Untimely AAR on Bradley Manning Protest, demonstrating why I don't make a living as a pundit...

First up – SWWBO and I only hung around for the gathering and the rally – we left before the march started, because it was hot, muggy, and there was nothing but polite people behaving themselves while engaged in the typical self-licking ice cream cone “we all think alike” rally blather.
In other words, it was just like any other gathering of this type, especially here in Leavenworth, regardless of the political vector the fellow-travelers follow. Nothing like what the Left produced for Madison. Nor was it like the protest march and counter-protests we’ve spectated at, and participated in, back in DC.  This is a compliment to all involved, by the way.  Trashing the town or getting into spittle-flecked abusive ranting makes for great television, but not much else.

If the Phelp’s had shown up, it would have been much more interesting, certainly. But I don’t think it would have been any more useful. In fact, it would have been counter-productive, if only because one side or the other probably would have succumbed to the provocations.

SWWBO and I wandered about. SWWBO muttered editorial comments under her breath, while I chatted with people, especially the putative veterans in the crowd. They all spoke the lingo appropriately, and I choose to take them at face value – especially as not one of them, from the Vietnam vets to the OIF/OEF vets, claimed any significant combat experience or heroic activity. All the ones I talked to were combat support types whose war consisted of hearing the gunfire in the distance, seeing the aircraft zipping by, hunkering in the bunkers during indirect fire attacks, and watching videos, eating pizza, and bitching about the food and sanitary facilities. Pretty much like most of us have experienced this war, somewhat remotely, except they got the heat and dust. Fobbits, who admitted to being fobbits. No shame in that.

We got to hear from Jim Davidson, the founder of the Individual Sovereign University(He isn’t quite what you might expect if you give in to caricature), who was the organizer of the event. He informed us that he’s traveled the world, seen injustice, and suffered some himself (oddly enough, so have I). He gave us the usual platitudes (well read from his script, he's not a rabble-rousing crowd-whipper) about speaking truth to power, along with the obligatory Lord Acton quotes (Power corrupts, great men are bad men, etc) and slamming Presidents Bush and Obama as the embodiment of those evils. He didn’t include Julian Assange, oddly enough. Yawn.

He did bring up “speedy trial” which is something I happen to agree with – WTF on Manning *and* Hasan? He displayed either an ignorance of how the UCMJ works (or, more likely, simply a wholly disapproving view of the entire concept) when he nattered on about “speedy trial in the district where the offense occurred, ” a concept appropriate to most civilian offenses, but inapt for ones like this.  He also trotted out the torture meme - these people need to experience some real torture someday, to gain some perspective.  I recommend sending 'em to SERE and let them get a taste.  And, I’m sure, that while I’m putting words in his mouth, Mr. Davidson would assert that there’s no chance of a jury of Manning’s peers. Of course, Mr. Davidson might well be rather surprised what Manning’s peers might say, were they to pack the panel with young troops who routinely went in harm’s way. Davidson did raise a point about the impact of “improper command influence” when mentioning how the President’s improvident yapping on the topic will give Manning’s defense team a brickbat to swing.

When he got to the applause lines, he got the usual “Say it brother!” and other affirmations from the crowd, but all in all it was pretty genteel and muted. He was followed by Leah Bolger, Vice President of Veterans For Peace, who gleefully informed everyone she was a military retiree (Navy Commander) and was enjoying using her pension working against everything she’d done to earn it. Okay. I’m not a fan of optional wars either. She really didn’t offer much more than “We are all Bradley Manning” boilerplate.

Code Pink was represented, as were the Rainbow crowd. IVAW and Veterans For Peace (the Iowa chapter had their own sign) presented. There were several people there clearly reprising the heady days back in the 60’s when they were smelly hippies, though now they probably live in comfortable houses, drive Priuses, and send their kids to public schools and pay taxes like the rest of us.



There was one Happy Warrior who was interested in everything, especially feet. There were several people like us, quiet infiltrators of sorts, though no one was hiding anything and everybody was nice and polite to each other. No in the face, finger-to-the-chest raving, no flying specks of spittle, from either side.

Senator Roberts came in for some sign-based excoriation, but quelle surprise, there was no equivalent bashing of President Obama in signage, though he got some comments, as noted earlier.  Young PFC Manning was the subject of some adoring banners, one of which suggested he deserved the Medal of Honor and which managed to link Leavenworth with Tahrir, Egypt. I’m wondering if those people making that banner would like to live in what’s likely to arise in Tahrir, but that’s not germane.

The Gadsden Flag made a proxy appearance. And not in the hands of counter-protesters, either.
The event live-bloggers asserted “hundreds of people, “ the Kansas City Star said 250. If there were that many, they arrived in busloads after SWWBO and I left, because there were at best 150 there at that point.

Talking to some people who saw things when the march was on-going, the 250 number is supported by the eyewitness accounts. The counter-protest, 10 or so people near the gate of Fort Leavenworth when I saw them, were a motley crew, including a friend of ours who showed up in his handmade (as in personally, by him, he’s got real skillz) suit of armor with his shield decorated with the snappy slogan “Fry Bradley Manning!” I’m afraid I have to agree with this commenter over at Democratic Underground… And, in fact, our buddy did almost become a heat casualty.

There was a noticeable police presence, though not nearly as pervasive as some of the protesters would have you believe. Talking with the Leavenworth County Sheriff, there were officers from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Bureau of Prisons, Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth city and county, and the Platte County Sheriff from across the river in Missouri. With some FBI guys there because of all the Federal properties involved. I rather suspect they were more on the watch for counter-protesters getting rowdy than they were the marchers getting all jiggy with it – but that wasn’t likely since the Phelp’s didn’t show up. That actually probably would have caused the marchers and counter-protesters to merge against a common foe and provided a much more interesting event.

All in all, pretty tame stuff. Which is good.

Especially since it is/was going to have exactly zero effect on anything.   Even if it had gotten stupid and ugly, regardless of who started teh stoopid.