A previous post has an interview of 2 military officers voicing concern about the situation in Iraq. They go on to mention incidents where people who were vocal in their anti-war position were handled differently...
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_4893.shtmlsnip:
O2- You have to have been out of the country for a few months to notice it. I almost felt like I was coming home to a police state or something. They were screening everyone at the airport and pulled aside some elderly guy who was a prominent anti-war activist. I didn t catch his name but a few people at the airport said he was a Christian peace missionary who had been over in Iraq during the bombing campaign.
What are we coming to when we harass old men who have the courage to challenge our notions of war? That was like a slap in the face to me when I saw how rude and nasty they were to this kind looking old man. He had the courage to stand up for what he believed in and that is why I am in the military. I took an oath to defend our liberties and to see them trampled on was insulting.
O1- I saw them screening several people when I came through, and it just pissed me off. These were very peaceful looking people and I heard one of them asking the security screeners what crime they had committed. He said all he had done was question the war and the facts behind it. One of the security goons said something like "You should have thought about that before you had the nerve to question the US. We don t like unpatriotic people in this country."
We are supposed to be fighting the war on terror against the terrorists, not the people who should have the right to stand against war if they want to. I hope that the country can see how dangerous it is getting to speak out against this current administration. I don t really think the war protesters are right on most of their issues, but I would fight to the death for their right and freedom to say it. I know a lot of guys who have had their family protest the war. What s gonna happen when they start arresting the soldiers families, or stop them from flying on a plane?
O2- I know that some of my family has spoken out against the war. If they were to try and arrest my mom or dad they would have a real fight on their hands. I don t think the government realizes how volatile something like that would be. How ironic it would be if I go back to Iraq to help them get a freely elected democracy, and they put my family in jail for trying to protect our own democracy? We are in real critical times right now. I don t think many of the military or their families actually support this war. I don t know of any other time of war when so many people with military family have spoken out in opposition of a war.
Some of the men in my unit have family members that go to all the protests, and are very active with anti war groups. Imagine if the FBI were to just start arresting all those people. That is a very real possibility if you look at the lengths the FBI and Homeland Security has gone to keep track of protestors and activists.
...If people are being harrassed or worse - prevented from flying because they used their Constitutionally protected right to speech, we have crossed the line into something other than a representative republic.......
Has this happened to anyone here or anyone you know?
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