Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 5, 1995 TAG: 9506050034
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BEN BEAGLE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Girl Scouts came from Bedford to Washington - which is the paranoia capital of the nation at this time - where they planned a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial.
No big deal. The Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic poem and the Girl Scout Promise. No flag burning or stuff like that.
The guard at the memorial to a man who swore eternal hostility to all kinds of tyranny over the minds of men, women and Girl Scouts said they couldn't do that.
Said they were having a demonstration without a permit and were thus breaking the law. The trooper relented later, but by then it was too late for the ceremony.
These are bad times in Washington and elsewhere, and there is a need for law and order. But why do we deserve a guy like that in addition to all our other troubles?
I imagine he went back to the locker room at the end of the shift and engaged in that casual banter that is typical of the brave men who guard our national treasures against Girl Scouts.
"Yo," somebody says, "how'd it go out there today, pally?"
"OK," our man says. "Except for these wacko girls who wanted to have a ceremony without a permit.
"Sure. They looked innocent enough, but some of 'em were wearing what looked like marksmanship badges to me. I read 'em th' book, pal. Gotta be careful these days."
"Right," his pal says. "Lot of innocent-looking people out there. Then, boom, some old lady takes a Uzi out of her knitting bag and charges the White House."
``Yeh," our man says. "This has got to be a nation of laws and not of Girl Scouts, right? Hey, a platoon of those people could raise hell here in Washington, right? I mean, let the games begin, pal."
"You got that right," his pal says. "It's them or us."
"Yeh," our man says. "You gotta be on your toes these days if you want to live free under the old red, white and blue."
"Right on," his pal says.
"Funny thing, though," our man says. "After those troublemakers left, I could've swore I heard somebody moaning.
"Seemed to come from inside the memorial, and since moaning in there should be against the law, I checked it out. There was nobody in there."
"The wind," his pal says.
"Yeh," our man says. "The wind."
by CNB