My Own Side

To worldwide dismay, but not surprise, the Communist government in China has engaged in another bloody crackdown on the nation of Tibet. The local Tibetan community held a candlelight vigil on March 19th, 2008 at Westlake Mall in Seattle.

Across the street at the same time was a left-wing protest against the Iraq War, as well as the usual laundry list of grievances. It was angry, loud, crude and whiny. The complete opposite of the many people who came out and stood in the rain to show their support for their friends and relatives in Tibet.

The people in Tibet are not allowed to display their flag. The Tibetan flag was being worn here as a show of support. Across the street the U.S. flag, when it was present, was being denigrated.

The sign this woman was holding got my attention. It is common at left-wing protests to encounter signs calling for the release of political prisoners. But the difference between what she is talking about and what the typical left-wing protester means is stark. Tibet sees true political oppression, not something out of the fevered imaginations of Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers, or members of convicted criminal fan clubs.

A few more pictures are in the full gallery here.

There is local newspaper coverage here.

On the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War, the World Can’t Wait activist group and the other usual suspects protested at Westlake Mall in the middle of Seattle.

Here’s a wide shot. I got roughly half the crowd in this one.

All of the great warm and fuzzy feelings toward their country were on display here as always.

The flag in the picture above has a bomb in the stars, and across the stripes it says “United We Sit and Watch.”

These guys were ready. Not just bandannas, but plexiglass riot shields, complete with “Viva La Revolucion!” printed across one.

But the scariest part is yet to come. Don’t even try messing with The Raging Grannies!

Here’s a Palestinian supporter, complete with keffiyeh, Palestinian flag and Israel bashing sign. Apparently no outrage at all about the daily rocket barrages into the Israeli town of Sderot.

Across the street were a few troop supporters, carrying the flags of the different armed services.

I take it this guy is not a Bush fan. His sign says “I Hated Bush Before It Became Cool.”

No surprise what you find on the book tables at these events. This book is titled “The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels - A Road Map to History’s Most Important Political Document.” “Indispensable” says Howard Zinn. What is it with these people? If there was only one thing we learned from the 20th century, other than Disco being dead, it is that Marxism is an utterly failed ideology. It is a wonderful sounding idea that miserably fails to deliver anything but death, abject poverty and an occasional train that runs on time.

There were a few young kids getting involved in the fun. I hope they find something else to do after school before they become completely radicalized.

Speaking of becoming radicalized, below is a picture of Emma Kaplan from the failed shutdown of the Tacoma Mall Recruiting Station. She was also at todays protest, causing trouble again. Take a look at this link for a great picture of her in the Seattle P.I. that really says it all.

This is a picture of an angry Palestinian-American from the protest here last year.

She was back again this year, and her rhetoric has only gotten worse.

From Palestine to Iraq, people everywhere are rising up in resistance. Stand up to the worlds superpower. Turning the superpower’s dreams of empires into nightmares. Let us join them!

Our circumstances are not harsher than the circumstances of the Palestinians and the Iraqis, and if they can stand up to powers, if they can turn the superpower’s dreams of empire into nightmares, then so can we!

For the full gallery of pictures, go here.

Click here for last year’s protest.

Yes, it’s true. Michael Moore loves me. He linked to my post on the Tacoma Recruiting Station protest, right from his homepage. Ok, it was probably a Michael Moore minion, God knows he can afford some. He has a roundup of protests across the country, and I am there under the “PHOTOS” for Tacoma, WA. But I do have to wonder if he actually read what I wrote before linking.

In any event, a big Welcome! to his fans! Browse around, be at peace, close your eyes, take a deep cleansing breath and repeat after me: “There is no terrorist threat! There is no terrorist threat!“