4 people charged in fight at peace rally (VIDEO)

[jbrownks]

Good for the Swartout family for defending the war.

And how do you a "peace" rally when you intend to inflict harm?
Check out who the first punch was thown by? ANd why did the other girl take his sign? Maybe because she wanted to start something.

[Corporal Clinger]

What was the "college project?" Probably How To Disrespect Our Troops 101. Its sad that college students are being brainwashed into the blame America first mentality. I was in the military longer than these kids have been alive. They are just regurgitating
the tripe that the liberal college spews out. A sad testimony to the state of education in America.

[struggle for peace]

Amen to N L Hutchinson! Truth spoken here.......keep praying and working for peace!!!!!!

[struggle for peace]

jbrownks....the sign was taken after Swartout screamed and disrespected the vet in the wheelchair....honor must be shown to all vets....not just the ones that support war. Why are they always the ones crossing the street to get in peoples faces? Leave the peaceful alone!!!!!

[repsac3]

In my opinion, all four deserved to be charged. While it is legal to walk among folks with whom one clearly doesn't agree, videotaping, insulting, and arguing with them, it isn't smart. And that goes double when a parent allows (& some might say "uses") their mid-teen child to do so.
If there is a peace family that allows/sends their children out to intermingle and argue with "Eagles" & "Freepers," videotaping whatever happens in the interest of crying "poor, innocent me" when it inevitably goes bad, they are idiots,(& no less amateur provocateurs than the Swartout's) too.
Regardless, it does look to me like the sisters took the bait they were offered, and allowed it to get beyond self-defense. I guess that shows (again) that not everyone who opposes the Iraq occupation eschews ALL violence, all the time. While there are many spiritually or morally peaceful people at rallies & protests, others among us have no issue swattin' at bothersome flies.

[repsac3]

Seems the comment system was offended by the word I used (It was perfectly clean, but not complimentary.) Let's try that sentence again...

If there is a peace family that allows/sends their children out to intermingle and argue with "Eagles" & "Freepers," videotaping whatever happens in the interest of crying "poor, innocent me" when it inevitably goes bad, they are foolish,(& no less amateur provocateurs than the Swartout's) as well.

("as well" went better with "foolish" than "too.")

[Everton]

Perhaps an old fashioned civics lesson is in order.

To the Swartouts - one does NOT 'stalk, confront, and intimidate' other protesters who do not share your political views!

To the Stelmack sisters - one does NOT react violently to violent provocation!

Simple as that - case closed.

Now go about your protest and stay away from each other...!!!

[Steelers4life]

The Swartout family has a storied history of this same taunting and shoving cameras in peoples face. The Swartout's wants attention, but need therapy! Poor kids.

[SOS]

Talk about dark comedy!

Jason Swartout is visible on the second video. He stands with an American flag in one hand, daring another man to touch him.

"If you touch me, I have the right to defend myself," he says.

The other man is in a wheelchair.
---
What a freakin' embarassment to the USA, and to the US Military they are!

[Got To Laugh]

It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. Here you have a mother and a father dragger their children to every peace rally within 500 miles of their home. Mom and dad stand on one side of the street, and send their 14-year-old boy, armed with a camera and a lot of lip, and wait for him to tick people off. It's a circus act they have down pat. Whether it's Meadville, Pleasantville, Erie, Washington DC, or Edinburgh, it's the same script. With that poor poor me, they attacked me, they threw eggs at me, a 4 foot 2 84-year-old woman kicked me in the butt, sob story at the media picks up on.

These people aren't victims, they are activists!!

They go to these rallies to do nothing more than instigate trouble. And when they get it, they use it to insight hatred & anger and to divide communities.

With a little luck, the attention they keep bringing on themselves, might actually enlighten the citizens of northwestern Pennsylvania, as to what this family is really all about.

It's frightening to see a 2-1/2 year old at a protest rally with her thumb in her mouth and the other hand pulling the trigger on a toy gun aimed at the crowd of protesters. To see the 14 year old boy being goaded by his mother to take aim, with a real gun, at a protester's sign they took to their home.

These children are being homeschooled. They are being taught how to hate and what to do with that hatred, but they aren't being taught the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, foundations on which this country was built. And what Jason Swartout was supposed to be fighting for.

Didn't we as a society learn anything from Waco, Columbine or Virginia State? The media pampers and promote the Swartouts (sells papers!). Gives them positive feedback. Never taking into consideration the children. It's poor Carry this, and praise the angry vet that - but never a discussion of the use and abuse of these children. If Jason and Carry want to protest the anti-war protesters, that's great. They certainly have that freedom. But, they should leave their children at home.

On the Swartout's You Tube site they will show you the boot that supposedly struck Carry in the head,[just checked that to make sure and they pulled the video from their site] but what needs to be pointed out is that on the left side of the video, at goerie, you can see Jason grab one of the sisters and pull her down to the ground. He has her in a head lock. Her face is black and swollen because he didn't stop at just restraining her. A soldier and a waif of a girl. Not a very fair match! Watch the video and form your own opinion!

Being activists against any anti-war protester engulfs their lives.

There are people on both sides of the issue for whom protesting and marching defines their lives, but the Swartouts cross the line. They don't just protest the protesters, they hate the protesters and they act on that hate. It was the Swartouts that crossed the street, not the Stelmacks.

The Swartouts are NOT victims! They are activists!

NOTE: The Swartouts attend peace rallies to provoke and attempt to deny others their right to freedom of speech, they should be prepared to receive responses of this kind. However, my suggestion to all local anti-war protests that are being organized is to circulate the information to NOT engage in ANY conversation with this family. If they persist in harrassing you, call the police. Let them take care of the conflict.

[Concerned Citizen]

I would be among the first to defend the right of anyone, whether I agreed or not, to express their point of view. Both sides have the right to peaceably express their opinion about the war. Because of this latest incident I have gone back and reviewed articles and videos of demonstrations and what I do not understand is the behavior of the pro-war side. They travel around to serve as a counter protest to the anti-war groups, which in itself is fine. However, they then generally send a child into the anti-war group with a video camera and in each video I have watched he starts calling the anti-war protestors traitors or other such names to their faces. Why do they have to send a child, or anyone else, into the middle of the anti-war group sticking a camera in their face and calling them names? It looks to me as if they are trying to provoke some response from the anti-war group…whether it be the group in Meadville, Edinboro or the group in Conneaut Lake. Why can’t they counter protest keeping some physical separation between the groups? Freedom of speech does have its limits and I would question whether the pro-war groups actions are designed to create a condition that would be considered “imminent lawless action”

[khp33]

Smedley wrote:

Notify Children and Youth Services about them.

You obviously aren't familiar with the OCY up here are you?

[Tanny]

Concerned Citizen wrote:

I would be among the first to defend the right of anyone, whether I agreed or not, to express their point of view. Both sides have the right to peaceably express their opinion about the war. Because of this latest incident I have gone back and reviewed articles and videos of demonstrations and what I do not understand is the behavior of the pro-war side. They travel around to serve as a counter protest to the anti-war groups, which in itself is fine. However, they then generally send a child into the anti-war group with a video camera and in each video I have watched he starts calling the anti-war protestors traitors or other such names to their faces. Why do they have to send a child, or anyone else, into the middle of the anti-war group sticking a camera in their face and calling them names? It looks to me as if they are trying to provoke some response from the anti-war group…whether it be the group in Meadville, Edinboro or the group in Conneaut Lake. Why can’t they counter protest keeping some physical separation between the groups? Freedom of speech does have its limits and I would question whether the pro-war groups actions are designed to create a condition that would be considered “imminent lawless action”

The family from Meadville wants the attention. That's why they took this to Fox news. And made it on the Oreily show. If it was not about the attention, they would of let the police handle it first, instead, they aired the video on National news first. When will they stop?

[khp33]

Smedley wrote:

<quoted text> Not since I practiced law in Erie many years ago. But, I'm comin' back home baby!

Thanks for the warning.

[Corporal Clinger]

The Swartout family do not "drag" their kids anywhere. I know them. Why can't people just tell the truth about these "peaceful" anti-war protesters? They are peaceful until you disagree with them. Then they use the rhetoric and violence they claim to oppose against others. Why don't they go stand by 79 and demand that they shut down the highway? After all, more people are killed on the nations highways each MONTH than have been killed in Iraq since the war began. The highways are more dangerous than Iraq. Shut it down!

[Ida Tarbell]

Clinger, your slip is showing.

[Got To Laugh]

My eyes work just fine, and that was Carry throwing the FIRST sucker punch! After Jason pushed the Stelmack girl.

This war has devalued the dollar, has every country around the globe hating us, caused the price of oil to rise and will eventually bankrupt the United States.

There is no talking to people that think of this war as a football game. America has to be the winning team - on our way to standing in soup lines.

[Got To Laugh]

[It's frightening to see a 2-1/2 year old at a protest rally with her thumb in her mouth and the other hand pulling the trigger on a toy gun aimed at the crowd of protesters. To see the 14 year old boy being goaded by his mother to take aim, with a real gun, at a protester's sign they took to their home.

These children are being homeschooled. They are being taught how to hate and what to do with that hatred, but they aren't being taught the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, foundations on which this country was built. And what Jason Swartout was supposed to be fighting for.]

[stead]

how can anyone condone the actions of the swartout family
the police and child services should have stepped in a long time ago

[Got To Laugh]

http://www.motionbox.com/video/player/a098dab...

Copy and paste the above link to see the WHOLE video!