National Archives Building Occupied Again by Veterans for Peace

[babylonsister]

National Archives Building Occupied Again by Veterans for Peace
Submitted by Chip on Fri, 2008-11-21 06:11.

National Archives Building Occupied Again by Veterans for Peace
by Mike Ferner


At one point a Boy Scout troop came by and one of the vets on the ground crew smiled and said, "You boys can get your democracy badge here if you check this out." The scoutmaster, visibly unhappy with the display said, "Well, the troops sure aren't going to like this." "We are the troops," the vet responded.



"I could see your banners three blocks away," the young man said excitedly. "And since I knew they were hanging on the Archives building, I wondered if it might be some kind of free speech exhibit so I had to come over and see."

The National Archives Building does indeed house originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights which specifically guarantees freedom of speech. But this was no Archives-sponsored exhibit. It was the real thing.

"UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION. ARREST BUSH AND CHENEY: WAR CRIMINALS," and "We WILL NOT BE SILENT" bellowed two enormous banners hung on a 90-foot scaffold by six members of Veterans For Peace, one member of Military Families Speak Out, and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War a little after 8 am, Saturday, November 15.

The eight had slipped unnoticed around a construction barrier and climbed up the scaffolding, completely unnoticed. It was fairly easy that day to grab the element of surprise since finance ministers and heads of state from around the world were in Washington to propose they could do something about the global financial meltdown. Dozens of official motorcades, each guarded by scores of police, barreled up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, whisking officials to morning meetings that seemed to alternate between one end of that avenue and the other.

With so much official attention directed to the speeding motorcades and the blocked off streets in every direction, the VFP campaigners were able to haul several army duffel bags stuffed with ropes, banners, ponchos, water, a powerful p.a. system and a camping toilet up the scaffolding and into position within 30 minutes of their arrival. Shortly thereafter, the six men and two women were ready to drop the first banner declaring Bush and Cheney war criminals. Carefully prepared with guide ropes the night before in a D.C. church, the banner unfurled with little fuss, followed by a similar-sized banner stating, "We will not be silent."

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37821

[lonestarnot]

1. Right on!

K & R! :patriot:

[midnight]

2. I love our vets......

"We are the troops," They certainly are. It is time for us to listen to them and bring the rest of them home.

[Arctic Dave]

4. "listen to them", the best advice I could imagine.

[GrannyK]

3. Bless them for their perseverance.

[lib_wit_it]

5. Now this makes me well up and feel pride--this is courage and patriotism I can

believe in.

Anybody know is these are any of the same exact people who did this a few months back and what legal consequences the originals faced? (I guess I should check out the link to see if these questions are answered.)