Olympia Anti-War Protesters Insult Returning Troops

Recent anti-war protests have made news in the Puget Sound area lately.  Several violent protests have erupted in Olympia as some protesters resorted to vandalism in a futile attempt to delay the shipment of material bound for Fort Lewis belonging to the the Stryker Brigade returning from a deployment in Iraq. At least 66 protesters have been arrested, at least one police officer was injured (a thrown rock to the knee–OUCH!), and various acts of vandalism: broken windows, and cement poured over train tracks.  Police ended up firing rubber bullets and using pepper spray on protesters.

Opinion:  This was an unusually futile and idiotic gesture on the part of anti-war protesters.  Trying to block shipments of war material going TO Iraq at least makes sense.  Trying to block shipments of equipment and material returning FROM Iraq is just plain stupid.  Attempts to peacefully block outgoing shipments a few months ago at the Port of Aberdeen were at least logical, if not successful.  The violence in Olympia only gives fuel to right-wing commentators like Rush Limbaugh and, frankly, provides a negative lesson to the high school students who peacefully protested the other day in Seattle.

And what does a violent attempt to block soldiers and their equipment from coming home say to the veteran troops so close to Veteran’s Day itself?  One of the most negative legacies of the anti-war movement in the Vietnam era is that many of the troops who fought for their country felt that protesters were against THEM, not just the war. The emotional and psychological damage those protesters inflicted on returning veterans of that war still resonates among members of that generation.  Protesting against a war is a right all Americans share; insulting and protesting  against the men and women who serve our country, and interfering with their return home, is just plain wrong!   

High school students march against Iraq war: Several hundred participate–Seattle PI, Nov. 16, 2007

War Protesters Arrested at Wash. Port–Associated Press, Nov. 15, 2007

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