Boston father helps lead antiwar protest at RNC
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff
ST. PAUL -- The father of a Boston Marine killed in Iraq led thousands of antiwar protesters today in a boisterous but largely peaceful demonstration outside the Republican National Convention, while riot police and National Guardsmen clashed separately with a collection of small fringe groups who smashed windows and damaged public property.
Police using pepper spray arrested a total of at least 56 people.
In one dust-up, police fired what appeared to be tear gas canisters to disperse a dozen members of the so-called "RNC Welcoming Committee," a self -described anarchist group that has vowed to shut down this week's events and was targeted in police searches over the weekend that resulted in six arrests. Elsewhere, members of another group called Funk the War smashed the windows of storefronts and cars trying to enter the tight security perimeter.
But the scene outside the convention on the opening day was largely a cacophony of peaceful voices -- many of them supporters of Democrat Barack Obama -- calling for an end to the war in Iraq and linking Republican presidential candidate John McCain with the policies of the Bush administration.
Leading the throng of up to 10,000 marchers was Carlos Arredondo of Boston, pushing a flag-draped coffin bearing the uniform, dog tags, and Purple Heart of his 20-year-old son Alexander, a Marine lance corporal who was killed in Iraq in 2004.
"All these people know what this is about: Ending this war," Arredondo, who drove from Boston with his wife Melida, said as he motioned to the sea of people marching from the Minnesota State Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center.
Arredondo grabbed national headlines when he set on fire the van of the Marines who came to inform him of his son's death. Since, he has become a high-profile member of Military Families Speak Out, a nonpartisan antiwar group, and has traveled to at least 25 states.
Today's march was organized by the The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, a collection of antiwar groups.
Along with the Arredondos, dozens of Iraq veterans marched at the front of the crowd, including about 10 from the Boston chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, who tried unsuccessfully to meet earlier in the day with representatives of the McCain campaign to air their concerns.
Michael Spinnato, 24, of Mission Hill, is a student at the University of Massachusetts who served as a machine gunner in Iraq and decided to miss the start of classes to participate.
"I listened to what President Bush had to say," he said. "I believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, I believed the connections to al Qaeda. I feel betrayed."
Liam Madden, 24, of Boston, who is co-chairman of the group's board of directors, said he hoped the rally would impel Americans to take greater action, saying be believes voting against McCain won't be enough.
"We think it is about time that the people of this country realize that it is not just voting that will end this war," said Madden. "It's about people participating by turning off the TV. Obama is repackaging the same occupation, not ending it."
Yet while the main message of the protests was the need to end the US military involvement in Iraq, there was also a political one: that McCain will bring the same policies as President Bush.
Amid cheers and catcalls at a morning rally on the grounds of the State Capitol, a pair billed as Mr. Bush and Ms. McCain were married in a mock ceremony.
Juan Torres, 53, of Chicago, carried a photo of his son, Juan, another soldier killed in Iraq, below a sign that declared, "Bush-McCain the Same."
The crowd represented a broad cross section, including veterans, students, teachers, nurses, mothers with their children, and senior citizens. Sister Eunice Antony, 72, of St. Joseph, Minn., a member of the Benedictine order, waved a placard with "No to War" and "No to Torture."
"I believe the war is immoral," she said. "It bankrupts us financially and spiritually."
I wonder how many felonies Carlos will commit this time around.....
the globe is a cheap shot 2 bit of a rag that can't keep their mouths shut
on a day when we pray for New Orleans and 3 million people displaced by a naturally occuring climate event, the Globe chooses to tell the story of an anguiished father whose extremism is an affront to all Americans
shame on you
Why do you claim to love freedom, but you hate this man's freedom? He lost a son for nothing. He can protest whenever and wherever he wants. Concentrate on the failed commander in chief who killed tens of thousands of people, only to make the situation in the middle east far worse.
You right wing bloggers are sick. Very, very sick.
Dave,hold your thoughts till you too have walked in his shoes and lost a son in that stupid war!
Ray,-- Just a reminder. He has the same rights that you have. No matter how right or wrong either of you are; provided either of you do not violate the rights of another.--------- " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religon, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition othe Government for a redress of grievances"------Constitution of the United States, 1st Amendment
You are going to fixate on a felony when the man has lost a son in a worthless war based on lies? Be careful what you condemn because life has a way of paying us all back.
One thing's for sure: Bush and Cheney should be arrested and prosecuted for mass murder, treason, and war crimes as soon as they leave office. There's no doubt about that.
This is so typically pathetic by any standard. Liberals are so emotionally driven that they choose to protest the RNC (and I really see no true connection because the 2008 RNC and the war) instead of doing something productive like raising money for those being ravished by the Hurricane in the Gulf. Where's your emotion for THAT liberals??? You have no idea what your points are or should be until someone like this crappy publication tells you that you should be "upset". Everyone knows that reacting emotionally to something ALWAYS makes it better. That is the typical ignorant standard that a liberal will use to have another excuse to whine. I am SO sick of you people! Grow UP!
This is so typically pathetic by any standard. Liberals are so emotionally driven that they choose to protest the RNC (and I really see no true connection between the 2008 RNC and the war) instead of doing something productive like raising money for those being ravished by the Hurricane in the Gulf. Where's your emotion for THAT liberals??? You have no idea what your points are or should be until someone like this crappy publication tells you that you should be "upset". Everyone knows that reacting emotionally to something ALWAYS makes it better. That is the typical ignorant standard that a liberal will use to have another excuse to whine. I am SO sick of you people! Grow UP!
Oh, and by the way.....this blog sucks. How about trying to post someone's comments that think your one sided emotionally driven and ignorant views really are stupid!!!!
"Freedom is not Free"; Our men and women fight for the freedom for those who want the right to protest. However, if you break laws while engaging in that freedom, then you should pay the consequences...
As for President Bush and Vice-President Cheney, please research the truth vice blog false statements and make such horrendous and unfounded statements.
From someone who fights for all of your freedoms....
These neocons can't stand protest. They need to control the message which is one of lies, distortions and deception. After watching fox alleged news they are are brainwashed and unable to admit that the Iraq War was the single greatest foreign policy blunder in our nations history. Why can't you wingnuts get your head around that. I suppose if you think the earth began a few thousand years ago and creationism is science then there is no hope for you. Do the country a favor and don't vote your ignorance.
George Bush is the biggest terririst of them all
There should be a vaccination for brainwashing. If there were, then the mass-media spin doctors , would be rendered powerless, and the epidemic of neocon clones could be brought back to life, and allowed to think for themselves,
And this country could go back to some semblance of normalcy.
To Stephanie T - who's being emotional? And man, New Orleans being "ravished" by a hurricane? Talk about getting lucky . . .
Seriously - please, don't even begin to presume to tell me - or anyone else here - what we think. I have friends in New Orleans right now, I'm very concerned about that, as well as myriad other things going on the world right now. Do us all a favor and pull your head out of that obscure, dark place you're keeping it, and try to keep your own emotions in check - your entry makes you sound like you're on the edge of hysterics.
Things will only get better when people on both sides stop throwing words like "liberal" and "conservative" like they're the worst kind of profanity. Carlos has a right to speak out, and while his methodology hasn't always been on the up-and-up, I can barely begin to appreciate the desperation and emotion HE must be feeling - so let the man speak his mind. This was an article about that and ensuring that this endless war remains front and center for both parties. The worst kind of emotion being injected here is your own, and the point Peter made is right on - neocons and others can't stand protest, or any dialog on any subject whatsoever, when the view deviates from their own. Get over yourself, and try some intelligent, considered dialog next time, instead of this frantic, misplaced, EMOTIONAL, hysterical rant.
Iraq Veterans Against the War already have planned to send the ranks in their troops to Louisiana and other hurricane impacted areas. They are doing it on their dollar. Not out-sourcing the work at high $$$ to Blackwater taking jobs away from those who need it.
We should never protest. Trust the leaders. They tell the truth. Protesters are complainers. Don't worry, be happy. If only we believed more, then we'd be ok.
Why do people have to say mean things about the President?
I have to take a nap.
This comment is for Michael Spinnato and other Iraq veterans who also feel betrayed by President Bush proclaiming Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Please, do a simple Google search on "Democrats and Weapons of Mass Destruction". You'll learn very quickly that Bush was not alone in his accusation. You'll also see that every country monitoring Iraq's possession of WMDs also agreed with our own CIA. Michael, you and other Iraq veterans don't need to feel betrayed, you all did more good than you think. You veterans are heroes and I curse the real betrayers that convinced you that you weren't.
The man went and torched the van of the Marines doing their job. As far as I am concerned, the Marines should have taken his sorry ass out on the spot. Anyone else does it for any reason, they get a long prison sentence. Why he did it is irrelevant, yet the anti-war yahoos defend him. He SHOULD have been charged for the crime that fits willingly destroying US military equipment domestically: Treason.
HMMMM... I JUST WANT TO GIVE HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THOSE ABLE TO GO OUT AND PROTEST AT THE RNC. THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE REST OF THE REPUBLICANS HAVE RAPED AND PILLAGED OUR COUNTRY INTO A STATE OF COMPLETE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHAOS. THANK YOU FOR BEING A VOICE FOR SO MANY OF US WHO PROTEST THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY EVERYDAY IN BARS,COFFESHOPS,AND CORNER DELI'S. WE PROTEST HOW ARE PERSONAL LIBERTIES AND THE LIBERTIES OF THOSE AROUND HAVE BEEN SQUASHED,WE PROTEST 4.00+ PER GALLON GASOLINE,WE PROTEST THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE,WE PROTEST THE LACK OF GOOD JOBS AND A STRONG DOLLAR,WE PROTEST THE IDIOCY OF A LEADER WHO CARES MORE ABOUT SUCCUMBING TO THE PRESSURES OF DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AND BIG BUSINESS THAN HE DOES ABOUT THE CITIZENS HE WAS ELECTED TO SERVE,WE PROTEST THE PRECEDENT HE SETS BY BEING ARROGANT ,DISMISMISSIVE, AND HOSTILE TO ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH HIM,WE PROTEST THE BLATANT PANDERING AND INSULTING VP CHOICE....AS IF!!!!! WE PROTEST HOW THEY TRY TO SPIN THAT DEM'S AND LIB'S DON'T CARE ABOUT "HURRICANE GUSTAV" YEAH, RIGHT COULD IT BE ANYMORE TRANSPARENT THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO TELL YOUR BLEETING MASSES IT'S OK NOW! WE WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS HURRICANE,WE PROTEST THAT YOU ARE ALL A DAY LATE AND MORE THAN A DOLLAR SHORT! AND ONE LAST TIME THANK YOU MINNESOTA FAITHFUL!!!!!!
I am proud of the IVAW and all those who were marching at the protests against the political conventions. The Democrats and Republicans and their supporters will never shut them out, not with the worlds biggest army and all the cops they can hire. The police turned this into a riot with their heavy handed police-state tactics. They started arresting people on trumped up and false charges even before the protests began. If you look at the pictures of the march, count the American flags that the protesters were flying. Who really "hates America"? Who knows. What is apparent is that the Democrats and Republicans hate everyone who isn't one of them and want to crush all third forces out of the nations political life at all costs. Riots are useless, we need a revolution.
One day when protest is gone, when you've rolled over to take your medicine, without an outcry of pain, without a single emotion, then you know the end is near, your humanism became artificial, the robot-ness, the mechanical-ness feeling for fellow man/woman have disappeared. You've become lesser of the living. Then rebirth occurs again, the tree of life, the PROTEST. This life cycle will never go away, so deal with it, grow up, become human...know what is right-what is wrong, the fruit of justice and wisdom continues today, tomorrow and on. Only when you've grown into that wise old woman, wise old man, the protest that has happened, has happen to you...you've become your parents, your ancestry, the only difference, Life will have evolved...mass extinctions have come and gone, when the dust settles, the cycle of Life starts all over again, you protest, speak against the protester, Protester speaks against disapproval, the human cycle never really changed, but only evolved.
Dave - It must be that you know all aspects of the story and are pursuing actions to all government agencies involved. Are you personally connected to the man? After all, the Marines did not press charges. You must think they made a mistake and question their intelligence and their sacrifice in saving his life when they pulled him out of the burning van He then went on to become a US citizen. Must be that Homeland Security is NOT doing their job, according to YOUR reasoning. Sounds to me like you have to get to the bottom of why this man who according to you is a traitor and why everyone in government has given him a free pass. By the way, this men met with the Marines who came to give him the news and they FORGAVE him. You need to investigate their asses to and I'm 200% behind you!
I'm sorry for your loss since it sounds to me like you must have had a child or spouse killed at war. This is obvious since you are so sure as to what you would do if someone came to your house to tell you your 20 year old son was dead on your birthday.
The New World Order runs BOTH PARTIES, the American People run NONE. The Judas Press has sold all of us unto crucifiction. Why am I having to go on line and SEARCH to learn about the protests at the RNC AND the DNC? Do any of you "Democrats" and "Republicans" get it? We have two months to find someone, anyone, who isn't part of the New World Order that attacked us on 9/11, so they could get control of our military and a declaration of an unending "War on Terror". All of you pretend Christian Righters, can you see Jesus saying, "Lets go kill the people that did this"?
Aaron Russo testified that Nick Rockefeller told him ELEVEN MONTHS BEFORE 9/11 that there would be an "Event" that would allow "us" to invade Afghanistan to secure the Caspian Sea Pipeline, Iraq and Venezuela. If that fact doesn't turn on a light in your brain, we are all doomed. It is too late to fight to keep America from falling into the hands of these Satanic New World Order criminals. We must act agressively to TAKE IT BACK FROM THEM! Before they get the courage to inact their plan to reduce the world population from 6.5 to .5 Billion as their published plans state.
This is NOT a game, loosing will be fatal for us. Do not be decieved by New World Order controlled media propaganda, America is in the gravest peril of Her existence. King George of England was an Angel next to these people who financed Hitler. Prescott Bush was HItler's banker and yet he was elected Senator and his sons have been Presidents of this country? Are we insane?
Dick Cheney, George Bush and their whole crew must be tried for treason and Mass murder of 9/11 and all their crimes since then.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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