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My summary: a bunch of ignorant kids wasting tax dollars.

I’m sitting at Borders waiting for my pics to develop (I’m still old school - 35mm, I love the quality).  So pics are forthcoming.

I arrived late, about 1:30.  At that point the protesters almost outnumbered the police.  Then some of them left.  There were signs that I’ll have pics of and chants I couldn’t really understand most of the time.

The pro-troop protesters out-numbered the anti-war protesters.  Some veteran-bikers, locals, three TV stations and some amateur and professional photographers.

Police were well outfitted, well organized and very professional. 

Started at 12:30 (I assume).  Scheduled to end at 5:30.  Ended at 2:45.  Some real die-hards, that bunch.  After the anti-war protesters left (with police escorts to their cars) the police left and the pro-troops crowd took over the space. 

Funniest thing was when the anti-war group stood up and assumed an aggressive posture against the police and pro-troop crowd.  Police added a line of officers and the kids pretended to be a threatening menace.

In a word: Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! (is that one word?)

An entry on TNT’s military blog “FOB Tacoma“:

Meantime, you all have probably seen the back-and-forth in the blogosphere about what is supposed to be a demonstration Saturday afternoon at the military recruiting station near the Tacoma Mall. Service members from across the area have advised to stay away – if you’re looking for front row parking, this may be your day. One anonymous organizer tells me via e-mail they aren’t looking for trouble and aren’t against the people in the military. Tacoma PD spokesman says he hopes that’s the case.

Part of me wonders if the comment from the organizer is an admission that it’s going to be a lame protest, like the ICE protest last year that was supposed to shut down downtown Tacoma (but could barely have shut down an intersection).
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Leave it to the media to report what they want to report, regardless of the facts. Here’s a link to the report (not the errant reports about the report) released by the Pentegon this week.

From the NY Sun (Report Details Saddam’s Terrorist Ties):

The report, released this week by the Institute for Defense Analyses, says it found no “smoking gun” linking Iraq operationally to Al Qaeda. But it does say Saddam collaborated with known Al Qaeda affiliates and a wider constellation of Islamist terror groups.

The Iraqi Intelligence Service in a 1993 memo to Saddam agreed on a plan to train commandos from Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the group that assassinated Anwar Sadat and was founded by Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The report also undercuts the claim made by many on the left and many at the CIA that Saddam, as a national socialist, was incapable of supporting or collaborating with the Islamist al Qaeda. The report concludes that instead Iraq’s relationship with Osama bin Laden’s organization was similar to the relationship between the rival Colombian cocaine cartels in the 1990s. Both were rivals in some sense for market share, but also allies when it came to expanding the size of the overall market.

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Harvard economists Radha Iyengar, Jonathan Monten have found a link between “war critical statements” in the U.S. media and “insurgent attacks”:

Are insurgents affected by information on US casualty sensitivity? Using data on attacks and variation in access to international news across Iraqi provinces, we identify an “emboldenment” effect by comparing the rate of insurgent attacks in areas with higher and lower access to information about U.S news after public statements critical of the war. We find in periods after a spike in war-critical statements, insurgent attacks increases by 5-10 percent. The results suggest that insurgent groups respond rationally to expected probability of US withdrawal. As such counterinsurgency should consider deterrence and incapacitation rather than simply search and destroy missions. [emphasis added] (more…)

Michelle Malkin has received a copy of the memo that warned local military personnel and contractors to stay away from the Tacoma Mall this Saturday.

Excerpt (Tacoma portion):

3. (U//FOUO) KNOWN LOCATIONS AND EVENTS:

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Not all of the anti-military protestors are thugs. Michelle Malkin, a blogger, Fox News guest host, syndicated columnist and former Seattle Times reporter, received a death-threat from a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). I frequently link to Michelle on the anti-recruiter issue because she’s been watching the issue closely and blogs about most developments, even the ones that don’t make national news (but should).

The IVAW frequently holds rallies protesting the war in Iraq. Their organization is organizating events leading up to and surrounding the ‘Winter Soldier II’ gathering in DC this Saturday. The head of the organization has issued an apology and the leadership of the group has taken action to suspend the thugs who made the threat against Michelle and against others.

The previous actions were in fact a temporary measure until our internal process of handling disciplinary actions could complete. That process has resolved, and the final decision is as follows:
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Some things are just too funny. Jon Stewart takes a look at anti-recruiter protesters.

h/t NewsBuster.org

Are stickers reading “I [heart] the bicycle bomber” (complete with anarchy symbol) a sign of what’s coming to Tacoma. Protests are escalating in our area and there’s more to it than just a bunch of locals who don’t approve of the war in Iraq. Will this be like the WTO protest that attracted a group of anarchists from out of state?

When the WTO (and the violent protests) came to Seattle in ‘99 I was on contract with a company on the top floor of Two Union Square in Seattle, right in the middle of the protests. The police had a perimeter established (one of the few things they were allowed, by politicians, to do) that I didn’t have any trouble crossing. I think the tie helped. I didn’t look like a protester.

When I got to the building I had to wait 10 minutes before someone could come down (through their security) to let me into the building and escort me upstairs so I could work. Once was enough. I postponed the work until after the protests.
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A rally at Camp Murray today (Inspiration from one set of heroes to another) where firefighters gathered to honor our deployed troops by sending them t-shirts. A t-shirt may not seem like much, but the honor it represents means the world. The News Tribune also has video.

Michelle Malkin has a report of a small ‘Support the Troops Rally’ that took place today in front of the recruitment center where a bomb went off just a few days ago (Rallying for recruiters–and gearing up for next ANSWER paroxysm - with links to Flickr, video and NYDaily News coverage.)

The Gathering of Eagles, along with many other organizations, has a rally scheduled in DC on Saturday (same day as the anti-war/anti-troop protest scheduled in Tacoma.)

In case you missed it, be sure to read Michelle Malkin’s Special report: Tracing the Left’s escalating war on military recruiters.
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It’s time for the city of Tacoma to stand up to these thugs. Tacoma’s track record stinks. Will they do as much to protect the military as they’re doing to keep Russell? What are they going to do about this?

The people of Tacoma love having the bases here. Tacoma has a rich military heritage that cannot be forgotten. Many active and retired military personnel call our city home and we need to show them our respect and support.

Here are some things the City of Tacoma can and should do:

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