I am praying for our troops in battle and those who have returned. We should honor them and ensure that some dissident minority political groups do not attempt to use our veterans' day parade as an opportunity to disrupt.

Lets not have a repeat of last year. Remember that all vets deserve our respect.

Signed,

Birch A. Bricker, Newcastle, USN (AK2 - Nimitz), 1992-1998

I hope we can put ideologies aside and honor those that have served. Let the Parade be a celebration of their service and sacrifice and not a forum for political posturing.

Just in case, I am bringing a basket of rotten tomatoes and will be handing them out.

I will be there to honor and celebrate our soldiers, past and present.

Yosemite, why don't you dump those rotten tomatoes into your compost and fill your basket with sweet, juicy apples to share?!

Thank God for our troops. Jon Green USA, 3rd bn, 8th Inf 4th inf div 1964-1966

I heard from the parade organizers that the Veterans for Peace are demanding to be in the parade again this year. For anyone who forgot, the VFP are predominately not veterans. The local chapter was initialized by a couple of Vietnam draft dodgers who used to be the Placer County Peace Keepers. The VFP is the same group that marches with the Marxist "Code Pink" and the Communist party "We're not your soldiers". The VFP can often be found in high schools telling kids that the recruiters are liars.

Bring a big basket Sam.

It is somewhat ironic that my tomato plants are now standing with all of these moldy, rotten tomatoes and the VFP is yet again planning to disrupt the parade.

While one might consider it "assault" to throw a rotten tomato at the VFP, its not illegal to hold a basket of tomatoes, hand them out, or stand around with a tomato in your hand.

Now, if a group of people were to suddenly start tossing these rotten tomatoes, who is going to enforce an assault charge against them?

VFP - you have been warned.

I’m confused by this. Are the VFP banned from the parade? I personally think they should be banned. All they are about is making political statements. I don’t think any special interest group making statements should be allowed. I don’t care what side of the political spectrum you’re on. The VFP have been making a mockery of the parade. Who are the parade organizers? I respect all veterans for there service, but I don’t want to hear about their political beliefs on a day that was meant to simply honor all veterans, past and present.

Patrick: Last year they tried to "crash" the parade. This year, they are going to press for entry and upon threat of lawsuit, likely get in.

Tomatoes...free. I have Roma, Big Boy and some Early Girls. Remember, its not against the law to have a tomato or to give them away to friends.

Y_S:

I believe a Veteran's Day parade is the time to honor the service and sacrifice of ALL veterans, irrespective of their color, faith or political beliefs. But that's only my opinion.

I shed my blood to support your right to dissent. Use that right to express whatever you feel you need to, but don't throw anything or encourage others to do so -- even rotten tomatoes You could be charged with criminal assault.

(USMC, RVN 1965-1967)

Veterans for Peace are men and women who have experienced the horrors of war and have come to believe there are less expensive ways to resolve differences among nations.

When did praying for peace rather than war become treasonous? Is a person's belief that differences can be resolved without killing each others' kids a form of sedition? The real test of any nation's power is not its capacity to make war, but its capacity to prevent it.

-

"War is never beneficial except for those in a position to profit from war expenditures." (Congressman Ron Paul)

The whole Day has been usurped and is pandering to the lowest common denominator... on ALL fronts. This veteran will be doing something better with his time on that day.

Birch,

It is probably for the best. If Yosemite's aim is as accurate as his "facts" everybody will be returning from the parade covered in tomato juice.

Skeptic,

I totally agree with this part...

"I believe a Veteran's Day parade is the time to honor the service and sacrifice of ALL veterans, irrespective of their color, faith or political beliefs. But that's only my opinion."

"I shed my blood to support your right to dissent." - And I was fortunate enough to have only suffered permanent hearing loss so that YOU could have a right to dissent.

"Use that right to express whatever you feel you need to, but don't throw anything or encourage others to do so -- even rotten tomatoes"

There is nothing wrong with carrying some tomatoes to a parade with the hope that I can toss them into a trash can. I do not have to put up with the pseudo-Veterans For Peace (unless Obama is president) trying to get some PR time out of a parade that is supposed to honor veterans for protecting our rights.

"You could be charged with criminal assault." -- I guess this would be a form of civil disobedience. I will make sure the skins are soft enough that they won't cause any permanent physical damage.

Skeptic, You say that VFP are “men and women that have experienced the horrors of war.” We know that many of them did not. In fact, many of them are not veterans. Please explain. I am a bit confused by any veteran being okay with the VFP organization. I understand if you are not for war, but the VFP do stand with Code Pink. They have disrupted our small town parade. Those are facts that I can’t get passed. If they were simply veterans that were for peace and wanted to be in the parade without any political signs, just to be honored for their past service, I’d be all for them participating in the parade. YS, how do you know they are threatening litigation? Who do we talk to about this subject?

TomCavallero -

Last time I checked, "Semper Fidelis" does not translate into English as: "Blindly support failed policies that kill my Marines for no good reason."

Aut disce lingua Latina aut discede. Haec mihi videntur facienda esse.

Patrick50 - I apologize. You are correct; not all VFP members are combat veterans or even military veterans. Their web page explains:

"We [VFP] welcome all veterans of military service whether they served overseas or stateside, both during times of peace and times of war. We also encourage friends, family members, and general supporters of the veterans peace movement to join VFP as an Associate Member."

Again, I was mistaken and I apologize for it. Are you thinking about becoming an Associate Member?

Patrick 50 - Sorry, but I forgot to ask you: in what way did the VFP disrupt your small town parade? Did they attack someone? Call in airstrikes? ;-) What happened?

Yosemite_Sam:

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. No, throwing tomatoes wouldn't be civil disobedience. It would be assault, battery or both. In California an assault/battery is committed when one person 1) tries to or does physically strike another, or 2) acts in a threatening manner to put another person in fear of immediate harm. That includes any offensive physical contact with a body part or an object.

See you in court?

I have a simple solution... Veterans for peace should be allowed to walk in the parade as it is there right to demonstrate. However, when the Veterans For Peace walk by in the parade we should all turn our backs on them. This way it our non-violent protest to them, and the Veterans For Peace will know that we think they are human excrament. Of course if we do turn our backs on them they might stab us in the back or worse, as thats what traders do.

We should get the entire parade crowd to turn their backs on them. I will pay for the flyers to instruct the crowd what to do when they see a Veteran for Peace Member in the parade, if the rest of the good patriotic citizens want to help me hand them out? What do you think?

Outstanding idea. This should be a new letter to the editor.

Skeptic, are you suggesting I should throw cream-puffs, or would your VFP friends consider being hit with a cream-puff "assault"?

Actually, never mind. I think I know the answer.

In fact, I think I just came up with a sign for the parade. On one side "Thank You Veterans" and on the other side "Watch out for the Cream Puffs!!!"

I will know when to turn it around.

Skeptic, Last year they physically forced themselves in line with the parade when they were not parade participants. Additionally, protesting in the middle of our small town parade is “disrupting.” I have no problem with them voicing their opinion, just not at the veterans’ parade. It is not the time or the place. Just think what the parade would look like if a bunch of special interest groups start participating in the parade just to get their message out; it wouldn’t be pretty. My personal opinion of the VFP is that they like disrupting the parade. They like the trouble that they make at these events. They’re called sh%^ disturbers. I hope they are abolished. Born here, You can count me in. I guess I feel a certain sense of responsibility to protect veterans, since I never served in the armed forces. It’s the least I can do for them.

Born_Here -

So you propose turning your backs in disrespect on the veterans who don't support your beliefs, even though you are only able to express your beliefs because they fought for your right to do it?

I see.

(USMC, Republic of Vietnam, 1965-1967)

Patrick50 -

They protested? All I heard was some 70 year-old Korean War vet peacenik got punched in the mouth and hit the deck. Did the police stop things? As for "liking trouble " they're a bunch of old men against war. Who could possibly be more harmless?

Skeptic,

Wars are terrible as you well know but our freedoms were earned by the bloodshed of heroes. You are entitled to your opinions in regards to what you may have experienced and you have earned the right. Many of the VFP group have not earned the right as you have. I will turn my back on anyone who desecrates the memory of one of our fallen heroes. It would seem to me that VFP members are doing just that by causing a ruckus at our little parade. It is definitely the wrong time for the VFP group to make their feelings known.

skeptic, it would be ironic if the blood of those that served to give the VFP the right to voice their opinion was misused by the VFP which in Placer County consists mostly of non veterans, combat or not.

I would love to have the parade take place peacefully, like I said on my first post- To honor those that have served. Let the Parade be a celebration of their service and sacrifice, not a forum for political purposes.

I haven't made up my mind if I will attend or not but if I do I will not throw tomatoes or punches but I will definitely turn my back on those that refused to serve and now are usurping the word Veteran from those that were called to duty and answered the call. I will not turn my back if they don't do anything to ruin the parade. I hope they display common sense.

My apologies if I rambled, this is a sore subject with me.

Are you sure you aren’t describing the teabaggers at the 4th of July parade??? GOSH, I am confused as they certainly sound like the same bunch. Hmmmm............

Yosemite: "Just in case, I am bringing a basket of rotten tomatoes and will be handing them out. "

Yosemite: "Now, if a group of people were to suddenly start tossing these rotten tomatoes, who is going to enforce an assault charge against them?"

Yosemite, you're trying to instigate a riot during a Veterans memorial. You're a horrible person. You should be investigated under the Patriot Act, you've probably already incriminated yourself.

Skeptic, You heard wrong. That’s what happens when you listen to idle gossip. That individual from VFP physically forced himself into the parade. BTW, the person he physically forced himself on was a veteran. That veteran fought back. There’s nothing wrong with that. Politics does not belong at the veterans’ parade.

I personally don't care if the VFP marches in the parade. Patrick you epitomise the non veteran who believes in sending our kids to war but never had the guts to join yourself. Anyone who has ever been in a war prefers peace.

The teabaggers ruin our 4th of July celebration. They are not patriots nor do they even know what they are protesting. They use the parade to promote their political views, not to honor America.

Chuxx, Where did I say anything about sending our kids to war? What the H are you smoking lately? There was no war when I was of age to join the armed services. I had a great job and saw no reason for joining at that time. You know nothing about my guts. You talk out you’re a$$. I’m getting pretty sick of your condescending remarks. You’re not man enough to ever apologize. Take a hike.

"Dulce bellum inexpertis."

No, it isn’t sweet. Ignorance is bliss.

Right on Patrick! You finally admit that your ignorance is bliss. You still might be able to enlist and find the truth somewhere in Afghanistan. Or volunteer at a VA hospital. That's the support they need. Not some hotheaded remarks of death and glory. Or was that born_loser?

What remark did I ever make about death and glory? I haven’t said this to anyone for a long time, but you really are a moron. Aside from being extremely uneducated, you are rude and antagonistic. I’m done with you. I think you are a coward.

To those that have read my ugly comments, I apologies. I, unfortunately, allow those that like to push buttons and antagonize get to me. I shouldn’t allow myself to stop to their low level. I think it is time for me to take a break from posting.

Good riddance.

BTW moroon, I didn't like the president (Nixon), hated the government and was against the war. When I got drafted into the Marines I put all that aside for the Marine Corps and America. I answered the call, yet you call me a coward. Will you say that if I march in the parade with my comrades in arms. Oh, that's right, you can't march in the parade. Sorry!

Semper Fi

2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, FMF