And of course, the left is very good at attracting the fun-pigs. And all fun-pigs need is for someone to start to FSU and it will be a party. I can't wait for that one. I love a good riot (provided I'm a) not caught in front of the police line b) not getting pummelled by a mob of idiots c) watching from a safe distance and upwind from the whole deal when the tear gas cannisters start popping).
posted by daq at 3:08 PM on August 10, 2005

You know damn well that the allusion to Clint Black... a country singer... is a cue.

well, it sure reads that way in the DOD press release:

"At the conclusion of the walk, participants will be invited to a concert by country music singer and songwriter Clint Black."

sounds like a pretty clear cue to me. as in, cue dumbfuck lemmings to march in support of a lie.

are you still having problems" trying to figure out why people would get pissed off at a walk?" that was pretty funny. can you do that again?

don't change a thing. you really enrich this place. and i know you enjoy it.
posted by 3.2.3 at 3:09 PM on August 10, 2005

So let me get this straight: We get our cheesy, exploitative, overcommercialized Super Bowl halftime special twice this year?

Oh, I'm in heaven.
posted by fungible at 3:09 PM on August 10, 2005

It's a WALK! How much does a WALK cost

somebody (aka you and I) has to pay for everyone's transportation, security, food, and entertainment (Clint Black may be playing for free (which I doubt), but what about his sound and stage techs?). there's probably going to be a few compensated speakers with corresponding compensated "supporters." the fact that it's outdoors doesn't necessarily make it any cheaper than a rented building.

although, it's all chump change compared to the money we've stuffed into garbage bags and burned in Iraq.
posted by mcsweetie at 3:10 PM on August 10, 2005

how much does a $100 hammer cost?
posted by Satapher at 3:12 PM on August 10, 2005

It'd be nice to have a counter march though... Or at least a bomb threat called in (use a payphone) so that their options are to cancel it or march with super-heavy security (thus making them look all extra fascist).
But then again, America loves the look of fascism...
posted by klangklangston at 3:13 PM on August 10, 2005

Someone should read this out loud at the "walk":

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.

Kudos to George Washington.
posted by caporal at 3:39 PM on August 10, 2005

Klang why are you suggesting someone call in a bomb threat? To put down America?
posted by parallax7d at 3:41 PM on August 10, 2005

Freedom on the Mosey.

I wonder how many gallons of pepper spray, tazers, and rubber bullets they plan on bringing to this propaganda fest?
And who is taking bets that they get used?
posted by Balisong at 3:44 PM on August 10, 2005

The problem with the term "support our troops" is that - just like pretty much every other term used in the Iraq/Afghanistan discussions that take place on TV and in the blogosphere - it doesn't actually have a definition.

I mean, seriously. Let's say that I want to "support our troops". What's the first thing I should do? Send them some cookies? Send them some armor? Write them a letter of grattitude each time they kill an Iraqi? Write to Congress, demanding more money be spent on treating injured vets? Carry a sign in an anti-war protest? Write letters to the editor arguing that the invasion of Iraq is necessary to protect our freedom? Give money to the GOP? Spend an hour each day online belittling and sneering at anti-war activists? Because almost every single one of these actions has been carried out by someone who says they are "supporting our troops."
posted by Clay201 at 3:45 PM on August 10, 2005

It'd be nice to have a counter march though...

And here's what I most sincerely would like to see: People marching, dressed not in colorful costumes or pounding drums, but in formal clothing, especially suits -- sober dark ones, like the Mattachine Society used to wear to protest for gay civil rights. No cartoons, no obscene anti-Bush slogans, just black and white signs that show support for the military by doing what digaman and others upthread have done -- linking their deaths to the malignant government policies that caused them. No screaming, no yelling -- just line after line of silent people holding well-written signs that do all the speaking for them.

Think of the power of that image: A large group of somberly dressed Americans gathered together with enough discipline to make sure the day isn't about them and how colorfully they can express themselves, who conduct themselves with the sorrow and dignity associated with funerals. Because that's what this rally purports to do -- hold a political jamboree on the graves of the 9/11 dead, the war dead. There is no way to respond in kind without contributing to the horror of it.
posted by melissa may at 3:46 PM on August 10, 2005

melissa may: well said.
posted by elwoodwiles at 4:00 PM on August 10, 2005

I mean, seriously. Let's say that I want to "support our troops". What's the first thing I should do? Send them some cookies? Send them some armor?

I support the troops every two weeks when the government takes a chunk out of my paycheck for taxes.
posted by pieoverdone at 4:03 PM on August 10, 2005

I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. is down! I repeat, we have no I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.!
posted by fire&wings at 4:07 PM on August 10, 2005

Oh, now that it's clear what folks objections are, dios is nowhere to be seen.

Colour me surprised.
posted by dash_slot- at 4:07 PM on August 10, 2005

Operatoin Cake Walk.
posted by NewBornHippy at 4:08 PM on August 10, 2005

Now look, there is no proof that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 in terms of planning or funding the attacks, but you know he was psyched, really really psyched that it happened.

Maybe you know something we don't?

This event smacks of "jumping the shark" to me

Indeed. If it weren't for all the money they've apparently spent on it, I'd bet they cancel it.

They also shouldn't have called it the American Supports You Freedom Walk. It looks like a typo (Your for You).

line after line of silent people holding well-written signs that do all the speaking for them

That's a terrific idea, melissa may, but only government-approved signs will be allowed. It is nice of them to arrange a protest march for us, however.
posted by mrgrimm at 4:11 PM on August 10, 2005

this is a wonderful idea. ....cause really - 9/11 should be about public servants and their heroism that day.

dios - the problem isn't the price of the walk. It just reeks of frenzied patriotism literally orchestrated by the government - which is plus ungood.
posted by Tryptophan-5ht at 4:14 PM on August 10, 2005

melissa may: I'm in. Let's do this thing.
posted by 235w103 at 4:18 PM on August 10, 2005

Anybody else think "America Supports You Freedom Walk" looks like somebody forgot to type an "r"?
posted by designbot at 4:19 PM on August 10, 2005

now that theres a circus , all i need is some bread .
posted by mishaco at 4:21 PM on August 10, 2005

Melissa May: My wife and I would fly up from St. Louis to take part in something like what you describe. I've never organized anything larger than a game of euchre in my life though. How could we, and by we I mean any MeFite who cares and anybody else, get this thing going?

Question for the general population: not to derail, but I was in Washington in the summer of 2002, and the jersey barriers surrounding everything made me indescribably sad. Is it still that way, or have they integrated more aesthetically pleasing security measures yet? I realize it can never go back to how it was.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 4:31 PM on August 10, 2005

So this is a hoax right???.... right?
posted by DougieZero1982 at 4:41 PM on August 10, 2005

Well MarvinTheCat, we're in the same boat. I've never organized anything political that was as successful as my grandma's bridge club.

I would imagine something like what I described best taking place in NYC -- perhaps with everyone bringing baskets of cookies for the firehouses and police stations for afterwards, because MotherTrucker's idea is too excellent to waste.

If it can be organized, I'll do my utmost to fly in from KS in my most respectable dress and participate. How to convince the people who really love costuming and color is certainly tricky, too. I'd hate to show up scrubbed and pressed only to have the ladies who wear the missile bikinis shove us all out of the way for their close-ups.
posted by melissa may at 4:53 PM on August 10, 2005

I wonder where they'll put the Free Speech Zones for this one? Virginia or Maryland?

Probably more like Nashville and Syracuse.
posted by zoogleplex at 4:57 PM on August 10, 2005

melissa may, what you have described is similar to the strategy employed by mlk jr and the slcc (i may be butchering that initialization...).

they used to have rules for everyeone in their marches: you were to be well-groomed and wear your "sunday best," you did not confront the police and you did not engage in altercations with counter-protesters. anyone who couldn't follow those rules was asked not to participate.

i'd love to see a retrurn to that style of protesting instead of this "dude! i totally got shot with rubber bullets and threw some punches at the fucking pigs and screamed about how bush is totally like hitler!!!1111" attitude that mars too many anti-bush admin. movement events.
posted by lord_wolf at 5:00 PM on August 10, 2005

You probably thought "Support the Troops" had something to do with supporting the troops. It doesn't. It means "blindly support the president." It means "Fuck the Troops."

I support the troops. I support not sending them off to die for lies. I support giving them the (hopefully non-faulty) body armor and armored vehicles they need in an urban combat setting. (Why the fuck are the Marines telling people to buy their own body armor two years into a war? Why the fuck is there still a shortage of armored vehicles?) I support not trying to cut their health care during a war. I support not trying to cut their combat pay during a war. I support funding the Department of Veteran's Affairs. I oppose the president. I oppose the war. I support the troops.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:04 PM on August 10, 2005

Or at least a bomb threat called in (use a payphone) so that their options are to cancel it or march with super-heavy security (thus making them look all extra fascist).

This is actually a worse idea than the march itself; I didn't know that was possible. Thanks, klang.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 5:27 PM on August 10, 2005

Melissa May - I like the idea too. I'll be living in DC by then, so I'm happy to help coordinate (email in my profile). Everyone interested should probably preregister now.

The one problem is visibility -- we still need to make ourselves known beyond the somber clothes. I'm guessing they won't allow in any signs at all for safety reasons.
posted by footnote at 5:37 PM on August 10, 2005

Well, this is one way to try to shore up approval for the Iraq war. Link it 9/11 (again). Maybe they'll show a bunch of video clips with the flag and dust and dead people. What really concerns me is that this looks to be a blatant case of the Pentagon using propaganda to shore up support for a failed military operation. You've got realize just how bad things have gotten when the officers are on the streets asking people to support the war.
posted by nixerman at 5:37 PM on August 10, 2005

The one problem is visibility -- we still need to make ourselves known beyond the somber clothes. I'm guessing they won't allow in any signs at all for safety reasons.

That's exactly why it should be in NYC, where 9/11 happened, as opposed to DC, where 9/11 is being exploited.
posted by melissa may at 5:45 PM on August 10, 2005

I guarantee that this PR stunt will cost millions, corporate sponsorship aside, in terms of overtime for cops, EMS, capitol police, park police, etc. And guess what? Bush won't have the decency to pay for any of it--these little soirees are paid for by D.C. residents, very much against their will. In Dick Cheney's words, it's pretty much "Go fuck yourself" to the mostly Democratic, mostly black citizens of the district.
posted by bardic at 6:01 PM on August 10, 2005

If this thread turns into a discussion of country music, it will be the third time TODAY that trolldios has succeeded in changing the subject of a MeFi thread. The terrorist has won.

That's the insurgency, buddy . . .

I'm Takin My Country Back
(song by David Kent, performed by Tony Stampley, aka Honky Tonkers for Truth. See also here for the story of the song and check out the Music Row Democrats.

Check it out.
posted by realcountrymusic at 6:12 PM on August 10, 2005

Whoops, missed a tag. I meant: check out Music Row Democrats.
posted by realcountrymusic at 6:24 PM on August 10, 2005

I think people in the DC area should show up in droves with signs that read:

"9/11 has nothing to do with Iraq"

Are they going to limit our 'Freedom' to walk???
posted by kuatto at 6:35 PM on August 10, 2005

kuatto,

yes.



(but I'd be interested in the somber protest idea, if that becomes a thing)
posted by hackly_fracture at 6:57 PM on August 10, 2005

Ok, so I can't make it to a protest that day. How unethical does it sound if I say, volunteer (not register to walk, but volunteer to help out, say pass out T-shirt or something) as 500 people for the day or the march? I've got some time to kill now.
posted by Hactar at 7:22 PM on August 10, 2005

This doesn't float by boat, but doesn't sink it either. What's the big deal? I don't get it. Why are so many of you so....
posted by ParisParamus at 7:28 PM on August 10, 2005

SAY IT!!!!

"AN-TI-American".
posted by yhbc at 7:33 PM on August 10, 2005

TROLLING IN PROGRESS. DO NOT TAKE THE BAIT.
posted by I EAT TAPES at 8:09 PM on August 10, 2005

Good luck in getting a President elected you actually "don't hate." Probably not in your lifetime. Have you considered immigration?
posted by ParisParamus at 8:17 PM on August 10, 2005

I'd settle for a president I don't hate.
Why do we keep getting cocknoggins to run for the job?
posted by Balisong at 8:25 PM on August 10, 2005

dios is nowhere to be seen

Dios and I took our conversation offline, in fact to an ancient voice-to-voice device known as the telephone, and guess what? He's a good guy -- smart, earnest, and so forth. Believe me, I wouldn't have believed it either; allow me to make the friendly and understated suggestion that sometimes his own posts don't do him justice. Color me surprised. But yes, we had a very civil, humane, engaging, mutually enlightening conversation.

And he took the first step, so Thanks Dios.
posted by digaman at 9:04 PM on August 10, 2005

You only think our "cocknoggins" are worse than foreign "cocknoggins" because other countries' "cocknoggins" are relatively powerless. So you perceive them as more competent, when they're really just equally incompetent, only there power is trivial.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:27 PM on August 10, 2005

OK, let's cut the cocknoggin's power down a notch or four that he's gratuitously grabbed for himself over the past several years.
I probably wouldn't mind Bush as a powerless cocknoggin. I'd probably hardly give him a second thought.
posted by Balisong at 9:29 PM on August 10, 2005

seems a little late to offer, but i own "fixthewar.com" and "fixthewar.org" -- and would be happy to give the url up to anyone who can do something uniquely constructive with it.
posted by diastematic at 9:37 PM on August 10, 2005

...When reminded that Americans traditionally celebrate the sacrifices of their military with Memorial Day and Veterans' Day parades, Rumsfeld appeared genuinely puzzled. "But those parades are in May and November," he said, furrowing his brow "This one is on September 11th in a year where the President's Iraq War approval rating is in the 30s." ...
posted by amberglow at 9:53 PM on August 10, 2005

"cocknoggins".
posted by wakko at 10:24 PM on August 10, 2005

Dios and I took our conversation offline, in fact to an ancient voice-to-voice device known as the telephone, and guess what? ... we had a very civil, humane, engaging, mutually enlightening conversation.

And he took the first step, so Thanks Dios.

And this is for why I love the internets. Nice job.
posted by MarvinTheCat at 10:45 PM on August 10, 2005

Man Bikes to Raise Money for Troops
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:55 PM on August 10, 2005

This is a good thread. Here's a joke for melissa may's march:

A black man is going to get a vasectomy. He shows up to the doctor's office wearing a suit. The doctor says "Why are you wearing a suit?" The black man says "I just got back from a funeral"

Seriously though. Good idea. If I was a US citizen I'd be all over it. Go for it and get the meme on TV.
posted by anthill at 1:00 AM on August 11, 2005

You only think our "cocknoggins" are worse than foreign "cocknoggins" because other countries' "cocknoggins" are relatively powerless. So you perceive them as more competent, when they're really just equally incompetent, only there power is trivial.

You're right in general, Paris, lots of people do think that. Congratulations for having a better government than some countries, like Russia. Now is it too unreasonable to hold the US government to a higher standard?

Hell, I'm Canadian and I expect better of your country and citizens.
posted by anthill at 1:04 AM on August 11, 2005

said wendell: Surely somebody can come up with a counter-event for 9/11 that the rest of us can get behind.

I'm going to attend the march, wrap myself in an American flag, and sit in a vat of lemon Jello.
posted by fandango_matt at 3:34 AM on August 11, 2005

Dios and I took our conversation offline, in fact to an ancient voice-to-voice device known as the telephone, and guess what? He's a good guy -- smart, earnest, and so forth. Believe me, I wouldn't have believed it either; allow me to make the friendly and understated suggestion that sometimes his own posts don't do him justice. Color me surprised. But yes, we had a very civil, humane, engaging, mutually enlightening conversation.

And he took the first step, so Thanks Dios.
posted by digaman at 9:04 PM PST on August 10

Let me also say that digaman was not nearly the ultra-rightwing conservative fascistic extremist he appears to be here on Metafilter Rather I think his kind words above were describing him in spades. However, digaman, you left out the part about the phone sex. The sweet, sweet phone sex.

Other people should feel free to contact me to confirm their suspicion that digaman must have been drunk.

Thanks, as well.
posted by dios at 9:39 AM on August 11, 2005

Geez, can you feel the love in this thread?

It's kinda sticky.
posted by Floydd at 10:12 AM on August 11, 2005

It would be really nice if people here were to finally realize that dios is quite smart and presents an usually intelligent counterpoint view on topics that are worth considering. He is not a useless PP/Shouting/etc type.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:15 AM on August 11, 2005

"I've never heard of such a thing," said John Pike, who has been a defense analyst in Washington for 25 years and runs GlobalSecurity.org.

He has never heard of such a thing because this isn't American. In America we don't have parades to drum up government support by glorifying war and death. That is something they did in the old Soviet Union, and that is exactly how I am picturing this event: Soldiers goose stepping in uniforms through the streets of the nation's capitol waving banners and flags proclaiming how Glorious is the Mother Country! Death to all Traitors! Long Live our Heroic Leader!
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:17 AM on August 11, 2005

five fresh fish, that's just the thing. I know dios is bright and well capable of an articulate argument. That's why the pseudo-trollish comments are so much more grating, I know he's capable of much better.

dios, thank goodness digaman recorded the phone sex and posted it here with the happy finish.
posted by fenriq at 10:34 AM on August 11, 2005

Exactly, Secret. (altho i'm betting this gets cancelled--a concert and parade celebrating 9/11 and our dead troops? Not going to happen)
posted by amberglow at 10:43 AM on August 11, 2005

MotherTucker's idea way up high is wonderful--turn it into a day to honor those in our communities who save us each day.
posted by amberglow at 10:46 AM on August 11, 2005

Dios and I took our conversation offline, in fact to an ancient voice-to-voice device known as the telephone, and guess what? He's a good guy -- smart, earnest, and so forth.

He is not a useless PP/Shouting/etc type.

Well shoot, now we're going to have to summon Bevets instead.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:54 AM on August 11, 2005

Rather more North Korean in flavour, not Soviet, IMO. Dear Leader just loves to march his soldiers up and down the square.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:14 PM on August 11, 2005

The troops being "supported" are in a desert half a world away, and won't even be aware that there is a party being thrown in their honor. This will be about as useful to them as sticking a magnet on your car with a slogan on it.
posted by Jatayu das at 12:59 PM on August 11, 2005

WaPo on another event coming to DC, including Thievery Corporation, Le Tigre, Steve Earle, and others.

Politics aside, this is going to sound a lot better than Rummie's propoganda-fest.
posted by bardic at 4:41 PM on August 11, 2005

I can't wait to call dios for raunchy phone sex!! RAUNCHY PHONE SEX!

I'm gonna wear my special chaps!
posted by Balisong at 7:08 PM on August 11, 2005

Carpetbagger: How 'free' will our 'Freedom Walk' be? --...to participate in the "Freedom Walk," you'll need to register with the Department of Defense.

Participants are encouraged to arrive at the Pentagon South parking lot between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. for screening to avoid long lines. The first 1,000 to arrive for screening at the Pentagon on September 11, will receive the official America Supports You campaign lapel pin.

And while I'm certain it's a handsome lapel pin, what, exactly, does "screening" mean?

Indeed, the event's organizers (Rumsfeld's Defense Department) have set up an online registration form that explains, "The Freedom Walk is free and open to anyone who registers…. You MUST have your registration number to check-in!"

That's right, in order to participate in a government-sponsored "Freedom Walk" on public streets past public monuments, from one outdoor public landmark to another, you have to give your name address, phone number, and email address to the Pentagon.
posted by amberglow at 6:04 AM on August 12, 2005

My, the fine art of doublespeak is certainly being perfected by the US Government.

A "Freedom Walk" that one can't freely participate in? Fuuuuuuuuck.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:17 AM on August 12, 2005

I wonder if the USA will ever recover from this administration.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:18 AM on August 12, 2005

Looks like the Washington Post is pulling out of sponsoring this farce.
posted by fenriq at 9:27 AM on August 16, 2005

The people who will cream over this are the same people who are convinced that being against the war means being against the soldiers. A counter-walk would just give them a reason to point and say, "See? They hate our boys."

I love our boys. They are generally self-sacrificing, hard-working, moral, upright, foundations upon which the bulwark of our democracy stands. And they are being scammed and murdered.

Do what MotherTucker said. Forget the counter-walk. Part of this side's problem is desiring more to be heard than doing something. Despite the administration's lumbering propagandizing, resist the urge to do the same thing on 9/11. Iraq is not the issue that day. The soldiers are different heroes. That day should be for the heroes of 9/11.

You want to celebrate a soldier, start talking with one. Or send them something.
posted by umberto at 4:23 PM on September 1, 2005