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Anti-war protesters converge on Brooksville, meet opposition

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By TONY MARRERO

Published: March 19, 2008

BROOKSVILLE -
At about 12:15 Wednesday afternoon, two very different viewpoints converged in a cacophony on the same downtown street corner.

"Bring home the troops," chanted anti-war protesters who came to town to make a statement on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"When the war's over," counterdemonstrators responded a beat later.

Motorists chimed in with horns, though at that point it was tough to tell which group they were supporting.

The stretch of shouting bodies and swinging signs along Jefferson Street came as stark reminders of the division that still exists in the country when it comes to Iraq.

About 60 anti-war protesters representing several Tampa Bay area groups organized the event in front of the courthouse, just steps away from the office of U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite. Brown-Waite, a Republican, was not in the office Wednesday but was in Florida on a personal matter, said spokesman Charlie Keller. Sheriff's deputies stood by the door of Brown-Waite's office. Brown-Waite had no comment on the demonstration, Keller said.

Some two dozen counter-protesters arrived before the 11 a.m. scheduled start time and commandeered the corner of Jefferson and Main streets that the anti-war group hoped to use. At one point, the anti-war demonstrators straggled south to Main and Broad Streets, then to an opposite corner at Jefferson and Main.

Eventually, the anti-war group came back to its original place, standing side-by-side and even intermingling with their counterparts so that a "Misery Accomplished" sign bobbed in the air right next to one that read, "Thank You, U.S. Military."

"That was not our intention, but I guess emotions took over," said Brian Moore, chairman of the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and Justice, which co-organized the protest.

While a few tempers flared during the two-hour demonstration, things never got physical. Brooksville police officers zeroed in and quickly defused the few shouting matches that erupted.

Laura Smith, 59, of Weeki Wachee said she initially "bought" the reasons for the invasion of Iraq, realized those reasons were fabricated and finally felt compelled to act.

"I've been on the couch for five years now, and I think it's time I got off the couch," Smith said. "I never want to be duped like that again."

Glyn Carver, an Illinois resident visiting Brooksville with his wife Isabel, said he showed up to protest "the lunacy of five years of a war that should have never started."

"When there's an anniversary like this, you have to do something," he said. "Now they're saying we have to stay because of the terrorism we've created there. It's an outrage of epic proportions."

Anti-war protesters are tired of attacks calling their patriotism into question, said Isabel Carver, 55.

"The idea that to support the troops you have to support the war is outrageous," she said.

"This is such George Orwell doubletalk," said 61-year-old Gulfport resident Don McKeating, nodding to the counterdemonstrators. "I think fear, pride and greed are the things motivating this country, and those things manipulate people."

Demonstrators had placed about two dozen pairs of shoes — from battered boots to tiny pink sneakers — on the courthouse steps to represent the thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died since the invasion.

About 15 minutes before noon, Melissa Baird emerged from under a black burka, the traditional garment of Muslim women. Baird, of Tarpon Springs, had been lying motionless on a blanket on the courthouse lawn, clutching a baby doll with red paint spattered on its face.

The goal, she said, was also to bring attention to Iraqi casualties. Baird declined to give her age but said she'd been around to protest the Vietnam War.

"I'm sorry to say we're having to do it again," she said. "We didn't learn anything."

'Finish it now'

Ed and Maxine Kolbe of Brookridge stood just a few feet from traffic, tightly clutching a flag with the slogan "We Support Our Troops" and the emblems of the five U.S. military branches.

"We've got grandchildren in the war now, and I don't want my younger ones to go later," Maxine said. "I want to finish it now."

One counterprotester's sign had a unique message: "My son died for the freedom to protest. Please respectfully consider the cost."

Dee Mills, the mother of the late Marine Sgt. Lea Mills of Masaryktown, held the placard. Lea Mills was killed in Iraq in April, 2006.

"I said my prayers this morning, and it's been a lot easier than I thought it would be because I know I'm here for the right reasons," Mills said. "I didn't want our military to see a war protest without seeing they had support."

The protest prompted its share of reaction from motorists.

Some gave thumbs-up to the anti-war crowd. One man in an SUV directed his stare to the counterprotesters and called President Bush a choice name or two.

"Move to Iraq," a man on a rumbling motorcycle yelled to one anti-war protester.

"Get a job," a man behind the wheel of a passing Corvette shouted at John Palm, a member of Veterans for Peace who'd set up a table to collect signatures to impeach Bush.

"Got a job, sir," Palm called back. "We're bringing the troops home. That's our job."

Just after midday, when the two sides came together to compete for attention, Mike Fox of the Pinellas County chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America paused a moment and took it all in from the other side of Jefferson Street.

"This," he said, "is the beauty of America right here."

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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