An Exchange of Views

by Joe Katzman at April 2, 2003 8:28 PM

Winds of Change.NET reader and loyal correspondent Tom Donelson passes on this email from a friend in Washington, D.C.:

"To nobodys surprise there were protestors today in DC, they attempted  to disrupt the metro system and block the Key Bridge, a leading artery into DC from Northern Virginia. I got hosed twice because I come in from NoVA on the metro and it is raining hard which makes traffic worse any way. My commute was long and arduous and only caused further resentment for protestors... Anyway, I'll get to the point.

I got off my train in Rosslyn because I had to use the bathroom and the train was moving quite slowly. When I was getting back on the train, there were protestors on the train platform handing out pamphlets on the evils of America. I politely declined to take one.

An elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young (20ish) female protestor offered her a pamphlet, she politely declined. The young protestor put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a guesture of friendship and in a very soft voice said, "Ma'am, don't you care about the children of Iraq?"
 
The old woman looked up at her and said: "Honey, my first husband died in France during World War II so you could have the right to stand here and bad mouth your country. And if you touch me again, I'll stick this umbrella up your ass and open it."

I'm glad to report that loud applause broke out among the onlookers and the young protestor was at a total loss for words."

Yes, there are well-intentioned people on the other side of this debate. Still, I'm with James Lileks when he wrote:
"To be honest, though: lately I say this more out of habit than conviction. It's become something I feel obligated to say, because I do want to make a distinction between the sensible dissenters and the moral cripples who superimpose Bush's face on bin Laden's head and proclaim the president the real terrorist. But the dissenters' arguments grow thinner every day."
Those out demonstrating against the war at this point aren't the sensible types, or well intentioned. Glad to see people calling them on it.

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