Mayor's war views hurting convention
Anti-war rhetoric is keeping some Legionnaires away
"Absolutely," said Jeff Olson of Stillwater, Minn., a Vietnam veteran who chairs a Legion committee that picks the annual convention site. "They use vacation time. They want to go places where they feel welcome."
Mayor Rocky Anderson, a Democrat, has pledged to be among protesters Aug. 30 when Bush comes to speak at the convention.
A year ago, when the Veterans of Foreign Wars met in Salt Lake City, Anderson spoke to about 2,000 anti-war protesters at a park, saying he supported the troops but had to rally against the "deceit" that put the United States at war in Iraq.
"Our nation hasn't been told the truth," Anderson said at the time.
Olson said Anderson's comments spread "like wildfire" among Legionnaires who were meeting in Hawaii at the same time.
"Some folks are not coming to the Salt Lake City convention because of that," he said.
The American Legion was created in 1919 to help veterans and their families. The group, based in Indianapolis, says it has 3 million members.
Olson said it was too early to settle on a number but reservations are "lower than normal" for the event, which starts Aug. 25.
The Minnesota delegation, he said, typically gets 130 hotel rooms but probably will use only 110 in Salt Lake City.
Georgia usually sends 225 to 250 people, "but we'll be in the neighborhood of 150," said Charles Knox, administrator for the American Legion in that state.
"You can have the utmost support for the troops, but if you're in the street protesting it doesn't come across that you really care," Knox said by telephone from Stockbridge, Ga.
In response, Anderson said "good leadership" requires him to speak out.
"I think it's very strange that people who fought for our liberties are going to refrain from attending a convention for the very exercise of freedom of speech," the mayor said Friday.
The war in Iraq has "led to tragic results and has been handled incompetently," Anderson said.
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