Father of son who died in Iraq beaten by pro-war hate mongers "Gathering of Eagles"

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

Ummm I justified it? Really? Where? I said they shoudl be prosecuted

I agree, if he started the physical altercation he should be in trouble with the law. However, it doesn't appear Carlos is pressing charges. I wonder why? Makes you wonder.

I wonder if people would have the same view if the situation were changed slightly. If www.ihatepeoplewhoeatanimals.com wrote a blog about a pro-animal rights man with a history of firebombing government property made similar claims of being wrongfully attacked at a protest would anyone be skeptical?

That's all I'm saying here. Look at the source and look at the photos which tell a different story than the blog. Yet once again because I'm willing to question warped sites posting articles with essentially zero basis of credibility I'm the one being partisan and letting my biases get in the way.

[motivez]

The website is reposting a statement from the man's wife, who was a first hand eye witness. Several other eye witnesses have since come forward and confirmed the story.

And I like the characterization, really. Firebombing government property. Attack the victim, make him seem as bad as possible, and slowly weave in attempts to discredit everyone who saw it. He set fire to a government van while he was inside it, while he was emotionally distraught over the loss of his son..

If you haven't lost a kid you really can't say what emotional state you'd be in afterward. While his actions were certainly irrational, he didn't try to hurt anyone, except maybe himself. "Firebombing government property." Yeah.

And it's his choice not to press charges.. but the photos tell the exact same story. The guy tried to steal his sons photo off the coffin, and then was assaulted and beaten and kicked in the process of trying to get his property back.

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by motivez

And I like the characterization, really. Firebombing government property. Attack the victim, make him seem as bad as possible, and slowly weave in attempts to discredit everyone who saw it.

Yeah, and rape is the woman's fault! She shouldn't have looked like she wanted it.

[kinggovernor]

why weren't the police involved?

[7960]

Originally Posted by motivez

This is completely despicable, and I hope rather than staying silent and embracing the actions of this group, Republicans and other pro-war people will condemn this morally repugnant action..

The people who hit him are pieces of shit and should go to jail and pay heavy civil fines.........but no different than if a group of friends and I did it to you on the street.

I hope they will also on Congress to pass legislation condemning this group as well,

Pass legislation to condemn the group? That's stupid, and a waste of time.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by 7960

Pass legislation to condemn the group? That's stupid, and a waste of time.

I think he's making fun of the "outrage" over the moveon.org ad.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by motivez

The website is reposting a statement from the man's wife, who was a first hand eye witness. Several other eye witnesses have since come forward and confirmed the story.

And I like the characterization, really. Firebombing government property. Attack the victim, make him seem as bad as possible, and slowly weave in attempts to discredit everyone who saw it. He set fire to a government van while he was inside it, while he was emotionally distraught over the loss of his son..

If you haven't lost a kid you really can't say what emotional state you'd be in afterward. While his actions were certainly irrational, he didn't try to hurt anyone, except maybe himself. "Firebombing government property." Yeah.

And it's his choice not to press charges.. but the photos tell the exact same story. The guy tried to steal his sons photo off the coffin, and then was assaulted and beaten and kicked in the process of trying to get his property back.

And it appears we have a full story that seems to make sense...
Mark Hemingway on War Protest on National Review Online

Arredondo was bringing up the rear of the march; almost everybody was already on the Capitol lawn when he came by dragging his casket. Fred Peterson, an ex-Marine, was standing off to the side of the road. Peterson was upset, not just as a participant in the counterprotest offended by the marcher’s politics and their perceived lack of patriotism, but because he felt exploiting the death of a fallen Marine crossed a line. Fred walked out into the street and snatched the picture off of the casket.

Arredondo didn’t even know what happened until it was pointed out to him by others. By the time Arredondo figured it out, Peterson was walking away. In a rage, Arredondo took off and tackled Peterson from behind at a full run. Arredondo was pulled off Peterson very quickly by a number of Peterson’s fellow veterans and counterprotesters, but not before Peterson was bloodied in the ensuing scuffle.

It appears an ex-marine named Peterson saw the casket and took the picture off thinking the fallen marine thinking his honor was being destroyed and started to walk back. Someone had to tell Arrendondo what happened and he then attacked and bloodied up Peterson... aka Arredondo, the guy who firebombed the marine's vehicle who told him his son had died in Iraq, started the physical altercation. Not that Peterson didn't deserve it and instigate it, but Arrendondo if anyone should have been arrested.

Perhaps the Democrats who also start legislation regarding moveon.org and the swiftboat vets should also start legislation regarding the violence of anti-war demonstrators.

Thread fail.

[JaJae]

One of the men attacked by Arrenondo posted on the Eagle's forum...

We as a society don't tolerate nut-jobs going whacko on people just because they're "feeling pain in their hearts". Nor should we. This guy belongs in an institution, not on the news as a poster boy for "the agony of loss". Besides, he's flat out LYING about the circumstances of his "scuffle".

How do I know this? Because the animal BIT ME! Yes, I'm the guy that he bit. This freakshow would be in jail now, were it not for the compassion of Fred Peterson, (a 61 yr old, arthritic, Viet-Nam vet) who was attacked from BEHIND, and myself not pressing charges against the nut-case for his assault on US! He attacked Fred. I pulled him off. He BIT ME! When that kind of savagery takes place…all bets should be off. But the HUMANS chose to let sleeping dogs lie…so to speak.

Apparently he was lying and the reason nobody was arrested was because the Eagles decided not to press charges against Arrendondo... go figure. Who would have thought there could have been more to this story?

[JaJae]

Explanation of the event by the man attacked by Arrendondo.

My teams broke up at the Capitol,
mission accomplished, and I was walking alone back to the Mall when I saw
the photo-image of a proud young Marine in dress blues being held hostage in
company not of his own choosing and affixed to a coffin not his own.

The
insult to his honor and disrespect to his Corps and cause by his captors was
immediately obvious and intended.
These same peddlers of provocation are
paid to push their coffin-prop all over the country they revile. They subvert
a common will and undermine the cause and country for which this hostage-Marine
had sacrificed his very life.

The captive Marine was not among his
own. He was surrounded and outnumbered by those who shamelessly exploit his
image and memory, disgrace his uniform, his brothers in arms, and his
willing sacrifice.
He would never choose such company.
He needed a
rescue…

I liberated his image from the midst of the hostile crowd,
intending to replace it in a position of honor Arlington, where he would rest
with heroes and among his own …I respectfully carried the image of the
fallen Marine and was not opposed nor confronted in any way until I has walked
perhaps 25 yards down the sidewalk.
There, I was attacked without warning and
tackled from behind by a demonstrator who crashed into my back at a full run.
I went down forward, tearing pants knees and shirt sleeve and five separate
wounds requiring hospital attention.
The Marine's image, along with camera
and sunglasses were smashed into the pavement. Before I could respond, six
or so Eagles-vets were immediately pulling me away from the anti-war attacker.

One Eagle was holding the attacker and yelling, "He's biting off my arm! I
cannot believe this (A-Hole) is biting my arm!"
That Eagle also went to the
hospital where he was treated and given shots.

Other Eagles separated
the two and held the attacker/biter for the police.
Police Interviews were
conducted and Eagles were asked if they wanted to prefer charges…
No
charges were filed by Eagles, who are unaccustomed to whining about minor
injuries when they stand in defense of larger principles unappreciated -
uncomprehended - by their attackers.

Two Gold Star Mothers who witnessed
the entire episode and gave police statements said, "I am so proud of what
you did! I wanted to do it myself …
That coffin is such a disgrace to my
son and all the others who have died to help others be free. Thank you so
much! It made my day."

Arrendondo is a violent and unstable man who is lucky he didn't end up in jail. Not the other way around.

[7960]

Originally Posted by Scrum

I think he's making fun of the "outrage" over the moveon.org ad.

If he said it because (R)s are trying to "pass legislation to condemn MoveOn.org" then I'd say that's stupid, too.

[JaJae]

One of Arrendondo's victims who didn't press charges:


Some info on the criminal activity at the event:

Almost 200 people had been arrested out of an estimated 10,000 marchers — mostly in small isolated incidents

Not one of the nearly 200 people arrested were Eagles.

[7960]

Originally Posted by JaJae

Arrendondo is a violent and unstable man who is lucky he didn't end up in jail. Not the other way around.

That's not how it's going to be portrayed in the news....... go figure.

[Roonie]

According to the other side it was the Gathering of Eagles that is lying. Many eye witnesses affirm that these folks were screaming at the father Arrendondo as he passed by saying he was a traitor. Then one of them grabbed the picture of his son off the coffin. The father tackled the guy to get the picture back. Several of the Eagles then started kicking the father.

To deface a war memorial is dispicable. To assault the grieving father who was carrying the war memorial is even worse. Not sure how you can spin this story the other way when you see the photos and given the account of the guy who "liberated" the picture in the first place??

[7960]

Originally Posted by Roonie

To assault the grieving father who was carrying the war memorial is even worse.

He charged the father from behind and ran him into the ground.

He wasn't "assaulted" for carrying a war memorial. He was yanked off of someone who he blind-sided.

Or does "liberating" a picture from that coffin mean he deserved to be physically attacked to the point where he needed medical attention?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Roonie

According to the other side it was the Gathering of Eagles that is lying. Many eye witnesses affirm that these folks were screaming at the father Arrendondo as he passed by saying he was a traitor. Then one of them grabbed the picture of his son off the coffin. The father tackled the guy to get the picture back. Several of the Eagles then started kicking the father.

To deface a war memorial is dispicable. To assault the grieving father who was carrying the war memorial is even worse. Not sure how you can spin this story the other way when you see the photos and given the account of the guy who "liberated" the picture in the first place??

You see a photo of Carlos being attacked? I see a photo of Carlos being yelled at by a group of Eagles. Some of whom he attacked and bit. When it was over one person Arredondo attacked helped Arredondo get back to his feet and gave him a hug.

The guy in the photo shouting at him later needed medical attention...


Carlos on the other hand appears to have no head injuries indicative of being kicked in the head by a 300 pound man.


If a group of 5 men were stomping on him as he claims I don't think he would be standing around with no seen injuries.

[Roonie]

Originally Posted by 7960

He charged the father from behind and ran him into the ground.

He wasn't "assaulted" for carrying a war memorial. He was yanked off of someone who he blind-sided.

Or does "liberating" a picture from that coffin mean he deserved to be physically attacked to the point where he needed medical attention?

If it was me I would have done the same thing. Someone stole my sons picture from a war memorial I was honoring at the time. The same guy who was previously yelling at me that I was a traitor etc. The irony is his son died for this country and he was honoring that and to be disgraced by some meathead who then steals his picture. He would be lucky to only have a few scrapes.

The bottom line is he was assualted for carrying the war memorial. The intial assault was the stealing of his son's picture. He tried to recover it by returning the favor. He was then assaulted by multiple Eagles (read from eyewitness accounts).

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Roonie

The bottom line is he was assualted for carrying the war memorial. The intial assault was the stealing of his son's picture. He tried to recover it by returning the favor. He was then assaulted by multiple Eagles.

He was not assaulted. Instead he assaulted a man over 60 years old with arthritis:


Then when someone was trying to pull him off he bit him to the point of drawing blood which explains why he was enraged:


When it was all said and done the Eagle was in the wrong for taking the photo off the casket to place in Arlington. However, Arredondo was the man who did the assaulting. Arredondo is obviously making up half of this story, if the Eagles did something remotely worthy of being arrested I'm sure that would have happened.

[7960]

Originally Posted by Roonie

If it was me I would have done the same thing. Someone stole my sons picture from a war memorial I was honoring at the time. The same guy who was previously yelling at me that I was a traitor etc. The irony is his son died for this country and he was honoring that and to be disgraced by some meathead who then steals his picture. He would be lucky to only have a few scrapes.

So it's ok to assault the guy who took the picture, but it's not ok to assault the guy who slammed him into the ground, causing cuts that needed medical attention??

The bottom line is he was assualted for