Pajamas Media member, Andrew Marcus caught some fascinating footage of what I consider to be less than respectful treatment of a member of the military who showed up at a panel discussion entitled, “The Military and Progressives: Are They Really That Different?” The panel was moderated by Jon Soltz, a veteran and outspoken critic of the Iraq war.

Now, there has been much made of this incident by both right and left-leaning bloggers, and I’ll talk on this in a moment, but two other things struck me as I watched the video clip found here at PJM. First of all, there seemed to be VERY few people in the room. I’m wondering if part of Soltz’s angst, which was eventually vented on a fellow Iraq veteran, was partly due to the fact that it was quite obvious to Soltz and his fellow panel members — one of whom was retired General, Wesley Clark — that even those members of the military who oppose the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq are generally disrespected by liberals. Especially very left-leaning liberals like Kos.

Secondly, I have seen many comments on how Soltz closed the panel discussion immediately, and insisted on speaking to the soldier in private, but very few people have commented on the fact that the soldier, after meeting with Soltz in private, acknowledged that he had been threatened. When Marcus asked the soldier what Soltz said in private, the soldier responded that Soltz threatened he was going to try and get him in trouble and have him dishonorably discharged for asking what Soltz deemed to be a political question while in uniform.

Personally, I’m not sure if the soldier did ask a political question. What I can say is that Soltz definitely was acting in an intimidating manner and the soldier was having none of it. He was courteous, clear and concise; and he tried to cite the facts of a recent report showing that progress was being made in Iraq.

Unfortunately, Soltz acted in an angry and aggressive manner towards this serviceman from the beginning, telling him that, if he engaged in political dialogue while in uniform, there was going to be trouble. I don’t think Soltz walked away from this encounter looking very good.

What of Soltz’s contention that the soldier was out of line by questioning his panel while still in uniform? Well, Mike at Lampligher blog looked up the military codes of conduct which might relate to this situation and, after reading Mike’s post, I have to agree with him that Soltz’s accusation is not very convincing. Not unless there were more recent orders issued that might amplify the codes Mike cites. I did hear that the military is trying to crack down on the number of military members who are blogging from Iraq, but that has nothing to do with asking a military-related question during a panel discussion.

I feel quite certain that the conservative media is going to be highlighting this story. Hopefully we’ll hear from Michael Medved on Monday during his show and I would be “shocked, shocked” if James Taranto of Opinionjournal.com’s “Best of The Web Today” didn’t call attention to this in his Monday column.I first learned of this through the Drudge Report, so I think we can expect this to balloon into a major news story before too long. And kudos to Pajamas Media for capturing this incident and reporting on it. I’m very grateful they were there and so quickly published their video.

Finally, let me point out a fascinating tidbit from a debate that Soltz had with fellow veteran Stan Coerr on the Jim Lehrer News Hour, which was then published on PBS’s Online News Hour on September 16, 2004. The debate between Coerr and Soltz was fairly long and detailed; a good read actually.

Towards the end of the debate, moderator Margaret Warner asked of both men if candidate Kerry was making inroads with members of the military and military veterans with some of his campaign promises. Coerr was asked to respond first and here are a few excerpts from his reply:

Margaret, John Kerry’s not making inroads. And let me tell you why. I think most veterans, as I said before, along with the American people, honor what John Kerry did in Vietnam.

What they are unhappy about is what he did when he returned home, using Vietnam as sort of a springboard to political office. His testimony, which we’ve all seen on television before the Senate, about what he thought about the war, leading an anti- war effort…

I can tell you that I have a photograph of myself meeting Sen. Kerry, and the friends that I sent that photograph to think I’m a traitor.

They can’t believe that I would even shake hands with that man, and everyone I know, my peers and those I worked with, are all very strong Republicans and they’re Bush supporters in this specific campaign.

So, you can see that Coerr lays it out plainly. In his opinion, members of the military and veterans in particular are not supportive of Kerry. They are so against Kerry that they think Coerr a traitor for even shaking the man’s hand. What is fascinating, however, if Soltz’s response to what Coerr has just said:

If John Kerry is a traitor, then so am I. John Kerry fought for his right to come home and question his war in Vietnam; 12,000 Americans died after he testified in the senate. And I fought for my right to question this president’s policies in Iraq.

But Coerr never calls Kerry a traitor! He never even questions his patriotism, which is something people on the left love to accuse conservatives of doing. Actually, Coerr specifically said that Kerry’s fellow veterans honored his service but question his commitment to them based on what he did and said after returning from Vietnam.

It was Soltz who applied the word “traitor” to Kerry, by denying that he was any more a traitor than Soltz himself. I find this kind of thing fascinating, not because of all the name calling, but because liberals so often are the ones who apply these labels to themselves by complaining that conservatives are applying these labels. It’s like stepping out in front of a moving car to complain that you are being hit by a moving car.

Liberals consistently fail to understand their own fundamental disrespect for the men and women who serve in the military and conservative’s deep and abiding respect for those same men and women. We would never consider labelling Kerry or Soltz as traitors. They served this country. They risked life and limb to protect us. I’m personally grateful to both men for their service.

But liberals are not so loathe to apply disrespectful labels to America’s best and bravest. And it seems to me that the low turnout for Soltz’s panel on similarities between progressives and the military underscores my point perfectly. Those who lean far left likely hate the thought that they might have anything in common with the military.

On Sunday, July 29th, Julie and I took the girls down to Riordan’s Saloon and Restaurant for one last meal before it closed for good. You can read more of the details here, but this post is just my own personal tribute to a place that helped shape and define the character of Annapolis’ City Dock area.

Riordan’s was owned and managed by Mike Riordan who invested money he had earned during his 9 seasons in the NBA (1968-1977, with an NBA Championship win in 1970 as a member of the NY Knicks), and opened his first restaurant in the downtown city dock area of Annapolis in 1978. Riordan’s quickly became known for its great food and reasonable prices.

Over the three decades of it’s life, Riordan’s employed every member of my family — except for my Dad — at one point or another. Even my Mom worked for Mike briefly, baking cakes and pies for the restaurant. As for my brothers and I, we all worked there in various roles. My oldest brother, Jack tended bar and later managed for a while. My second-oldest brother, Chris, worked at the bar for several years and met his wife, Mary Beth, there. Mary Beth worked her way through nursing school while at Riordan’s and now has a very successful career with GE as a consultant helping to set up medical database systems for hospitals. My third brother — just a year older than I — whose name is also Mike, worked for several years behind the bar and was very popular both with his general customers as well as with nearly any attractive woman who walked into the place.

I began working for Mike Riordan around 1986 when my brother Mike let me know they were seeking help at the door. Very rarely did Riordan’s have issues with bad behavior, but Mike liked having a friendly face at the door on busy nights to make sure we were carding our younger customers and welcoming everyone as they came by for a drink or dinner.

Initially, I worked for Mike during the holidays while I was going to St. Mary’s College, then a bit during summer breaks. You might think that being a doorman would be boring, but I enjoyed the job. While dooring, I was the first person customers would see as they entered. I would smile, say hello, hold the door and, if necessary, ask for ID. If things got really busy, I would set up a line outside the restaurant and let people in as there was space available in the Saloon area. Simple but enjoyable work.

There were a few times when I had to turn some “characters” away, but it didn’t happen too often. Once, though, I was dooring with one other guy on a busy evening when suddenly we both spotted a bachelor party moving along the sidewalk towards us, having just exited another nearby pub. The bachelor was incredibly drunk, and his friends had somehow attached a chain to a bowling ball, then had secured the chain to the guy’s leg!

As the guy staggered down the sidewalk with all his friends walking behind, laughing at him of course, people coming the other way had to jump out of the way to avoid being tagged by the bowling ball, which was whooshing out to the side every time he took a step. We looked and saw that, yes, they were definitely coming our way.

As the party approached, we just kind of both moved in front of the door at the same time and stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the guy walked up to us. He looked up and asked if he could go in. We just looked at him and I said, “no, I’m very sorry, but you can’t come in tonight.” There was no need to be rude, but then again, no way were we going to let someone come in with a bowling ball attached to their leg. Think of the collateral damage he would cause!

“Aw, c’mon guys,” they said, “it’s his bachelor party.” “Sorry,” we replied politely, “wish we could, but you can’t come in with that thing on your leg.” We wished the guy luck in his marriage and watched as he swung off down the sidewalk to find another pub.

There are better stories, but many of them are not fit for publication. I will say, however, that I learned something very important during my time on the door at Riordan’s. Bachelorette parties are almost always more rowdy, raucous, and dangerous than bachelor parties. I still don’t know why, but I do know it’s true.

After college, while I was in grad school, I began to bus tables for Mike as well. I enjoyed this job as well. I found that I liked creating order out of chaos, which is a central part of the job as you assist the wait staff and keep the dining area looking spiffy.

By the way, Mike was almost always around. He worked at least 6 days a week at the restaurant, managing every part of the operation. It was Mike’s very firm hand at the helm which kept Riordan’s so consistently great over the three decades it was in operation. Without close management, restaurants often fail as profit margins tend to be pretty thin in this industry.

In all the years I worked for Mike, my only regret is that I was a lousy waiter. Mike gave me a chance to move up and begin waiting tables at one point, but truly, I stunk at the job. So I went back to busing and dooring and that was fine for me. That said, I’ve never forgotten how hard it is to be a good waiter at a restaurant. Mike had some really good people waiting tables for him; some of whom worked for him over decades, not just years.

After grad school, as I began my professional career, Riordan’s remained one of my very favorite places to go. I have so many great memories; such as going there for brunch when Julie first introduced me to her parents, meeting family there for meals on weekends (especially after Navy Football games) celebrating my 30th Birthday there, going there on St. Paddy’s Day, Christmas Eve, etc.

For Julie and I, Riordan’s remained our favorite place to go for brunch, and our two girls have been going there since they were tiny little babies. My oldest daughter Mikaela’s favorite thing was going for brunch and getting a basket of Blueberry Muffins for us all to share.
Overall, if we went to downtown Annapolis for a meal, 90% of the time it was to Riordan’s.

On this last Sunday of its existence, we had dinner there, all four of us, and the place was packed. It wasn’t even a dull roar that came from the bar area, it was a thunderous roar. We could barely hear each other at the table, and the menu was smaller due to the fact that they were preparing to close down for good that same evening.

But we had a great time. I said hello to Mike and wished him well. I also saw Mary Beth and Chris there, though I had just missed my Dad, who left a half-hour earlier. I even saw a few of the folks I had worked with in the late 80’s and early 90’s, one of whom still worked there. It was a lot of fun, but also very sad, especially as we walked out for what we knew would be the last time.

Something very good has come to an end in Annapolis. Riordan’s made Annapolis a better place to live and work, and I cannot see how there can ever be something as good to take its place.

I took Riordan’s for granted because it had been there for so long. I cannot remember a time without it.

I should have known better. As they say, all good things come to an end. I wish it were otherwise.

But I think people should understand this; Riordan’s was more than a restaurant; it was a gift to the community. For so many of us who worked and played there, it remains a landmark of our lives.

I know that I speak for the entire Flanagan family in wishing for Mike and his family all of God’s blessings. We’ll see you around town.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.