200 Protest Rumsfeld's Speech at West Point

This story is getting NO publicity at all. In fact one of the two local newspapers that wrote about this story has already PULLED THE STORY off their website!

So I'm printing the one remaining story before it too disappears!

Why is it NOT ONE newspaper outside the local area picked up this story?

In fact there are only 4 stories online AT ALL about his West Point speech. I don't know about you, but I sorta want to know what this guy is still doing working for the US gov't. He should've resigned or been fired long ago.

So I think it's newsworthy to find that he's drawing protesters and that the news media are completely ignoring Rumsfeld & his present predicament.

How many more protests are going unreported around the USA?

I smell a COINTELPRO rat...

Protesters gather outside West Point


By JENNIFER WEIL
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: May 30, 2004)

HIGHLAND FALLS — Ivan Medina knows that war can be brutal because he experienced it firsthand.

Last year the 22-year-old Middletown, N.Y., man and his twin brother, Irving, spent about six months in Iraq as Army specialists.

Yesterday, Ivan Medina and his parents, Ana and Jorge, were among the 200 people near the gates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point protesting the war in Iraq and the visit by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who gave the commencement address.

Ivan Medina returned from Iraq in August 2003. He said his brother died on the streets of Baghdad three months later.

"I'm here to show support to my troops and tell the people that this person that's coming to speak to the cadets is a liar and a war criminal," Medina said. "What better way than someone who served and lost a loved one.

"This government lied to the military soldiers. Bush went to war to settle a family vendetta. He wanted to put back the Bush name after what happened in the Gulf War."

The rally organized by the Democratic Alliance of Orange County began about 12:15 p.m. at Memorial Park in Highland Falls, a short walk from the academy. Among the participants were the Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, Drama Dragons, the Saugerties Peace and Social Justice Committee, and a group calling itself Billionaires for Bush.

The demonstrators held signs that read, "Defend America Dump Bush No More Lies," "Get Honest Resign" and "You're Fired."

Four black wooden coffins covered by American flags lay on the park's grass while five women — the Drama Dragons — wearing a pink felt dragon costume walked around the park singing "Blow Rummy down, Blow off his mantle, Blow off his crown."

The Billionaires for Bush mocked the president by wearing expensive clothing — tuxedos, fur coats and cocktail dresses — and waved signs that read, "Billionaire pride. We're here. We're rich. Get used to it," "4 More Wars," and "Rummy: Our man at the Pentagon."

Vietnam veteran James Novak of Hawley, Pa., drove an hour and a half to join several of his friends from the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 782 of Newburgh to "protest the protesters."

"It's pathetic that they have to demonstrate today, being so close to Memorial Day. You have the graduates that are becoming officers and they are going to serve someplace," said Novak, who was wearing a purple baseball cap with gold lettering that read, "Combat Wounded" and a patch with the Purple Heart insignia.

"It just shows these individuals just care about themselves. Whether you agree with the war or not, these guys are over there and should have 100 percent support of our country."

World War II veteran Sal Scialo of Newburgh, also with the Military Order of the Purple Heart, was particularly upset about seeing the four coffins.

"I think it's a disgrace having those coffins there," said Scialo, who held a sign that read, "We Support Our Troops." "They should be ashamed of themselves."

Novak, who came with the chapter's mascot, a 4-year-old black Labrador named Vern, became emotional when he talked about seeing yesterday's protesters. It reminded him of his return to United States.

"It really felt lousy coming back from Vietnam and having people call us names," he said.

At about 12:30 p.m. the war protesters, lead by Vietnam veteran Elliott Adams, who was in a wheelchair, began moving down Main Street toward West Point's Thayer entrance. A couple hundred yards from the gate, a sheriff's van blocked the road, and the protesters walked back to the park chanting. At the park, they sang antiwar songs.

"Since we've gone to war we really have gone the wrong course," said Marji Zintaz, who sang antiwar songs with her group, GaiaWolf. "Donald Rumsfeld needs to go because he bears the responsibility for all of this. I believe he knew about the abuses at Abu Ghraib and he condoned it," she said of the prison-abuse scandal. "It's time for us as a people to right the wrong that we've done."