Peaceniks Try Direct Mail on Vandoos Destined for AFG

[Hawk]

Bzzliteyr - I'd give almost anything to have seen that!!!

When is the Vandoo's march today? I live in Manitoba, and I'll miss the late news tonight - could I catch it on the supper-time news (6:00 pm CDT)?


Hawk

 

[RatCatcher]

And 4 PMeds!!! Anyway, Im sure those of us with TF will have updates later tonight and tomorrow after the parade. See you soon V2007! Hawk, the parade is early evening here, might be better off with the late night news. RDI is doing some live coverage(french newsworld) most of the evening.

 

[BootStrap]

Right sorry about that, I just keep hearing about the Van Doos.
God Speed to everyone deploying on Task Force 3-07.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

They have already started the media circus from what I can see. Commencing with this morning's announcment from the bigshots.  I suspect there is ample media coverage of this event partly thanks to Valcartier2007 and his friends. 

I think it's great that they Valcartier2007 the media interest in this event and am glad that more Canadians will be exposed to what our soldiers will be doing and they will be able to support us even deeper in regards to the mission we are departing on...Oops, I bet that's not what Val2007 expected.  Oh well, you win a few you lose a few.

 

[Greymatters]

I think that all this medis hype is a bit of 'blowback' for the VC2007 gang.  They intended to gain media attention for themselves, and arouse the frenzy of anti-war activitis across the country, but they are actually drawing attention to the CF, and a lot of support for the CF, from those who would otherwise not have noticed...

 

[RatCatcher]

Well ladies and gentlemen, it was a great parade, longer than normal speeches however the streets were filled with.... wait for it.... Supporters  . One small group of protesters that I saw... got drowned out by a fellow soldier with a Harley (Vroom Vs Voice.... Vroom takes it!)

A word to the people of Qc , Thank you for a wonderfule parade through the streets.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Well, that was VERY uneventful.

We did our parade inside the palais de congres, then proceeded to march outside to the streets of Quebec.  We were all anticipating the protestors but did not see hide nor hair of them the whole parade route.  Oops, that's not correct.  I saw four people that looked like potential protestors on the parade route, one of which with a hockey stick in their hand.  And there was the drunk guy with a paper in front of the parliament buildings but I think he was part of his own "group", hehe.  And then the guy/gal with a tambourine near the end of our march who made it a little hard to keep the pace as the band went in the congress building.  I was in the first of 4 "guards" of approximately 500 people (6 deep in ranks).  I didn't feel threatened at any time and we had police walking beside us on the whole length of the route.

The march started with thinly filled sidewalks but they started to fill with cheering spectators by the time we got to the grande allée.  Many votes of encouragement from the local population made me stand taller with pride evertime I heard a cry of support!!  I must have said "merci" a hundred times!!  

We returned to the palais de congres and it's at that time (being the first ones in) that I heard what I think might have been the elusive protestors making noise outside.. they were chanting something but were drowned out by the cheers of support from the spectators!!

Thank you Ville de Quebec for all your support!!

 

[GAP]

Just watching the news on CTV and they are entirely focusing on the protesters, never even showed the military parade. Talk about spin

 

[Hawk]

Glad to hear it went well. I'll catch CTV at 11:00 here.


Hawk

 

[1feral1]

Just watching the news on CTV and they are entirely focusing on the protesters, never even showed the military parade. Talk about spin

See, thats the media. To them its about ratings, warping and twisting truth to appease a minority, artifically influence the 'sheeple' and create controversy. Shame on them. Sure cover th story, show both sides, but at the end of the day, those guys are going to war, their necks literally on the line, and this is the crap coverage they get. Thanks CTV and CBC for your support! AH's! All of them!

Honestly, I find that in very bad taste. To helll with them all! They are not fit to wipe my arse! Sorry, but thats how I feel!


Wes

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Maybe I was at the wrong parade?  We had Hillier, Dallaire, Lt. Gov of Quebec, Mayor of Quebec City, Gen. Leslie, Ambassador of Afghanistan, Dion, Jean Charest.. I mean, it must have been the same parade.. I guess I must have missed all the "action" outside.

 

[Yrys]

I missed the first part of CTV News. But on "CTV Local News", the military parade and the protesters were in first.
The journalists said that the protesters were outmarch, outnumbers and that military people didn't heard them, because
civils on the street, there to support the military, were cheering to loudly for the potesters to be heard.

 

[GAP]

The clip they showed at 10:35 pm is different than the clip shown at 10:05pm....

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Yeah, the CTV clip I caught had MUCH emphasis on the protestors but if you look, there are no military people present while they(the protestors) are being "spoken" to by the local population...

 

[Hawk]

CTV was pretty slanted, wasn't it? They got close enough on the few protesters that they filled the screen. Quebec has always had a problem with the Military. Some things just don't change even a couple of generations later.

Nothing on our local news, but then we had a tornado take out 4 houses today and flip a loaded semi into the ditch! We had our own wild day happening in Manitoba!


Hawk

 

[RangerRay]

I would like to know how the "progressives" in this country can stand in 'solidarity' with leftists in the Middle East who want our presence and normalized relations with the West?  I believe that they feel betrayed by their western "comrades".

Fair Dealings, etc. etc.

<a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/04012007/postopinion/opedcolumnists/betrayed_opedcolumnists_amir_taheri.htm">Betrayed:
How Mideast Progressives Feel About Their Western 'Comrades'</a>

 

[Bigmac]

    Well, with all the hype and dialogue on this site I was expecting a much bigger turnout of protestors for the parade. From all accounts it looks like Joseph Bergeron and his small group of protestors were ineffective other than in the twisted media.

    In the end, the true heart and spirit of the people of Quebec prevailed and their cheers drowned out the protestors. Despite not neccessarily supporting the war in Afghanistan they showed their support for their troops and that speaks volumes to the men and women about to deploy.
 
    To the false media, Joseph Bergeron and his group I say ..... :nana: !!


    To the people of Quebec who came out in force and showed they cared about their troops I applaud and salute you!


    To the troops preparing to deploy, I know you will make us proud.  Remember and know that you have an entire country supporting you! 

 

[MarkOttawa]

A good CP story:

Two solitudes on Afghan cause
Anti-war marchers far outnumbered by supporters, families of troops
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/843066.html

Antiwar protesters chanting "Canada out of Afghanistan" evaded police Friday night and marched side-by-side for a time with Quebec soldiers as they paraded through the streets in fatigues.

While a small number of protesters tried to taunt soldiers as they marched in step, the antiwar contingent was far outnumbered by loved ones and supporters of the more than 2,000 members of the Royal 22nd Regiment, who will head to Kandahar this summer.

"We’re here to support our troops," said Alexis Miller, who was visiting Quebec City from Kamloops, B.C.

She was not happy with the protesters.

"I don’t like it at all. You might not agree with the war but you have to support your troops."

Soldiers from CFB Valcartier, known as the Van Doos, will deploy to Afghanistan en masse for the first time this summer. More than 2,000 Van Doos and a total of 2,500 troops will begin heading to Kandahar in July.

Before they go, the military is trying to win over the public in the province where opposition to Canada’s role in the war is highest.

The military parade Friday set the scene for a show down.

"We’re protesting against the war," Sophie Schoen, one of the organizers, said from one of two school buses full of protesters headed to Quebec City to protest. "We have every right to be in the streets and show our opposition."

Schoen said politicians and top military brass are the target.

"Our aim is not a confrontation with the soldiers and their families," she said.

At the military base in Valcartier, organizers said they were not concerned about the protest.

"They’re pacifists. Nobody’s scared of pacifists because they’re peaceful people," joked Capt. Mathieu Dufour, spokesman for the base. "We don’t expect any problems."..

On Friday, Premier Jean Charest, Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad and Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor were among those who honoured the soldiers at a ceremony before the parade.

With row upon row of soldiers at attention before him, Charest lauded the soldiers for defending liberty and justice.

"You are the acting arm of Quebec pacifism," Charest said. "You are liberators.

"The hour has come for the recognition of your courage."

Samad stressed that the presence of NATO troops in his country is necessary to help rebuild.

"I ask all Canadians, including those who may have doubts about this mission, to take a look at the alternative," he said. "For millions of women and children and men, there is no alternative."

But as the military has ramped up its offensive to win the hearts and minds of the public, so have antiwar groups...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[old medic]

I rolled my eyes at CBC newsworld a few days ago when they announced on their
broadcast that the protesters were going to bus in 500 people.

Interesting to see what the truth really was: 

two school buses

Also interesting in this article:

"Our aim is not a confrontation with the soldiers and their families," she said.

While a small number of protesters tried to taunt soldiers as they marched in step

 

[George Wallace]

In accordance with the Fair Dealings Act:

This from CTV on Sympatico.MSN.ca:

sympatico.MSN.ca


Protesters hold rally at parade to honour troops
23/06/2007 8:16:59 AM  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Activists holding coffins and wearing masks protested the Afghanistan mission on Friday, during a military parade in Quebec City to honour soldiers heading for the war-torn country.

Members of the War on War Coalition said they were criticizing the mission but not the troops, who were members of the Royal 22nd Regiment, popularly known as the Van Doos.

The soldiers, expecting the protest, tried to confuse the activists by marching in the opposite direction as the parade began. But the activists soon caught up.

"We want to tell people that we are against sending our troops to Afghanistan, because this war is unjustified," Mathilde Forest-Riviere, spokesperson for the War on War Coalition, told CTV Newsnet.

Canada's mission in Afghanistan is set to continue until February 2009.

But NDP Leader Jack Layton said Canada should stop aggressive military action in the war-torn country and move towards political negotiations.

"It's a war that clearly has no end in sight. It's not improving the lives of the people of Afghanistan -- in fact, what it's doing is building support for the Taliban," Layton told CTV's Mike Duffy Live on Friday.

"A whole new approach should be underway here, and Canada should be in the forefront of that approach, leading to a cease-fire and a comprehensive peace process."

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, speaking in Montreal after he reviewed an honour guard, said military operations are still crucial in Afghanistan.

"We are in combat because there are, unfortunately, still many people in Afghanistan who do not want to see reconstruction and development, but want to see that nation sliding back into the black hole where it was before 2001," he said.

................

More on LINK.


Funny how they had to "wear masks" to protest in public.  Don't they have the courage to stand up and present themselves as members of our society in protest rather than hide incognito behind masks like a criminals skulking in the night?

As for the military trying to fool them by marching the opposite way; what a bunch of garbage.  Parades are planned and follow rather strict formats.  Things like that are not impromptu.  Just shows that there is a journalist somewhere who delights in "Poetic Licence" when writing their articles.