Ok, so not quite. Palin was addressing a huge crowd in Richmond, VA, many of who could not hear her. Not content to wait for the Saturday Night Live rebroadcast some of the crowd began to yell “louder” and point upwardly, not in anticipation of the rapture or proof that America is #1, but in an attempt to get the volume turned up. Not to be deterred by her own supporters Palin paused and ever so pro-American-ly told those supporters something that it seemed would shut them up; "I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest".

So technically she did say, “have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest” but apparently it doesn’t mean actually respecting veterans right to protest.

This isn’t just funny, even though it really is quite funny, but it says something about the relationship of troops and protesting in the USA. This line about thanking veterans for the right to protest (while saying screw you when it comes to health care) is a genius piece of propaganda that has the power to allow those who say it to disrespect veterans, rights and our country all in one breath.
It is, in a nutshell, un-American.

This one simple phrase “I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest” somehow makes it American to “protect” the right to protest while at the same time making protesting somehow “un-American” and un-thankful to our troops.

The slanderous nature of this comment is even more obvious than seeing Russia from Alaska. Even worse, many people fall for it. Too many people think that protesting is wrong because it is somehow a slap in the face to our veterans and requires immediate gratitude to our troops to make up for having dared to use that right. All this happens while they mouth the words that it is a “protected right here in ‘merica”. Your actions speak louder than words, and they certainly aren’t Pro-America words or actions. If you think they are it might just be time to throw out that doormat you bought at Wal-Mart that says “ A Proud American Lives Here” on the front and “Made in China” on the back.
To counter protest with a one line zinger about thanking veterans while they die in an occupation and suffer in under funded VA’s is the real slap in the face.

If Sarah Palin cares so much about honoring veterans she will publicly denounce the actions against them in Hempstead, NY just prior to the presidential debate on Oct 15th. If Sarah Palin cares so much about thanking veterans she will instead thank those veterans that were there that night for BOTH protecting the right to protest and exercising that right.

Veterans, who have served honorably in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other calls to duty, with some 50 plus years of service between them, had police and horses used against them.
What was so scary about these veterans that police were needed to contain them and that those police felt the need to react with horses? Were they armed? Dangerous? Apparently they had presidential kryptonite; truth and unfiltered questions.
These vets were going to be arrested unless they were let in, but why were 1000lbs plus of horse used on a sidewalk against veterans AND citizens using a right those very veterans fought for?
Why have these police officers been trained to react violently towards a right that Sarah Palin herself says is protected by our troops? Why do they go on to deny medical treatment, taunt veterans and spit on the very values of this country? Det. Lt. Kevin Smith said, “there might have been one injury. I don't believe that it was serious and he was taken to an area hospital” Do our police have such poor communication that they are completely unaware of the situation they are involved in- an Iraq War Veteran being unnecessarily trampled by a horse and denied medical treatment until he regained consciousness? Or is this blatant misrepresentation of the situation because it is wholly representative of embarrassing un-American treatment of a veteran?

Maybe the truth is that we don’t have that right. Maybe our troops aren’t protecting the right to protest. If they were Palin would be outraged, as would every other American. If they were the police would not be trained and allowed by their superiors to react against ANY American in this manner, let alone combat veterans.

Sarah Palin do YOU have the courage and honor to support veterans right to protest? Do you have the courage to make sure our service member’s courage is respected? Your silence is astounding, and un-American.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY_-PTAcs5I&feature=related