# US Military Inhibits Legal Protests **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 23, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871 "2003-11-23T18:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871/101 "2003-11-26T20:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shodan \* > \*\*… to try to force the military to listen to their protest… \*\* Why, those bullying scoundrels! By sheer, brutal power, they coerce an armored division into compliance with thier demands! Its a wonder the poor fellows didn’t burst into tears at thie heartless assault by ruthless pacifists, Quakers, and granny ladies! I hear there were even a few nuns of the Special Ops. variety! (No rulers were in evidence, but such are easily concealed…) ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871/102 "2003-11-26T21:17:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Its a wonder the poor fellows didn’t burst into tears… We cannot sit by while the strongest military in the world is held against their will by the pacifists. Something must be done, **elucidator**. I submit, humbly, that we organize a protest against the SOAW in Washington, DC where all reasonable protests are held. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871/103 "2003-11-26T21:54:59Z")
Oh, dear. Couldn’t we just content ourselves with a strongly worded letter to the _Times_? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871/104 "2003-11-26T22:06:18Z")
Put it in all caps. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871/105 "2003-11-26T22:43:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shodan \* > **And it would seem to me that the protestors used their loudspeakers, and their proximity to the base, to try to force the military to listen to their protest. If not, why did they protest just outside the base, and why did they need loudspeakers?** There’s a difference between getting someones attention and forcing them to listen to a message. I think the protesters were doing the former: most people using the main gate on a 182,000 acre base aren’t going to hang around (the people manning the gate being an obvious exception). So, as they enter or exit the base, they’ll see the protest there, and perhaps hear it, but no one is following them around with a loudspeaker. In their normal usage of the gate, they’ll be made aware that a protest is there, but they don’t have to put on a hemp poncho and sit on the grass next to someone named Moonbeam who wants to talk about organic yogurt. I feel the actions of the military are the latter: they went to an area of the base near where the protesters were, set up equipment, aimed it at the protesters, and cranked it up. They weren’t saying, “Hey guys! If you want to listen to some nice, patriotic, brass-band tunes you can come over to our ampitheater and listen in!” they were saying “Hah! We know a group of 8,000 protesters and the infrastructure needed to maintain them can’t be moved as easily as these loudspeakers. Listen to this! So sorry if it’s too loud to speak!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-inhibits-legal-protests/214871.md?page=5)