Great Antiwar Protest At White House During Obama Speech

Leftists, Code Pink, and a smattering of conservatives and libertarians staged a vociferous protest outside the White House while President Obama made his Syria speech this afternoon. The police forcibly cleared the street (though not the sidewalk) shortly before Obama began talking. Some folks suggested that Obama might have delayed his speech because of the noisy chants behind heard inside. (I have no confirmation on that.) I profoundly disagree with the Answer folks on many issues but they raised a ruckus on the right side of the issue today.

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Code Pink brought this great cutout today.

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The Secret Service (or maybe Park Police) rode in to disrupt a peaceful protest.

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This Park Service dude made a point to slowly scan everyone in the audience with his camera.

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A group of Syrians who vociferously favored U.S. bombing Syria.  Go figure.

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Some conservative and libertarian protestors:

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5 Responses to Great Antiwar Protest At White House During Obama Speech

  1. Tom Blanton September 1, 2013 at 1:55 pm #

    Great photos, Jim. I’m 99% sure that those guys on the horses are Park Police. I’m 98% sure that most of those guys couldn’t get a job as a mall cop – even the regular DC cops don’t consider them to be real cops.

    But, they can bust you and I’ve actually seen them ride their horses through a large crowd of people sitting in Lafayette Park during a protest (that had a legal permit) resulting in a girl getting a broken arm. I have also witnessed them riding their horses (and motorcycles) over occupied tents to induce the occupants to leave. I don’t think anyone was hurt, but it wasn’t because the Park Police were concerned about the safety of citizens.

    One 4th of July when I detonated “dangerous explosives” (mini-firecrackers) in the vicinity (on the same block) of Park Police on horses, they beat me up (after insults were traded) and charged me with felonious assault of a federal officer, among other things. Later, when it was revealed that these horses are trained to have pistols being shot next to their heads, the assault charge was dropped.

    Charges involving contraband were also dropped after the evidence, along with my wallet and keys, mysteriously disappeared. The remaining charge, possession of “dangerous explosives”, was adjudicated by banning me from DC for a year. In court the man in the black robe instructed me to apologize to the Park Police in attendance. Not being prepared for this, I was speechless. After about 30 seconds of silence, the robed figure declared the case closed. I guess maybe he figured it might sound sort of silly if I had apologized for any damage I might have caused their billy clubs by my ribs.

    I try to avoid men in blue helmets riding horses. It may also be wise to avoid people who want a super-power to bomb their hometown.

    • Tom Blanton September 1, 2013 at 1:59 pm #

      I should have explained that the Park Police claimed that their horses were bucking and rearing as a result of hearing firecrackers go off, thereby endangering the lives of the Park Police.

      Actually, the horses were yawning and they merely shrugged slightly.

    • Jim September 1, 2013 at 5:04 pm #

      I was feeling guilty because I had neglected to bring some sugar cubes to feed the horsies but, given your experience, perhaps it was best that I did not get familiar with the horses or riders.

      That’s an outrage that they charged you with assault. How did the fact that the horses were trained to ‘behave’ around loud noises come out?

      And it’s a double outrage that they absconded with your wallet and keys. Future TSA screeners???

      At least you have repaid their ilk at least a hundred fold with your activism and hell-raising in the subsequent decades.

  2. Tom Blanton September 1, 2013 at 6:28 pm #

    Jim, if you can find any of those special sugar cubes left over from the sixties, it might be fun to bring them to one of those Park Police events – not for the horses but to feed to the blue helmet guys after the doughnuts run out.

    The morning after the incidents, they took me from a jail cell to the courtroom to be arraigned and there was a guy there who claimed to be my lawyer, as he had been appointed by the court. I cursed him out, accused him of being in collusion with the system, and told him he was fired. Then he got me out of jail with no bond.

    In the hall, he apologized for not talking to me before the trial and said he understood how I felt. Then he offered to keep me out of jail for $200 and that he would be working for me and not the court. I said OK because he actually seemed like he was an OK guy. He came up with the horse training info and got the charges dropped by the prosecutors before the trial date. I don’t know how he found out about that. He might have just bull-shitted the prosecutor for all I know. No jail and no fine all for $200 – I was happy and didn’t ask questions.

    I had sent photographs of my bruises and contusions along with a hospital report to Jimmy Carter’s Human Rights Commission complaining about what had happened in front of the White House. I never heard from them, but I got a call from my $200 lawyer who had been notified by the prosecutor about the letter. This all happened a few weeks before the actual trial date.

    He said it really pissed them off and I probably shouldn’t have done that. We then had to have a special meeting with the prosecutor who was outraged that I hadn’t worn a suit and tie to the meeting. I threatened to sue the Park Police while my lawyer just sort of looked at the floor and rubbed his head a lot. He really earned that $200. I can’t even remember what this meeting was about other than my clothing and shoes. The thing was that I thought I was dressed up because I had on khakis, a sports coat, and new tennis shoes.

    • Jim September 1, 2013 at 7:38 pm #

      Been too long since I was at a Grateful Dead concert – I have no such sugar cubes. (And, alas, I never went to a Dead concert).

      That’s a great story of your arrest, the lawyer, and the dolt prosecutor.

      If you haven’t already posted this story on your own website – or elsewhere, you should do that. Might even be fun to scan in the material you sent to the Human Rights Comm.