Iraq Vets Banned From Veteran's Day Parade

[marmar]

from AlterNet's PEEK:



Iraq Vets Banned From Veteran's Day Parade

Posted by Steven Reynolds, The All Spin Zone at 5:55 AM on November 12, 2007.


Steven Reynolds: If they can't honor Iraq War Veterans, then they need to quit the job of running these parades.



This post, written by Steven Reynolds, originally appeared on The All Spin Zone

Iraq veterans are banned from marching in Veterans Day Parades. Who the heck do these people think they are supposed to be honoring? If they can't honor Iraq War Veterans, then they need to quit the job of running these parades.

They had a Veterans Day Parade in Long Beach Saturday, and some veterans groups against the War in Iraq applied to join in the parade, presumably to honor their brothers who have died. Alas, politics got in the way. Evidently they no longer allow veterans to participate in Veterans Day Parades unless they are 100% behind the idea of war, no matter the circumstance. From the Press-Telegram:


Iraq veteran Jason Lemieux might not be marching in the 11th annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade on Saturday. The Marine, who served three tours of duty in Iraq and is now against the war, was hoping to march as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, a national organization that calls for immediate withdrawal of troops in Iraq.

The group's application, however, was rejected last month because of its political views, parade coordinators said.

"I wanted to march like the rest of the Iraq veterans," said Lemieux, a 24-year-old Anaheim resident. "I served my country. I'm a veteran of a foreign war. I think I deserve that respect."

Iraq Veterans, along with the groups Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out, applied to march together in the parade this year under the entry "Military Patriots."

After reviewing each group's mission statement, the Veterans Day Parade Committee, a non-profit group that organizes the event, voted unanimously to reject the application, said parade coordinator Martha Thuente.
http://allspinzone.com/wp/

"They do not fit the spirit of the parade," she said. "The spirit being one of gratitude for what the veterans have done. We do not want groups of a political nature, advocating the troops' withdrawal from Iraq." Parade coordinators work hard to keep the event free from politics, Thuente said.

"We're not allowed to take a political stance."


Now there's the stupid excuse of the year by Ms. Thuente. She tries to keep the parade free of politics by keeping out anyone who is in political disagreement with the President? What a load of crap. That woman should be fired for stupidity, much less for disrespecting our veterans of the failed War in Iraq.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/67601/#more

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. that is so "today"

perhaps she looks at Iraq as job security. Without more war and fighting, there would be no more vets, and where would she be then?

[Breeze54]

2. This seems to happening all over the world!!

:grr:

Out of sight, out of mind? Jerk offs!!

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. "Out of sight, out of mind"

You got that right. My guess is that the United States (and the UK and goodness knows how many other countries) realize the war is so unpopular that allowing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to participate would very quickly turn the parades into protests.

[Breeze54]

6. You're probably right about that and they say it's for "WWI vets

and that war.... which is baloney!

Maybe they're ashamed of what they have done? :shrug:

[moggie]

14. It's not new

UK DUers who remember the Falklands war may remember the media outcry when disabled servicemen were banned from the subsequent victory parade (the outcry led to a reversal of that decision). And, sadly, Thatcher's little war was sufficiently popular to get her reelected.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. This is what I meant about a lack of "Honor"

[Breeze54]

7. Yup, they're ashamed of what they have done

concerning Iraq and don't want any public displays, for fear of embarrassment.

[lonestarnot]

5. Nazi pug lady. You suck ass! And should hang your head in shame!

[librechik]

8. apparently ONE CERTAIN political stance is ok

typical they call the hooray-for-fascism position not politics at all.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. THAT is an example of the moral standards that BushCo has created and encouraged in this country

:puke:

[gratuitous]

10. Well, what do you all expect?

The veterans' parades are holy rites, high masses for the Church of Redemptive Violence, and the entire production is being staged to worship war. You wouldn't expect the Catholics to interrupt their service for satanists to come romping through the sanctuary, you shouldn't expect a message against war during a veterans' parade.

[lonestarnot]

12. Vets 4 Peace have marched in the last 3 parades here and are marching today.

[Beerboy]

11. Rush must bankroll these parades,

he doesn't authorize payment if any "phony soldiers" are allowed to attend, thereby besmirching his "service".
What a bunch of hypocrisy by Martha Thuente.

[begin_within]

13. In the San Diego parade, not only did they have an Iraq vets group, they

also had an "Iraq Veterans Against the War" group, which got applause as it went by, and an "Honor all Veterans" group (meaning GLBT veterans) which got little applause, because I think nobody understood what they meant (It wasn't spelled out, just one rainbow flag was how I knew).

[Javaman]

15. "They do not fit the spirit of the parade,"

They only want happy shiny people marching for the war du jour.