The War in Olney, Maryland

I was out as usual this Saturday morning, checking out the garage sales. Driving through the center of Olney, I spotted a gaggle of wingnuts with flags and a bullhorn making a lot of noise at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Route 108.

Catty-corner from them were nine elderly Quaker men and women from the nearby Friends retirement home. They were quietly holding up signs saying "War is not the answer" and similar sentiments. They have been having silent anti-war vigils there for years. I've joined the Wednesday night vigils at the same intersection in the past, though those are run by another group.

I parked, got out and asked the Quakers for a sign. Apparently a man of Indian heritage, also disgusted by the pro-war crowd, stopped and did the same thing. We stood there with our signs for an hour, getting many friendly waves, peace signs and honks.

On the other side of the intersection, the eight or nine war lovers shrieked "We love our brave soldiers" and "God Bless America." They also hurled a steady stream of insults toward the quakers, who did not respond.

My cranky middle finger was just aching to flip at them, but I controlled myself out of respect for these peaceful, determined old folks. Besides, war is NOT the answer.

The wingnuts called us cowards, although most of them looked able-bodied and of military age, making us wonder why they weren't serving in Iraq, in the war they love so much. Why are they here, making war on elderly Quakers, instead of torturing and murdering the Iraqis they hate so much?

The chief nut with the bullhorn accused us of being ungrateful, unpatriotic and selfish since we failed to appreciate all the glorious freedom that's being taken away from us, day by day. They yelled at us for not displaying U.S. flags like theirs.

When one Quaker looked down for a moment, the nutjobs yelled that she was ashamed to show her face over her peace sign. On and on and on they yammered.

When 11:30 rolled around and we put down our signs in order to leave, the nuts screeched and jeered that we were lazy, cowardly, etc, and sang "God Bless America" at the top of their lungs. They themselves left about 10 minutes later.

One of the Quaker ladies told me this group was from an organization called Free Republic, and had I ever heard of them? Naturally I have, since I belong to DU.

I asked how they stand the insults. They told me most of them turn off their hearing aids. Of course they are dedicated to the cause of peace, and would put up with a lot more if need be.

So tell me, friends at DU, what can possibly be so terrifying and threatening about nine fragile octogenarians who come out with their canes and lawn chairs every Saturday and silently hold vigil at Olney's main intersection, bearing signs that say "War is not the answer"?

How can these gray-haired old folks frighten this handful of loudmouths so much that they show up with expensive-looking. professionally made signs and banners, huge flags and a bullhorn to shout insults at them every Saturday morning? These peace-loving Quakers wouldn't, and couldn't, hurt a fly.

All they do is stand there and silently witness for truth. I guess that's scary enough for some people.

LibE

rather than respecting their views.

I use to live in Frederick county, which was conservative. All you saw leading up to the 2004 elections were Bush/Cheney

They are scum.

They're Republicans. They respect nobody except themselves.

against the Vietnam War. They were the only people prescient enough to be against that exercise in futility and slaughter.

The macho morons were just as frightened of them back then.

of their ignorant and misguided beliefs. Because if they war is wrong, they are wrong. If they supported a lying bunch of thugs, then they are fools. If they all they have are insults then they have nothing. And if they support the war and are still here in this country, they are cowards.

I would have stood with you...proud to display my gray hair and utter disgust.

I've often said that it's a good thing we don't have a line drawn like we had during the Civil War or we'd be having another one. Those hotheads are just itchin' for a fight. Since we're so mixed in with each other, you wouldn't be able to define blue from gray.

Your scene was an example of the cruel division Bush has brought upon us all. Those men should be ashamed of their actions. They are like schoolyard bullies, picking on the weak to make themselves look strong. I'm surprised they weren't wearing sheets.

would be difficult. rec'd

and worth every minute of it. Thanks!

The chief nut with the bullhorn accused us of being ungrateful, unpatriotic and selfish since we failed to appreciate all the glorious freedom that's being taken away from us, day by day.

No comment required.

rec'd

Or else they would know that ever since Quakers settled in this country they have supported PEACE. But then everyone knows republicans are stupid, else why would they be republicans. By the way they are also COWARDS. Read that republican lurkers on the journal.

I used to live in Laurel years ago. Spent a lot of time at the Olney Ale House in the 80s.

".They told me most of them turn off their hearing aids"

I'm sorry, but that makes me :rofl: For this and other reasons I am definitely considering joining this wonderful group.

It changed ownership. I've gone there for over 30 years now.....It really started going downhill after they installed the Air Conditioning. Old Fart rant out.........

I used to love that place.

In front of the Stained Glass Pub.

Or am I thinking of the wrong place.

Boy, are those dumbass Freeps in the wrong place.

I am glad to read about the Quakers still holding the fort. And, thank you for stopping and taking the time to give support.

Silent and strong they stood.

I know that intersection. It gets lots of traffic.

The right wing nutters always use the 'louder is stronger' strategy.

of the Iraq War I went to a vigil up in Columbia with a group that was mostly Quakers and they were holding the "War is Not The Answer Signs" (which I believe on from Friends Committee on National Legislation). They were an amazing group of people. It makes me so angry that the Freeper would torment a group that way.

I think it would be great to post it on the Web for all to see the despicable behavior of the freepers.

I'll ask around and see if one of my fellow UUs can join us and do some taping.

They have not developed a conscious or fully functioning brain.

I know (knew) it well.

:eyes:

had a ton of friends who lived in Olney growing up. Repuke stronghold. Always was.

glad i'm far from there these days

(Or is it Derwoodite? Derwoodian?)

Olney's Sherwood HS has always been dumb jock country, second only to Damascus HS for sheer brainless white racist moronitude. And I'm sure this gang o' nuts was mostly Sherwood grads.

best drugs and loosest girls around :D

Classes of 2001 and 2004.

They usually went to Olney only for swim practices and meets for the Magruder swim team and RMSC. Olney is generally more Yuppie and snobbish these days than it used to be. But the northern part of Montgomery County still seems to spawn more than its fair share of loudmouth jocks who have nothing sensible to say, and plenty of lung power with which to shout it.

Obviously Sherwood does have nice, decent kids. It's just that the loudmouths make so much noise that the good ones aren't noticed as much.

Persistence, patience, and courage can take it back.

country which are made in China, but they don't love their country because if they did they would truly believe in freedom of speech and beliefs! They're like the school-yard bullies always trying to cause trouble, but never trying to bring people together.

And money, probably Repub money.

Anyway, good for these Quakers and other peace-loving people. I admire their dignity, genuine honor, resolve, and determination.

Nevermind...I think I just answered my own question why a group of "oldsters" are scary to the rethugs.

Now THAT explains all the verbal horse manure the right wingers were hurling around.

I'd like to go out there and stand with them sometime. :hi:

in front of the Stained Glass Pub on the northeast corner of the intersection. You will be warmly welcomed. Keep in mind that it is a silent vigil. That is part of its power.

Shouting tends to only meet with more shouting. Thanks for the info!

Small, small people indeed.

Bless those Quakers for what they do, and what they gladly endure.

Buzz PM'd me a thread from some freeper website where they had posted my "The War in Olney, Maryland" and whined about it. I'll spare you, unless you really want to read it.

The freeps were strangely silent about my comment in the OP that they all seemed to be young, able-bodied and of military age, yet were apparently too cowardly to go sign up and fight in their favorite war. I guess this truth is something they can't deal with.

They would rather stay safely in the U.S. and pick on a group of Quakers in their 80s, than go face an enemy who will fight back. When I was younger, we used to call that kind of behavior "chickenshit". It is so easy to shout insults at old grannies, but I'll bet they would turn tail if they had to confront a real enemy soldier.

I had a hard time trying to read their senseless gibberish, but it seems as though a couple of posters on their thread chastised the Olney freeps for being rude and insulting to a group of elderly Quakers (or Quackers, as they call them).

Of course the ones who were demonstrating denied being rude, claiming it was a figment of my imagination. I had to laugh, having spent more than 25 years as a professional journalist with a reputation for painstaking accuracy. It would be easy enough to videotape their rantings to prove that what I wrote was true. Hopefully they will be given orders by their higher-ups to behave themselves at future tantrums (I mean demonstrations).

I wonder who pays for their signs, banners and bullhorns - probably the Heritage Foundation or the CIA.

Anyway it's nice to know they are apparently capable of reading -- they're not complete morons.

the corner......


"A quick FReeper Pol: A: Is it better to stay off the moonbats corner, or B: Ocassionally occupy their corner to harass them, or C: Occupy only the flanks of the moonbats?.

Legionnaire Frank said that last time we occupied their corner about 10 people came up to him and said that the moonbats looked as if they were changing their minds about the WOT. IMHO, This might be good in that it confuses those leftist who drive by and maybe they will think about the WOT in a more positive than negative way, thinking the protestors are changing their views."


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1896350/posts


Occupy???

Occupy???

One can only wonder at what wargame fantasies these warriors concoct in their brains, but I imagined my grandfather talking to them:

"I occupied Germany after the fall of Hitler."
"Well, I occupied a corner in Olney where Quakers stood!!"

Not quite the same, is it?????

offensive against the

http://www.jibjab.com/view/148114">Old Ladies From Hell

and paint camouflage on their faces and play "Capture the Corner." The big brave freepers want to "harass" the Quakers.

If they are so patriotic and support all our glorious freedom, then why don't they support the Constitutional right of the Quakers to assemble and hold up signs that say "war is not the Answer"? Obviously they seem to only want freedom of speech (or freedom to insult old people with a bullhorn) for themselves, and nobody else.

I can hardly wait to see them set up a courageous combat mission to capture the street corner in front of the Stained Glass Pub and defend it against a handful of elderly Quakers. Maybe they'll bring their guns.

There's nothing like a bunch of able-bodied sissies, who are too cowardly to fight the wars that they so loudly support, planning to take over a corner from a group of senior citizens.

Think President Coward-in-Chief Bush will give them each a Purple Heart for their bravery?

so proudly displayed at the Republican National Convention in 2004---

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1889326&mesg_id=1890118">click here

consider being insulting and rude to elderly people known for their pacifism to be 'patriotic'.

They look at "War is Not the Answer" and think:

- They hate America.
- They hate the soldiers.
- They don't know anyone who ever served in the military.
- They're lazy hippies.
- They want America to lose and become weak.
- They want to change our way of life.

These are the lies of the rightwing spin machine, and the only thing I can think of that explains their behavior is that they believe these lies.

Could we get a team of military recruiters to that corner next time they're there?