Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is shown in this undated file photo. (Associated Press) ** FILE **
By Haris Alic – The Washington Times – Sunday, February 19, 2023
Several hundred protesters gathered in Washington on Sunday to oppose continued U.S. support for Ukraine as it fights off Russian aggression.
The event, which was billed as the March Against the War Machine rally, was put on by a constellation of libertarian and far-left groups. Speakers accused President Biden and Congress of bringing the U.S. to the brink of nuclear war.
“This proxy war that we’re fighting against Russia right now could turn at any moment into a direct conflict between the United States and NATO and Russia, a country that has more nuclear weapons than any other in the world,” said former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.
A one-time Democrat who challenged Mr. Biden for the 2020 White House nomination, Ms. Gabbard said the only way to prevent a nuclear war was to divert money from the “military-industrial complex” and put it toward “peace, prosperity, and freedom.”
Apart from opposing further U.S. financial support for Ukraine, the rally’s organizers and speakers argued for slashing the Pentagon budget, disbanding NATO, abolishing the CIA, and freeing Julian Assange.
The focus largely remained on Ukraine, however, as exhibited by Ms. Gabbard’s former House colleagues, Texas Republican Ron Paul and Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich.
Mr. Paul accused the White House and the Congressional leaders of relying on propaganda to sell the American public on continued support for Ukraine.
Mr. Kucinich, meanwhile, accused Mr. Biden of having bombed the Nordstream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
“We will not rest until you are held accountable by Congress, by the International Criminal Court, and by the American people at the next election,” Mr. Kucinich said.
Most of the other speakers at the event were professional activists, some of whom have worked as contributors or hosts for Kremlin-controlled RT America.
Chris Hedges, for example, hosted a show on the Russian-state-controlled news network before it was booted by U.S. cable providers last year amid the invasion of Ukraine.
The RT connection was not lost on attendees, some of whom showed up waving Russian flags or sporting clothing with the symbols and colors representative of the nation.
“I see the Russian flags out there,” said Tara Reade, a one-time RT contributor who accused Mr. Biden of sexual assault during the 2020 campaign. “You are not our enemy. China is not our enemy. The military-industrial complex hijacked the Democratic and Republican parties.”
Despite the event being planned for months and getting a shoutout from Tucker Carlson on Fox News, only several hundred people attended.
Given that the rally kicked off at the Lincoln Memorial, some of the individuals standing around and listening admitted they were only tourists who happened to stumble upon the event.
Several attendees blamed the poor showing on “the corporate media,” which they claimed ignored the rally was taking place.
“We’re out here showing a dissenting opinion,” said Skyler Broughton, a 27-year-old attendee from Maryland. “You didn’t see the New York Times or Fox News promoting this event because it goes against the status quo. We’re out here saying Ukraine is not winning, the endless wars have to stop.”
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
This is surely a convention of Russian agents? An example of the horseshoe of politics where far right and far left are on exactly the same page when it comes to Ukraine. Gabbard; Carlson’s favourite interviewee and brazen liar. Ron Paul; Russian agent for decades, like his shitty sprog Rand, who was outed by John McCain. Paul Sr is a friend of Michael Savage and is far right rather than far left.
Then you have the RT employees; Russian agents by definition.
“Apart from opposing further U.S. financial support for Ukraine, the rally’s organizers and speakers argued for slashing the Pentagon budget, disbanding NATO, abolishing the CIA, and freeing Julian Assange.”
That is a cocktail of kremkrapper ingredients. Assange is a Russian agent who needs a rope.
The nutso fringe working alongside Russian propagandists to support genocide which should be the enemy of all decent folk.
Ron Paul, I know you need the attention, but can’t you find a better way without selling out humanity?
Gabbard is a currently serving Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) in the US Army Reserve, assigned to the United States Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs Command-Airborne (USCAPOC(A)) as a Civil Affairs Officer.
10 US Code § 888 – Article 88, “Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial .
10-20 years in Leavenworth sounds appropriate.
It’s not the left or the right, it’s about ruSSian agents who got infiltrated. Clean your house and all will be good.
Forgive me my terrible english. Of course i was talking about ruSSians infiltrating the far left and right. 😎
Twitter just banned me and asked me to delete my Confederate Flag avatar. I told Musk to go fuck himself!
Fuck the Confederate Flag and the systematic abuse of human rights that it stands for. If you support systematic abuses of human rights, nobody wants to hear from you anyway.
Yawn! The Confederate flag represents the South and States Rights. You are just another brainwashed idiot.
Like my guns, no one will ever take away my stars and bars.
Like the saying goes, “try to take the flag from me!”…
The Confederacy demanded the right to enslave people, mine said sorry no-can-do.
I don’t respect your symbol of the right to enslave people. Never will.
Hitler’s Germany, Putin’s Russia, Southern Confederacy — one and the same. Hitler and Putin both *claim* to be acting in their rights and defending their beloved homeland. Do you think I care about a twisted fantasy? I see you enjoy it though. Sicko.
The North continued slavery in Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware until 1865 you lunatic! Slavery was introduced by the federal government in the 18th century. Even George Washington had slaves.
It’s obvious that some racists have appropriated and desecrated the Confederate battle flag for their own pathetic purposes , but those hateful folks also display the Christian cross
and the American flag. Do those symbols also inspire racism?
And it’s also obvious that the Swastika was a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck for most of the Western world until co-opted.
Fine. Wave the Confederate flag and wave the Swastika. To me, it looks dumb and I will always say fuck the Confederate flag and fuck the Swastika.
My family? Yeah we were trained to kill those flying the Confederate battle flag and those carrying the Swastika. We were never trained to kill those displaying the Christian cross nor were we trained to kill those flying the American Flag.
I don’t expect Ukranians will ever accept Russians displaying the ‘Z’, and nor do I expect them to.
Greetings to Germany. And don’t forget Bert.
False Equivalence
Description: An argument or claim in which two completely opposing arguments appear to be logically equivalent when in fact they are not. The confusion is often due to one shared characteristic between two or more items of comparison in the argument that is way off in the order of magnitude, oversimplified, or just that important additional factors have been
Ukrainian: genocide
Russia: false equivalence
Me: Hey Russian, fuck you
The Confederate flag celebrates southern heritage and regional pride.
It has been hijacked by racists.
Those who view the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate should keep open minds to those who view it as a symbol of Southern heritage and history regardless of their race.
Thank you, Stan. 👍
No need for thanks. I do not abide “woke ” revisionism and ignorance.
I’m not racist. Just love my home and hate doped paranoids. 👍
“Shitter” banned you just for that?
I was okay for six months, now they killed me. Flattery i guess. 😎
Fuck Shitter and the fuck-wad Musk anyway.
Troll alert!
“Several hundred protesters gathered in Washington on Sunday to oppose continued U.S. support for Ukraine as it fights off Russian aggression.”
Was that all that the fascists and communists were able to muster? Out of 350 million people?
Yawn!