How does blocking the RETURNED equipment, because that is what this action was, equipment being unloaded, help protect U.S. military personnel or Iraqi people from harm?

The equipment was already used in the war, it already was used to kill and harm, it was already damaged and American lives were already put in harm by its use. It was coming back to base.

Did you know that when equipment such as this returns, that the quartermaster and staff have to wait to see their loved ones until it is processed and accounted for. So basically, this protest, which was not protesting the sending of machinery of war, but the retuning machinery, was keeping soldiers with families from seeing their loved ones in any sense of a timely and stress free manner after being deployed to a war which even many combatants don't agree with.

On top of that, with PTSD issues, to come home to a small US town with combatant protesters and police officers does not allow for any sensible idea of readjusting.

This protest most likely did not think of the soldiers, but only co-opts the mantra of "for the soldier, against the war" after the fact to avoid being pushed into an anti-soldier, anti-family corner by moderate thinkers.

"Rather, instead of being subject to prosecution for alleged criminal activity, the protesters ought to be commended, even rewarded with a peace prize, and certainly they ought to be provided with restitution for any harms, grievances or inconveniences incurred as a result of their courageous stand. "

I can understand this argument, in theory. However, we must also hold ourselves up to a higher level of scrutiny. You can not preach non-violence, and the immorality of war while spitting police officers (our public servants who are not military personnel, nor decision makers of any sort), nor can we through objects through car windows, destruct civic property. While these types of direct actions get press, it only marginalizes the cause, brings people who once would stand in solidarity with the movement against you, and distracts the conversation from militarism and imperialism to the mechanics of protest and morality.

Additionally, again, this protest was not blocking out-going products of mass destruction, but returned, homeward bound items. This is not like the other port (oly and tacoma) actions that was shipping outward bound military products.

Anyway, something to think about. I am sure your response will be flamey, full of rhetoric, and I probably will not respond if it is nothing more than what you have already said. Nothing personal, just not worth the time to get into something that isn't a proactive dialog.

Radar, I think that most of the protesters would agree with me in their opposition to spitting and certainly to rock throwing.

I agree with you that those behaviors don't further the cause of ending unjust wars and healing our society and making the world a better place.

However, I thinking you're losing sight of the forest because of the trees.

Spitting, calling names, hitting, and throwing rocks are certainly not helpful, in my opinion. However, these behaviors in no way compare to the U.S. Government's investment of trillions of dollars in these unjust wars.

It doesn't change that fact that real troop support is stopping the wars. And if we agree on that, then please, by all means, join the protest and help to set a positive example of engaging in nonviolent civil resistance.

I think the revolving door theory is ample justification to oppose both outgoing and incoming shipments through our municipal ports of entry.

By the way, there is a protest against the war being organized by PMR set for tomorrow afternoon (4pm) at the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma.