Iraq War Ignites Dueling Protests
Pro, Anti-War Factions Voice Opposing Views
Call it a war. A war of words, a war of signs. The debate on the war - the one in Iraq - boiled in downtown Durango on Friday.
On the west sidewalk of Main Avenue, high school age war supporters waved American flags and shouted pro-Bush slogans. A portable CD player spun Toby Keith’s pro-war anthem, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
Cody Shank, 15, yelled “I love George W. Bush” to a passing car. Teri Young, 16, shouted “I love him more.”
Signs carried by the pro-war crowd, which numbered 17 shortly after 5 p.m., urged drivers to support the troops. The flag-bedecked group smartly lined Main Avenue.
Across the street on the east side of the 1100 block, anti-war protesters cultivated a carnival atmosphere. Three young women played Hacky Sack while holding signs. Two other protesters played acoustic guitar, while another pounded on bongo drums.
Their hair was longer, some of it twisted in dreadlocks. A young man sported shaved hair with leopard spots. Jeans were looser.
Three protesters held a banner that read “Invasion, torture, lies. Is this America?” The anti-war crowd numbered 31 shortly after 5 p.m.
The colorful and noisy protest and counter-protest made the war debate unavoidable to Durango residents driving to restaurants or shopping. Four years into the invasion and occupation of Iraq, neither side wanted to back down.
The anti-war demonstrators have showed every Friday evening for years. In recent weeks, the pro-war crowd settled in across the street.
On Friday, both sides cheered honking cars - it wasn’t always clear which side the driver had intended to encourage. Some cars, though, waved American flags. The pro-war side earned a thumbs-up thrust from the window of a dark blue Dodge Ram pickup.
Minutes later, a woman pedaled by the anti-war side on a bicycle, forming a peace sign with her fingers while dinging a bell with her other hand.
Each side was eager to have its say.
“I don’t support the war,” said Aaron Byrd, 18, the aforementioned spotted protester. “It’s a war based on lies.”
Byrd said the presence of the pro-war crowd galvanized him to protest. “I saw those guys, and I saw these guys,” he said. “And I decided I’d rather be on this side.”
The pro-war crowd emphasized supporting the troops. “We came out here to support our troops, support our country and support Bush, our president,” said Young. Of her opposites, she said, “It’s rude for them to go against our country.”
Everett Manson, 16, said “I believe in supporting our troops.” Of the anti-war crowd across the street, he said, “I believe some of them may be (supporting the troops), but I’d guess some of them are against the troops.”
Byrd was succinct when asked how he would respond to those who say anti-war protesters don’t support the troops. “I support the troops. They’re people just like us. No difference,” he said.
Next Friday, in all likelihood, American troops will remain in Iraq. The anti-war protesters will protest. The pro-war protesters will protest.
© 2007 The Durango Herald
I’m not sure whether it’s tragedy or farce, but it’s a very telling thing that fifteen and sixteen year old young folks think so highly of the president. As a high school teacher, I’ve encountered very few who can read any text critically, much less what they encounter that’s handed to them by the corporate propaganda machine. The photograph that accompanies this article on the Common Dreams posting tells the whole story, though: the great U.S. game of race baiting and class hatred swims underneath the so-called wave of patriotism that calls for war. The more things change, the more they stay the same, na?
Oyason:
Here, here.
These photos and this article are sad. I want to parachute in, slug these kids over the head with a bag of critical thinking dust, and be there twenty years from now when they see the repercussions of their own ilk’s actions.
Really frightening…. I humor (delude?) myself by thinking that this sheepish brainwashedness is common amongst a minority these days….
Children generally imitate their parents. We can only hope that one day they become “educated” and start thinking for themselves.
I remember when I was a teenager, I did and said some stupid things too.
Critical thinking and media consumption are not required courses in a majority of colleges. If we all were required to take these courses in high school and college we might have a more moderate political atmosphere.
As a follow up to this article, I would like to know if Ty Hamer and Michael Gunn will enlist when they turn 18 and join the war in Iraq to support their views.
As Mark Twain said, “Youth is wasted on the young”. These young people are most likely responding to familial and social pressures to make decisions to protest without being fully informed of the facts.
For the pro war factions, these people will never be able to realize that there is no legitimate reason to promote a war of aggression, which was borne out by the Nuremburge and the Japanese war crimes tribunals. The USA is currently committing the highest of international crimes, and only the innocent suffer. With the exception of Saddam his brothers and sons, most of the co-operatives of the feared tyrants reign have remained free, and at large. The call for support of the troops is something that seems to be in mockery. The recent capture of three US Army troops resulted in a reward offer of $200,000.00 (which would make their lives according the the Army worth $6666.67 each) while the US Government offers $25Million for Osama—-if the US Government actually supported the troops, not only would they offer $75Million for the return of those soldiers, (aren’t our troops worth as much as one sick terrorist) but they would equip them better and when they are wounded assure the best treatment on the face of the planet after the initial emergency treatment.
For the anti war factions, they have their hearts in the right place, but do not seem to understand the value of “time”. Instead of shouting across a busy street at opponents, (while they think these actions are viewed by the members of either house as anything but humorous) they could been calling their representatives in both houses, tie their phones up for days on end, and they could do that from the comfort of their own homes, while accomplishing much more. They could boycott products and services etc. of those who are benefiting from this illegal war. There is so much more they could be doing instead of protesting on a busy city street.
But then again we are dealing with young people——the adults don’t act that way, do they?
Yellow Horse
The article had a pro war bias–amazing how they have to work so hard to make Bush crackpots look respectable.
Why not ask them when they plan to enlist?
They are mocking the troops by going out their with signs instead of marching to the recruitment office and lying about their age so they can fight for their Bush baby. I am sure they could wave the age thing if they get a desperate recruiter.
Yellowhorse,
My math brings the miltary’s valuation of each soldier to $66,666.67. At least that’s more than the $2000 to $2500 they offer for each slaughtered innocent Iraqi citizen. Let’s not also forget that the search for those three soldiers is creating untold misery for hundreds if not thousands of innocent Iraqis.
But I agree that we should be giving material aid to the Iraqis instead of stirring up trouble. It’s just that our leaders’ goals are not to create stability and peace but destruction and chaos. This makes the control of the oil so much easier.
Federal law (10 U.S.C., 510), the minimum age for enlistment in the United States Military is 17 (with parental consent) the maximum age is 42. I wonder how many of these belligerent, misguided fools have signed up.
how is it that its socialy acceptable to publicly write “r*ghead” but not any of the other popular rasist slurs. I understand this is part of our right to freedom of speech, but, these terms are generally frowned on, arent they?. the caption may well read “Racist youngsters rally to support USA!” or “Snapshot of America” Children say the damndest things.
As an Australian I have read reports of how US troops operate in Iraq and it is exactly how they did in Vietnam. They invade, people fight back, everyone in the country is the enemy. I try to separate the troops from the war but when I hear US in Iraq I hear SS in Warsaw.
I find it interesting that this article only quoted one anti-war supporter.
It’s also interesting that there are two photos of pro-war supporters but none of the anti-war supporters… unless you follow the link to the original article. It shows one photo of one young anti-war supporter. The photo is composed in such a way as to make it appear as if she is alone.
Otherwise we are left only with descriptions of the anti-war supporters that are not-so-vaguely reminiscent of Haight-Ashbury in the 60’s.
Yes, its’ all quite interesting but not surprising. The ratio of anti-versus-pro war supporters in Durango is not as wide as the national ratio of 70% who are against the Iraq debacle. But the media isn’t paying attention to that either.
It will just be a matter of time before the White House spin meisters or Faux News picks up on this and declare that ‘grassroots’ America is ‘clearly’ in favor of ‘victory’ and ’supporting the troops.’
The photo at the top of the article is shameful. To think we allow our rising youth to be so ignorant and racist. Clearly more needs to be done to bring the world together as one people.
The real damage lies in the side effects of all this war-mongering: hundreds of millions of minds absolutely hooked on the drug that war really is . And panting for it - just like an addict screaming for his or her daily fix.
For those who may have trouble reading it, the kid’s sign says “1 Nuke - $100,000. I million dead ragheads - priceless.”
I often hear this kind of calls for barbarism from right wing war-pigs, but I find myself confused, such an outrageous statement suggests flippancy - I mean, surely they aren’t serious!
But, then again, when I have attempted to ask a war-pig if they are serious in their “kill them all” statements, they say they are. But there is a third possibility; and that is that in their extreme insularity and TV-based grasp of reality they absolutely cannot perceive Arabs, or anyone else outside the US, as humans.
So on one hand they are serious, on the other hand, the people they want dead aren’t real to them - just glowing phosphors on the face of a TV screen, so their consciences remain untroubled…
I dont sleep well at night anymore
These kids (the pro-war group) are no doubt racists, as are the majority of the idiots who still support this war. The fact that hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed in this crime against humanity means absolutely nothing to them, because they (the Iraqis) are non-white and non-”Christian”. They are absorbing this bigotry from their parents.
This is in line with the ancient Japanese principle of “lukatmi” which states - you will have a long life as long as others die in your place. Who says the youth of America is ignorant?
That’s good that they support the troops..
So they will all be joining up then?
Probably not….
I wonder what the general public reaction would be if that sign said One Million Dead Jews or One Million Dead Americans ?
We ARE the new Nazis. There is no doubt about it. And all of us are complicit in this as long as we are silent.
“The pro-war crowd emphasized supporting the troops. “We came out here to support our troops, support our country and support Bush, our president,” said Young. Of her opposites, she said, “It’s rude for them to go against our country.””
suppor this “president” who doesn’t even want to raise the troop’s salaries? send all the “pro-war” imbeciles, retards and cretins over there, give them small pay and see how much they kiss their president baboon’s ass then. unbelievable retards.
“support the troops” by sending these young imbeciles into bush’s war machine, this article makes me f****g sick
Speaking of nazism, it’s just like Hitler said: “What luck rulers have that men do not think”. As much as I hate to quote the gnarly guy, he was right about that. These sad photos epitomize this phenomenon.
All anyone need do is compare the numbers…..17 PRO-War demonstrators vs. 31 ANTI-War demonstrators…almost 2 to 1 against the war. What a shame these young people have no CLUE what it feels like to have to dodge bullets and little, but destructive bomblets on their way to school or home everyday. Naive little Bush-lemmings.
Their support for this war - and their parent’s support - would probably vanish in a heartbeat if the draft were reinstated tomorrow.
The draft? Whoa dude, you mean like I’d have to go? That is so not cool. But could I still catch American Idol in Baghdad?
Just shows the failure of the school system, the media, the political process, and religious institutions. That young people can ignore this administration’s lies, war crimes, and gutting of the US Constitution, and still think they are moral patriots is sickening. These are imbeciles who probably can’t read or write a clear sentence. They should volunteer for a tour of duty in Iraq if they feel so damn sure of their president.
Let’s all download and print photos of the R….ds,( I can’t bare to write the word) this young ignorant and racist Ty Hamer wants to kill and send them to him at his high school: Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave, Durango CO 81301.
Let’s send him photos of the crying Mom, the distraught father the fearful child.
Let’s call the Durango recruiters and forward this kid’s name as a potential candidate.
Let’s write to the high school principal and request that this student be watched as potentially violent. To laugh at such horrific human destruction sends shivers all over my body. Sick.
As for Michael Gunn he looks too old to be in high school but the stupidity and hatred of others left over from the 60’s and still flourishing is mind boggling. This fool proves our country was surely founded by crackpots who were kicked out of England.
It’s just a good thing that the kid’s sign doesn’t say “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” though, because then he’d be a danger and menace to society at large.
Good thing he’s just in favor of nuclear Armageddon, whew, I thought it was something SERIOUS.
Seriously though, I’d like to make some signs and go stand with the pro-war protesters, to clarify their position some… Signs like:
“A demonstration of White Power!” - a sign with a picture of a mushroom cloud.
“Hitler had the right idea, but the wrong race” - with a picture of Auschwitz or Treblinka and an arab photoshopped in.
“Savages have no use for oil”
One more thought: About the sign that says “The votes are in, hippies stink” — heh. Personally, I thought the vote last November signified one thing, that the swastikas on the foreheads of the Republicans were glowing a little too brightly for the average American to be able to lie to him or herself any longer.
Hello folks,
go to http://dhs.durangoschools.org/ and you’ll see principal Greg Spradlins email (gspradling@durango.k12.co.us) - feel free to send along the pictures and comments about their students who support the troops. Ask them if they teach their kids to act this way.
Frankly, we should be sending these pictures to ever major news outlet in the country. Imagine if these were French kids saying that about Americans!
Yes, I have e mailed the Principal. thank you for doing the research!
Are you really serious dewey?!?!!?!? I’m thinking you may be a bit confused.
Do you teach your kids to believe every lie they hear from Republicans or Democrats? If you support the troops please send pictures of your kids to your Congressperson and ask them which lie we are at war for today and why should your kid volunteer for a year in Iraq and why their kid is not there? Ask them why the troops, our first responders, police, fire and rescue don’t get paid squat but their buddies in Halliburton, Bechtel and Blackwater make billions and their response is to vote for their own raise each year? What about that behavior supports our troops? Walter Reed, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome anyone?
When did “support our troops” come to mean send children to go die for rich old white men’s oil? Saddam had no nukes or plans for nukes and all of this was in the 92 page document that accompanied the Iraq War Powers resolution. Problem is only 9 members of BOTH House and Senate read it prior to signing the bill. So now we can blame all of them, Rep’s & Dem’s alike for this disaster they are guilty of playing politics with.
Saddam has not ever had any connection to Al-Qaeda or terrorists. In fact prior to the US invasion into Iraq it was one of the more peaceful countries as far as crime goes. Saddam’s Iraq punished those who committed acts of terror with death. However, yes if you were on his bad side things could become terroristic quickly for you. He was not a good guy, but then we sold him tons of stuff like tanks, sarin (nerve agent) and other chemical weapons he did use against Iranians, who we also sold weapons to in order to obtain the release of US hostages in Lebanon.
The first thing secured by our military in Iraq was the Oil Ministry followed by the fields and pipelines. Jessica Lynch’s rescue was a lie, Pat Tillman’s silver star is a lie… these people seem willing to stoop to any low to get what they want. Hmmm… seems to me this might be an institutionalized thing we are talking about… But now I[ve lost you dewey since I am thinking critically about the situation…
Go back to the first post by a high School teacher “oyason” and see where this individual describes the root of our problem… Our children today do not engage in critical thinking because their parents cannot think critically… the people who vote.. that’s right. Why can the parents not think critically? Because they were never taught to do so when they were in school.
I served in the US infantry before and thought long and hard about rejoining the same after 9-11. What saved me from being exploited was that I listened to what G. W. Bush said afterwards and was absolutely appalled. If we are truly the most powerful nation in the world then why would we ever need to hurry up and respond to anything? This whole black and white rhetoric, the “they hate us for our freedom” sloganry and fear mongering sounded just like that in both Orwell books Animal Farm and 1984. Why not talk to the Taliban and see if we could get Osama without a shot? What was there to lose?
All of you good Christian people who followed this man had good intentions I am sure but I remind you of something I belive Jesus said… “put not your faith in men”. ‘Nuf said? Need more? Don’t think of this as a blame Bush diatribe either. Hillary, Biden, Dodd and all these so called anti war Dem’s all voted for the thing because they were too afraid they would be called soft on terror in an election year. I guess to them elections took priority over the truth and American soldiers lives. I read the Beatitudes on many occasions and still cannot find a place where Jesus says to kill people who have something we want. For in the end the US has under the leadership of this Congress and White House save for those elected recently, committed treason against the country by knowingly using false information to attack another State. All of them did this, not just a few of them. It was no conspiracy because we all watched it happen and most of us cheered them on. It is we the people who were misled not Democrat or Republican lawmakers. It is we the people who need to wake up and realize we are still being lied to and that we are losing the class warfare being engaged upon us by the American Aristocracy. They already know we do need them, they are hoping we find out too late.
I took dewey’s comment to mean - in effect - email these pictures to the principal and chastise him for tolerating - if not promoting - mindless, genocidal racism in the name of blind patriotism to Bush’s version of democracy… which is what I did.
It’s refreshing to see the media covering the courageous young people willing to speak out in support of our troops. I know it burns you people up to see that, which makes it even better. Sure the 100,000 sign was over the edge and uncalled for, but then so is burning soldiers in effigy, sporting signs like “F*&K the Troops” and all the communist and nazi signs that are genearlly visible during anti-war protests. Visit some other sites and SEE what the anti-war move is about. Socialism, communism, pure hatred for everything.
Go to the ANSWER website. Check out who funds these people and who their steering committe in.
I’ll be emailing the principle as well. Thanks for the address!
Kathy: You’ve been lied to. The troops are not some infallible gift from God to make sure His will is represented on Earth by the Holy States of Jesus’ America…
Socialism, communism, pure hatred for everything? Where did you put THIS list together? I’m pretty sure socialism is based on sharing, therefore making it related to hate is a hard lie to sell.
But I’m sure you’ve heard it all by now, you have enough information to make a real decision on the morality of current events, and you’ve done so. It seems you’ve accepted murder by the hundreds of thousands as morally acceptable to people expressing their disgust through symbol. Are the lives of those on the other side of the world really so worthless so that their death is less important than your sensibilities being hurt?
Another thing, I haven’t seen a single soldier burned in effigy. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I sure haven’t seen anything about it. Oh, Communist and Nazi signs? Are you saying that communism and fascism are the same, or even related? Communism and fascism are two mutually exclusive things. Now, I’ll believe that you might have seen something you believed to be communist at a peace rally, but Nazi? Are you kidding me? Do you understand fascism at all, or is it just a word that means ‘whoever hates America’ to you?
I could go on forever like this, but I’ll end with a piece of advice. Turn off FOXNews, turn off Limbaugh radio, and pick up a book. Preferably a book from the WWII era describing the dangers of fascism.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS
it is so refreshing to see young people that understand that AMERICA IS NOT A THREAT TO THE WORLD
ISLAMOFASCISM IS THE THREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
most of the people posting here are nothing more than morally bankrupt cowards who are so terrified of the the real enemy (islamofascism) that they try to convince themselves that george bush is the enemy - pathetic yellow bellies
The anonymity of the internet makes heroes out of cowards !!
God Bless My A#$ !!
Yes, neomunk, I HAVE done my research. I don’t blindly follow anything. You, however, have apparently not done yours. Check out the anti-war rallies in March. See any pictures of soldiers being burned in effigy? See some shi^^ing on an American flag as it lies on the ground burning? This is how you show love for your country? Nice.
If you had done any research, you would only have to look at the pictures of the Nazi promoting folks, those seeking socialism as a replacement for a republic, those that hate pretty much everything this country stands for.
So yeah…I’ve done my research. And I stand by my convictions. These kids were awesome and deserve to be applauded instead of mocked by dis-informed people such as yourself. My advice to YOU: Turn off NBC, CBS, ABC…research before you start throwing crap out you can’t support.
Have a nice day!
For those of you who repeatedly bash these kids for what they have put together, shame on you. For once, their generation is stepping up and saying that they believe in something strongly enough to step up and fight for it.
Because Iraq is not right in front of any of you, you assume that there is no problem. You assume that conditions are peachy and carefree like here in the USA. You assume that every morning, a school bus comes and gets the Iraqi children, and every afternoon they are dropped back off again. You assume that they have a system of hospitals that function as well as we have in the US. You assume that because you can vote on political issues, they can. This isn’t the case, and these are all important reasons for our troops to have support. These are reasons why our president should have more support, and why our Congress should stop trying to raise a white flag of surrender. Why not give the Iraqi citizens the white flag, and tell them that they get to decide when we surrender? I’m sure they have a better perspective than half of the overcaffeinated, self-absorbed, materialistic Americans I see on a daily basis. Their lives are on the line, and you are so determined to make a political statement about a president who has been deemed unpopular by a George-Soros-paid for media that you look no further than what bad news they want you to hear.
Do I agree with the ‘raghead’ sign? No, I feel that is out of line. But that is one sign held by one student out of a group of 17. The rest say nothing hateful. You throw aroudn the term ‘racist’ like it applies to all of them. You are hateful propogandists who claim that any material that appears in opposition to your own is undoubtedly wrong. Bring something constructive to the table for once.
Vanzorge: Most of the people posting here are nothing more than morally bankrupt cowards who are so terrified of the the real enemy (islamofascism) that they try to convince themselves that george bush is the enemy - pathetic yellow bellies
How do you propose to win though? Islam isn’t a tyranny ruling by terror (like Saddam’s Ba’athism or Soviet Communism), and it isn’t a pure ideology of conquest whose appeal rests entirely on its ability to deliver booty (like German Nazism). In fact, no Muslim land has ever been de-Islamicized except by outright ethnic cleansing.
To destroy Islam you’d have to genocide a quarter of the world’s population. As far as I’m concerned such an act would only be justifiable to avoid extermination or outright slavery (and yes, there is a clear distinction between a dhimmi and a slave - as the Jews of 8th century Spain were clearly aware).
Hey Ya’ll I’m Cody Shank, The One from the article, i am now a junior at durango high school, my theroy is all you left wing liberals are all intolerant of other peoples beliefes, and if you hate this country and our great president, move to iraq and see how it really is! please o’ please try it and tell me how it is!