Turning free speech and the notion of a military defending American Constitutional rights completely on its head, a Veteran’s Day parade in Long Beach banned antiwar veteran’s groups from appearing on Saturday.

A participation application filed by Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out was turned down because organizers want Saturday’s parade free from politics.

“They do not fit the spirit of the parade, the spirit being one of gratitude for what the veterans have done,” said Martha Thuente, coordinator for the nonprofit Veterans Day Parade Committee.

“We do not want groups of a political nature, advocating the troops’ withdrawal from Iraq,” she added.

Now, you don’t have an inalienable right to march in a parade.  But Veterans For Peace WAS allowed to march in the same parade last year.  Not to mention the fact that plenty of the groups marching on Saturday have advocated an explicit political agenda in the past.  The VFW and the American Legion have made plenty of public pro-war statements over the years, that would seemingly conflict with this expressed belief that only “nonpartisan” groups be allowed to show their pride in wearing the uniform.

Contact information for the Long Beach Veteran’s Day Parade is here.  It is impossible and even dangerous to sanitize democracy of any political thought because some arbitrary official deems it “inappropriate.”