I wanted to give a few anecdotes from our days in DC.    Not a review (you can find that here) of the rally but rather a set of events that give the weekend a greater context and flavor.   I hope you find them educational, if not entertaining.

8/27.

1.  Liberals really are rude…and easy to spot.  It is a fun game when in DC.

After walking the mall for 4 hours we were looking for  place to sit, rest our feet and have a drink, we asked the Capital Guard for a suggestion.   He sent us down a side street and we found an outside table at Hamilton’s.    We soon learned this was a locals hangout;  people arriving in pairs and singles to join up with groups after work.   We offered our spare chairs to a growing group and then slid over one of our two merged tables.   They took the charity graciously, but then we overheard them jokingly taking a poll about who would be attending the rally in the morning.  They all laughed and the game was afoot.   Each new person that arrived was judged as Left or Right, it was really easy.   Walking shyly, not looking the bouncer (or others in the eye), still wearing your tie… Liberal.   The two that threw us off were a younger pair of men dressed in business casual.   They seemed confident, yet probably worked here we guessed GOP staffers.    They joined a table that looked like 8/28 attendees.    We found found out later they worked for Johnny Isaacson and one of the 8/28 attendees was father to one of the men.  One other gentleman created a debate.   He was tall older man (50s) with strong features but did not show outward confidence.   He was not drinking wine but the sale beer of the house.    All was decided when he got up to leave, slung his fabric “briefcase” across his chest and over one shoulder and sauntered past.    It was a fun game but can only be played in rare locations.   I look forward to the chance to play again.

2.  Why is a Liberal Rally so angry?

While at the capital, a rally was going on to free someone “unjustly prosecuted” from prison.   Over the loudspeakers a few thinks broke over the blocks between us;  “The White MAN”…”not the white woman but the White Man”..yes that was a quote.   As we got closer we could see the fence-lined field in front of the capital.   Three groups stood out.  The attendees mostly in red shirts all with the same message to “Free..” someone.    A group of what I would assume were gospel singers but they stood in a row off to the side.  The third was a row of people dressed in ethnic or ceremonial garb.     I assume the last two groups were part of the event but we missed their involvement.   As we rounded the back of the field, between it and the capital, a fourth group was evident.  A group of 5-6 large men dressed in all black, arms folded, stood facing the capital (not the event).   The stone look on their faces let you know they meant business.  This was a stark contrast to the 8/28 folks milling around the capital, shaking hands, commenting on each other t-shirts and talking with the capital guard.    I know they were protesting and obviously upset at some perceived injustice.  But the negativity of the message and the anger makes it hard for others to listen and join the movement.

3.  Late night with many friends…and a long walk.

After our time at Hamilton’s we decided to check on the monuments after sunset.   My cohort in this venture had not been to DC for pleasure.     On our way back to the Lincoln Memorial we decided to take a detour to see the Jefferson Memorial.   I have been to DC three times and never made it to that memorial.     A quick walk off of the mall and across the street to the parking lot.   Then along the lake to the side of Jefferson.  And then a walk around to the “front” past the construction.   And then the pathway around the other side to the back (or maybe really the front) of the monument; with our backs to the White House.     Metaphor was not lost… As you stand there facing Jefferson eye-to-eye, your back is to the White House.     After a brief rest and then up the stairs we were awestruck but the power of the memorial and the quotes on the walls.    Any belief that Jefferson was atheist or agnostic is completely erased in that room.   We spent out brief time there among the 40 or so others that had made the trip over (and maybe were dreading the trip back) at 10:30 that night.   I for one was glad I had walked it and won the debates against my tired feet at each turn…  I took a cab over to Lincoln from here,  where about a hundred people adorned the stairs.

8/28

4.  A small applause that may have made made her heart skip a beat.

We arrived at the Crystal City Metro station at 6:25 with a few dozen friends.   As the clock neared 7:00 the crowd was near 100.   A small “excuse me” reached the crowd.  As the crowd opened, an applause echoed throughout the small entrance chamber.   It was a younger black woman in her Metro uniform.  She had come to open the gates.  As she moved the crowd opened and closed around her, clapping as she walked.   She reached the gate, opened it and went through, closing it behind herself.   She returned in a few moments to open the gate, no pushing, no shoving.  In fact the first few in line helped here push the gates back, lift the retaining arms and place the gates in the “closets” to the side.  Once her job was done we all progressed to the train platforms.   All I could think about was wishing I knew what she was thinking in those moments… approaching the crowd, walking through, closing the gate again, having to come back up to open the gate, watching us all parade past.    In all we were respectful and I hope that it had an impact.

5.  2.5 hours before Glenn.

We arrived at the rally at about 7:30am.   We found our spot for the day on the left side of the reflecting pool a few dozen yards short of the second set of screens.  We stood on the rise just under the tree line.   As people arrived, we introduced ourselves and talked about our reasons for coming.  We covered PA, MD, AZ, GA, NY, OH.   A working mother from Toyota, a painter, a salesman, an IT guy and a few others that were never really covered.   As the crowd filled, in the small plots of grass between our stations continued to fill.    After 9:00, a mother, father and child arrived looking for a place to stand.    She asked a few pople if they minded if she took a small spot next to them.  She then pointed forward for her spouse and offered a small spot to her daughter.   The small crowd around us simply reshuffled their locations expanding from the spot where they stood to give them space to stand together.    In the end, they spread out their blanket and sat down to wait the final minutes before the rally.

Once ensconced in their new location, I noticed a Notre Dame backpack.  Those that know me, know I am not a huge fan of the “Fighting Irish.”   Usually a involuntary visceral reaction occurs.   I noticed a complete lack of response on this day.    In this crowd, all those rivalries, opinions and reactions were gone.  Steelers and Browns fans,  ACC and SEC no longer mattered (though those shirts and logos were still proudly displayed).

Minutes before the rally began, applause broke out from behind us.  Looking skyward a formation of geese was making it way up the reflecting pool, from the Washington Monument.  As if released by Glenn himself, they followed the pool and then veered right over the Vietnam Memorial.   It was an event opening fly-over, in an area of very restricted airspace.

6.  Not a single scrap.

After the rally was over we turned to slowly walk among the crowd.  We noticed that the field was clearing faster than the sidewalk so we slid under the ropes and on to the field.   As we approached the end of the field we encountered a Marshall with a garbage bag.  I dropped off the banana peal and empty water bottle I was holding and walked on.  It was then it struck me, we had not seen a single scrap of paper, a water bottle or even a gum wrapper anywhere on our walk through this field.  Good work, good people.

7.   A runner on a mission.

As we continued our walk through the mall, we approached the Washington Monument at about 1:30pm.  A slightly stressed looking woman was in jogging gear was swimming upstream.   I wish my camera was at the ready.   All I could think was, “I picked the wrong day to start jogging at the mall.”

8.  It begins now, a small bit of charity.

We exited the Metro at the airport with the echoes of the event still fresh in our ears.  We were talking to another man as we exited the Metro, swiped our ride cards and walked into the airport.   We asked if he was from here, he said no.    I saw a man coming towards us on the moving walkway.  I “stopped” him (in fact he had to walk backwards slowly to talk).   I asked if he was going on the Metro, he said yes so I handed him my ride card.  I told him that I did not know how much was left on it (a few rides to and from the airport on a $20 card) but he was welcome to it.  Rob handed him his as well and told him to enjoy his day.    He smiled, said a hearty thank you and stopped walking backwards.  The man with which we were walking said something along the lines of…Charity starts now, with us.

9.   Dr. Alveda King and Angelica Tucker’s father at Delta Lounge.

While waiting for our flight in the Delta lounge we were lucky to run into Dr. Alveda King and the father of Angela Tucker (a 22 year old singer at the rally).   I was tempted to try and get a picture with Dr King, but the vibe was not right.  She was not unapproachable, she was polite and gracious for the complements she received.  but it seemed she was exhausted and completely wiped.  After hearing a bit from behind the scenes, I believe this was true.  But she had apparently been engulfed in an overall constricting fear for the past three days.  Regardless, she did step over while we where talking to Angela’s father with a polite “excuse me for interrupting.”   She then talked with him, gave him a coupon/voucher or something and walked off saying she was headed to her flight.  Maybe she could have used the arm on her shoulder.  I wish her well.

While talking to Angela’s father we found him to be a gracious and humble recording engineer who looks far younger than his years would indicate.  He was obviously proud of his daughter and had great things to say about his time with Glenn Beck.  We discussed the point that Angela is unlikely to ever see a crowd of this size again.  He said that he had mentioned that to her as well.  Right on queue for a 22 year old, she said something along the lines of  “My facebook page is blowing up, never seen this many requests.”

10.  Enough is Enough… the New Hope and Change.

On our flight was one sole protester from the Sharpten rally.  She was wearing a read shirt that stated the simple message “Enough is Enough.”  I wished I had the gall to ask her how her really went, but I refrained.    I did notice however that the message “Enough is Enough” was generic enough to garner my support.    Similar to “Taxed Enough Already”,  enough taxes,  enough spending, enough debt, enough divisiveness, enough politicians.   It reminded me of days just past, when “Hope and Change” was the motto of choice.  A motto that again, could be filled with anything you wanted.  An empty vessel that means whatever you want it to mean.

“Thousands gather as Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin lead controversial Washington rally” and “Sharpten Rally fills football field”  that is how CNN was covering it by the time I reached the airport.    Since the reflecting pool is about 2000 feet long (5.5 football fields).    We could estimate the Restoring honor crowd at about 20 times that of the “competing rally.”    Done.   But that is not the focus of this piece or should it be of the remaining coverage.   Now the review.

Overall, the rally was well done and had good flow.   Glenn stepped up early to explain the overall structure of the rally and in between to stitch the sections together.   At each stage, he just as quickly stepped aside to allow the rally to flow unimpeded; allowing the SOWF to explain their mission, Sarah Palin to introduce honored military and to allow the presentation of the new Badges of Merit.  It was not until hour three when Glenn Beck took to the stage to speak at length on his own behalf.

The stories presented by Sarah Palin were well articulated and done with respect and reverence.  She carried it off well and stuck to the tone of the rally.   The presentation of awards to citizens of outstanding merit was a wonderful segment and should be the central focus of the coverage.   I have seen very little of this segment at all.  This is sad but not surprising.   The closest and generally fair coverage I saw was the segment of Glenn’s speech when he asked the audience how they differ from the giants that surround them in these monuments.   The extended quote ran to the end when Glenn explains that they were just men and they are no different then us, they only did the hard thing when it was most needed.   I have seen another snippet from this section that I would say was excerpted specifically to create more controversy.   That was when Glenn said he most identifies with Martin Luther King Jr.   Glenn further clarifies that this is because we have yet to create a monument to him and ensconce him in marble.   He is still remembered as a man– a great man doing what was most needed.   When I heard it live, I knew this would happen and I think Glenn did as well.   He had to give them something with which to work.

Dr. Alveda King was again wonderful.   Her strength of character was evident simply by her presence at this rally.  But her speech added power and a stark differentiation between Restoring Honor’s inclusive hopeful message and the competing rally’s divisive  ”Reclaim the Dream” message.

Glenn’s reintroduction of the Black Robe Brigade was a powerful moment, made more so as he explained the scope of the congregations covered.  I found it interesting and found myself wondering how this will manifest itself moving forward.   I am now going to have to watch the 8/27 event to understand this a bit deeper.   I am hopeful that Glenn was able to express his concerns over Social Justice and Collective Salvation.  Without these constraints, the message of ” God is the answer” leaves a lot of variables and interpretations that diminish the potential impact.

One criticism I have of the event was that it became a bit preachy in parts.  Given the speaker(s), one would probably say that this could be expected.   I only found the level of religion a bit over-bearing when those trying to show religious unity referred to God specifically as Jesus or Christ.   With other preachers (from varied religions) on stage, I felt a bit self-editing would have been appropriate.

This in no way limited to overall message centered on Honor through Hope, Faith, and Charity.   A heart-felt thank you goes out to all involved.   You probably will see more coverage about the debates of the crowd size then coverage such as this.    That is why I wrote it.   The focus of the rally was that we must be willing to do the hard things now, when it is needed most, and at personal risk.    Restoring honor starts with citizens, individuals doing the right thing and demanding the same from others.    Take strength in this fact.   The argument is sound, the message powerful.  Arguing against it’s merits is a losing battle.   Crowd size and race (always race) will move to the fore.   That is an act of weakness not strength.

For a more light-hearted view of the days around the rally see my “Ten anecdotes from DC 8/27-8/28”

Update (9/2): A few great articles covering the rally:

Out Chicago no less!  http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/15295.html

WSJ covers the dynamics well: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703369704575461633570826898.html

From the Rush album 2112.   Listening again…to the political message in this album.

“Something For Nothing”

Waiting for the winds of change
To sweep the clouds away
Waiting for the rainbow’s end
To cast its gold your way
Countless ways
You pass the days

Waiting for someone to call
And turn your world around
Looking for an answer
To the question you have found
Looking for
An open door

You don’t get something for nothing
You can’t have freedom for free
You won’t get wise
With the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dreams might be

What you own is your own kingdom
What you do is your own glory
What you love is your own power
What you live is your own story
In your head is the answer
Let it guide you along
Let your heart be the anchor
And the beat of your own song

You don’t get something for nothing
You can’t have freedom for free
You won’t get wise
With the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dreams might be

Many have looked at the Left’s reaction to the Tea Party movement and question this visceral reaction.   The Left labels the movement as astro-turf, fringe and most recently racist.   It is obvious that the movement bothers the left in this country, but why?   The left (including Hillary Clinton) oft state that decent is our right as Americans.   As Media Research Center points out; and documents in images; the signs at the tea party are at least equal (maybe even more tame) then those against Bush for the last eight years.   Pretty much every video of every G20 protest shows violence.  Yet, no video or audio evidence of racist slurs has appeared from any of over 100 Tea Party rallies.   The most recent rally in DC, even with dozens of cameras walking along with the line-jumpers, still has not created documented evidence.   Yet, proof is not needed to create the outrage?   Are they really ideologues, blind to their own fears and hypocrisy, is it feigned outrage, or is their something deeper?

It is important to remember that many of these folks were fighting “the man” in the sixties and seventies as young adults and teens.   They called for and attended sit-ins, protests and some fringe elements even resorted to violence (i.e. Bill Ayers).   I am not saying their current innate  fear is rooted in the fact that they have lived through this kind of escalating protest against the establishment.   That is too superficial and would only serve to increase the hypocrisy of the left.  No, I think it goes even deeper and more fearful.

Eventually, the war ended, these radicals aged and the fever died down.  Throughout the 80s and 90s, these radicals on the left turned their fight against “the man” to more traditional means.   They joined political organizations, universities and worked for companies.   From these positions they eventually infiltrated and now dominate the Democratic Party.   Most honest people will not deny that today’s Democratic Party is not the same as it’s union core and very far removed from that of JFK.

In this is where the real fear lies.  Those that have lived through the period from fringe radicals protesting against the man — to the leaders of the party in all three seats of power, fear they are seeing it being again.  This time it is on the other side and ideologically apposed to their form of government.   A group of radicals driven by a new ideology and a desire to fundamentally shift the direction of the U.S. government has again emerged. If this fire continues to burn, it will spread and likely move into all facets of government and solidify itself into society.    I sincerely hope that it does not take 30 years to build this movement into the controlling philosophy of a major political party.   I believe this movement is genuine (as theirs was).   In today’s communication and Internet age it is spreading far faster.

Based on the reaction from the left they know it is growing as well.  The power that took them 30 years to build could be at an end in a single election cycle.   This is what they fear and see crystallized in the Tea Party movement.

Do you think that title is true?  Have you ever even stopped to think about it?   What I have found is most people haven’t.  They assume it is true but never really think about it.

As people scream these labels at the administration, it is easy to say, “Whoa, that goes to far.”   I will admit I have my fears about the path we are on and the rapid desire of this administration to get there at any cost.  But arguing the emotional…”Yes, he is.  No, he isn’t” does not go far.  Next time, try this.

Ask calmly, “Do you believe there are NO communists(socialists) in America?”   You will likely get some comment about “a small, fringe, etc.”  Point to the recent protests for “education funding in CA”.   Ask if they bothered to look who was behind it.    Maybe you could entice them to read up a bit on it.   Since they probably have not bothered to look, you might try asking this follow-up, “Do you remember the big pro-Communist Party groups and politicians running around in the 70s?”   They may not and you might need to remind them that until the fall of the Soviet Union they were pumping money into the US to try and change our direction.

Try this on for size: As for issues, the CPUSA calls for free universal health care, elimination of the federal income tax on people earning under $60,000 a year, free college education, drastic cuts in military spending, “massive” public works programs, the outlawing of “scabs and union busting,” abolition of corporate monopolies, public ownership of energy and basic industries, huge tax hikes for corporations and the wealthy, and various other programs designed to “beat the power of the capitalist class …

Nothing like the current administration at all.

As for issues, the current administration calls for free universal health care, eliminating increasing the federal income tax on people earning under over $60,000 a year, free college education (i.e forgiving of student loans if you serve the community), drastic cuts in military spending, “massive” public works programs (i.e. shovel ready stimulus), the outlawing “scabs and simplied creation of a union busting,” abolition of corporate monopolies, public ownership of energy and basic industries (i.e banks, car companies), huge tax hikes for corporations and the wealthy, and various other programs designed to “beat the power of the capitalist class …”

Yeah, not even close!

I remember, and these days I ask myself, “Where did they go?”  Did they decide they where wrong and change sides?  Did they just go “Poof!”? Did they move away?  OR did they just get quiet?   Being quiet… did they work or live in caves and under rocks?  What kind of jobs would they have taken?   Van Jones said it best, “I’m willing to forgo the cheap satisfaction of the radical pose for the deep satisfaction of radical ends.”   I would put my money on Professors, Union Representatives and Community Organizers as some of the favorites.     It will take someone with better research then me to trace these paths but a few old articles and interviews from the late 60s and early 70s would likely turn up some interesting information.

The simple fact is they were here, are here and they always will be here.    Is it possible that as funding dried up when the Socialists and Communists decided to join the Democratic party and fight from within instead of outside it as a third party?   Does that not sound a lot like the conservative Tea Party conversation within the GOP?  The real question needs to be,  “Is it possible that we elected one to be President?”  Some now answer, “Yes!”   Some simply say it is not possible but that (as listed above) is just an emotional response and not supported by the facts.  Cut the people that use labels some slack, they just happen to see the connections and the direction and have assigned name to it.

As for the rest, the answer should be easy; had there been a 10-20 year voting and legislative record.  But there isn’t.   Therefore, we are left with current actions and those with which he chooses to surround himself.  So far a few self-labeled communists, a few Mao supporters and a handful of those that think Marx was pretty darn smart.   There is a lot of love for FDR.    There are not a lot of mentions of our founding fathers (besides Lincoln:)).   Then we have the take over of 34% of the US private sector and a mad dash for 17% more in health care and the rest of the student loan programs.

One final quiz question.  What do you call the form of government when government controls 50+% of  industry?  Especially, the distribution of all money and health services?  Is certainly is not a Representative Republic or a Democracy; but it is a “fundamental change for America.”

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