Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

April 19, 2007 issue


Antiwar Demonstrators Brave
High Winds to Protest Foxx


Story by Ron Fitzwater

On Monday, April 16, members of Rise-Up, and the ASU Democrats, along with unaffiliated concerned citizens, braved heavy winds to gather in front of Congresswoman Virginia Foxx’s office on the Highway 105 Extension to draw attention to what attendees believe is Foxx’s disconnect with citizens of Watauga County regarding the war in Iraq.

Annie Hostetter commented, “I know she’s busy, but I know she has a strong contingent here that wants to be heard. If she has a different opinion, then express it to us and maybe it will begin a dialogue.” The demonstrators have requested to speak with Foxx as recently as last month according to Hostetter. “We would love to sit down with her,” she said, “but she doesn’t really publish in advance when she will be in town.” 

Mother and son Cinda and Davy McGuinn were there as concerned citizens. “We’re just very concerned about the war,” said Cinda McGuinn. “The whole thing is based on a pack of lies from the beginning and we think the best way to support our troops is to bring them home right now.”

Voicing concerns over a possible draft Davy McGuinn called it a “scary thought” but contended that his main reason for attending is his belief that “Virginia Foxx is not representing the people here in Watauga County, considering she lost by a vast margin here. By still supporting the war, she is not fulfilling her duty as a representative.” 

Recent Boone arrival Richard Wright spoke of the need for more citizens to become involved with the antiwar movement. “We think Mr. Bush is wrong, we believe his policies are wrong and he needs to be reigned in. This is America,” he said, “where the people have the power, not the president. We give the people we elect power, but we can take it away.” Wright said he agreed with the war in Afghanistan and that the president was right to send forces in. “They were the people who attacked us; we knew where they were and we went to get them. But Iraq is a completely different story and we need to be out of there. I believe that Bush is wrong for Iraq and I know we don’t want to trade blood for oil. As you can see I’m in a wheelchair,” he said. “So I’m not walking anywhere, but I would gladly give up my car in a heartbeat, or pay the $20 a gallon it will cost me for gas to be out of Iraq.” Wright said he doesn’t feel that U.S. involvement in Iraq is justified in terms of keeping terrorists from American soil: “There are thousands of them already here. I’m truly surprised that we haven’t had more attacks in this country, I’m happy, but I think it’s surprising.”

Wright feels that the government must do more. Speaking of the Democrat majority and their recent war legislation he said, “They have taken some tiny steps toward ending the war, but they haven’t been strong enough. The last election was a clear message sent by the American people that we don’t want to be in Iraq and I believe that the Republicans in general disregarded that message completely and the Democrats are just riding the fence and hedging their bets, but then most Democrats are too far to the right for me.”

ASU English professor Beth Carroll was also in attendance at the rally and stated, “I am here because I want to lend my voice to the demand to bring the troops home now. This war was a mistake from the beginning and has cost way too many U.S. and Iraqi lives. So the best thing that we can do is to end the occupation now and bring the troops home.” Carroll pointed out that people all over the High Country need to “come out to events like this” in support of ending the war in Iraq. “One of the main reasons that the war in Vietnam ended was protest, and people in the streets demanding an end to the war.  I look to that as an inspiring example, as well as people in the military ranks dissenting and adding their voices to the call to end the war.” 

Messages to Foxx

Two attendees wished to send messages to Foxx since she was not in town.

“I would ask her to represent her constituents from the area who don’t believe the United States occupying Iraq is helping anything and we need to bring our troops home for their safety.”—Annie Hostetter  

“She does not represent accurately the voice of Watauga County we want her and the people of Watauga County to know that we do not feel that she has accurately represented our views in continuing to support this war.” —Beth Carroll