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  • Why is it that this guy is the only one routinely assaulted by antiwar protesters? Doesn't it seem more likely that he's inventing these stories to cast an unfavorable light on those who are against the Iraq War? Although, I guess until some other news stories and/or political blogs pick up on this, it would be original research to put such speculation into the article. [User:Tzepish|Tzepish]] 02:38, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
It would appear he gets in altercations with anti-war protesters because he likes the attention it gets him. Certainly put the effort in from the numerous accounts of his activities here
Attriti0n 16:14, 30 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
And do Cindy Sheehan and Ava Lowery do what they do only because they like the attention it gets them? Jinxmchue 14:59, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
You appear to be asking whether people such as these go to large, promoted, publicised rallies, the purpose of which is to gain public and media attention, for the purposes of gaining attention.Attriti0n 09:07, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
No, I'm saying that people who go out and do things are more likely to encounter controversy, and the more often they do things, the more often they will encounter it. Jinxmchue 13:14, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Why is it that Cindy Sheehan is the only one routinely arrested by police during her antiwar protests? Is it a scam? Does she like the attention? Or is it because she's actively out there doing things? Jinxmchue 16:44, 30 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Sheehan and Sparling. Apples and oranges. Sheehan is an acknowledged protester. Sparling is portrayed as an innocent victim of the left's supposed hatred of the troops especially those who have been severely wounded. TrakkerToo 21:07, 30 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes that's the difference. This latest incident was reported in the news as a case of some Iraq vet going to an anti-war protest and getting spat on. In reality he didn't actually get spat on and he was there with a effigy of an anti-war protester being hanged at an anti=war rally. Not exactly a big mystery about whether the attention he receives is something he seeks out. Attriti0n 11:47, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The point is, Trakker, that both Sheehan and Sparling are out doing things, which makes them more likely to encounter controversy. To ask why Sparling "is the only one routinely assaulted by antiwar protesters" is to ignore the frequency of his activities, just as it is to ask why Sheehan is arrested so often. Jinxmchue 14:56, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Doing things? Of the three alleged incidents, one happened while he was a patient in a hospital and one happened as he was boarding a plane. Only the third incident could he be considered in the same category as Cindy Sheehan.TrakkerToo 21:28, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]


  • He was victimized as he was trying to get on an airplane, and just walking down the street by the liberals who hate what america's military might stands for. This guy is not the first military hero that the entire left has spat upon. It was a well known and wide occurance during the vietnam war and is even more widespread & vitriolic now. The left is so seething with hatred against the troops that this is what it has come down to. Heros attacked by democrats as they try to drag their wounded bodies back home. This is what the John Kerry camp wanted and hoped for and got. More Jane Fonda's spitting on our war heros. Good job liberals. Real patriotic and brave to spit upon our wounded vets when they return from risking their lives for your freedom.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.17.149.84 (talk • contribs)
You should note that the urban legends of Vietnam vets widely being spat on has been pretty well debunked. Also that these stories about supposed personal accounts of incidents in the 60s and 70s appeared nowhere until the 80s. Boston Globe - Debunking a Spitting Image. Attriti0n 11:47, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

So, you are saying that in spite of many witnesses including multiple news teams & his parents and the thousands of other protesters are all lying about this whole news story? You must really hate america to think a hero like Joshua is just lieing in spite of the hundreds of news stories about this incident. Was 9-11 a lie too? Take your tin-foil hat to iran and see how brave you are. jackass.

  • Where exactly ARE the "multiple news team" witnesses? I have been sincerely searching all over the web for any actual witness reports or details and not finding ANYTHING concrete at ALL. Is there anyone in the news media who claims to have witnessed the event firsthand? 192.17.24.170 17:17, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

THIS HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE NEWS. THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF WITNESSES TO THE SPITTING INCIDENT. THEY ANTI-AMERICAN PROTESTERS EVEN TRIED TO DESTROY THE FOX NEWS TRUCK AND ATTEMPTED TO ATTACK MICHELLE MALKIN FOR MERELY REPORTING WHAT THESE HATE FILLED PEOPLE WERE DOING. THERE ISNT ANY VIDEO BECAUSE THEY ATTACKED ALL THE NEWS CAMERAS, BUT, YES, THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF WITNESSES TO THIS INCLUDING NEWS MEDIA, THATS WHY ITS IN NEWSPAPERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

  • This has been all over the news ONLY in the form of testimony by Joshua himself, and secondary retelling of the NYTimes story (did the New York Times reporter actually witness the event? It is unclear from the article). There is plenty of video out there on YouTube of the DC Freep, taken by DC Freepers of their own event (notably a 9 minute long video showing clearly that the DC Freepers were in fact taunting the anti-war contingent - with a bullhorn, I might add - as is common in protest/counter-protest situations). The news stories either interview Joshua, or in some form quote the NYTimes. I am asking for alternative, PRIMARY sources, or any confirmed witness other than Joshua himself. So again, Is there anyone in the news media who claims to have witnessed the event firsthand? Has anyone asked the Capitol police? 192.17.24.170 19:22, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • The references on this page are ridiculous. Malkin? The blog of someone going by the handle "gunnut"? This entry is absurd unless some legitimate sources get used.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.39.174.1 (talk • contribs)
  • How about FoxNews? If the MSM can cite blogs, so can wikiP. Sct72 04:17, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • A lot of people who denounce blogs - and especially those who single out Michelle Malkin et al - think of Fox News as nothing more than the propaganda wing of the Bush Administration. Jinxmchue 05:09, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You people are all being VERY DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS HIM. you shoulld be ashamed of yourselves. This is almost worse than all of the people who spat upon him. You filthy hippies deserve to bathe in the crap you spew forth and i for one sincerely hope that you do. bathe, that is. bathe in crap. hippy.

If you calm down and read the news reports you will discover nobody spat on him. It is unclear however whether he spat on anyone himself. NYT
"Later, as antiwar protesters passed where he and his group were standing, words were exchanged and one of the antiwar protestors spit at the ground near Mr. Sparling; he spit back."
Attriti0n 11:47, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, okay. They only spat near him. That makes it okay. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along. Jinxmchue 14:58, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I know you are trying to be a smart but yes, there is nothing to see here. In this encyclopedia you can find bios of people with sections marked "nobel prize" and "olympic gold medal". This guy has one dedicated to the time someone spat on the ground near him. Attriti0n 09:07, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"Debate" section removed[edit]

This was a rather ridiculous addition. "Debates" on online forums are not reliable sources. Jinxmchue 12:55, 1 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Deletion of this Entry[edit]

I don't think this article really deserves to exist. It contributes nothing to the broader collection of human knowledge. Perhaps it should be merged with another article, perhaps about the Iraq War some the war debate. None of the sources are primary, or even scholarly, and any evidence provided via newspapers and the like cite no primary sources. 140.160.66.52 23:46, 5 February 2007 (UTC)Joe in Seattle[reply]

"Spitting incident" wording seems clunky[edit]

On 27 January 2007, at an antiwar protest at Washington DC, Sparling claimed that a protestor wearing an Airborne jacket may have spit near him, according to the New York Times. Sparling spat back, according to the NY Times report, [6] an allegation that Sparling denied during a Hannity and Colmes interview on the Fox News.

I think this can be reworded to reduce the phrases between commas (particularly in the second sentence). Jinxmchue 04:17, 30 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't really think this figure or the incidents reported merit a page. I recommend deletion — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.28.243 (talk) 18:19, 3 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Assessment comment[edit]

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Joshua Sparling/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

There is not a single primary source beyond Sparling to back up any of the claims being made in any of the sections of the article.

This is something merely being pushed by the right wing as fact without any secondary sourcing beyond the complainant.

It is completely irresponsible to include this entry as it stands.

Is it even within biographical grounds to do so? There is no sourcing for the claims and, as such, it would fall within ego posting.

It's pure propaganda as it stands right now.

Last edited at 09:21, 31 January 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 20:35, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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