The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
How do you react to 40 protesters waving signs and screaming "Shame on you!" while you walk into a steakhouse?
That was the question faced by almost everyone who attended the sold-out Thelma Drake fundraiser Friday with former White House adviser Karl Rove.
Edie Wombolt of Virginia Beach decided to shout "Freedom of speech!" back at protesters.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," she explained before entering Ruth's Chris Steak House in Town Center to see Rove.
Less understanding were two men who extended obscene gestures at protesters.
When protester Lisa Petry yelled "Shame on you!" at a woman entering the restaurant, she set off this exchange:
The woman: "Get a life!"
Petry: "I have a life! This is it!"
The woman: "What a shame!"
Petry: "It's a shame Karl Rove is your hero!"
The woman: "I feel sorry for you!"
Petry: "I feel sorry for you!
And so went the clash between about 100 Drake supporters who paid $500 to $1,000 for lunch and a photo with Rove, and a loose-knit group of chanting protesters toting signs such as, "How is it that you have time to eat steak but not to testify?"
Drake is seeking her third term representing the 2nd District, which covers Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk, Hampton and the Eastern Shore. She faces Democratic challenger Glenn Nye on Nov. 4.
While Drake supporters dined, protesters put on a mock trial in which Rove was found "guilty" of a variety of crimes, from treason to helping expose the identity of a CIA agent to defying a congressional subpoena to testify last week.
Speaking to reporters after the function, which was closed to the press, Rove said he didn't appear before Congress because White House lawyers advised him that executive privilege bars Congress from compelling staffers to testify under oath.
Asked about the protest, Rove called it "anemic."
"I was sort of upset," he said. "There should have been more people."
Drake said the protest was "misguided" and that it didn't bother her.
"It's not unusual," she said. "I've been protested all over the place."
Sharon Bivens, a public school art teacher who played the role of exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson during the mock trial, said of Rove's dismissal: "Even if he didn't find us large in numbers, he still won't answer to the people. If we were subpoenaed, we'd have to testify. He's not above the law."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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Tim...
A caveat to my prior entry: I am not trying to lecture anyone, as my statements are a qualitative/anectdotal report card of sorts on policy and governance debates nowadays.
Tim...
I hear you too. I agree that discourse on crucial matters such as national public policy has become inane and basal. When politicians run their ads on outright lies and purposeful distortions and people buy into the garbage we are in trouble. We are a mentally lazy country when it comes to citizenship. Soundbites and stereotypes win elections, not real reasoned debate on meaningful issues combined with well articulated stands on the issues. We go for the personal attacks instead. Critical analysis of our leaders is subplanted by partisan hyperbole. Crude statements are made about those who dare to think differently than one's own views. Those who subscribe to one political party believe themselves to be right while those from the opposition are always wrong. It is mindboggling and frustrating because it serves no higher purpose and runs counter to a well informed citizenry.
I hear you, PD
But I know you don't think the effects of that positive externality are long lasting, and I believe you would still prefer to have the answers to the questions you have been asking now for almost two weeks. I agree with your comments regarding education / common sense, but I will also add that no matter what one may have achieved scholastically, it means little if there is a core of dishonesty when engaged in any discourse, political or not. My original and ongoing posts in this matter are 100% public record. They are not spin, nor open to interpretation. I admit to bristling when someone challenges them and not only provides nothing to back up their own claims, but then makes things up, refuses to admit their errors and then finally comes up with some lame ad hominem attack to try and brush off the original points / reason for posting at all. And when I say it is sad, I mean exactly that.
EP, some constructive advice
EP, some constructive advice for you to mull over before you post again. First, instead of saying that you are smart, how about saying something smart? Second, when confronted with requests for evidence to back up your claims, respond with said evidence, instead of diversions and even more unsubstantiated claims. There are arguments you started but have never replied to, because you don't want to admit you are wrong. Third, and I mean this sincerely: learn to write. Learn to express yourself so that you will at least appear more intelligent than your evidence-lacking posts would otherwise imply. Fourth, read more. Understand what words mean. I know you didn't know the words I was using; you had to look them up. That's okay. I would do the same thing if I didn't know them. But to imply I don't know the meaning of the words I used just shows you still don't understand what I was saying. Sad indeed.
Come On Now...
Education level is not a good gauge to use when discussing topics such as this. I have known many a well educated book smart person who had the common sense of a four year old. And I have also known many a person with "little" education or book smarts who had plenty of common sense. This really does not boil down to academic intelligence but citizen intelligence relating to having a rudamentary understanding of the following: the workings of our govt, our system of laws, a broader historical perspective of our nation's history and of our role in the world; and being able to be critical of our leaders-and in that I mean critical of their performance relating to their sworn duties and how that performance effects us all. Partisan politics can go to h---. That does nothing but divide us down faux lines rather than bring us together on doing what is best for our country. Still waiting for some answers though.
So glad you are still somewhat coherent...
at least enough to check this post! You are a complete fraud. But you finally consulted a dictionary, don't be afraid of it anymore, it is for everyone's benefit. I just wish you wouldn't ignore it until you are told to use it. I do give you a gold star for taking advantage of it. You were NOT speaking sarcastically. You may want to believe you were but you just made a mistake not realizing you were trying to offend an educated man who was reading novels in the 2nd grade! I'm sorry that you felt so foolish but you made a novice mistake. Don't worry, I'm fully confident you won't do it again. Good luck with whatever you are doing and God bless! Unless you can come up with REAL substance I will obey Proverbs 26:4 and leave you alone!
Tim & EP...
For me, this is now what is called a "positive externality".
Not on vacation, EP
So good of you to come crawling back to enjoy more abuse. Oh, believe me, EP, I have a much better understanding of the English language than you my friend, as has been demonstrated many times. Your oft repeated and clever use of LOL notwithstanding, you have demonstrated virtually no command of the language, and even less understanding on how to respond coherently to questions posed to you. I am sorry that you had to consult a dictionary to understand my posts, but that would be YOUR problem, not mine. To spell it out for you, the word "pithy" is used sarcastically in my post, as your posts are definitely not really pithy at all. EP, I have tried to caution you against making assumptions regarding my education, especially since anyone reading the quality of our posts could discern which person might be found lacking. (Um, that would be you.) In the future, I will try to make my posts more kid friendly, in deference to your shortcomings.
Hope you had a nice vacation and....
hopefully you took a dictionary with you so you could do some much needed studying while sunbathing. LOL! But maybe you could learn how to use an online dictionary? Your attempted slam fell far short of impressive to say the least. Maybe you should look up the word "platitude" and maybe before trying to offend me with the word "pithy" you should know how it is defined! LOL! I hope you are not on government payroll in any form, your obvious lack of language skills and of the English in general would be very embarrassing to me the taxpayer. Of course Michael Moore and company doesn't offer English in a video do they? LOL! Thank YOU for the great entertainment you have just provided for me! LOL!
Thank you.
Appreciate your admission of defeat, inasmuch as you were unable through many posts to refute my original statements re: Plame and warrantless wiretapping. Since you still seem to have a problem reading, if the director of the CIA identified her status as covert at the time she was outed, then she was covert. Which he did. Can you really be that obtuse to even debate the point? It was a really nice touch for you to completely ignore the warrantless wiretapping issue and in retrospect that was a good move, since it prevented you (somewhat), from embarrassing yourself even more. Also much amused by your substitution of the word "platitudes", for the more appropriate term "facts". You know, they don't actually mean the same thing, but I know you meant facts, so thanks. Will be on overseas travel for next couple of weeks, non covert status, so replies to your pithy posts may be delayed due to spott