On the west coast, Freepers covered the President's back today, while Bush spoke to an incredibly fired up rally in Florida.
Posted on 03/20/2004 8:45:25 PM PST by DoughtyOne
Excellent job!
I guess we are moving to another thread, so I'll repost mine there. - FloratinaAs I posted previously:
So, let's all go over there, and make DoughtyOne's THREAD the "official" post-FReep thread, O.K.?Hollywood, CA Post Freep Report [Photos] Defend America Freeps Answer.org (loads slowly)
DEFEND AMERICA! "Support Our Troops" rally in HOLLYWOOD ^ | 3.20.2004 | DoctorZin
Posted on 03/20/2004 5:56:27 PM PST by DoctorZIn
We had an awesome time. Here are some photos of the event!
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THANK YOU for posting this thread, Doctor ZIn!We really "showed the flag" TODAY!!!And, you really created some AMAZING images of our rally!!!And they're BIG, too!Seriously, as we discussed on the telephone, part of the reason that there have been so few replies to this thread may be that it loads too SLOWLY...My poor little dial-up modem is BREATHING HEAVY...DoughtyOne will be posting a NEW after-action thread with SMALLER (faster loading) thumbnails - later tonight...We may then recommend to everybody that they post their comments on THAT thread, instead of THIS one - just because this one loads so slowly.Nevertheless,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU......for these WONDERFUL images!!!
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HERE is DoughtyOne's NEW thread:
Southland Freepers Provide Support for Bush and Our Troops in Hollywood, California (modem friendly)
On site observations and photos | My own thoughts
Posted on 03/20/2004 8:45:25 PM PST by DoughtyOne-- snip --
Since the images on DoughtyOne's thread are a littte SMALLER, it loads a little faster.
From www.protestwarrior.com:
(reposted from earlier thread)
To: Rabid DogI had a blast. This was the most fun I have had at a protest. This is surprising, considering that we were SOOOO outnumbered!
I arrived there just before noon. RonDog had us assemble well in advance of the Horde's arrival. The Horde was late, too. We must have stood there at least an hour waiting for the incoming.
In the meantime, Ted Hayes helped us limber up our vocal chords and during that time, we had the intersection to ourselves. Some of the enemy did not participate in the march and instead gathered on the corner across from us and at some point a handful of them tried to barge into our position, but we let 'em have it. They retreated and the offending cluster of the Pod was a few minutes later seen being addressed by perhaps a half a dozen LAPD. I assume they were being instructed to stay out of our faces.
Time dragged on as we awaited in our figurative "battlement". Helicopters began to buzz overhead, signalling to imminent arrival of our rival. Time dragged on still further. At last, beloved Ted stepped out on the street looking eastward on Hollywood Boulevard. He turned to us, raised the megaphone to his lips and said, "LOCK AND LOAD!!!!"
I have been to a few protests before. Usually the positions of the participating groups are static in that each group has their respective corners that they are entitled to occupy by permit. That is, until the ill-mannered lefties subvert our permit rights and do the crossing-the-street thing. They attempt to minimize our presence by incessantly parading from "their" side of the street to "ours", so the most prominent impression probably retained by those passing in traffic is that every participant there is a leftist. Then, "Oops, the light just turned red and we just happen to be standing in the permit area of the Conservatives. Where else can we go? What else can we do with our signs while we stand here except cover theirs up and hurl expletives at them?
Anyway, this was much more fun because we were in position already and they had to parade past us in all their anger and fury and they were mighty offended by our presence.
How long was the parade, guys, like, a half an hour? They kept coming. I assume their adminstration was aware that we would be there, but it seemed like the rank and file was caught a little off-guard. I dunno. I reckon they would have hollered at us anyway, but this was great. I have not laughed that much in a long time.
Interactively speaking, the impact (IMO) was as great as it would have been if there were 3X as many of us. It sure felt as if some of these "peace-lovers" would likely have resorted to physical violence were it not for the line of LAPD dividing us. They cussed us out and displayed their middle fingers generously. To be fair, there were many that preferred to show the peace sign instead. But there sure is an astonishing level of hostility in their verbiage and signage. It's breathtaking.
I even saw some friends of mine in that crowd. There was a quartet of guys sorta dressed like superheroes, playing instruments. They are known as "The Superbroke Brass and Tin and Strings Marching Ensemble" I informed the FReeper next to me that I knew them as I waded into the Horde to get their picture, and she graciously reserved comment. They are very good and dear souls, but we sure don't agree politically.
This was a fine day.
It was indeed an incredible day.... I must confess that I was quite overwhelmed by the whole mob... I am coming from Burbank and brought two teenagers that I used to nanny for...(14 & 12 )They were sooo great and love this country, can't understand the hostility...Like I said, I was overwhelmed to tears by the anger and hatred for our country and President and so like half way through their parade while my neighbor (14 yr old girl) and I were right up against the police tape some a##hole hocked a huge loogie and spit on us...
The awesome LAPD swarmed him and took him down and handcuffed him... I didn't think much but, "I love my LAPD" then an officer came up to us and asked if "we were the ones who were spit on?" I said yes he asked if we would like to press charges. I could hardly think straight and said "yeah".
- bellas_sister
For me, it all began last night when I started printing out 8x10 stickers calling DemocRATs what they are, which are socialists. I posted about 60 in high visibility areas all around where I figured the rats would scurry.
Next morning, bright and early, I figured might as well post about 20 more of my 8x10s (calling Democrats nazis and proving it)…Then I met Ron and coordinated with 'Protest Warriors' representatives. After this I went home to grab my Superman outfit, cowboy hat (in homage to my man Bush), American Flag for a cape, and sign that read "Bush the Liberator" and "Anti-War/Commie front"…Did I forget anything?…Oh, ya, the magical wonderful police quality bullhorn…A toy that made inciting a riot fun.
So 12 p.m. the parade starts down at Hollyweird and Vine and so I go for it…I see no support excepting some of my fellow Christian brothers on one far corner being taunted and harassed by Godless heathens, homosexuals and Mexician militant bigots…Since I did not know these people I began to enter the belly of the beast, which was across the street from the Christian contingent (non-affiliated).
Now, my sign is about 4 feet tall, on a stick, and I am about 6'2" and 220 pounds with my Superman outfit and American flag cape…At first I just began random taunting, calling them "communist scumbags", "tyrant supporters", "Soddomites", and I credited Bush with "liberating 50,000,000 people"…
Needless to say the worms and other assorted rodents were offended, but for the most part the pot smoking/unemployed/neo-commies did not like this much and offered up their typical fare "Bush is a fascist", "The Iraqi people are not free", various incoherent spitting and foaming at the mouth, 4th grade rejoinders, and other pro-tyrant-front regurgitation that KPFK and other anti-American propagandists have fed these miscreants and human vermin...This was within the first 30 minutes and all by myself, as the main contingent was at the other end of the pro-soddomits slither down crack infested Hollyweird Blvd.
If you want more, I got more (the fun just was just getting started).
Regarding the two former babysittees mentioned on the previous thread. I met the boy (I believe his name was Levi?) as he was dutifully juggling a flag and the end of a the nice big professional banner that wasn't attached to a city pole all by himself. What a sweet kid.
He told me that his sister was spat upon and the perp was arrested. Later, his sister appeared. I guessed that they were 12 and 14. My goodness, they spit on her! She is just a tender young thing. I will assume (for my sanity's sake) that the act of this protester is an aberration and not a reflection upon the whole group. That is whacked. An eye-opener for all of us, including those cool kids.
I was standing with the boy when a threesome, a young man and two women, showed up. I don't think they were older than 18. The guy said that he was on our side. He was a Marine, and he would prove it! He reached into his t-shirt and extracted his dogtags. All those within earshot thanked him for his service. He was in Hollywood visiting from Thousand Oaks and was unhappy to be confronted by ANSWER's protest.
Note to ANSWER - all your talk about "supporting the troops" apparently doesn't translate to those who serve.
As the young Marine spoke, one of the girls joined in, elaborating on the er...unpleasantness of the protest and how they were happy that they found our group. It was then that I noticed that she also wore the same kind of chain around her neck as the young man! I voiced my observation and she pulled out her tags - Marine! The third lady probably was too, but she had shifted out of my sight by then. They are due to be shipped out to Iraq soon, God bless them.
I told them about our website. I do hope they'll visit. Another flat-topped young man overheard our discussion, and chimed in that he was in the military as well and just happened to be visiting Hollywood when he was greeted by this spectacle. He was also quite young and has lost friends in Iraq.
I am glad that they ran into us before ANSWER's damage could run its course.
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