My Trip To D.C. To Counter The Communists
Jon Alvarez, IntellectualConservative.com, October 27, 2003

On Saturday I joined other patriots in our nation's capitol as it came under renewed assault from the anti-American, communist-backed group known as A.N.S.W.E.R.

I returned from Washington, D.C. late Saturday night after a whirlwind trip in which I drove 800 miles within a twenty-four hour period. I joined other patriots in our nation's capitol as it came under renewed assault from the anti-American, communist-backed group known as A.N.S.W.E.R. Now why on earth would I drive so far, leaving the comforts of my home, simply to be verbally assaulted by a group of left-wing wackos? The answer is simple; I made this trip to show my support for our President, our troops, and our country.

I also made this trip to show the nation and the world that these leftist protesters do not speak for me. I could not in good conscience sit by and allow them to march unopposed, spewing their venomous hatred not only for President Bush, but also for our country. They do not represent mainstream America, despite the attempts of the mainstream media to convince us otherwise. What the media fails to report is that the primary backer of the anti-war rallies has been the group A.N.S.W.E.R., a conglomerate of communist organizations. I was saddened to see some young children and teens marching with these people, unaware of what they stand for. The majority of the professionally made signs held by the anti-war protesters were stamped "International Socialist Organization." Enough said.

What else did the media fail to report? They did not report that this anti-war protest was deemed a huge failure. A.N.S.W.E.R. had estimated their numbers to be approximately 100,000, yet I can attest that they had no more than 10,000 people in attendance. Furthermore, I have heard reports that their event in San Francisco attracted only several hundred supporters. This is very good news because it shows their movement is losing supporters as their anti-American agenda becomes more visible.

The media's cameras also failed to capture the message of hatred for all things American. U.S. flags were desecrated with swastikas while our flags received the one-finger salute. Displays of anti-capitalism, sexism, racism, and anti-semitism were not reported. Eggs were thrown at police officers. Now why on earth would "peace" protesters be carrying eggs? The terrorists of the world were watching these protests, taking great joy in the support they received from their new allies on the left. The actions of these people could have a negative impact on the morale of our soldiers as well. That's why it's imperative that the media report on the patriotic presence as well.

It was at our second rallying point, along the parade route of A.N.S.W.E.R., that we came face to face with these people. Despite the eggs, despite the horrible signs painting our President as everything from a new Adolf Hitler to an evil capitalist criminal, I couldn't help but feel sorry for some of the participants. They fail to realize they are on the wrong side of history. Surely they were unaware that they were marching with a vile, anti-American communist group? We, too, want the troops to come home. We don't want war, but we cannot allow terrorism to survive. To show weakness, to pull our troops from Iraq at this time, would only spell disaster for America.

I think several of these people were uncomfortable with the viciousness of the protesters as they came around the corner and saw our patriotic signs and show of support for our country. Like rabid dogs, they screamed, spit, ranted, and raved. They are the ones driven by anger and hatred. They are the same people that spit on our returning soldiers from Vietnam and called them "baby killers." They are the social misfits, the dirty and the disheveled, that relish social upheaval. They are the strong supporters of groups like A.N.S.W.E.R. and it was good that we exposed them for what they represent. They didn't disappear after the anti-war protests of the past spring, only to reappear now. No, they had merely channeled their energy into working for the Howard Dean campaign.

No bias in the media? The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic, the organizers of the event, notified C-Span well in advance of the day's events, only to be told that C-Span would only cover the A.N.S.W.E.R. rally. C-Span must have determined that several hundred Americans, proclaiming support for their country, were not newsworthy. Furthermore, despite the abundance of reporters and camera crews that interviewed us during and after our engagement with A.N.S.W.E.R. along their march route, there was little if any reporting of our presence and viewpoint. Even my local news outlets, notified of my intentions weeks ago, seemed to have no interest, yet carried the network headlines about "huge anti-war protests." So much for presenting both sides of the issue.

Hats off to the D.C. Police Department for handling this event in a most professional manner. There was zero police presence at our initial rally point as there was no need for one. We did have to flag down an officer to remove one "peace" protester who tried to disrupt our singing of "God Bless America" as we concluded our rally. Several others stopped by early on and vandalized the porta-potties we had rented for our event. It was quite a contrast to the police presence necessary along the route of the anti-war protesters -- there was a large police presence in combat gear. As we proceeded up Pennsylvania Avenue to our second rally point, we received numerous thumbs up displays from these blue knights in body armor. It was nice to see they appreciated our presence on the field of battle that day.

Finally, it was a glorious day to be in Washington, D.C., the capitol of the greatest country in the world. It was wonderful to be involved with such an event, to be up at the crack of dawn and to see the sun rise behind the Capitol Building. My chest swelled with pride as I met others who feel as I do, people from all walks of life, patriots showing their support for their country. We heard from a great panel of speakers, from former Congressman Bob Dornan to a gentleman from Iraq. All shared the same message; we live in the greatest country in the world, we cannot compromise with evil, and we cannot allow groups like A.N.S.W.E.R. to portray themselves as a group that represents America. It's too bad the liberal media failed to report on both sides of the issue, particularly the American side.

Jon Alvarez is a free-lance writer and the founder of PABAAH (http://www.pabaah.com/), Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood.