Just to make it clear...

Because from the comments, it's clear some people aren't reading closely, because I don't think the post is that badly written...

I support the Gathering of Eagles, Protest Warrior, Move America Forward. I thought the Gathering of Eagles rally last week was a good, positive event. I thought the presence of the Eagles and Protest Warriors at the Archives and Navy Memorial respectively was good.

And I said exactly that. (click the link to read the post and see the pics from the events)

Richard said:

Maybe the screaming on our side, bad as it may have seemed to you, was nothing more than a primal release for having to grin and bear it for the last SIX YEARS.

Just sayin

I understand the frustration - but descending to their level, however satisfying at the moment, doesn't advance the agenda where we're trying to win hearts and minds... the people who *aren't* there, and who's only contact with be via the images and words of the media.

Then ?intexas dropped by.

So was the 27 city Pro Troop Rally caravan that Move America Forward put energy into, was that counterproductive also???? The purpose of the rally in Washington was also to show Support for the Troops, get petitions signed for Congress and to protect monuments and memorials along the anti-war parade route.

Geez, nothing like insulting the very people that are trying to show the Troops that we support them. If you think that is counterproductive then you are rude. Why bother putting any energy into Supporting the Troops when YOU think it's soo damn counterproductive? (sarcasm) Must be nice to be king.

It helps when arguing with me about what I've said to... read what I said.

?inTexas- From your comment, I can only assume you perhaps didn't read the post closely, nor the comments. Possibly I pissed you off too early in the piece.

Which, in a sense, proves my point.

Read it again, and you'll see I said the Eagles rally was GOOD.

I also said that from a healthy democracy perspective, the ANSWER rally was good, though it didn't do much for me personally.

I also said that positioning ourselves along the path of the march, being present - and even being vocal - was good.

Ergo, my opinion of the 27 city Pro Troop Rally caravan that Move America Forward put energy into, is - demonstrably inferable from the post... GOOD.

What is *not* good, was the behavior of the small number of people, ON BOTH SIDES that turned that segment of the march into a hate fest. It doesn't matter who started it - it simply wasn't useful, outside, as Richard noted, a personal satisfaction on the part of those who did the ranting, and quite possibly counter-productive in the audience you're trying to reach - the great middle of this country, who don't want to be associated with hate-filled spewers of bile. Make no mistake - that's what it looks like on TV, even though most of the people who gave in to the impulse were just angry.

I didn't say one word critical of Move America Forward, the Eagles, nor ProtestWarrior, and the whole concept behind them - which I fully and financially support.

But I'll criticize the behavior of the people who tossed the F-bombs - ON BOTH SIDES. But let's face it - the other side doesn't read me, nor are they going to be influenced by me. So I'll try to influence the people who do. And the silent ones, who simply observe and make decisions we don't see until election day.

And hey, I'm a not a King. If I were a King in this business, I'd have been on the Eagles podium, but I wasn't on the program, was I? I did'nt have a backstage pass. Almost no one recognized me, though there were a lot of readers there.

I'm a supporter of the mission, the troops, and the cause.

And if we can't look at ourselves critically, then we're not being honest with ourselves.

The battle isn't for the hearts and minds of Move America Forward, or MoveOn.org - it's for all those people watching on TV.

Sorry if I annoyed you, but I'm sticking to my guns.

As for Kat's post below - I'm going to give her props up here, not just in the oft-times-not-read comments.

Bravo, Kat. Accosting her at that venue would have been inapt, if you couldn't keep your temper.

And if she had started something, and you managed a reasoned response - you'd have scored points - not with the people who might have stood up to argue in her defense, who are mostly likely lost to us anyway - but with the watchers, which is who we are fighting for.

Something that ?inTexas doesn't get. I have *access* in Congress now. So does Matt Burden. Greyhawk, while he may not have direct access, he's read.

I have *access* to White House staff - not outside that offered to other journalists, let's not delude ourselves - but I have email addresses, and people who respond to emails, people whose names we see and hear in the day to day life of the Republic.

I have access in the Pentagon, as does Matt, and, quite probably, Andi.

And we wouldn't, if we behaved, on our blogs and in public as some think is appropriate. A great amount in growth in the traffic to the Castle is people who didn't like blogs because they were, well, as one guy said in email - "bad biker bars." I've had emails from people who don't agree with me, but they give me a respectful read and think about what I say (and hate me for the sneaky Whatziss') precisely because this place is well behaved, and treats contrarians with respect, if not yielding to contrarian arguments.

*Those* are the people Move America Forward and Gathering of Eagles are fighting for - and in many cases, giving voice to.

We just need to do something the other side often can't.

Wear our adult pants. Just as screaming at your child having a temper tantrum isn't really a useful response, even if it's understandable, the same holds true for our response to the MoveOn people.

You can have passion, and act passionately, without screaming in people's faces. When you reach that point, you may not have lost the argument, per se, because they're screaming back at you - but you aren't arguing any more. You're having a temper tantrum.

Good on ya for being a grown-up. But don't be afraid to wear your Soldier's Angels stuff to things like that. It *is* exactly the point for us to be seen, if it may not always be appropriate to be heard.

Why is that important? One of the reasons I started this blog was to put out there in front of the public that there are people with basements full of guns who aren't crazed fanatics waiting for the final race war/End Times/invasion from Cuba. But precisely because people with basements full of guns who behave themselves aren't newsworthy, people only hear about the ones that are newsworthy, and let's face it - being on the news in that context usually isn't good.

My sister is not a fan of guns. And had no idea how extensive my collection was. And was supportive, in a non-reflective way, of arguments to limit the number and types of guns people could own.

She made the point of telling me that my blog showed her that there could be perfectly valid reasons people might have a basement full of weapons.

As have other people, some of whom were sent here by people who said - "Omigod! Go look at this nut to see why we've got to stop the madness!" and came away saying... "Hey, that guy is weird, tells bad jokes and takes bad pictures, but he's not a menace to society..." and rethought their position on the issue.

So - yes, we need to put ourselves out there, to make our voices heard, and let people know they aren't alone.

But doing it as a raving wingnut, who is hard to distinguish except by the slogan on the t-shirt from a raving moonbat, isn't the way to go about it.

Again, Good On Ya.