August 5, 2007: The Highland Park vigil was visited today by the Roving Counter Demonstrator. He has previously been seen at other vigils throughout the Southern California, including Eagle Rock, and South Pasadena, West Covina, and (I'm told) Whittier.

This was his first visit to Highland Park, and he must have gotten wind that we were planning to observe Hiroshima and Nagasaki days as he brought signs supporting the use of nuclear weapons: one praised the Enola Gay for its involvement in nuking Japan, another thanked General Leslie R. Groves for overseeing the Manhattan Project.

In the past, his signs have promoted Fox News and supporting the troops.

The number of pro-peace demonstrators varied from three to six. Our pictures and signs of radiation victims got a lot of attention.

Sometimes it was hard to tell which motorists were honking in support of which vigil, but many were clearly aimed at us. However, the Roving Counter Demonstrator received his share of positive responses, and one person came over to him and shook his hand. Another passerby appeared to flip him off, but it was hard to be certain.

Many people may not have known what they were honking at. Some may have mistaken him for one of us--and others may have thought we were with him. The Counter Demonstrator’s “support the troops” signs were the easiest to read, and people at both ends of the political spectrum support the troops. His American flag was rather prominent, but our vigil has had a flag-draped coffin for some years. His signs supporting nuclear weapons took longer to read.

After the vigil, I discovered that he left a leaflet on my car windshield. “Please do not let yourself be used by those groups and individuals who are in reality sympathetic to our nation’s enemies,” it said with a reference to various websites, including www.frontpagemag.com.

The flyer went on to describe the ANSWER Coalition as a “front” for “extemist” left-leaning groups, some of whom support Kim Jong II and Fidel Castro and “these murderous regimes’ violation of international law.” No rebuttal necessary (I hope).

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...thanks the Enola Gay for nuking Japan.

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