HARDLY ‘RABBLE’

Anacortes students simply had diferent views
It’s not my habit to respond to “letters to the editor” I read in local newspapers. However, two that were published in the Nov. 23, 2005, edition regarding the so-called “peace rally” at Causland Park, were written by individuals that were either misinformed or totally ignorant.

First, if anyone had bothered to check, they would have discovered that a permit was not issued for any specific group to have sole control over the facility.

Secondly, it’s interesting that one writer found it necessary to blame the local police for what he considered the lack of enforcing “disturbing the peace, assault and inciting a riot” laws. I would suggest this individual obtain a copy of the Washington States Criminal Code and look up the elements needed to charge any of those crimes. It would be rather obvious that no such crimes occurred.

In fact anyone listening to the vitriol being spewed by the so-called “peace group” would have to say they in fact came closest to inciting a riot.

Lastly, the “elitist” statement referring to the young students trying to exercise their free speech rights and being denied by the “leftists” as rabble was not only ill-mannered but showed total ignorance.

Three times in the last two decades I watched mobs try to destroy portions of Los Angeles. In 1968 I saw mobs (peace activists) throw feces, urine and caustic chemicals at police during the Democratic Convention. I watched again as “peace groups” set fire to banks and destroyed private property in a small college town in California.

I saw “peaceful” activists spit in the faces of U.S. Armed Forces and call them “baby killers” when they returned from the Viet Nam conflict, and I watched as mobs protesting the WTO in Seattle broke windows and threw missiles at police. These were rabble.

To put Anacortes students in that category because their political views may be different then yours is not only pathetic, it’s despicable.

Dan Cuccia
Anacortes