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Freeway Blogger to Strike Again

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Thu Feb 24, 2005 at 11:02:38 PM EST
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The Freeway Blogger is preparing to launch another campaign...this time he will commemorate the 1,500th soldier killed in Iraq by posting 150 signs on San Francisco area freeways--including those in Marin, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose.

You can view examples of the signs here. Go ahead, join in, start a movement.

From Alice's Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie)-- as modified by Religious Studies Professor Ira Chermus:

But kid, it's never too late to rehabilitate yourself, to start creating enough of a nuisance and sing loud enough to end war and stuff. If you've been doing it for 25 years, or more, I bet you are prepared to do it for another 25 years or more. I bet you're not proud, or tired.

Unfortunately, though, the world will keep doing all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly things, at least for a while. And we'll all be just having a tough time here, on this road of activism. It may be a good idea to remember the comfort and rejuvenation we can get from an old familiar ritual now and then. So don't forget to sing along when it comes around on the guitar.

Because it is, indeed, a movement: The Alice's Restaurant Let's Give Thanks and Remember Why We Started Doing This and Why We Keep On Keepin' On Movement.

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    Freeway Blogger to Strike Again | 33 comments (33 topical)
    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#1)
    by demohypocrates on Thu Feb 24, 2005 at 11:52:23 PM EST
    I am much more impressed by the flags and patriotic symbols put up at intersections and overpasses all over the country. These were done spontaneously. The ones here are contrived, passe and ineffectual. I guess you have to start a movement somehow and somewhere. But aren't the heroic soldiers that have died in Iraq the Big Eichmanns the left has subtely demonized? Remember, these are the same 'war criminals' that have deliberately killed tens of thousand of innocent Iraqis. Either distance yourself from the people of groups like ANSWER or drop this notion that you support the troops.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 03:30:11 AM EST
    I would think that commemorate is the wrong word. I would also think that he'd get his *ss kicked if the dead could swing a foot. I can guarantee you that if he tried that in NC he'd be in actual physical danger. -C

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#3)
    by Richard Aubrey on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 04:43:09 AM EST
    When the 2000th soldier is killed, y'all can have a really big party. Try not to gloat. It looks bad.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 05:19:28 AM EST
    All y'all redneck tendencies are so touching and downright treasonous; oops, sorry - I meant passe.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#5)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 07:22:34 AM EST
    RA, You mean the 2000th soldier that YOU killed.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 08:06:09 AM EST
    Che - How many civilians did your alter ego kill in cuba, central america, and south america? T-shirt commie dope.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#7)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 08:21:55 AM EST
    RA, So emotional! Fewer than Bautista, that's for sure. Or Pinochet, or Samoza, or Noriega, or Duvalier, or Bush, etc. Che was a soldier. Fought in stand up battles. He didn't hide behind cruise missles and daddy's Saudi friends while committing war crimes from thousands of miles away for businessmen. To the coward who murdered him he said, "You are only killing one man. Do it right." That's courage that neither you nor Bush could ever comprehend. Instead of name calling, maybe you should pick up a book.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 10:10:32 AM EST
    Che - "was a soldier" - in your dreams. He was responsible for helping install a communist dictatorship (Cuba in case you're missing that) that has killed tens of thousands, imprisoned hundreds of thousands, and exported bloody revolution to millions. Gee, what a guy. Put him up with, say Trotsky under Stalin, perhaps. Or maybe Tito would be a better example. -C

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#9)
    by pigwiggle on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 10:34:27 AM EST
    Comrade- “Che was a soldier.” You forgot failed economist; there are still fields of rusting machinery in Cuba, ordered with no factories to house them. You forgot coward, after failing to start any meaningful economic recovery in Cuba he bolted; perhaps he missed the killing, unfortunately there is more to a revolution than murder and mayhem. You forgot bigot; publicly lamenting the lazy and incompetent Congolese blacks, in relation to his compatriot black Cubans. The legacy of Che is Cuban gulags, hipster t-shirts, and fantasy revolutionaries. I wonder if trust fund hippies will be wearing Wolfowitz t-shirts in 40 years.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#10)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 11:44:00 AM EST
    -C, Those are big numbers. can you back it up? Thought not. Well it's hard with an embargo, but I think the Cuban people have done quite well. 99% literacy rate. Lower infant mortality rate than 2/3 of the US. What's your shining example wingers? Haiti? Guatemala? Iraq? LMFAO. Gulags? At Gitmo , sure. That's the only one on the island. Your hate is based solely on ideology. Not on facts.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#11)
    by pigwiggle on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 12:12:00 PM EST
    Comrade- “Gulags? At Gitmo , sure. That's the only one on the island.” Some folks that appreciate your cavalier attitude. “Your hate is based solely on ideology.” I should have finished my thought; “I wonder if trust fund hippies will be wearing Wolfowitz t-shirts in 40 years” while folks like me rot in the outsourced US gulags. Your right, I am hateful, and it is based solely on ideology; an ideology of absolute personal liberty and minimal government authority. I’m sickened that while half dead Cubans wash up on the coast of Florida fantasy revolutionaries like you parrot the propaganda of a dictator characterized by 46 years of murder, torture, and repression.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 12:34:54 PM EST
    In all fairness, Ernesto Guevara was a true soldier. He was the enforcer of the Cuban Revolution. He was to Castro, what Trotsky was to Ulyanov (aka Lenin). What is glossed out of the leftist romantic fascination out of this character, is that as the enforcer, he was a brutal thug worthy of little compassion. As the true firebrand of the Revolution, his life paralleled that of Trotsky. Just as Ulyanov disposed of Trotsky, Castro so disposed of Guevara.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#13)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 02:22:20 PM EST
    Pigwiggle, Try it with the other members of the OAS. The lists are too long to print! EVERY country in the OAS has a similar list. It means squat. When you have hostile neighbors constantly trying to overthrow your Govt., then you arrest and imprison those who take money for that purpose. We do the same here. The picture of the prisoner at the the site looks a darn site better than the corpses coming out of Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, wouldn't you agree? So please don't preach to me about human rights. Considereing the horror stories coming out of this site alone about our own justice system, you sound even more hypocritical than usual.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#14)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 02:27:46 PM EST
    By the way Pigwiggle, you have made clear your ideology of "if it's not in my best interest, it's not my problem". That ideology carries no weight with me. And heaven forbid you should travel outside the US and find that socialism and communism are a lot more prevalent around the world than you could imagine. Stay scared.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#15)
    by pigwiggle on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 02:38:16 PM EST
    “The picture of the prisoner at the the site looks a darn site better than the corpses coming out of Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, wouldn't you agree?” Indeed. “Considereing the horror stories coming out of this site alone about our own justice system, you sound even more hypocritical than usual.” Find some posts where I’ve supported any of the thug tactics of the justice department. We’ll talk then. “When you have hostile neighbors constantly trying to overthrow your Govt., then you arrest and imprison those who take money for that purpose.” This is how fascism works; a perpetual enemy. So it’s easier to swallow coming from a communist then a republican?

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#16)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 03:06:28 PM EST
    Espionage is not confined to the "commies". At least our spies in Cuba get a trial. No trials here, no siree! Straight to who-knows-where prior to summary execution by palestinian hanging.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 04:02:35 PM EST
    My fave: America - 1 Left - 0

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#19)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 04:34:34 PM EST
    Thats it keep wastin em Doc. I like the logic:my faction=America - so democratic. The implication being of course that all naysayers are traitors;and,we know what we do with traitors.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 07:09:48 PM EST
    Only wasted on you, Jondee. Paul, you got a better idea, bring it on.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 08:43:24 PM EST
    Only 2 more, bucko.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 10:24:16 PM EST
    "I can guarantee you that if he tried that in NC he'd be in actual physical danger.-C" This kind of threat-making really shows your true colors, Cliff. Nonviolent free speech protesting an illegal, unrighteous, out-of-control colonial war...how shocking. Anybody who attacks a nonviolent protester, whether in NC or CA, is going to jail and deserves it. This is the age of cellphones with cameras.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 10:28:46 PM EST
    Still no sign of any of the wingers getting the joke, Che's.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 08:51:30 AM EST
    Paul In LA - When the troops are fighting they need your support. That means you don't write about how stupid this is, or that is. You don't declare the war (inaccurately) racist. BECAUSE THE TERRORIST KNOW THEY CANNOT WIN EXCEPT BY POLITICAL MEANS. SO THEY SEE YOUR ATTACKS AS EVIDENCE THAT IF THEY HANG ON LONG ENOUGH, WE WILL LEAVE AND THEY CAN RETURN TO POWER. THIS MEANS THE TERRORISTS WILL FIGHT LONGER AND WE WILL HAVE MORE TROOPS INJURED AND KILLED. Now, is that too complex for you? Now, do you have the right to protest? Yes. But don't keep telling us how you support the troops. Che - You BS your friends, and I will BS mine. But your namesake was a stone cold killer who lived much too long. You should be ashamed for admiring him.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 09:59:45 AM EST
    PPJ, Your unsubstantiated claims are worthless fodder for your adoring mini me's. I couldn't care less what you think, since millions around the world think you're FOS. I would recommend Che: A Revolutionary Life By John Lee Anderson. do you have a valid reference to back your assertions? Not some editorial. A dedicated work backing your claims.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#27)
    by Kitt on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 11:11:15 AM EST
    "Paul In LA - When the troops are fighting they need your support. That means you don't write about how stupid this is, or that is. You don't declare the war (inaccurately) racist. BECAUSE THE TERRORIST KNOW THEY CANNOT WIN EXCEPT BY POLITICAL MEANS. SO THEY SEE YOUR ATTACKS AS EVIDENCE THAT IF THEY HANG ON LONG ENOUGH, WE WILL LEAVE AND THEY CAN RETURN TO POWER. THIS MEANS THE TERRORISTS WILL FIGHT LONGER AND WE WILL HAVE MORE TROOPS INJURED AND KILLED." Truth is, Jim - this is exactly what the terrorists want, little lock-in-step thinkers who are willing to forego free thought, civil liberties and all that we enjoy as americans. What you suggest is quite simply anti-American.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 11:29:32 AM EST
    Kitt, To the contrary, what kept the North Vietnamese to stall out of the Negotiating Table in Paris was precisely the anti-war movement in our streets. They used our unrest to leverage their position. It wasn't until we hammered Hanoi on Dec '72, that they cried uncle and came back to the table.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#29)
    by Kitt on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 11:38:48 AM EST
    So what, Bosquisucio - even if it may be true - so what? I am not willing to surrender anything under the supposition "it's helping the terrorists." I don't buy it and I won't participate. You go right ahead.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 04:42:18 PM EST
    When the troops are fighting, they need a legitimate mission. They need materiel, armor, good planning. They need reasonable deployments with a definite mission plan. They need not to have to worry that the C-in-C is cutting their benefits and putting their families out of gov't housing. Supporting the troops is a lot more than maintaining a lie. The troops are not stupid, Jim. Why do you think the troops are stupid, don't deserve armor, can be lied to at will, can be lined up for deadly unnecessary missions, and laughed at by their corporate profiteers who sent them to die and be maimed, for nothing? Why do you hate the troops?

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 05:01:17 PM EST
    Oh, wait, you don't need to answer that. It's because you support a lying cretin who wants to write his name in history, in the blood of our soldiers and a lot of civilians. The important thing is for the egomaniac to get his hour in the sun, right, Jim?

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 05:10:48 PM EST
    "Posted by Boquisucio: "They used our unrest to leverage their position." The 'unrest' was because 50,000+ soldiers were destroyed in that bloodbath FOR NO LEGITIMATE REASON. The unrest was because millions of civilians were being casually slaughtered. Nevermind that some of the most important tropical rainforests in the world were being defoliated and destroyed -- from which they will never recover. "It wasn't until we hammered Hanoi on Dec '72, that they cried uncle and came back to the table." A massive war crime committed while blowing up hundreds of thousands of civilians in Cambodia and Laos, in total violation of the Constitution, while lying to the American people and their Congress. Offenses for which Kissinger should have been shot.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#33)
    by glanton on Sat Feb 26, 2005 at 05:21:02 PM EST
    PinLA: You wrote,"Anybody who attacks a nonviolent protester, whether in NC or CA, is going to jail and deserves it. This is the age of cellphones with cameras." This ought to be the case but is patently untrue. In Summer 2003, waiting tables on an outdoor patio in downtown Asheville, NC, my shift found itself in the midts of an anti-Bush, anti-invasion of Iraq protest. People yelling, singing, holding up signs, but no violence. At least from them. With the police it was another story. I saw with my own eyes a policeman astride a horse grab a woman, who turned out to be pregnant, by the hair and throw her to the ground. Just one of many that he got as he, to use a rural NC phrase, "cleaned house." No jail for him or his equally thuggish comrades, no public outcry. Watch your ass, buddy; in this climate especially, don't take that 'right to demonstrate peacefully' too seriously.

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#34)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Feb 27, 2005 at 12:43:13 AM EST
    No, you are wrong, glanton. This is the age of the lawsuit, and the courts are still open. If you have no protest, then you better organize some. Why don't you call Howard Dean and ask him what can be done?

    Re: Freeway Blogger to Strike Again (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 01:12:48 PM EST
    *singing* Oh...you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant. You can get anything you want at Alices Restauraunt. Walk right in it's around the back. Just a half a mile from the railroad track. Oh you can get anything you want at Alice's Restauraunt ** *sigh* ...happy moment.... *sigh*

    Freeway Blogger to Strike Again | 33 comments (33 topical)