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Where Did All the War Protesters Go?

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posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 11:38 AM
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I brought this up in a recent unrelated thread but would really like to get some focused feedback.

Where did all the throngs of war protesters go? Sure, some are still around here and there but it's nothing like it was before. Whereas before there would be thousands or tens of thousands anti-war rallies under Bush, the numbers have trickled down into the hundreds under Obama.

So where did they all go?

We're still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have attacked Libya (some claim illegally- I plead ignorance on that) but have not declared official war. More saber rattling against Iran and Syria.


After January 2007, the attendance at antiwar rallies [measured in] roughly the tens of thousands, or thousands, through the end of 2008.

… After the election of Barack Obama as president, the order of magnitude of antiwar protests dropped [...] Organizers were hard pressed to stage a rally with participation in the thousands, or even in the hundreds. For example, we counted exactly 107 participants at a Chicago rally on October 7, 2009.

Amazing. Especially because the war in Afghanistan ramped up after Obama was elected. American fatalities shot up in 2009 and 2010.

The protesters have remained silent over Libya.


FURTHER READING

Is the media to blame for not publicizing the wars as much during the Obama Administration, therefore there is less outrage and awareness to spark protests?

Are there protests taking place at the same level during previous years and I am just not aware of them?

Do they feel 'Bush started it' therefore Obama is just cleaning up his mess and that Obama doesn't deserve to be protested?

Were they just hypocrites protesting because a right winger was in office but they fall silent once a left winger is elected? Party blindness?

Do they believe the wars under Bush were not justified but under Obama they are justified? What makes it different now?

Where did all the anti-war protesters go? And why?



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 11:53 AM
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Perhaps people don't see the point of it any more.

In the UK we had a million people marching in protest against the Iraq war and it still happened.

but at least one person stuck it out





Were they just hypocrites protesting because a right winger was in office but they fall silent once a left winger is elected? Party blindness?

I think this is the probable answer
I suspect most anti war demonstrations are organised by left wing group's.
And having a democrat in power maybe they don't want too show him in a negative light.

edit on 9-6-2011 by Roguesheep because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 11:56 AM
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It is dangerous to protest in America.

And it doesn't work in anyways as the United States is a police state so why take the risks that go with engaging in ineffective protest?



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 11:57 AM
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It's an indication that a persons values are as interchangable as a pair of socks. Political ideology has replaced principles.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 11:59 AM
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Here is the answer to your question..

Where Did All the War Protesters Go?

It is called THE DRAFT.. Since it is not these peoples kid's getting sent to die (or themselves)
they don't care.....

Thats what happen..

If the draft started back up and (not you personally)
YOUR KID'S start getting sent to die in war (or you might be sent to die in war) they would be back like flies on crap...

Sick ain't it.

Left and right has far less to do with it then when say in Vietnam people were seeing their own kid's (or themselves)
getting sent to die...
edit on 9-6-2011 by hillynilly because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:00 PM
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The war protesters are overwhelmingly leftist. They always have been. Their God is in the seat of power now. They're not going to anger him. He might take away their entitlements.

/TOA
edit on 9-6-2011 by The Old American because: (no reason given)


+2 more 
posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:01 PM
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Most of them were fake from the very beginning.

They didnt hate war so much as they hated Bush.

The big movements are always just disgruntled partisans unhappy that "their guy" lost.

Real people with real consistent concerns dont ever make the news.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:07 PM
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People didn't just spontaneously erupt into mass anti war protests. They were planned, paid for and organized using millions of dollars by organizations with agendas. The main agenda being to oust Bush and most organizations and their benifactors had socialist ties whereas now Obama is in and they are not going to attack their own offspring, so to speak.
The answer is as plain as the nose on your face.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:09 PM
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Starred and flagged!

I have asked this before. It's amazing how quickly they crawled under their rocks when their Messiah was elected. It's okay to bomb now, don't you know? It's okay to conduct military operations within sovereign nations now. I like how someone above said it's NOW too dangers to protest. I can believe that. With the dictator in charge running things, it's far too dangerous to protest. Under Bush, this country still had that right. Under Obama, that right has been take away too. Just look at the "free speech zones" that were set up in Denver for 2008 DNC convention when they anointed Obama. They put people in cages, far away, and called them "free speech zones".

Bush1: Invaded Iraq under the banner of the UN. (Liberal thought = BAD!)
Clinton: Kept bombing Iraq. (Liberal thought = GOOD!)
Bush2: Continued the war in Iraq, and invaded Afghanistan after 9/11. (Liberal thought = BAD!)
Obama: Continued war in Iraq, continued war in Afghanistan, invaded Pakistan, Invaded Libya. (Liberal thought = GOOD!)

It's safe to see that it's not "war" that the anti-war protesters are against. They are merely mouth pieces for the DNC.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:12 PM
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Originally posted by hillynilly
Here is the answer to your question..

Where Did All the War Protesters Go?

It is called THE DRAFT.. Since it is not these peoples kid's getting sent to die (or themselves)
they don't care.....


Have you been locked in a box for the last 30 years? What draft? There was NO draft from 9/11/2001 to 1/20/2009, yet there were protesters. Where did the protesters go after 1/20/2009?!?!



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:12 PM
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Good responses, everyone. Lots of mixed opinions.

My personal thoughts are that the whole movement was good ol' fashioned political hypocrisy in that the protests stopped after 'their guy' was in office. Compounded by the liberal media highlighting the protests, therefore drawing in more crowds and attention.

So it was just all a political ruse and wasn't really a protest of principles but partisan politics.

But I'm open to other explanations. I am also hoping to hear from some former protesters themselves or at least those who were vocally against the wars previously but why they are mostly silent now.

Even back under Bush I was strongly opposed to the wars, starting around 2006 when that was my 'wake up' period. Now everyone scurried off since it is Obama.

At first I was told Obama didn't start it- Bush did. Or that we were there for humanitarian reasons. Fair enough at first. But after the last couple of years with nothing changing (and in some aspects even intensifying) and also that it goes against Obama's intention to end the wars, it's just something that has always bugged me.
edit on 6/9/2011 by AshleyD because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:16 PM
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Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3

Originally posted by hillynilly
Here is the answer to your question..

Where Did All the War Protesters Go?

It is called THE DRAFT.. Since it is not these peoples kid's getting sent to die (or themselves)
they don't care.....


Have you been locked in a box for the last 30 years? What draft? There was NO draft from 9/11/2001 to 1/20/2009, yet there were protesters. Where did the protesters go after 1/20/2009?!?!


You call that war protesting?

Put the draft in and you'll see war protesting..

NO ONE CARES.. No one really cares...


Do you forget Vietnam?

Thats what I call protesting a war..

There have been no real war protests since 9/11 those terrorist bastards need to be eradicated..

What is there to protest?

Put the draft back in and they will protest..



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:17 PM
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Originally posted by AshleyD
Or that we were there for humanitarian reasons.


That's one of the classic partisan traps.

When there's an (R) it's all for security. Dont want those terrorists to get you. Won't someone think of the children?

When there's a (D) it's all humanitarian. Dont want more embattled impoverished people turning to terrorism. Wont someone think of the children?

The excuse is empty and meaningless. The plain truth of it is that billions are being spent to kill millions.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:23 PM
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reply to post by thisguyrighthere
 


Yes, exactly. In fact when I heard that under Obama we were there to rid the area of tyrants and to save the people, I pointed out that is exactly what we were told under Bush with Saddam. Same thing, different day.

Anyways, I don't want it to seem like I am bashing on the left or what not. However, it is extremely frustrating. It really does feel like progress is impossible to be made because more people are loyal to their party line than they are their cause.

And I will be the first to admit the right can be just as guilty. When Obama first came to office and the right was protesting, the left often asked 'Where were you when...' But now I find myself asking 'Where did you go.'

I do hope that one day we can get over the hump and truly unite over a worthy cause. And I do feel opposing all of the military conquests and wars is a worthy cause.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:26 PM
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Originally posted by TinfoilTP
People didn't just spontaneously erupt into mass anti war protests. They were planned, paid for and organized using millions of dollars by organizations with agendas. The main agenda being to oust Bush and most organizations and their benifactors had socialist ties whereas now Obama is in and they are not going to attack their own offspring, so to speak.
The answer is as plain as the nose on your face.


War protesting was not created in the '80s or '90s. People have been protesting in America since America was created. The height of the protest movement was in the '60s with the "Make Love, Not War" movements against the Vietnam war.

But they didn't have a religious leader back then like Obama to lead America with the national defense policies He is perpetrating overseas. The days of war are gone! This is a new religion! And their hippie minds will be full of all of the cool free social programs, love, peace He gave to them when they march to the election polls to vote for Him in 2012.

/TOA



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:29 PM
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Originally posted by AshleyD

I do hope that one day we can get over the hump and truly unite over a worthy cause. And I do feel opposing all of the military conquests and wars is a worthy cause.


Trouble is that for each persons cause they always flock to the totalitarian solution.

Cigarettes are bad for you so I'm going to support collection up the property of my peers to pay for an army armed with guns and jails to fix that.

Some pedo might look at my kid so I'm going to support the collection of the property of my peers to pay for an army armed with guns and jails to fix that.

Food I may purchase could have an unacceptable amount of feces or insect parts in it so I'm going to support the collection of the property of my peers to fund a massive overseeing entity who works on bribes and fines to make sure there is only an acceptable amount of feces in my food most of the time.

It's hopeless. Every American is apparently a tyrant at heart. A lazy one at that.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:36 PM
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Originally posted by AshleyD
I brought this up in a recent unrelated thread but would really like to get some focused feedback.

Where did all the throngs of war protesters go? Sure, some are still around here and there but it's nothing like it was before. Whereas before there would be thousands or tens of thousands anti-war rallies under Bush, the numbers have trickled down into the hundreds under Obama.

So where did they all go?

We're still engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have attacked Libya (some claim illegally- I plead ignorance on that) but have not declared official war. More saber rattling against Iran and Syria.


After January 2007, the attendance at antiwar rallies [measured in] roughly the tens of thousands, or thousands, through the end of 2008.

… After the election of Barack Obama as president, the order of magnitude of antiwar protests dropped [...] Organizers were hard pressed to stage a rally with participation in the thousands, or even in the hundreds. For example, we counted exactly 107 participants at a Chicago rally on October 7, 2009.

Amazing. Especially because the war in Afghanistan ramped up after Obama was elected. American fatalities shot up in 2009 and 2010.

The protesters have remained silent over Libya.


FURTHER READING

Is the media to blame for not publicizing the wars as much during the Obama Administration, therefore there is less outrage and awareness to spark protests?

Are there protests taking place at the same level during previous years and I am just not aware of them?

Do they feel 'Bush started it' therefore Obama is just cleaning up his mess and that Obama doesn't deserve to be protested?

Were they just hypocrites protesting because a right winger was in office but they fall silent once a left winger is elected? Party blindness?

Do they believe the wars under Bush were not justified but under Obama they are justified? What makes it different now?

Where did all the anti-war protesters go? And why?



Are you out protesting? You can't expect others to do it for you.. that is how you end up with no one protesting.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:39 PM
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Originally posted by AshleyD

And I will be the first to admit the right can be just as guilty.


This is my sticking point with Obama. This right here. I get so [snipp]ing angry at this point. Right. Here. The Democrats were calling for Bush's head on a platter for being in Iraq and Afghanistan, some the very same that were in office when he was President. And now they are not only being silent about Obama's involvement, they are actually supporting the invasions!

I don't believe for a second that Obama is the Antichrist. But I swear he has an almost supernatural ability to make people believe that he's doing the right thing.


I am completely disgusted with the Dems, the Progressives, the left...whatever you want to call them. And then I see ATS members actually supporting him?! Remember that whole "Deny Ignorance" thing?! I thought ATS'ers were smarter than that.


Sorry to go off on your thread, Ashley.

/TOA



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:48 PM
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reply to post by aceto
 


I would absolutely engage in a peaceful protest in my area. But I can't be out there by myself with a sandwich board and sparklers.

The point is, the anti-war protests seemed to be everywhere, often. Now they are hardly anywhere, rarely. One used to be able to engage in the action with ease. Now it is hard pressed.

The rallies have dwindles, the amounts have decreased, the media has been silent, etc.



posted on Jun, 9 2011 @ 12:49 PM
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Originally posted by The Old American

This is my sticking point with Obama. This right here. I get so [snipp]ing angry at this point. Right. Here. The Democrats were calling for Bush's head on a platter for being in Iraq and Afghanistan, some the very same that were in office when he was President. And now they are not only being silent about Obama's involvement, they are actually supporting the invasions!



I still don't support either Iraq or Afghanistan (or now Libya), and I've been very public about that on these boards...

However, I will concede that a lot of people who actively spoke out against the military action have settled down because Bush is out of office. That is a fair point. What's not fair is to generalize the entire left as still supporting the war. I would wager that if you individually polled liberals, you would find that most are disappointed with Obama's warmongering.


To be completely fair, Obama is only doing what he promised to do. He did de-escalate Iraq. We still have a presence there but it is far smaller than it was in 2008, and the lion's share of the military action has been taken over by the Iraq Security Forces.

Obama ran on escalating Afghanistan. These were campaign promises from him. They're actually the main reason I wrote in Ron Paul's name instead of voting for him. He has always said that he supported the military action in Afghanistan, and while I personally disagree with him, I can't hold it against him for sticking to campaign promises.

As for Libya, I don't support Gaddafi (as some members of this site surprisingly do), but I also don't support our involvement over there.



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