US Election: Not All the Demonstrators in St Paul Are Anti-war

The group of protesters stood in a tight circle chanting slogans about Iraq. They listened as a folksinger strummed songs on a guitar. A Hollywood celebrity arrived to give a moving speech about the war and demand a group hug.

But, as thousands of left-wing protesters marched just a few blocks away, this was not just another anti-war demonstration at the Republican convention. This was a pro-war protest.

The slogans on the placards gave the game away quickly. "Let our soldiers win!" read one. "Some heroes wear shoes, mine wears combat boots!" stated another. One man wore a T-shirt with a machine-gun on it and the bold boast: "We Want Peace Through Superior Firepower."

The protest was organized by a pro-military group called Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission. Many of its members have children or other family members in the military. Often they have lost their loved ones in the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan. But it has not diminished their commitment to a war many other Americans increasingly find unpopular. Debbie Lee is no exception. Her son, Marc Allan Lee, was killed in combat in Iraq in August, 2006. He was the first Navy Seal to die in the war.

"I am here today to support our troops," Lee said. "He believed in fighting this war. He believed in fighting the terrorists over there so we did not have to fight them in America. He died defending me, you and every other American." Lee now travels all over America advocating on behalf of fighting war in Iraq to a victorious conclusion.

Lee's sentiments were echoed by Hollywood actor (and father of screen siren Angelina Jolie) Jon Voight. Voight, star of films such as Midnight Cowboy and Mission Impossible, cut a dashing figure in a sharp suit as he spoke to the gathering of some 100 or so Families United activists. He slammed other celebrities for joining the anti-war movement or speaking out against the war.

"Celebrity does something to your mind. It drops your IQ. It really does. It distracts you from the truth," he said. That truth, according to Voight, is support and praise for the war in Iraq and the men and women who are fighting it. "They step up to protect our country, the values of this country. They know what they are doing and they are putting their lives on the line," Voight said. He said he regretted once being involved in anti-Vietnam war protests in the 1960s. "I pray to God every day that he will forgive me for that nonsense," he said.

The protest, held in the shadow of St Paul's huge cathedral, was dwarfed by the thousands of anti-war demonstrators who marched today through St Paul to protest the convention and the war. In stark contrast to the anti-war march, who demanded everything from an immediate pullout of Iraq to the impeachment of president George W Bush, United Families were firmly behind current US policy in Iraq. "I am proud of Bush. He did not cave in," said Lee.

But there was no shortage of open emotion on the pro-war side. As Voight finished his speech, after leading a silent prayer for those who had died in the war, his eyes teared up and he paused in his words. "It's alright!" several audience members shouted to encourage the weeping actor. "I really do need that group hug now," Voight said and, in immediate response, he was surrounded and embraced by the crowd.