And they dare call US an "Angry Mob?"

Give me a break.

On September 12th, over one million Americans assembled on the west lawn of the United States Capitol, spilling over into the streets and down the sides of the Mall, which was reserved for another function, stretching all the way to the Washington Monument. We were there for hours, en masse, peacefully attempting to voice our concerns to our government. When we left, we left the area cleaner than when we arrived, conscientiously cleaning up not only our own trash, but that which was there before us.

We were dismissed as "wrong." In the recent past, we have been called an "angry mob," "racists," "rude," "potential terrorists," and possibly even Nazis.

Yet this will bring no condemnation from anyone in government, just watch and see.

G-20 opponents, police clash on Pittsburgh streets

PITTSBURGH – Police fired canisters of pepper spray and smoke at marchers protesting the Group of 20 summit Thursday after anarchists responded to calls to disperse by rolling trash bins and throwing rocks.

The march turned chaotic at just about the time that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrived for a meeting with leaders of the world's major economies.

The clashes began after hundreds of protesters, many advocating against capitalism, tried to march from an outlying neighborhood toward the convention center where the summit is being held.

The protesters banged on drums and chanted "Ain't no power like the power of the people, 'cause the power of the people don't stop."

The marchers included small groups of self-described anarchists, some wearing dark clothes and bandanas and carrying black flags. Others wore helmets and safety goggles.

One banner read, "No borders, no thanks," another, "No hope in capitalism." A few minutes into the march, protesters unfurled a large banner reading "NO BAILOUT NO CAPITALISM" with an encircled "A," a recognized sign of anarchists.

The marchers did not have a permit and, after a few blocks, police declared it an unlawful assembly. They played an announcement over a loudspeaker telling people to leave or face arrest and then police in riot gear moved in to break it up.

Protesters split into smaller groups. Some rolled large metal trash bins toward police, and a man in a black hooded sweat shirt threw rocks at a police car, breaking the front windshield. Protesters broke windows in a few businesses, including a bank branch and a Boston Market restaurant.

Officers fired pepper spray and smoke at the protesters. Some of those exposed to the pepper spray coughed and complained that their eyes were watering and stinging.

Police were planning a news conference to discuss their response. Officers were seen taking away a handful of protesters in cuffs.

About an hour after the clashes started, the police and protesters were at a standoff. Police sealed off main thoroughfares to downtown.

Twenty-one-year-old Stephon Boatwright, of Syracuse, N.Y., wore a mask of English anarchist Guy Fawkes and yelled at a line of riot police. He then sat cross-legged near the officers, telling them to let the protesters through and to join their cause.

"You're actively suppressing us. I know you want to move," Boatwright yelled, to applause from the protesters gathered around him.

Protesters complained that the march had been peaceful and that police were trampling on their right to assemble.

"We were barely even protesting," said T.J. Amick, 22, of Pittsburgh. "Then all of a sudden, they come up and tell us we're gathered illegally and start using force, start banging their shields, start telling us we're going to be arrested and tear gassed. ... We haven't broken any laws."

Bret Hatch, 26, of Green Bay, Wis., was carrying an American flag and a "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

"This is ridiculous. We have constitutional rights to free speech," he said.

The National Lawyer's Guild, a liberal legal-aid group, said one of its observers, a second year law student, was among those arrested. Its representatives were stationed among the protesters, wearing green hats.

"I think he was totally acting according to the law. I don't think he was provoking anyone at all," said Joel Kupferman, a member of the guild. "It's really upsetting because he's here to serve, to make sure everyone else can be protected. ... It's a sign that they are out of control."

The march had begun at a city park, where an activist from New York City, dressed in a white suit with a preacher's collar, started it off with a speech through a bullhorn.

"They are not operating on Earth time. ... They are accommodating the devil," he said. "To love democracy and to love the earth is to be a radical now."

The activist, Billy Talen, travels the country preaching against consumerism. He initially identified himself as "the Rev. Billy from the Church of Life After Shopping."

The G-20 summit was beginning Thursday evening with a welcome ceremony at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden and ends late Friday afternoon after a day of meetings at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Dignitaries were arriving in waves and were heading to a city under heavy security. Police and National Guard troops guarded many downtown intersections, and a maze of tall metal fences and concrete barriers shunted cars and pedestrians.

Hundreds of police in riot gear were seen massing at Phipps, but only a handful of demonstrators were there.

Where is the outrage, Nancy Pelosi? Why aren't these protestors "wrong," David Axelrod? Who among the Democratic leadership of this nation will label this group an "angry mob?"

The hypocrisy is stupefying.

Just Doodlin'

On the sunny moring of September 10, 2009, April and I set off for what we felt would be an historic event. We were bound for Washington DC. We were going to participate in an event unlike any other since... I don't know when. We were going to march in the 9/12 Rally. For my part, it was a protest of the way the Obama administration is ruining our country. He said he would transform our country and he's doing it. Obama is a traitor. He is selling or rather giving our country away to the idiots of the world who gather on a regular basis in the UN building in New York City, USA. Today, 9/23/09, he made a speech in that building and did what he is wont to do in speeches. He apologized for all we are and all we have accomplished over the years since 1776. He hates this country and will, I'm afraid, take it beyond the point of no return before his term expires.
I wanted to tell you how wonderful it was to be with our 1.2 or 1.5 million close friends sharing the overcast day on the Capitol Mall. Not a complaint could be heard except about the state of the nation. No one got out of line at all. Everyone was of a like mind, we wanted our country back. Back from the traitor who is leading us over the presipice to a third world economy. He can fly to New York to see a play and have it cost the taxpayers, you and I, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Michelle Obama can fly to France on a shopping spree and have that cost passed on to those of us who pay taxes.
I could rant about the rediculously high cost of energy if the cap and trade bill passes the Senate. I could rant about the rediculous health care bill, or the lack of attention to our borders, or the lack of Constitutionallity of the Czars in the White House, but those reading this know about those illegal things already.
I seriously believe, after having attended a candidate forum for the third district of Kansas last night, that April would be a far better candidate than any of the 3 that put in appearences. The best of the bunch wasn't even a candidate. She was a representative of the Libertarian Party. April knew more about the questions asked by the moderator than did any of the candidates. It is a shame that a mind like April's can't represent us in the hallowed halls of the Capitol building in DC. We toured those halls and one could feel the presence of the founding fathers and those that came after, walking those halls. For us to allow one man who I am sure is twisted and sick to ruin what it has taken over 233 years to build would be a crime at least as bad as he will inflict upon us.
I was listening to talk radio this morning about his (Obama's) speech at the UN and got tears in my eyes. I can't stand what he is doing to our great nation and I can't understand why congress is allowing it to go on. Despite the fact that there is an overwhelming majority of Democrats in both houses, I can't believe they are so blinded by party ties that they would allow this wonderful country to be betrayed into third world status. I just can't make myself believe it. I guess I'll get to see it if I'm around long enough.
Speaking of enough, I'm more than certain that anyone reading this will think it's enough already, so I'll stop. But, rest assured, when I can't hold it in anymore, I'll be back. JC

Yet Another Perspective on the March

This is a really different perspective, and includes a link to a wonderful photo album.

A Former Radical Goes Back to the Future at the 9/12 March

In 1967, I was the radical Alinsky wrote the rules for. On the political cutting edge, I’d been arguing with fellow students and coworkers for years about Vietnam, and my growing disgust with my country led me down many winding roads of anti-American thought. I was counterculture before there was a name for it, skipping my prom and graduation as “bourgeois,” going barefoot, braless, and unshaven, and collecting tattoos at the only place in town those days — a crummy hole-in-the-wall next to downtown D.C.’s Greyhound station.

Everything about me was about making a statement. And while it was pretty exciting for me as a young woman to create a new identity based on rejection of the status quo, for years I’d felt like I was alone.

Then suddenly I discovered I wasn’t.

On October 21, a crisp, clear D.C. day, I arrived with my boyfriend at my first anti-war protest and felt a thrill of belonging and hope. The Pentagon grounds were churning with 50,000 or so people like us — a curious conglomeration of serious anti-American academic types (like me) and sha-la-la-la-la-live-for-today potheads (like him). But the differences didn’t matter to us that day, which celebrated everything from putting flowers in National Guard rifles to taunting police until we were tear-gassed. The counterculture had a big umbrella, and we were all hippies at heart — eager to create a new world, whatever that might turn out to be. This day gave us a sense of unity, strength, and purpose.

[snip]

Flash forward forty years to find this mother of 12 (nine by birth, three by adoption) once again a political activist — but now for the conservative cause.

What happened? Life happened. A 1972 permanent pilgrimage to San Francisco, another baby (Jasmine Moondance), divorce, promiscuity/experimentation, abortion, drug addiction, welfare — all in accord with my proud leftist political banner. A 1980 move to Marin County, Alcoholics Anonymous, a second marriage, New Age spirituality, birth control failures, building a business, owning a home.

A 1987 born-again experience, homeschooling, a son with Down syndrome, a writing career, three adoptions, and finally in 2002 a cross country move with 24 native Californians (my husband, children, sons-in-law and grandchildren) to come back to the traditional values I’d rejected before.

Not much about my current life looks like anything like the me I used to be — other than a lingering weakness for retro hippie fashion. Oh, and the skin art now lumping me with tattoo-come-lately Baby Boomers rather than communicating my colorful past.

But the hopeful giddiness I felt last Saturday at the 9/12 Freedom March took me back 40 years. And what I observed — no matter how ignored or spun by the increasingly irrelevant dinosaur media — tells me that this spontaneous and improbable gathering of conservatives is just the beginning of a movement that in the end will be as culturally revolutionary as the Woodstock generation.

Read the whole thing here. And be sure to check out the pictures. The comments are pretty special, too.

What I Saw at the Revolution

I didn't write this, but I certainly lived it. Many thanks to Kathy Garriott for her beautiful account of a beautiful day. I cried like a baby reading it...if you think it sounds corny, you weren't there.

"Do you think there'll be porta-potties?" Was the anxious question my husband asked. He's in his fifties, after all. He asked about restroom facilities several days before we left for DC, and enjoined me to "find out on the internet" because he thinks I can find out anything on the internet. It was from the various conservative blogs and forums that I haunt on the net that had inspired me to put together this trip to DC in the first place. Like most tea-partiers, I am only loosely affiliated with any of the organizers. I was anxious about restrooms, too, and anxious about the notorious summer heat and humidity of our nation's capitol. I'm in my fifties, after all. I knew the organizers of this event were not professionals (and I mean that in the nicest way) and things like adequate porta-potties might not have crossed their radar.

So we set off to DC with our supplies of poster-making materials and some folding camp chairs, umbrellas, trail mix, and basic first-aid. If there were no restrooms, well, we'd just deal with that when we got there.

We'd booked a hotel in the downtown area, and when we arrived a family with three small children was also checking in with some Tea Party paraphrenalia. If they can face bringing three children under five to a political rally with the uncertain knowledge of available restrooms, I'd better stop whining.

The only preparation we had for this Tea Party were the downloaded instructions: "We meet at Freedom Plaza between 9 and 11, then we march down Pennsylvania to our rally on Capitol Hill." Getting up late, we were on the street at 10 for the twenty-minute walk to Freedom Plaza, marked on our city map. We started seeing other tea-partiers with their signs and flags, camp chairs slung over their shoulders and Uncle Sam fashions, and we walked together and spoke together without introduction like old alums from the same school.

"Heading to Freedom Plaza?" asked the Rebels in Fanny Packs. "Yep!" We were headed west on F street, roughly parallel to Pennsylvania Avenue. Maps were consulted, we all had several, maps with earnest orange and pink highlighting. We were at 11th Street when we glanced two blocks south toward Pennsylvania Avenue and stopped in shock.

Read the rest here.

DC March Tribute

This is just plain nice. Enjoy!

GO!

Grab a small piece of paper and write two names on it:

Hannah Giles
James O'Keefe

Then take one of those little magnets and stick that paper on the front of your refrigerator, right at eye level, so it will be seen by everyone who opens the refrigerator door. Keep it there until those names are burned into your memory.

In case you've been on a trip to the moon, or have gotten all your news from ABC, Associated Press, CBS, CNN, The L.A. Times, MSNBC, NBC, The NY Times, or any of the hundreds of other U.S. Daily newspapers which have never mentioned those two names, Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe are the two young people who did something great for America. Something the aforementioned news organizations or any agency of any local, state or the federal government have been unable to do... they provided the evidence to take down ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. (For details, take a look at www.biggovernment.com, Andrew Breitbart's powerful new website.)

ACORN has been guilty of widespread election fraud across the country. No government has chosen to act decisively. Important news organizations have chosen to ignore them. ACORN is a corrupt, perhaps criminal organization which President Obama has promised "a seat at the table" in his administration.

But, just when it seemed that billions of taxpayer dollars were destined to fund this despicable group, along came Giles and O'Keefe, two young Americans with no money and no power, but with a fierce determination to defend the country they loved. They found a way when the rich and powerful could not.

Already ACORN has been removed from any participation in the 2010 census. Already the U.S. Senate has voted to de-fund ACORN! Thank you, Giles and O'Keefe.

When you are certain you will never forget the names of these two young Americans, turn that piece of paper over and write two letters:

GO

... and stick it back on your refrigerator!

Yes, they are Giles' and O'Keefe's initials... but they also spell a word, a word to be remembered as a rallying cry whenever you feel weak and powerless; whenever you hear someone say "I have no money, no power. What can I do?"; whenever you see the news organizations and the government ignoring an injustice! In the spirit of Giles and O'Keeke, think... be innovative... and GO! Perhaps there is a way, Perhaps you will be the one to find it!

Compare and Contrast

Courtesy of Gateway Pundit, we can compare the aftermath of a "liberal" function, Obama's Inauguration, with a "conservative" function, the 9/12 March. First the inauguration.



To be fair, it was January, so the grass wasn't quite the same...but, hey...





This is after the 9/12 rally. John and I went to the Mall the next morning, early, and it looked pretty spotless to us, too.





The trash cans (both of them!) were overflowing, but the trash that wouldn't fit was stacked near the cans. There were more than two, but not many more. It's just a difference in RESPECT. 9/12ers consider this to be hallowed ground and wouldn't dream of leaving it trashed. Wish we could say the same for the Obama supporters.

Thoughts

I've had two days now to absorb the events of September 12th. It's not enough. I don't know if any amount of time will ever be enough.

Since April 15th, I have gone to almost every Tea Party held anywhere in my area. Even before that, I was looking for a march on D.C. - wanting so very much to be part of what is, to me at least, a historical moment in American history. I heard several dates discussed - July 4th, September 12th, others - but wasn't sure it was really going to happen. I waited and watched, and finally, when it seemed certain that there would be a march on 9/12, with at least 15,000 people in attendance, we made reservations.

For weeks I have worried that we would look like a tiny blot of people on the Capitol lawn, made foolish by our tiny size before the immense Capitol building. How silly that seems in retrospect.

I wish I could find the words to explain to those of you who have not yet attended one of our events just what an amazing experience it is. You see it all depicted through the filter of the media - mostly left-leaning (or worse!) and virtually all clueless. They have not stood among the protesters, listening to the conversations. They, and you, if you haven't been there, simply don't understand.

The people who attend these protests are angry, no doubt. But they are so much more.

I would, literally, trust these people with my life. I have met thousands of people, talked with them, shared stories - they are all my brothers and sisters. They all love their country, enough to die for it if necessary. They are all good, hard-working, respectful individuals who want only to be free. They are friendly, kind and helpful. They don't even litter the sites where the rallies are held - the venues are, literally, cleaner when the rallies are over than when they began.

These are people who love God, their families and their fellow man. Most would willingly give you the shirt off their back if you were in need, but would fight mightily to keep you from stealing it. Most of all, they believe, with every fiber of their beings, in the sanctity of the United States Constitution as the supreme and unbreakable law of the land. The spirit of the Founding Fathers lives on in each and every one of these wonderful people.

On Friday night, John went out to the car to bring in our signs. On the way through the lobby, he met several fellow protestors, at least some of them from Missouri. They were fast friends, talking about the signs, the problems with government, etc. John was all smiles and so excited to share the story when he came back to the room.

On Saturday, as we walked to the Metro station, we met a few fellow protesters and immediately struck up a conversation. There was no tension - it was like old home week. There were so many of us from out of town, unfamiliar with the ticket purchasing process, that the lines were long. Rather than growing impatient, however, those waiting their turn tried to help others who were having problems. Waiting for the train, which was delayed by construction, our number grew, and we had a number of conversations with different groups of people - all smiling and as excited as we were. When the train finally came, we hurried on board, quickly filling all the seats. Those standing in the aisles were chatting with others seated near them - conversations grew as more and more chimed in. After just a few minutes and another train stop, the train was full to the point of overflowing and we began to notice that it was growing very warm in the car. There was no air conditioning on, and with all the bodies, it was only a matter of minutes before the windows of the trains were completely fogged over, with condensation dripping down them. The ride took almost 40 minutes, with another person or two somehow managing to board at each stop. It began to feel like we were out of oxygen - it was so hot and humid in the car that it was difficult to breathe. But I did not hear one complaint. There were a few jokes - Obama ordered the AC turned off to make it harder on us, for example. But no complaints...not a single one. Just laughter and excitement that grew more intense with each passing stop.

When we finally arrived at Federal Triangle, I wiped off the window enough to peek out. The platform was jammed with people - it looked so full that I could not imagine that we would all be able to get off the train. But the crowd that was already there crushed a little more tightly together, making room for us. There was no pushing or shoving, no one worried about who got in front of whom - indeed, the younger people were stopping and gesturing for older people to go in front of them. One person fell at the top of the stairs and four others immediately bent down to help him up, making sure he was ok. There were raucous chants of USA! USA! and even a chorus of God Bless America. We made our way to the street.

When I walked into the sunshine and got my first look at Pennsylvania Avenue, my eyes filled with tears. It was the most massive crowd I had ever seen, anywhere, in my life. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, were seas of people, waving flags, carrying signs, chanting, talking, laughing. The march was not supposed to start for over an hour - we were supposed to be gathering a block to the east - but the crowd had long since overflowed the space allocated. It was an unstoppable force of nature - a melding of kindred souls into one enormous, cohesive mass of humanity. Never, at any point during the day, not one single time, did I personally see or hear anyone express anger or frustration with any of their fellow marchers. Whoever happened to be next to you at any moment was your newest best friend. Every eye you caught smiled.

As we moved en masse toward the Capitol, we talked with dozens of people, comparing notes on where we were from, how long it had taken to get there, why it was so important to us. Every person knew, with complete accuracy, the stories about the stimulus, TARP, ACORN, Obama's czars - they were well-informed on all the offenses of government since well before the beginning of Obama's term. And they were determined to get the message across to Congress and the world - NO MORE!

There were babies and children, teens and seniors. Every size, shape and color of person imaginable. People with walkers and in wheelchairs, even a few on crutches. There were people who could not walk far enough to go to the Capitol, but had travelled to get there, to sit on a bench on the sidewalk to cheer the rest of us on. It felt like the biggest, most wonderful family in history.

Throughout the rally, even during the unpleasant times, like waiting 30 minutes in line to use one of the porta potties (Freedom Works expected, at most, 100,000 people, and ordered accordingly), not one cross word. There were so many people that it was impossible not to bump into each other, but each bump was followed by, "Oh, excuse me! I'm so sorry!" "No problem!"

The tears came often on Saturday - tears of pride, tears of happiness, tears of overwhelming emotion as I absorbed the fact that I was with a million or more people who shared my love of country and were as determined as I not to let her go astray. Then I thought of all of those at home, who had been cheering me on and saying how much they wished they could go - there must have been at least 20 people that I was representing. The thought that most of those in attendance probably had similar support groups was almost more than I could absorb - there are tens of millions of us in this country! The realization brought a peace I have not felt for a very long time - with that many good people to defend her, America cannot fail. My country, our country, will come through this, and will emerge stronger than she has been in my lifetime. And that is a very good feeling indeed.

Thank you to all of my fellow marchers, those who could come to D.C. and those who could not. You have given me hope.

More on the March

Beck's got a bunch of great pictures, here, and this video. Awesome stuff! Check out the pix...they are really nice.

March on DC - Part 3