On March 20th, 2003, at the start of the liberation of Iraq, San Francisco protestors staged what the San Francisco Chronicle quaintly dubbed "a vomit-in". (Astoundingly, their article on the topic is still online). These days, with Saddam playing his golden harp (apologies to Gert Frobe), and the Surge apparently working surprisingly well, Portland Oregon protestors have chosen a different orifice to express their anti-Americanism:

This splinter group of protesters showed its support for “peace” by burning a U.S. soldier in effigy. It exhibited its supposedly pacifist nature by knocking a police officer off his bike — an action that brought out the police riot squad.

Perhaps the most disturbing scene of the afternoon, however, involved the man who pulled down his pants in front of women and children and defecated on a burning U.S. flag. This disgusting act actually elicited cheers from some members of the crowd, but we hope that the emotion it produces in the community is one of revulsion...

...The anti-war demonstrators who behaved responsibly this past weekend have an obligation to denounce — and distance themselves from — those protesters who purposefully offend others and consequently destroy the intended message of peace.