Carlos Arredondo Beat up at the DC protest by the pro war/pro killing people

This was just sent to me by Melida:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=919

Carlos Arredondo, 47 year old father of two sons, arrived in the nation's capitol on Monday, 09/10/07 to share a memorial he has made to honor for his eldest son, Alex. Carlos has visited thirty of the United States with the traveling memorial to his son Alexander. Lcpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, USMC was killed on 08/25/04. He was 20 years and 20 days old. The memorial consists of a casket, poster- size photographs of Alex when he graduated from boot camp, before his second tour in Iraq, lying in state at his wake, and a photo of Alex with his younger brother Brian.

Saturday, September 15, 2007 consisted of first a rally, a march towards the capitol and then a die-in. Carlos pulled the memorial along the march route approaching the rotunda near the capitol building. Several of the marchers requested for him to speak about the memorial where a crowd gathered around him. After finishing, several people walked with Carlos as he pulled the memorial. Several pictures of Alex dressed in his blues were attached to the display.

As Carlos passed counter protesters, one man ripped a picture of Alex from the memorial. Carlos leaped on the man to retrieve the picture. It was at that point that approximately five others all began to attack Carlos by kicking him in the head, legs, stomach and back.

The Capitol police bicycle patrol then appeared to break up the fight. Several officers including a female officer were engaged in breaking up the fight and were able to stop any further injuries from occurring. Hannah Jones who was walking with Carlos was also assaulted.

A bystander named Ramesh witnessed the whole encounter and also retrieved the picture of Alex for Carlos. He was quite distressed at how he watched the men yelling epithets follow Carlos as he pulled the memorial, and eventually take Alex's photograph. Soon, an ambulance showed up as well as many concerned activists. The paramedics provided first aid to Carlos but he did not seek further medical attention. Carlos sustained bloody cuts on his shins. He also reported bruises all over his torso and head where he was kicked.

I will send updates on Carlos and his work in DC as I am able.

Viedo of Carlos Arredondo and why he shares Alex with you

Video I found of my neighbor Carlos. He talks about the day he set fire to the van. A day I will never forget. You can still see the burn marks in our road.
May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Carlos Arredondo at DC antiwar protest yesterday

CARLOS ARREDONDO walking with his son Alex in the end the war march on DC September 15, 2007. I can only imagine what the other side of the divide had to say to him when they saw his him carrying his flag upside down. I had my flag on my house upside down for a long time ~ a few people left me nasty messages in my mail box.
The other side of the divide wants to keep killing people for no good reason. I think these people would follow George Bush off a cliff just because he is their "President".

May peace be inside all of us - May we support our troops by saving their lives and bringing them home to their families. The other side of the divide has no problems killing our troops for their own security. If they don't kill our troops they will kill us....right other side of the divide?

Thousands march in D.C. war protest

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer

Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested.

The group marched from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war. Their numbers stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue, and they held banners and signs and chanted, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.

"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq. "We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.

The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they called a "die in" — with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.

Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested at a protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked onto a bridge that had been closed off to accommodate the demonstration, then refused to leave. And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.

The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other groups.

Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people attended the rally and march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own estimate. A permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER Coalition had projected 10,000.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.

"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she said. "It's time to shut this city down."

About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters gathered near the Washington Monument, frequently erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving American flags.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, speaking from a stage to crowds clad in camouflage, American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson jackets, said he wanted to send three messages.

"Congress, quit playing games with our troops. Terrorists, we will find you and kill you," he said. "And to our troops, we're here for you, and we support you."

MORE PHOTOS HERE




The other side of the divide

The people who have to kill for their own security

UPDATE:
They think they are better then any other. You have to read their words. If you aren't like them your not and American, your not supporting our troops. They way I see it is they could care less about our troops our they wouldn't let them be used the way they are - for the love of power and money, mostly money. Again, these people would follow Bush off the cliff to their death and take all of us with them because of their own lack of knowledge of compassion for other humans.

Blogs from the other side of the divide read their word. See for yourself.
They think they are the best humans on this earth
Man these people are twisted. They twist things. First of all from all the stories I've read there were only 150 pro war/pro killing people with 10-15,000 who stand of the side of peace. For years there has been the 30-32% who want to kill and torture people. These people will never change no matter how many freedoms and rights you take away from there. There are 72-78% of our country who know the truth and will never vote for more killing. More than half this country wants to Impeach the war criminals.
And, I knew someone would say something about the upside down flag. Our country is in distress which is why Carlos carries it upside down. I feel Alex is very proud of his father for his actions. Alex was asking questions at the time of his death. He knew what they were being asked to do was wrong. Carlos is expressing Alex from the grave. He doesn't want anyone to forget Alex. He has the freedom to express his and Alex's views any way he wants. After all, he is his parent. Who knows you better than your parents?

The 30% pro war meets the 70% against the war. Video of the mean and nasty people




May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Carlos Arredondo in DC with the mean and nasty people called Gathering of Eagles

There's a big march on DC again this weekend to end the war. Carlos Arredondo and Cindy Sheehan and all the peace people are there along with the other side of the divide.

You have to read the article from these mean and nasty people. Listen to the words used by them. These people are selfish and full of fear wanting to kill the next person just because they are different than them. It is really unbelievable to me the way these people think. All the damage done to our country and these people eat up all the propaganda sold to them.

Our country can only be destroyed from within. With all the freedoms taken from us, there are those who say it has to be done for their security. Their misguided security.

I was in DC 2 years ago along with 300,000 who wanted to end the war and here we are 2 years later with so many more lives gone. We kill others because the very small group called Gathering of the Eagles live in fear and spew their hate.

If you can get to DC this weekend do it. It will be an experience that will energize you for a long time. If you see Carlos go talk to him about Alex.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Press Conference

As one of the many media representatives at today’s press conference said, prefacing a question to Cindy Sheehan: “This is Petraeus Week in Washington; this is a hard sell.” He was referring to the September 15 “Mass March and Die-In” the A.N.S.W.E.R. * Coalition was announcing in the Murrow Room of the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Cindy Sheehan and Carlos Arredondo of Gold Star Families for Peace, and Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition.

Carlos Arredondo, whose son Alex, a Marine, died in Iraq in 2004, had brought his US passport to emphasise that the words on the inside cover say “We the People” and that “we the people have a tremendous responsibility to the rest of the world,” a sentiment echoed later by Cindy Sheehan, who said that “If America is healthy, if America truly practises democracy, then the whole world will benefit.”

Carlos Arredondo

Two other themes stood out. One was that the forceful arrest of Rev. Lennox Yearwood on Monday when he was trying to get into the Petraeus-Crocker hearing on Capitol Hill is being looked at by the antiwar movement as a seminal moment that will help drive support for this Saturday’s March and Die-in. Yearwood was physically supported by two fellow Iraq Veterans Against the War when he spoke at the conference, his leg having been broken in Monday’s fracas. A video of his arrest is posted on YouTube.

Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO and President of the Hip Hop Caucus

The second strong theme was the significance of the Die-In, which will be a mass act of civil disobedience. Prompted by a question from Fox News, Brian Becker--the event coordinator--said a thousand people have so far signed up to take part in the Die-In and he expects that number to double or triple over the next few days. “We hope to trigger in the country a new model of protest,” Becker stated.

A Cybercast News Service journalist asked what kind of impact A.N.S.W.E.R. thinks the likely mass arrests of the Die-In participants will have on middle Americans who are at best only lukewarm towards the protest movement. Tina Richards, of Grassroots America, said that she’s from a little tiny town in the Ozarks and has found no trouble in gaining the support of people from middle America. She noted that it’s often the rank and file membership of organizations such as labour unions who show their support first, with organizational support coming later.

Tina Richards, whose experience of fighting against her son’s reactivation and deployment to Iraq for a third time led her to create Grassroots America.

* Note: A.N.S.W.E.R. is the abbreviation for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.

--ENDS--

Week of Antiwar Events To Start With a 'Die-In'
Protesters Advocate Civil Disobedience

By Michelle Boorstein and Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan wipes away a tear as Adam Kokesh, left at podium, and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. speak at a news conference. (By Gerald Herbert -- Associated Press)

A week of events meant to crank up a national demonstration against the war in Iraq is set to begin Saturday, with a 1,000-person "die-in" at the U.S. Capitol led by current and former American troops and accompanied by taps and a mock 21-gun salute.

The die-in will be the culmination of a march and rally. Organizers hope the event will spur people in the antiwar movement to move from protesting to performing acts of civil disobedience that "get in the way of the war machine," said Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, at a news conference yesterday at the National Press Club.

The group's permit with the U.S. Park Police is for 10,000 people, a source said, but ANSWER, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, expects tens of thousands, Becker said. More than 1,000 people had signed up on the group's Web site as of yesterday to lie down at the die-in, he said, which is meant to represent Americans, Iraqis and others who have died in the war. Organizers expect the number to double or triple by Saturday.

Daily antiwar events are planned from Saturday through Friday. War opponents are scheduled to go to Washington area military recruitment centers Monday to try to shut them down. On Wednesday, "Pentagon Outreach Day," Iraq veterans plan to walk through the Pentagon wearing antiwar T-shirts and talking about the conflict.

Some of the Sept. 12 press conference participants

Across the country, war opponents are being encouraged to visit their congressional representatives' hometown offices and not leave until someone "gives them an explanation about the war," Becker said.

Protesters are to start gathering about 10 a.m. Saturday along the north side of the White House, in Lafayette Square. The official rally will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Demonstrators will march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, where the die-in is to take place. Police said there will be rolling street closures along Pennsylvania Avenue.

The route will cross the jurisdictions of the U.S. Park Police, D.C. police and Capitol Police, which said they are beefing up patrols in preparation for arrests.

Two counterprotest groups, the Gathering of Eagles, made up of Vietnam veterans, and the D.C. chapter of the conservative group Free Republic, also have permits. They plan to rally at 9:30 a.m. on the Mall at Seventh Street NW and later line Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Seventh and 10th streets.

At a news conference Monday, Gathering of Eagles spokesman Kristinn Taylor said the group's purpose is "to not allow this generation of America's servicemen and women to be betrayed on the battlefield and at home, as happened during and after the Vietnam War."

But at the ANSWER news conference yesterday, Carlos Arredondo, whose son Alex was killed in Iraq in 2004, said, "My passport says 'We the people,' and we the people are responsible for stopping this madness." Arredondo held a folded U.S. flag in one hand and his open passport in the other.

Other speakers included antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan and Adam Kokesh, co-chairman of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

The antiwar movement "is far from where Bush would like you to think we are, that we are the fringe. They are the fringe. We are the mainstream," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation, which encourages Muslim civic participation.

War opponents have carried out acts of civil disobedience since the war began, but Becker said the die-in will be different because it was conceived by and will be led by Iraq war veterans and their families.

*******************************************************

AND NOW THE FULL OF HATE PRO WAR TOM KNOTT

It's Gathering of Eagles vs. nitwit marchers

Tom Knott
September 13, 2007

The Cindy Sheehan-inspired dingbats descending on the city this weekend are infinitely more outraged by a pair of panties being placed on the head of a virgin-seeking terrorist than by a virgin-seeking terrorist placing a steak knife to the neck of an infidel, while chanting, "Praise be to Allah."

This passes as a thoughtful position on the part of the losers, nut jobs, socialists, communists and revolutionaries aligned with ANSWER, Code Pink and the loony left of Hollywood.

All they are saying is give a suicide bomber a chance. These wackos live with a conundrum. As much as they hate America, they refuse to leave it. By the way, Alec Baldwin's private jet is still parked on the tarmac. He apparently is too busy cussing out his daughter to make good on his long-ago vow to leave the United States in the event of George Bush taking up residence in the White House. Mr. Baldwin no doubt is carbon-neutral, not unlike every other fuel-guzzling phony on the left. Plant a tree. Cop a ride on a private jet.

This should be taken as a warning to the innocents who live in the region and the unlucky tourists who planned a vacation at the same time the nitwits of the nation planned a celebration of their insanity. Stay away from the downtown part of the city if it is at all possible. The start of the Million Nitwit March is Saturday.

Fortunately, the nitwits will be blunted in part by the pro-America, pro-soldier, pro-victory group known as the Gathering of Eagles. It is a shame that we live in an upside-down time, when it is necessary to have a group pointing out that we live in the best nation in the world, period, and that millions of poor souls want to come here and nowhere else. The legal immigration numbers tabulated around the globe each year are not even close. What does that tell you about our concededly imperfect nation?

It tells you we are so fat, so soft, so intellectually inept that too many of us do not even understand how good we have it.

Sorry. Forgot. That view is, like, so not hip in Hollywood. It is far more enlightening and patriotic to make movies that ridicule our troops.

No word on whether Tim Robbins will show up to lend his expertise on the number of Iraqi civilians who have died in the war. Wonder if Mr. Robbins starts heaving and sobbing whenever he sees the black-and-white footage of Dresden after we employed our version of urban renewal on it in World War II.

THERES MORE BUT THIS IS ENOUGH OF TOM KNOTT'S HATE