I got up this morning in plenty of time to head down to Memorial Park in the Logan Heights neighborhood of San Diego to join Lt. Smash's counter-protest. Between 15 and 20 people showed up to support the troops, including myself, and fellow bloggers Bryon Scott and Breaker of Right on the Left Beach who drove all the way down from the L.A. area.

If you want photos, you'll have to check back late tonight. I can't upload any until I get home. In the meantime, I'll hit a few of the highlights.

First, the assorted leftist A.N.S.W.E.R. groups managed to turn out less than 50 people -- and three dogs. The dogs were nice. The people, well, they varied. We gathered a short ways away from where the leftists had set up their "End the Occupation of Iraq" and other assorted banners. Three or four of the anti-war participants came over to talk with us (a couple others came over and then left after they realized that the Protest Warrior posters weren't anti-Bush).

By noon, when their march was set to begin, turnout was unexpectedly light -- and a couple of those on the other side, invited us over to join them -- and even asked if one of us would speak. Lt. Smash graciously took them up on their offer.

After entering the heart of darkness, one of the younger, leftist, marxist brownshirts came over to inspect us. Seeing Bryon Scott's sign, (Question: Who are your heroes? A.N.S.W.E.R: Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao) he determined that Bryon was a "f***ing fascist" and ordered us to leave.

We exited their little circle of hate and stood just outside their ring of banners. The rally/protest then started with a call for a chant. When none was forthcoming from the anti-war left, we started up our own "U.S.A." chant repeatedly.

This did not go over well. Instead the speaker offered: "U.S. out of Iraq," "U.S. out of Afghanistan," "U.S. out of Cuba," and finally "U.S. out of North America."

Another young leftist got up on stage and played a little '60s-era protest music, which, at least twice (it might have been the chorus -- it was a little tough to tell) suggested that President Bush should be hung by the neck from a tree. I'm not sure exactly what the Secret Service would think about his choice of lyrics. I will say that his song won't make the top 40 -- mainly because the rest of it was filled with a string of not-very-inventive vulgarities.

Lt. Smash was interviewed by at least three local news stations, and the reporter from the local CBS affiliate, an anti-Iraq war type himself, actually stayed around to debate with Smash and others.

Check back tomorrow for photos.