No, this is not about gays in the military. 

My little girl happens to be obsessed with Mary Poppins, so I've been fortunate enough to have watched it about 40 times in the last several months.  Glynis Johns plays Mrs. Banks, the well-to-do mother of the two children at the center of the story.  Mrs. Banks is also an activist, a local (London) early 20th century women's suffrage leader who was very enthusiastic about leading rallies and singing songs and watching excitedly as her 'petticoat soldier' sisters were whisked off to jail and she was eager to lead the ladies in song outside of their cells.  Because men are "rather stupid", she dances and sings for future generations:  "Our daughters will adore us, and they'll sing in grateful chorus".

Yet, at the beginning of the film when she realizes that Mr. Banks is due home, she orders the servants to put away her rally gear because "you know how the cause infuriates Mr. Banks!"  Later in the film, she attempts to excuse herself from a discussion with the nanny by announcing that she is running late for her rally.  Mr. Banks commands her to stay in which she immediately and genuinely replies "Of course, dear!" and promptly sits.

I'm only describing this because when I started to see and hear the almost wall-to-wall reaction-ists coverage of this weekend's anti-peace rallies, it just popped in my head and made me smile.  Another empty-headed bimbo lending lip-service to a cause to make herself feel important.  But enough about Jane Fonda...

I want to make it clear that I don't lump everyone who I disagree with on war and terrorism with the three-ring circus that took place Saturday in Washington DC.  It's up to each of them if they felt inspired or excited by the event.  But I'm not going to pull punches:  this had to be the biggest collection of ignorant, intellectually and morally corrupt groups of imbeciles to make a statement since...well, since the last time we paid attention to them.

Well, attendance estimates have ranged from 40,000 to 500,000, though keep in mind that organizers face mathematical challenges that almost inevitably steers their estimates 300, 400 percent higher than what it really is.  And the stars were out! 

A FOX reporter approached several celebrities, including Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda and asked each one a rather simple question for people important enough to lead rallies against a war:  do you think that pulling out (the central theme, besides "impeachment") would bring peace to Iraq?  Susan Sarandon responded by citing the deranged and asinine Lancet Survey/Propaganda estimates of 650,000 and Tim Robbins, after humming and hawing, looked at the reporter and responded with mind-blowing intellect by saying "you're young...why don't you enlist?".   Jane Fonda was asked her thoughts on the 2 to 3 million Vietnamese and Cambodians that were wiped out after the US abandoned the region to Communist brutality.  She blew it off.

Fonda announced to the crowd that after 34 years, it was time to make Americans despise her again (as if Monster-In-Law didn't achieve that).  Ya'd think getting spit on by a Vietnam vet in a bookstore on her last book tour might have given her something to think about.  White House Press Secretary Tony Snow commented, "it's nice to see Jane Fonda in front of a camera again."  Fonda, almost two years ago, said on 60 Minutes (so it must be true) that she regretted the infamous Glamor Shot of her straddling the enemy's weaponry.

The rally featured other mental giants like an over-excited Dennis Kucinich and a shrill Maxine Waters, who about represented the political element at Saturday's party.  Jesse Jackson showed up with his old bag of tired rants and chants.  Maybe Jackson needs Eminem to produce his next rally speech to give it a 'fresh sound'. 

Speaking of sound, one obligatory characteristic of these rallies is chalkboard scratching, shrill, shrieking yelling and chanting, most notably by young college-age girls getting their first taste of power over the children and child-like adults who populate their cause.  We witnessed cops being rushed and assaulted, DC traffic being blocked and our Capitol building vandalized.  At one point a microphone picked up a conversation of people preparing to rush a police blockade and when asked about any concerns for the cops, responses were along the lines of 'f**k them!'

Laura Ingraham sent some producers in posing as interested reporters asking rally members where they could find the Socialists and Communists.  They were directed to where the commies were set up and informed that they could sign up with them.  I only mention this because every time I bring up communist ties with/support for these rallies, people respond with claims of denial.

On the political side, some speakers dropped the anti-Bush focus and opted for going after Democrat presidential hopefuls, mostly directed at Hillary Clinton, it seemed.  Political Artist Sean Penn affirmed this by saying, "...we're here to tell them now what they need to know in 2008. And if they don't stand up and make a resolution as binding as the death toll, we're not going to be behind those politicians."   This is certainly going to be an interesting two years.

Besides the 'smirkingchimp' crowd who fantasized about being there (or were actually there), does anyone who shares the basic message of this rally feel proud of it?  Does it represent you?  Do you believe it was effective? 

Wasn't it just a little embarrassing?  Fringe clowns and spoiled brats and aging icons saying profoundly stupid things while they get their egos stroked by the parrots, err, the masses - is it really supposed to be taken seriously?

As I've said above, not everyone in the protests are communists, but the protest (as most of the larger ones) was organized by United for Peace and Justice (UFPAJ), a group founded by Castro-communist Leslie Cagan and is an umbrella group for scores of radical left-wing groups, including Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, National Lawyers Guild (founded by communists and presided over by communist supporter Michael Ratner), Socialist Party USA, Not In Our Name (founded by the Revolutionary Communist Party) and Code Pink and hundreds of other organizations that are perfectly happy being affiliated with communists if they themselves don't already have direct ties.

Code Pink, which had a prominent role in last week's rally, was founded by Medea "Too Radical For Castro" Benjamin, who claimed in late 2004 that her groups (including Code Pink) donated $650,000 in cash and medicine to insurgents fighting US forces in Iraq.

UFPAJ, until about a year ago, were closely aligned with ANSWER, founded from the Workers World Party and tied to the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

These groups have led or been affiliated with nearly every major political protest in this country in the last decade at least, whether it's anti-trade protests, anti-immigration rallies, anti-Israel rallies or anti-war protests. It's under-reported, but Communists still drive the agenda in Leftist activism and Leftists activism drives the anti-war movement.