New category: Crazy-ass Friends

We've all got them, and we love them, and we shake our heads or laugh uncomfortably loudly when they give voice to their delusions.

So, here's one of mine.

Ringo, as he prefers to be called on the web, attends LA area demonstrations and takes photos and posts them. Which is lovely. Except that he professes complete disdain for the people he's photographing and their demonstrations.

Which is, of course, his right.

And he refrains from writing truly hateful things about his subjects, mostly, which I appreciate.

Still, having attended one or two demonstrations in my time, I feel the need to point out some fallacies in his views.

1: When the anrchists show up, it isn't usually at the invitation of the organizing groups, and focusing doesn't (usually) provide an accurate representation of the vast majority of people in attendance.
2: Red is not an evil color. And the cold war is over, so the word "commie" doesn't really carry the weight it once did, even in paranoid circles.
3: While ANSWER does often pull the permits for anti-Iraq war protests, the groups who show up will represent a broad picture of the American landscape, if you care to notice. Churches and religious organizations, veterans groups, community groups, mothers and fathers and retirees (most of them not "old hippies"). And do you really think the sign which read "So many hippies, so few grenades" was a witty counter to such a gathering?
4: I know anything that looks mid-eastern freaks you out (I note the links to Malkin and Schlussel in your sidebar), but your fear is nothing but intellectual and moral laziness.

I have a friend, he's Palestinian/Lebanese. An American citizen, father, business owner, salt of the earth. He lost a brother to al Qaeda when they bombed the complex where he lived in Saudi Arabia. His family is mostly still in Lebanon.

And do you think he'd have been carrying an anti-zionist poster at such a march? Flying the flag of Palestine? Yeah, he probably would. Because his family and their neighbors are directly influenced by US and Israeli policy in the region, and he detects no mainstream concern for the destruction of those people, their communities, their homes. And he wants you to know: when Hamas moves into a destroyed neighborhood and starts handing out food and medical services, and offering security, the people take it. And that's how Hamas' influence grows, and sitting in the US complaining about extremism and doing nothing to stabalize the safety of these communities will not bring about peace or justice.

So, my friend, take your pictures and send your little green friends over to my blog when you have the inclination. But know this:
You can call me a moon bat, but I was right about Iraq and you were wrong.

You can make fun of all the hippies who protest Bush administration foreign policy, but some of those "hippies" are veterans, or loved ones of dead soldiers. It's pretty disgusting to pretend they don't exist. It's summer now, so maybe you should take a trip down to Santa Monica and have a word with some of the vets who keep the Arlington West memorial up every weekend. Maybe you can explain to them how they're misguided moon bats with BDS.

And finally, your privelaged suburban upbringing has shielded you from a lot of pain. Be grateful for that. But don't presume to judge how others respond to their experiences.

You always seemed to be the kind of guy who understood that.