Bad Optics? In a break with over three decades of tradition, the Biden Defense Department has denied, for the first time ever, the American Veterans (AMVETS) organization its massive empty parking lot for the long-standing Memorial Day fallen heroes motorcycle rally. The amazing patriotic rolling parade of bikes had become a must-see event for those in the DC area, and a must-ride event for many veterans.
Fondly known as ‘Rolling Thunder’ since it began, in 2020 it was rebranded as ‘Rolling to Remember’ to highlight the purpose of the event.
AMVETS, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, representing the interests of 20 million veterans, organizes the annual event.
The Rolling to Remember rally always takes place over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, with activities taking place over the entire three day period. It typically begins on Friday evening with the Blessing of the Bikes ceremony at the National Cathedral, followed by a candlelight vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to kick off the rally to remember our fallen heroes.
The Pentagon’s parking lot has traditionally served as the rallying point for the ride, allowing the veterans from all over the country to gather and organize before setting off on their rumbling steeds. This year though, according to the Washington Examiner, Biden’s Pentagon denied the use of the lot, citing COVID concerns, for DC, Northern Virginia and beyond.
This, despite the fact that all of the activities and the impressive long, slow ride of thousands of motorcycles from Virginia to DC are open air and outside. And the majority of veterans who participate are well over their 50s, most should be vaccinated.
Local DC 7News reported that “someone very high up at the Pentagon doesn’t like the optics of this event during a pandemic.” However, what the Pentagon is doing to these vets could really be described as ‘bad optics.’ Especially in light of the fact that DC and national museums are finally opening up again this month.
7News also explained that:
The Pentagon’s denial comes on the heels of the Smithsonian announcing last week that it will reopen eight of its facilities to the public in May, starting with the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly on Wednesday, May 5.
Additional museums and the National Zoo will open Friday, May 14, and Friday, May 21. Also on Friday, the United States Holocaust Museum announced that it plans to reopen on Monday, May 17 with reduced visitation, required face coverings, temperature checks, social distancing, and other safety measures.
The Pentagon did say in a statement that: “If COVID-19 conditions permit, the department would gladly consider supporting a future event request from AMVETS, potentially as soon as this Labor Day weekend.”
BREAKING: @AMVETSHQ tells me the @SecDef & @DeptofDefense has denied it the use of the Pentagon parking lot for this year’s @RollToRemember on Memorial Day weekend. The veteran’s group now will attempt to secure RFK Stadium as a new rallying point for 10K veterans. @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/sVE8AgPGHl
— Scott Taylor 7 News I-Team (@ScottTaylorTV) April 30, 2021
According to AmVets Executive Director Joe Chenelly,”It’s very disappointing for our members,” but added, “You are absolutely right,” when asked if the ride would go on without a central rallying point.
“We are seeing it on websites and social media all over the place. Much smaller groups. They’re planning their own smaller rallying points, and they’re coming in.”
The group is reportedly looking to secure the site of the abandoned RFK Stadium as the new rallying point for the traditional ride. But, if that doesn’t work, Chenelly says riders will find their own rallying points scattered throughout the area and continue the ride as planned.
Nothing will stop the veteran bikers of Rolling Thunder. ADN
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Defense News. A defense and national security expert, he served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. Paul holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. He is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and President of the Center for American Defense Studies, a national security think tank. - paulcrespo.substack.com - PAULCRESPO.COM
Hate to repeat this, but:
If you are a vet and voted for Biden, you ain’t no vet…
Remember this in 2022 & 2024
You are a disgrace to this country and to the rest of the veterans that faught to keep America safe if u voted for biden
Biden has nothing to do with this and as a vet you should know that.
He gave the order not to give permit so yes Biden is a piece if shit and all you dems will pay in 2022
Once a jerk, always a jerk. And he’s so far gone now, doubt he even knows what a motorcycle is!!!
He is with Hitlery
And Obamination.
Welcome to the woke Pentagon.
The RFK people are also “woke,” so I wonder if they will provide access to their facility? I pray they will. This is so, so wrong of Biden and his Pentagon minions to deny them access for this ongoing historic event. And using this “panicdemic” flu at this stage of the game, and in a wide-open space, as a reason? Sorry — I’m just not buying it! Very disturbing the way they just keep this flu thing going and going and going — kind of like the energizer bunny, isn’t it?? 🙁 Get out of the way mister Biden — Let freedom ring, and let Rolling Thunder roll!!!
Biden hates VETERANS
No he doesnt
The million or so border breachers aren’t even being checked for the virus so where is protection for our citizens?. At least many of the cycle riders have had the virus and been vaccinated and most of the ride and it’s entertainment are being held outdoors. Tehy just discovered 90 illegals living in a three room house. A real COVED breeding place. .
Seems the woke Pentagon is turning on vets – this is their first public statement
Not a good move towards “UNITY”
You, Biden, are a p.o.s.
He is a Pile of Excrement !
Democrat sleepy Joe Biden would screw-up a 2 motorcycle parade!
Democrat Kamala Harris would screw-up a 1 motorcycle parade!
Heels up Harris would screw an entire 1000 Moter Cycle Parade !
Bull Squirt Biden needs his ASS kicked !
Biden is working hard to be the most hated president in American history.
Gracie, no work was done by him or his minions, for he is the worst and most hated in less than 100 days.
He ain’t my president and that is why I call him Joe PINO President in name only. He is a disgrace to this great country as he takes a wrecking Ball to all that Americans hold dear .Rolling Thunder on Memorial Day is only one of the group gatherings that Americans hold dear to their hearts.
Corn pop is coming out of his grave to get the lifeguard who likes little girls.
I beg every biker to join this ride and every body please open your driveway for parking and hospitality for these patriots.
gene, most of DC wants to be a state and couldn’t care less about our Vet’s.
Really the demonRATS are the ones that want DC to become a state. Having DC a state is unconstitutional because it states that the head of the federal government cannot reside within a state. The libs hate the military even though people have died, including my father, so they can hate the country they are living in. IF YOU DON’T LOVE AMERICA THEN GET THE HELL OUT!!
When these groups BLM–Antifa and other subversive to the USA groups find that for Wash. D.C. to become a STATE –THE Constitution must be changed and that is NOT an easy thing to accomplish.. The forefathers wanted the Federal part of the Government to be non political. Why not keep the 10 square miles as federal and non state and just annex the rest of the Wash. D.C. area to Maryland? Then those folks can vote and pay taxes. They only want the extra 2 senators. Texas should then split into 5 states since their constitution permits this..The Commiecrats want only one thing POWER OVER THE PEOPLE AND EXTREME WEALTH FROM THEIR SO CALLED SERVING THE PEOPLE WHILE IN PUBLIC OFFICE>>IT IS ONLY THEMSELVES THEY SERVE UP THE RICHES TO..
Biden’s Chinese handlers have a great hatred toward our military, which they intend to engage and defeat in Asia.
Just as the Imperial Japanese thought Roosevelt would not fight back over Pearl Harbor, the Chinese Communists think they can use nuclear weapons against US Asian forces without the US risking our cities by hitting Chinese main land bases or cities, in response.
I believe the military response will be automatic and not waste time talking with politicians. I hope that our nuclear response will end China as a nation and result in survivors, founding much smaller provincial governments, such an independent city state of Hong Kong.
The murders of Tiananmen Square deserve to be preheated for Hell by the US military.
With the new Woke Generals running the Pentagon and “cleansing” all patriots out of our armed services, even our military academy’s, I fear a national surrender to whichever of our enemies bombs us first. Never have I known the Republic to show less courage and passion and more hate for our system, and it’s coming from the left wing Democrat party that is, through careful plotting, in charge of the Republic for the next decade or more..I’m 91 and I have had the best of it. I pray for our future every day.
I hope this bites the communists in the butt. They should take over the entire city with a rolling Rally for freedom and Conservatism.
We’re in big trouble if we’re attacked by China or Russia, not just because our President is now a demented and senile old fool, but because our Generals are gutless ass kissers, and afraid to stand up for what is right, for which GOD will never allow victory for people like that. The Generals sure didn’t make this decision, but Biden’s Secretary of Defense made the decision to not allow Rolling Thunder veterans to make the ride through DC, because he and Biden both know that all of the veterans are tremendous President Trump supporters and voters, and the Generals who turned the request down know this well also, but obeyed the order instead of protesting that decision.
Very bad move to deny the people who risked their lives for the Country. To say nothing of the sacrifice made by the soldiers that “didn’t” come back alive. To dishonor them is unforgivable. Don’t call on any these brave people to save you from the rest of the pi__ed off people of this country. Beware of what you wish for. Nuff’said.
TIME TO DEMAND CONGRESS IMPEACH BIDEN AND HARRIS!
WE THE PEOPLE (aka SILENT MAJORITY) had countless opportunities to have stopped this nightmare, but we chose to give the DEMOCRATS what they expected of us, to REMAIN SILENT! Thus, making us equally complicit in the fraud perpetrated against United States Americans!
Isn’t it time you actually did something, took action? How much more damage needs to be done?
I urge everyone who reads this to PICK UP THE PHONE and call your REP AND SENATORS in DC and DEMAND IMMEDIATE IMPEACHMENT OF BIDEN AND HARRIS.
BIDEN is completely UNFIT FOR OFFICE! Biden is guilty of 18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 115—TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES.
HARRIS is guilty of violating 18US Code 2381 Treason, 18 US Code 2382 Misprision of Treason, 18US Code 2383 Rebellion or Insurrection, 18 US Code 2384 Seditious Conspiracy and 18 US CODE 2385 Advocating Overthrow of Government!
Democrats want to legalize anarchy and ban law and order.
Then copy and paste this information into an E-Mail and send to friends and family asking them to make the calls, then forward on to their friends asking them to make the calls and forward on! WE NEED TO MAKE THIS GO VIRAL!
Members of the House
202-224-3841
Members of the Senate
202-224-3121
TOLL FREE:
866-272-6622
Keep in mind: SILENCE = ACCEPTANCE
Someone should ask Trump to make his hotel the rallying point! Might make a great statement
Not good. You must wait til after 2022 when Pelosi is out of power. Do you really want that witch to be president?
Democrats are working very hard to make sure the Republic doesn’t last till 2022. The time to act is now, this moment.
Silence is consent!!
Democrats are the most unamerican people there is, nothing but scum.
This scum has been plotting the overthrow of democracy for years and the Silent Majority stayed silent. The Republican party better cleanse itself of the swamp dwellers ASAP and grow a pair before it’s too late. The barbarians are in our Congress, Senate and at our gates. The only warriors are our citizens who still love the Republic. .
Biden probably didn’t even know what Rolling Thunder was and someone told him it had something to do with the weathe then he crapped his pants !!!
Biden was not dumb till this disease took hold of him. Never a loyal American or a nice guy he spent decades in government enriching the Biden Crime Family and wasn’t even too secretive about it. His record is a mile long, or was before he decided to run for president and had the record expunged. However,I have been keeping hard covers of his crimes for years.
It all appears to be just more Democrat hatred for the trappings of a Republican America – that is, an America that is also a Republic. Is Joe Biden full of hate? Is the Democrat Party full of hate? Americans, do your own thinking, and make your own conclusions.
The New World Global Order hates freedom of any kind. The Elite Billionaires of every country who never really love anything but their wealth and glob trotting life style have no use for we peasants. Soros, the darling and bag man for Globalism is licking his evil chops at the thought of America bought down from our perch on the shoulders of liberty. Who will win the final war on freedom? China? Russia? Globalists? Or the peasants?
Temperature checks? Don’t let them scan you with that thing-o at supermarkets. They say it’s a temperature check, but it’s a scam. It erases your memory. I went to the market to buy a loaf of bread, but I came home with six bottles of wine.
That’s so funny, thanks for the laugh!
Biden is dumbest, most disgraceful, disrespectful, hateful, idiot in the WHOLE WORLD!
Dumb he is not.He is evil and a cereal criminal hiding behind a condition that protects him from the uprising that would be inevitable if the citizens knew the truth.
Tell us all what you really think of the folks who voted for Biden and the politicians who helped him steal the election? Do tell us what your true feelings are?
How could this happen? Who is the fool that made this decision? As a retired veteran from a military family, I find this inexcusable!!!
Much of the Crimes committed by the Biden Clan of Grifters is on line all you have to do is ask your computer nicely to tell what it has.. Much has been covered up example the FBI having the HUNTER BIDEN COMPUTER since 2019 but sitting on all of the criminality found on the hard drive was kept from the public on purpose. THE ELECTION OF 2020. That alone should be enough to over turn the sham election. They are still sitting on Biden secrets of personal enrichment. .Hilary is another sin of omission as is Comey and Brennan and Clapper and on and on. You see what they did to detour Trump from draining the swamp. We now know that Biden is the BIG GUY referred to by his son on the computer. Biden pimped his son and used him as a bag man and money launderer. Hunter claims to have been paying all of the Clan’s bills for years due to the skimming of U.S. taxpayer loans to our allies .Biden/ Harris need to be impeached and Nancy Pelosi’s extreme wealth needs to be investigated.. Her Son was also involved with a Ukrainian Energy company as was Hunter.. He also owns a penny stock pump and dump organization. He himself cannot ever sell a security to anyone ever again as he must have committed a really bad illegal something and investors probably lost BIGLY as Trump would say.What a contrast.. All of the good things Trump did as president in spite of the Drag by the Demomarxists and now we have a a mess in the White House who just takes the country into deeper debt daily and hates all that the USA Stands For. God Help Us..
Dems HATE the military! Always have and always will.. May they all burn in hell!!
SINCE WHEN DOES THE ” PENTAGON ” CONTROL TRAFFIC IN D C ????
Wake up! The Pentagon now controls us. Those guards at the Capital Building are the first salvo of a military takeover.
There’s nothing they can do if they decide to drive through their route anyway.
They can block the road with troops. This new Woke guy in charge at the Pentagon, Lloid Austiin is Nancy Pelosi’s new best friend. She appointed him, she owns him and he is in charge of the military..
I don`t need a permit to ride my bike from fake president Hide N. Neither do other veterans !
The Rolling Thunder might disturb Sleep Joe’s nap and awaken his teddy bear.
Considering who the Biden Administration is that decision by the DOD should be no surprise.
Biden pushing hard to be the most hated President in our history. Only a short reign could ease the pain.
The Pentagon is whom??? Who makes these decisions. Love to meet this idiot. Another supporter of the lunacy and lies of covid. Idiots.
The present administration cannot stand the military so I think the decision to ban the vets and their motorcycles comes from them. Another showing how dementia joe and the rest of Congress despise the military. A strong vet force is too powerful in their opinion because they may rise up in a coup and the way things are going it is needed.
The hell with the phoney president! Go for it !!!!
Ride anyway. No law against riding. Just happens to be a parade route. Remember Biden didn’t serve and has no respect for military!!!
Just another example of the anti-American attitude of the current administration. If it shows respect for any of our great history, they don’t want to see or hear it. I can’t imagine what kind of country they think they will have when they have destroyed ours.
What a dirty rotten trick.. These veterans have more than paid their dues–they do charitable work especially for the children. Joe is just a senile old GRUMPUS who belongs in an assisted care unit and not in the OVAL office. We will soon learn all about Braggart Joe’s best voter fraud organization in the world when the Maricopa County AZ information is released with a landslide vote for TRUMP.. Then when Antrim Co MI comes in his goose and electoral votes will be cooked.
Challenge the China controlled US Government go ahead with the ride Go ahead with the Ride – everyone already had their rooms booked
There are no patriots in the Biden administration , they are all probably members of the CCP . If any of you vets voted for Biden the joke is on you .
It is understandable that the Biden Socialist Regime would not want the Veterans Group, Rolling Thunder in Washington DC, It would make them very nervous to have that patriots in one place at one time. I hope that they show up anyway, what will the Socialists do, arrest them for riding their bikes in the US Capitol carrying the Flag that they fought for?
pamacwa.146@gmail.com
Total disgrace towards our men and woman who died and for those still living. Waiting for 2022 election where dems will lose
MOST OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ENJOY WATCHING THE ROLLING THUNDER ARRIVE. AND IF THE PENTIAGON IS NOT INTO MAYBE WE SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME OF THE PENTAGON FOR SOMETHING MORE DEMEANING IN THEIR ATTITUDE.. THE PENTAGON USED TO BE HONORED NOW THEY SEEM TO LEAN TO THE LEFT AND THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANT OUT OF THE PENTAGON.!