archy

Good morning Crawford
Here's the latest news from Crawford:

Dozens of war protesters camping in roadside ditches near President Bush's ranch have accepted a neighbor's offer to stay on his property.

Fred Mattlage, an Army veteran, offered the use of his corner 1-acre lot, saying he sympathizes with those participating in the vigil started Aug. 6 by Cindy Sheehan, who lost her 24-year-old son in Iraq last year.

[...]

"I just think people should have a right to protest without being harassed," Mattlage told The Associated Press late Tuesday. "And I'm against the war. I don't think it's a war we need to be in."

[...]

Larry Mattlage, a distant cousin of Mattlage's who owns nearby land, fired a shotgun twice into the air Sunday but no one was injured.

In case any Freepers are reading, let me stop her to explain that "Shotgun" Larry Mattlage is not the same person as Larry "Cross Killer" Northern. I know the whole Larry thing can get confusing; that's why we use family names and middle names in this country.

Moving the protest encampment onto private property should ease some of the tensions with the neighbors and make things a little safer for the protestors, should anyone decide to imitate "Cross Killer" Northern's antics. None of the news stories I checked out mentioned whether the counter-protestors or reporters would be moving. They also don't mention what effect this will have on Mattlage family relations.

Elsewhere, the Farmer reports that "Cross Killer" Northern will be awarded a specially designed Freeperkorps Order of the Dove-n-Cross Smiter medal, with oak leaves. Way to go Larry.

For those who want to show their support for Cindy Sheehan, but can't afford to travel to Crawford, MoveOn.org, True Majority, and Democracy for America are hosting "Vigils for Cindy Sheehan" tonight in about 1000 locations across the country. MoveOn has a little locator device on their site to help you find the closest vigil to your home. In case any Freepers are planning on attending, I think you should know that they will probably make you leave your pick-ups and mowing equipment at the door. Just FYI.

For those of you breathlessly following the contest, we have a winner in the Freeper category, but there are still prizes to be awarded in the Major Pundit category, and in the Most-Outrageous-Defense-Not-On-My-List category. So, get your entries in while I hunt around here some piece of junk I can get rid of as a prize.

Update: Clever wife and I will be attending one of the vigils at Greenlake in Seattle. If you're in the neighborhood, come over and say hi. We'll be the ones with the candles.