So... I Almost Beat The Crap Out Of A Guy At A Sheehan Vigil !!!

[WillyT]

I didn't, and I glad I didn't. Guess my better Ghandis took over.

A little background.

Saw a friend of mine standing outside a local watering hole with his wife. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the Esophagus a while back and had completed both chemo, and radiation therapies. This Monday, they had him under the knife to remove what they'd hoped were shrunken tumors. Apparently they found more tumors, and decided to close him back up for more therapies. He and his wife after being remarkably brave and 'chin-up', were crestfallen. I decided to have a couple of stiff belts while I got the details.

Later, my mom and I go to the Sacramento vigil. It was downtown, but they had located it between the old City Hall building, and the new one. Now this is a perfectly good plaza, but nobody from the street can see you. When we were walking up, there were a few Sheehan supporters holding signs, and getting honks of encouragement by passing traffic. I was hoping that after the solemnity of the vigil, we might go back out to the street and continue there.

Picture of vigil here:



So I go up to this guy, he's in his early to mid-twenties and sitting there with his girlfriend and a flag. Now I didn't get a good look at the flag, but it was red, with a black graphic in the folds, and I assumed that it was some sort of Che' Guevara flag. IOW- I thought I was talking to a fellow human being. I ask him what he thinks about encouraging folks to go back out to the street as a group, and he looks at me and says real quietly...

"I don't support that manipulative little c*nt."

Now I don't know what look came across my face at that moment, but the girlfriend had this imploring look that sort of said, "Please don't kill him." And although I certainly had the desire to give him a quick ass-kicking, I felt it inappropriate to start a brawl at a vigil and peace rally. I reminded myself, that this was about Casey and Cindy. I reminded myself that there were a whole bunch of cameras around, and I did not want my reaction to this puke to deflect from the message of Camp Casey and the Crawford Peace House.

Plus, there were a couple other people there that I think heard it too, and gave me a look suggesting the guy wasn't worth it. So instead...

I said (nice and loud so vigil goers could not mistake), "Really... so when do you ship out???" Too which he turned red and hissed, "Asshole!"

"Cause if you need help fillin out those forms, I know folks who could help."

He grabbed his mortified girlfriend, his ? flag, and with a quick, red-faced, and whispered "fuck you" to yours truly, was gone from the vigil. But that's not the happy ending part of the story...

For not ruining a peace vigil for Casey and Cindy by rolling around the plaza floor with a chickenhawk right-wing fuckface, the Karma gods rewarded me. Still a bit steamed by this freeptard, I went back to the tavern to see if my buddy was still there. He wasn't, but as I was retelling my little story to the bartender and his lady friend, this woman on the other side of the lady friend asks, "Were you there too?"

So I got to meet Fran. Fran was a very nice lady, who was at the vigil because she supports Cindy and because HER SON is over there right now. I believe she told me that although her son would love to come home, he's not willing to leave his buddies behind. So Fran waits, and hopes for the best, and definitely supports Cindy. She had not heard of DU, or OperationTruth, or many other support centers, so I gave her our URL, plus as many others as I could remember.

So see... if you resist temptations to violence, you get to meet really cool people, and not end up spending the night in jail with your picture in the media, LOL!!!

Hey Fran... If you're here... please say hi!!!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[Maat]

1. Thanks for the story.

:hug:

[Imagevision]

70. Super move!-you cleaning his clock would have worked against Cindy

Especially after the "we don't care" crowd decide to run down the crosses, dealing with a bunch of ill-informed low lifes!

[Suich]

2. What a nice story, WillyT! Thank you for sharing!

:toast:

[Conservativesux]

3. I live near Sacramento. Anytime you need some muscle with the chickenhawks

in Sacramento, let me know.

I'd like nothing more then a good reason to get into a knock down, drag out fight with these fascist supporting assclowns.

Way to go, BTW !!!

[Booster]

4. You whipped his ass, WillyT, with your words. Ya done good and

I'm proud of you. You can bet the rest of his night didn't go all that great because I'm sure he probably went home and beat the shit out of his girlfriend.

[BrotherBuzz]

9. What spenbax says!!

:thumbsup: Willy, your Karma ran over his dogma!

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Woo hoo! Nicely done - I'm glad you kept your cool, put'm down with TRUTH,

and earned some good karma and helped a new person find DU and some other good stuff!

Now that you've earned good Karma - NOW it's okay to go find that guy and pound the bejeezus out of him. :7

[Conservativesux]

10. I like your style of thinking. Sooner or later it's going to come to blows

anyway, so why not just get it over with and be done with it?

I love peace as much as you folks do, but sometimes there is nothing you can do but fight back with physical force, against those who oppose your freedom to assemble and be heard.

[ultraist]

6. Willy, my man, glad you stayed out of trouble!

:rofl:

[me b zola]

7. Willy T!!!! You rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You get it!!!!!!

Good energy being sent to your friend.

A big hello to Fran :hi: My mother's name was/is Fran. Good energy being sent to her baby!!!!!!

[Garbo 2004]

8. Great story. Kudos! n/t

[Tim4319]

11. Hi Fran!

You should have lured the freeptard into the bathroom, or somewhere out of sight! But, that is totally against what Cindy's stance mean. So, I am glad you didn't punch that guy to sleep!

[Mr_Spock]

12. It's getting very difficult not to scream at the top of my lungs at these

morons (Freepers) at work. I'm glad you resisted beating the guys ass - I'm having to exercize restraint every day with these willfully ignorant savages. Not sure I can hold up forever :D

[nosmokes]

13. good on ya willy. n/t

[Lasher]

14. Have you noticed?

The right-wingers are VERY testy these days! Some of them can dish it out just fine, but can't take it. Could it be those Bush poll numbers that's making them so cranky?

[DemInDistress]

16. Exactly my thoughts

low poll numbers,downing street memo's, Cindy a lighting rod,rovegate,
iraq war in deep trouble,Iran,911, wingnuts are in their last throes,
unless our Heil Hitler calls Martial Law...I cant get rid of this feeling,its coming another 911 attack..could be atomic,biological,chemical or even financial collapse could prompt Chimpus Maximus to call a "National Emergency" and suspend our civil
liberties....I see it !!!!!

[LissaM]

60. wow...

I could swear you just sang REM's End Of The World... Okay, maybe you sang the updated version. :)

[Montauk6]

15. Rude awakening for the Creepers

They need to realize that that old stereotype of the granola-crunching, kumbaya-chanting folkie is long retired. People on the left, the ANGRY left, are composed of some pretty pissed-off people who WILL go to town with very little pushing, especially with the crap going down these days. It's like what Franken said at that infamous book expo with Tall Boy, 'we've been taking it and taking it and taking it.'

[FreedomAngel82]

17. I'm glad you met someone new

Hopefully she'll come join! :) People like that make me mad too. Ugh!

[spuddonna]

18. lol Thanks for the story!

You sound just like my brother! "Must resist...urge to...destroy!" lol

Good comeback to the jerk, too. I'm glad you held your ground peacefully! And I hope we see Fran here sometime, too!

:pals:

[ninkasi]

19. What a wonderful story...

you made that guy look like a complete idiot. Of course, he is a complete idiot, but you handled the situation so well, congratulations to you. Funny, isn't it, conservatives control all 3 branches of government, and still go around acting like they are the ones being denied their rights.

The offer of help with enlistment papers was wonderful. There's nothing more pathetic than the sight of one of these right-wing wackos sputtering and stuttering because they don't have the intelligence required to win a debate. They end up indulging in a lot of childish name calling, and savaging a grieving woman who has lost a son who made the ultimate sacrifice, and all for a lie.

If they weren't causing so much misery, I would be able to pity them, but they have inflicted too much harm on our country to feel anything but contempt. What twisted, miserable, excuses for human beings they are.

[kliljedahl]

33. Reflects my personal motto perfectly

"Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent

[raccoon]

55. Your personal motto kicks butt. nt

[kliljedahl]

59. TYVM

[AgadorSparticus]

20. PERFECT response, willyT. absolutely perfect. i love it. nt

[NightOwwl]

21. Hi neighbor (I'm a Folsomite!)

Don't know if I could have kept my cool like you did...but since I'm a 5'2" 105 lb woman, I probably wouldn't have been that effective anyway.

:yourock:

[rateyes]

58. Are you kidding me?

Dynamite comes in small packages. I saw a woman your size stand up to a guy in line at the airport who was something like 6'4 weighing 220 pounds. Verbally "castrated" him in front of God and everybody. He couldn't do anything but put his tail between his legs and whimper. You ROCK.

[NightOwwl]

68. You just reminded me of the time I confronted a guy at the gas station....

Big guy, driving a big Chevy.

He was blasting Limbaugh on his car radio and I asked him to turn it down. Said I didn't appreciate listening to his lies. He started ranting about Kerry being a traitor (this was before the election), so I point blank asked him if the military was lying about Kerry's medals. He actually said yes (but to my amusement, he looked kind of confused when he answered...kind of like that guy in the "Morans" picture.) Well, at that point I'd had enough so I left, but not before making my point.

So thanks for the memory. :hi:

[rateyes]

75. Never sell yourself short...

sorry for the bad pun...don't get yourself hurt by an asshole..but, well you know what I mean!

[dxstone]

22. Ya done good, Willy... ya done REAL good!

There may come a time when we'll ALL have to put down the flowers and close the hand we extend in peace into a fist, or worse... but for now, you reacted PERFECTLY.
Let these assholes bury THEMSELVES. They're doing it now, and they have NO impulse control; that's what separates us from them.
Again, though, there may come a time... and if and when, they're gonna find that we CHOOSE to be non-violent... and we can choose to do otherwise if and when the need arises.
Wussies? Girly-men? Let 'em think so for now...
APPLAUSE APPLAUSE to you! Bravo! Bravissimo!

:applause:

d



...but y'know what?... I wouldn't hold my breath.

[dxstone]

23. ps: MORE nominations, PLEASE!

This is an important story that others need to see...
I just nominated it and gave it another kick; now it's YOUR turn, people...
d

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Piperay]

26. Yeah, well

I smell something alright ... x(

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[magellan]

34. You're right in more ways than one. So let's sort you out, shall we?

Another legitimate question would be: since you support getting the U.S. out of Iraq, why haven't you went over there and joined the insurgents?

Uh, because that would mean killing fellow Americans for a belief -- something the Right supports, not the Left.

Toddle off home, now.

[Mairead]

29. Good question, and easily answered

If your goal is to stop the killing and get the Bush Gang out--as Willy's is--then to go kill people is like fscking to support virginity: your actions are opposed to your goal.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[magellan]

35. If you were at all familiar with this place

...and not just trawling for a fight, you'd know that no one here condones terrorist acts no matter WHO'S behind them. Which is another difference between the Left and the Right.

[Kingshakabobo]

36. Hey chicken-hawk! Are you posting from your tent in Iraq?

[DemInDistress]

81. I like to see you do a cartoon with bush

As the chicken-hawk in cheif...George W.Bush starring in Chicken-hawk Down,..its about an drunken coked up AWOL idiot son of a congressman who runs from drug testing..hides out in alabama in camouflaged gear inside a bar..Then goes on to become president..if you tweak my idea you might come up with something....

[Surya Gayatri]

42. Take pity , CarlGBorn. Your reasoning is much too subtle for us...

"...why haven't you went over there and joined the insurgents?"


What a powerful intellect is here revealed. One can only withdraw in defeat before such a mental giant. We might as well give up the struggle now fellow DUers--it's obvious that we are totally out-classed. :sarcasm: :eyes:

[Swamp Rat]

30. Wonderful!!!

:yourock: :woohoo: :applause: :patriot: :grouphug:

[kliljedahl]

31. Way to go WillyT

The way I would have tried to handle it. But just in case, my new bumpersticker (it arrived last night):


While I put it on today, I'll be thinking of you.

[BlueEyedSon]

37. WOO HOOOO..... karmic reward is right!

[Dynasty_At_Passes]

38. See it all the time...

I believe they are finally waking up, the freepers out there who are young and so on are easily disinformed and take a long time to figure it out where with older folks that is not as likely....

It still happens alot though, until reality sets in.

[Wetzelbill]

39. hey all right!

Nice story. You did the right thing. Can't say if I would've been that levelheaded. Maybe, maybe not. I hope your friend gets better. He'll be in my thoughts and prayers.

[H2O Man]

40. Q: What do you have

when a wise man argues with a fool?

A: Two fools.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

41. Thanks for the great story WillyT!

I hope Fran signs on to DU and knows we all want her son home soon.

:toast:

[Surya Gayatri]

43. A kick for good karma...

Well done, WillyT. Kicking this message full of the Mahatma's divine wisdom. So glad you listened to your better nature. Non-violence will always win out in the end. O8)

[Bassic]

44. Nice bit of self restraint man.

[txindy]

45. Way to go, WillyT!

You were definitely in the right the whole way through that encounter. What a great way to hold onto your temper and put the little chickenhawk in his place. He's obviously willing for Casey and others to die in a war as long as he doesn't have to fight, too. Chickenhawks like that should be shipped to boot camp in their sleep.

[Peace Patriot]

46. Great story! Thanks! The Bush Cartel would like nothing more than to

see us peons slugging it out in the streets. He'll likely suffer on the breadlines just like you and me--or whatever additional horrors they are cooking up for us, too nightmarish to contemplate.

I think I would've turned to him in amazement, and said, "Would your mother approve of language like that?"

That kind of thing always amazes me.

But imagine being him, and uttering it. It must have taken some thought to come out with the word "manipulative." Maybe he heard it from Rush Limbaugh (no, he said her story was "not real"--not that she was "manipulative--but maybe from someone else). But actually it sounded kind of genuine, like he'd thought about it himself, and had concluded that she must be...well, a witch or something; that, if his hero Bush was cornered, and was acting like a jerk, then there must be something wrong with HER. Possibly a Freudian thing, too. (--his mother was manipulative?). Try to imagine being someone so lacking in self-confidence, so limited in intellect and creativity, so lacking in heart, and so easily brainwashed, as to have Bush as a hero! It's pathetic. And the only way he can handle it all--this crack that is developing in Bush's Looking Glass World--is to think of Cindy Sheehan as a "manipulative c__t."

What we have here is an example of the evil of the war profiteering corporate news monopolies! Look what they've done to this guy! --given him a Pinocchio puppet of a leader. And he's got such a hole inside of him, such emptiness, that he bought it.

I do think it's a big mistake to blame guys like him. He hasn't done anything to me or to you, or to the country. He has LESS power--and a lot less reason to be proud--than any of us have, who have spoken out. He didn't think up Diebold or ES&S! He hasn't become a billionaire off the war. He's just a sucker. They're fleecing him, too--and he's got the worst of it, because he DOESN'T KNOW. (I'm just guessing from his words--which tell me a lot--and from the fact that he's wandering around Sacto with his girlfriend; nothing better to do than to go watch and hate a peace protest.)

Maybe OUR anger--when encountering someone like him--comes from the fact that the lying, war profiteering corporate news monopolies have given him, and guys like him, a Big Trumpet with which to blow their hot air and their nasty thoughts at the rest of us. We've had these pea-brained minority views shoved down our throats. We've seen an ILLUSION of rightwing dominance created, when we KNOW that these are NOT the views of the MAJORITY. (--and that is very, very true; I won't recite the polls again; just this--60% to 70% of the American people disapprove of every major Bush policy, foreign and domestic, and have disapproved of the Iraq war since BEFORE the invasion; it's true!).

So, it's not so much HIM, as that we've been forced to LISTEN to him multiplied and trumpeted--and it's not right. These are our PUBLIC airwaves. OUR views--the majority viewpoint--should be present there also, and it is not.

I'm just saying, don't blame HIM. React however you want to--and a few well-chosen words is the best way. (WillyT's choices were very wise!) But it's as if a teacher or parent were coddling a playground bully. It's not entirely the child-bully's fault. If the powers-that-be are not just, are themselves corrupt, or negligent, or have other ill motives, and PERMIT this one kid to tyrannize the playground, then it is THEY who most need correction.

[unhappycamper]

47. Actions speak louder than words.

Stories like yours clearly show who we are and what we stand for. Thanks for the restraint & here's hoping we see Fran soon.

[tnlefty]

63. Wow! I love the Globalize This peace sign!!!

That would make a great bumpersticker! And a great banner, and a great flag...:toast:

[unhappycamper]

64. I took that pic 3.20.2005 at the rally on Boston Common.

Feel free to steal it, but please cache it first:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=111&topic_id=43471

Peace.

[bejammin075]

48. You are quick on your feet!

Damn, that was smooth. I hope you're not embellishing. That was a great line "So when do you ship out?" That had to get under his skin.

At some point, these people have to stop believing those who are consistently wrong, and believe those who were right all along.

[NJCher]

49. Very entertaining account

As a writing teacher, I especially liked the details in the part where you were ready to kick his ass. I even started to read it before I got my morning coffee and breakfast sandwich but stopped, saying, "This is too entertaining! Gotta' get the 'popcorn!'"

This story is very revealing. If you think about the language and the way the jerk with the flag responded to you, it shows the anger that's seething away under the surface. Think about the two Larrys and one really has to wonder about their mental stability.

The karmic reward part was a fine conclusion. I, too, am glad you resisted the urge to whup his ass, but hey, if you want to go back later...


Cher

[MADem]

50. Print this essay out for those who are PAST the enlistment age

Well worth reading, printing, and handing out to bigmouth chickenhawk assholes who are safely past enlistment age!!!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/08/14/INGHQE6CBJ1.DTL&type=printable

....After all, how much youthful vigor does it require to fire lightweight weapons from the back of an armored-personnel carrier? How much strength does it take to press the trigger on a grenade launcher, or to redirect the turret on a tank? When soldiers are being driven to the various scenes of conflict, why is it necessary for soldiers to be young?

And, because youth is no longer the requisite quality for struggling, and because the U.S. military is having difficulty finding enough young people willing to fight and die in this struggle, it would, therefore, be wise to consider that vast pool of potential warriors at the other end of the age spectrum. Tapping that pool of warriors should be easy. Aging males are easily the most gung-ho of all warriors. From Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove right on down to the guys who write letters to the editors of the nation's newspapers, the fiercest warriors are men over 50, men with expanding waistlines and receding hairlines who would tear the enemy a new one if only they could get up off the sofa in less than three tries.

Besides, many of these older men work out regularly and eat sensibly. The popular wisdom now has it that 60 is the new 40, and 40 is surely young enough to serve in the military. Guys like Rep. Tom DeLay, for instance, look to be in fine shape and would make good soldiers, I'm sure.

The reasons older males would make better warriors than younger people are too numerous to mention, but they surely include the fact that older males are much angrier than younger males. Older males are, in fact, really ticked off, as everyone who drives surely knows....

[StaggerLee]

51. Great story Willy T

Although this guy absolutely needs an ass kicking you did the right thing. Wouldn't it be great if his girlfriend finally got wise and dumped this incredible POS?

Anyhoo, you showed great restraint and wisdom that I expect from a DUer. Especially cosidering the solemn setting you were participating in.

It's true, sometimes less is more.

Cheers!

sL-

[Vinnie From Indy]

52. LOL!

Great response!

[Throckmorton]

53. Sorry about your friend,

Esopheageal cancer is what killed Mrs.Throckmorton last year, she was only 40.

[WillyT]

82. Man... I Am Very Sorry About Your Loss...

You doin OK???

:hug:

Lost my dad to cancer in '75, but my mom has survived it twice now.

Peace

:hippie:

[Throckmorton]

83. Hanging in there dude,

and there is no way in hell, the BFEE is getting my kids. Not after it kicked their late mother out of the USAF in 1990 for being gay.

[jean]

54. Good job, WillyT

And welcome Fran, if you're here

:hi:

[raccoon]

56. Right on, WillyT! You showed up that jerk.

I'd bet he's a misogynist too, because of him using that C word.

He probably thinks Cindy doesn't know her place.

[Octafish]

57. Good on You, WillyT!

You took the high road. From there your journey moves forward and upward.

The freeper -- like all of his NAZI ilk -- will never know what he's missing. They really must like the sewer.

[grumpy old fart]

61. A great lesson and message for us all in the days ahead. Thanks.

eom

[otohara]

62. I Think The Karma God's

would have preferred you kicked his fugly little ass. Either way, they are shinning down on you WillyT. Thanks for sharing this story.

[GreenPartyVoter]

65. Great story, Willy. You handled it perfectly *hugs*

[Joe Chi Minh]

66. Funny, my first thought was that

he was talking about Bush.

Maybe if I'd been there, with all that was going on, it would have been different, but it has never struck me that Cindy was a manipulative person. Just an angry grieving mother. Others, yes, and thank goodness for that.

[Iris]

67. He deserved a beat down just for using the "c" word.

But I'm glad you were able to keep your cool.

[BigBearJohn]

69. then again, a casual side kick to his head when no one was looking....

I joke, I joke

[proud patriot]

71. Well Done WillyT

:hug:

[WillyT]

74. Hey Trish !!!

:loveya:

When we all gettin together again???

:shrug:

I'm WAY out of the loop.

:silly:

[thespiritualzebra]

72. That showed big Gandhis to do that, kudos

[WillyT]

73. HEY, THANKS EVERYBODY !!! - Apparently I Fell Asleep Right After Posting !!

I'm friggin exhausted.

:bounce::loveya::bounce:

:grouphug:

:hi:

[ComerPerro]

76. I love asking Young Republicans that

some of them know what cowards they are.

Of course, there will always be the ones who say "blah blah I'm helping the war by fighting it here at home blah blah", but some of them know how hypocritical and pathetic they are at heart. And those, they are my favorites, beause they get the most disgusted

[lonestarnot]

77. Good for you WillyT!

And on edit... good on ya!

[buddysmellgood]

78. You're absolutely right about not beating him at the vigil. But can we

find him now?

[Ilsa]

79. Great story! Perfectly handled! You wacked the balls off that

neocon f%#%wad.

I've heard of many who go, like Casey and Fran's son, because they know if they didn't fulfill their commitments, someone else would have to go, and they were too honorable to have that happen.
:bounce: :patriot: :hi: :patriot: :bounce:

[rumpel]

80. Hey. I am proud of you. That is what we are all fighting for....

:hi: