Republicans and Democrats Unite Behind Our Troops!

About sixty people in all showed up for the pro-liberation rally at the Religious Freedom Monument yesterday according to the Free Lance-Star. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to come out and show their support. It was a blast, with patriotic songs, flags, signs, and everything.

If you missed this one don’t worry, so long as the anti-war crowd is content to tie up traffic and cost our public servants real taxpayer dollars that could be better spent fighting bad guys, we’ll make sure our voices are heard.

At the Washington Avenue monument, about five dozen people turned out. Carrying signs and U.S. flags, they wore yellow ribbons to indicate their support for American troops in the Middle East and to rally behind President Bush.

The crowd included GOP leaders such as Cole, Shaun Kenney, chairman of the the Fredericksburg Republican Committee; former Stafford County Supervisor Ken Mitchell; and John Morris, chair of the Mary Washington College Republicans. About two dozen other College Republicans came, too.

Susan Spears, vice chairman of the Fredericksburg Democratic Committee, brought her dog Eddie, clad in a Stars-and-Stripes bandanna, to rally alongside those who are normally her political opponents.

“I’m not going to change parties or anything like that,” Spears said. “I just don’t think this should be a partisan issue. I think we should be united in a time of war behind our president and our troops.”

Many of those who attended said they rallied in the hope that the troops would learn that many people in Fredericksburg are behind them, the rally a few blocks away with the opposite message not withstanding.

“Those folks in Hurkamp Park have a right to be there,” Kenney said. “I respect that. But they must understand there are worse things in this life than war.”

“The suffering under Saddam’s regime,” for one, Kenney said.

Of course, what the FLS article doesn’t tell you is that I bungled that line badly. It came out

“. . . they must understand that there are worse things in life than peace. . . (laughter). . .er, um. . . I meant war, but there are worse things than peace too, and the suffering under Saddam’s regime just one example.”

That could have printed very badly. But thank God for good natured reporters!