Da Goddess

Confessions of a Former Liberal Turned Protest Warrior

by D.H.

I remember being asked once if it were possible to find out the exact date and time of my death, would I want to know? One could only imagine how such knowledge would make someone crazy. Without hesitation I replied, as I believe most people would: absolutely not. Now imagine being a Democrat, a Michael Moore-admiring Leftist who has been salivating since 2001 to see GW unceremoniously sent back to Crawford, Texas. After having enough sense to sideline Howard Dean, the Dems nominated a decorated Vietnam veteran, an East Coast intellectual who could counter Bush’s perceived “wimpiness” and unintelligence. With such a credentialed candidate, the White House was there’s for the taking once again. Except a funny thing happened on their march to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…

Just days after the Republican Convention the poll numbers are starting to tell the devastating tale of the Kerry campaign, and like the poor soul who can look into the future and see his demise, only the most delusional of Democrats are unaware of what November 2nd, 2004 has in store. The numbers are so telling, that even the most stalwart of Democratic pols have started to come a little unhinged. I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that I’m rather enjoying it. Start with DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, work your way down the party line and back up to the two nominees. You will see acts of desperation (midnight rallies, calls for more debates) classlessness (sending paraplegic Max Cleland to the White House to beg Bush to stop running Swift Boat ads) and pettiness (filing charges with the FEC and Hillary Clinton’s laughable but vitriol-laced appearances with every Liberal's favorite morning cutie, Katie Couric).

How did the once great Democratic Party descend into such craven, but destructive mediocrity? I learned how first-hand after coming face to face with the Hate-America rally in San Diego’s Balboa Park August 29th, brought to you by United for Peace and Justice, A.N.S.W.E.R. and (my personal favorite) Code Pink. It was the Left’s West Coast answer to the huge protests staged in New York on the eve of the Republican Convention.

It was my second big Protest Warrior adventure in San Diego. I decided to brush up on my first grade cutting and pasting skills and make an official Protest Warrior sign instead of having to beg for one from protest leader, the almighty Lt. Smash. Saturday night 10pm, after spending the afternoon picking up signage materials as specifically laid out in the PW website, I’m ready to begin. I imagined the two founders of Protest Warriors, Kfir and Alan standing over me like proud parents giving me the “thumbs” up. Oh, how I long for approval from authority figures; but that’s another blog. I must confess, I think some of the PW signs are bit too dense and clever for their own good. So I chose the one that made the most sense and had the clearest message: “War has only ended Slavery, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism”. Proud of my latent but rediscovered arts and crafts skills, I prepared for my second trek to San Diego to help counter those nefarious Communists, Socialists, America haters and assorted Yankee fans.

It was a bright and sunny day. Perfect weather for all the tie-die wearing-60’s burnouts, and peace-loving, male-hating feminists to come ply their anti-Bush and anti-American pamphlets, books, songs and posters. It was a colorful display, all these demonstrators gathering with their multicolored flags, and flowery shirts and skirts. I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, but I can’t imagine it being more garish.

All the speakers began to sound alike, in tone, anger and message, but I think I can paraphrase the their main arguments: BUSH: EVIL BAD. STOP. AMERICA: EVIL BAD. STOP. MUST STOP BUSH AT ALL COSTS BEFORE ALL IS DOOMED. STOP. ISLAM POOR MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION OF PEACE. STOP. MORE MONEY FOR EDUCATION AND THE HOMELESS. STOP. IT MUST ALWAYS BE LEGAL FOR WOMEN TO ABORT THEIR BABIES NO MATTER WHAT. STOP. That about sums two hours of this group’s public discourse.

Of course, what Leftist orgy of hate would be complete without a few vicious anti-Israeli screeds? Along with fliers extolling the virtues of homicide bombers, books and pamphlets condemning or calling for the destruction of the illegitimate racist state of Israel and letters begging for more money to go into Arafat’s coffers, these new century anti-Semites felt their message wouldn’t be powerful enough without proudly waving the Palestinian flag and wearing the Hamas kaffiyehs. Yes, for about 20 of the 400 some protestors, when it comes to hating Jews, it’s important to get the wardrobe right. After questioning one proud American waving the Palestinian flag about his support for “homicide bombers” he immediately became indignant at my use of the word “homicide” and ended the interview right there. He made it his mission to follow me everywhere to warn his fellow anti-Semites about me. Everywhere I went, there he was making sure I didn’t upset the delicate balance of anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism and unrestrained Bush bashing with some logic or facts. Then there was the nice elderly lady holding a sign proclaiming that Israel’s racist wall must come down. I asked her why she hated the wall so much, weren’t enough Jews being slaughtered to her liking? She looked at me and said condescendingly that I needed to get my facts straight, “sweetie.” What facts did I need to know? “Those Jews don’t belong in the land of Palestine” she proclaimed righteously “it belongs to the Palestinians.” How do you counter such profane ignorance? Sorting through my anger, I had this amazing revelation.

It wasn’t until I was so completely immersed in this baleful counter-culture that I realized how utterly consistent and banal Leftist thought truly is. It seems the one requirement for a legitimate Leftist talking point is that it’s main theme must fit on a bumper sticker. (War is not the Answer- Bush Lies- End Iraqi Occupation - Peace – butter not bombs- End Israeli Apartheid) It must be quite comforting for these people to know that you can hate America and Israel with the same mindless catch phrases and simplistic arguments in San Diego as you can in New York. As a matter of fact, you can take the America/Israel-hating rhetoric to the land of the European ingrates and feel right at home there as well. The Left has truly turned the notion of franchising on its head. Their product: mindless propaganda dressed in simplistic catch phrases, and barely concealed contempt for Christianity, Judaism and American Capitalism. I’ve heard it argued that the Right is no better, with their militias and abortion doctor killers. But there is a big difference: the core of the Republican Party has refuted these hate-groups. They are not the core or base of the American Conservative movement. The same cannot be said of the present Democratic machine. Hence the party that honors Michael Moore and gives him an honored seat at their national convention next to former President Jimmy Carter could never repudiate these kooks; on the contrary, these people sadly, have become the energetic foundation of the Progressive movement and the Democratic Party.

George Bush hasn’t created more terrorists by killing them, as so many on the Left have argued, but he has created a lot of his enemies. But why would the Left hate a man who has liberated over 50 million people from unbearable cruelty and tyranny? Where women can now get an education and are no longer treated like brutalized property, where children are no longer imprisoned and tortured? The answer came quite clearly when I pointed out such facts to an angry woman with an “END THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF IRAQ” sign. She snarled at me and barked, “We’ve liberated no one!” That was it, end of argument. Facts meant nothing to her. What did matter was her unbridled hatred for the President and for the Protest Warriors. It would be easy to write this off as one angry demonstrator; but it has become increasingly clear that she speaks for a majority of the people who have hijacked the Democratic Party.

We ended our Protest Warrior counter-protest with one brave soul heartily mocking the “PEACE” march with a megaphone and abrasive wit. “The American people see you for the losers you are!” “News flash. The 60’s are over! Put away the tie-die and get a job.” “You’re going to lose in November!” The invectives kept flowing and the America-haters started getting a little pissed. If it weren’t for the San Diego Police making their presence known, I have no doubt we would have been assaulted. Instead we were surrounded (mind you we were outnumbered at least 10:1) and taunted as baby killers, hate-mongers and liars. One very attractive young lady carried a soiled, burned and inverted American flag on a pole with the words “END AMERICAN IMPERIALIST DOMINATION OF SOUTH AMERICA” written inside the dirtied white stripes. I held up a sign that read: “Defend Liberty or Surrender to Terrorists “ She lectured me about how stupid and simplistic my sign was, that I only thought in “black and white” and that there were other ways to approach the world. I told her I must have overlooked the kinder-gentler Islamo-fascist movement, could she show me where I can get some of their literature? She smiled and called me a right-wing extremist. Wow. Maybe I’m being a little harsh when I call the Left “simplistic.” I hope I see her next time and we can discuss what exactly “Capitalist Domination” means.

I doubt any of these angry protestors understand that their destructive, discredited messages are only hurting their chances of winning back the oval office. They’re too busy hating a country that gives them the freedoms to be so indulgently self-centered and foolish. For the Left, their ideal is socialist anti-American Europe; and you don’t have to scratch too far below the surface to see a crumbling, decadent culture of appeasement and anti-Semitism. Western Europe has chosen the path of their own destruction, yet in the jaundiced eyes of the American Left, it is what they hope America one day becomes. What will it take for the Democratic Party to truly wake up? It seems nothing short of a November 3rd postmortem.

** Thanks to D.H. for allowing me to post this.

Posted by DaGoddess at September 6, 2004 09:45 PM