After-Freep Report: Kerry in Seattle/Tacoma (Press Van Flips Us Off!)

My never lyin' eyes | 08/28/04 | SW6906

[GretchenM]

Excellent.

[GretchenM]

I don't like the request to suppress either but it seems like the cop was working at pre-emptive riot control.

[GretchenM]

So what did you think of Washington? Was the weather cooperative?

I spent most of life childhood in Oly.

[GretchenM]

You truly were in the belly of the beast.

Now you know why I love FR so much!

[GretchenM]

Someone needs to come up with purple heart-shaped stickers that we can slap on our cars whenever they get keyed or smashed, or Slap one on the tire that gets knifed, etc.

Excellent notion for those whose transports are wounded in the line of duty.

[Nea Wood]

So what did you think of Washington? Was the weather cooperative?

It was gorgeous! And the weather was absolutely perfect. I had a wonderful time. I want to move there!

Actually, something kind of funny happened. We took the "Duck Tour" in Seattle, (which was hilarious and a lot of fun, BTW.) At one point we passed this guy who held up a sign saying, "Hug a Republican in Seattle!" I figured, if that poor guy was a Republican in Seattle, he probably needed a hug! I could feel his pain, since being a Republican in LA is just as lonely! LOL!

Anyway, thanks again for your help. My friends and I had a terrific time in Washington and can't wait to go back!

[SW6906]

As a member of the Seattle Underground, I must tell you that the nice weather you experienced was an anomoly. It was not the norm. Normally it rains here all of the time. July, August and September are not normally sunny and a comfortable 80+ degrees like you experienced. Normally, it would have rained most days. ;o)

Seriously, we have glorious summers, but when it rains non-stop for two solid months or more during the winter, the non-natives usually move away at their first opportunity.

[GretchenM]

SW6906, have you been impressed with our summers the last few years? When I was a kid, we went days or even almost weeks with gray skies in summer, waiting for a day to get warm enough to go swimming. Now we wait for a day to get a little overcast so we can cool off. It's strange.

Nea, did you go into the Capitol building with the dome? That's where I hung out almost all the time in grade school, sliding down the low marble edges of the massive staircases, sneaking along the ledge of the Supreme Court building to look into its upper story offices, climbing to the dome (it was still open then), riding my bike down the capitol steps, slipping quietly into the legislative chambers or diplomatic reception room in awe, using the big trees for forts, playing in the Sunken Garden, etc. I lived very near the Capitol grounds. I think living in the shadow of the Capitol affected me in a political way ... hehe.

I'm so glad you came here and got to see the grandeur.

[unspun]

I understand about the guy. Great job.

[SW6906]

I've lived here for over 24 years and I believe these last few summers have been warmer and nicer (less rain days) than years before. Did we just go nearly the entire month of July and a good chunk of August without rain? Not normal.

What I found suprising was we didn't hear anything this summer about water restrictions or water conservation like we have in hot summers past. Interesting.

[Nea Wood]

We went into the Supreme Court building, but the Capitol building was not open for visitors at that time. Olympia must have been a fun place for you to grow up!

[Nea Wood]

Oh, yeah, I know it rains a lot there. I've been real lucky the two times I've visited, though. Real nice weather!

[GretchenM]

What I found suprising was we didn't hear anything this summer about water restrictions or water conservation like we have in hot summers past. Interesting.

I was pouring myself a glass of tap water the other day and thinking exactly what you wrote.

When the local "news" (lol) programs were threatening us with a severe water shortage a couple or three years ago, taking film crews out to the reservoirs and lakes and showing the *frightening* water levels, predicting death and mayhem, so to speak, I asked the Lord if I needed to pray about this -- was it really that bad? I had the feeling they were beating drums for a manufactured disaster. After praying over time, I just had the strongest sense that they were in an old playbook and were not basing their projections on anything but fear not founded in fact, on the assumption they needed to tell us to ration our toilet flushes or something.

It rained good and plenty when we needed it.

Wash, rinse, repeat. I think they finally realized how silly they were being and knocked it off.

[GretchenM]

I'm so glad you got to see at least part of the Capitol complex. It WAS a fun place to grow up. I lived up Capitol Way while they were building Interstate 5 next to my school (we were way up on the bank over the freeway but my friends and I scooted down the big cliff to watch the construction).

The Capitol grounds were our park and second home. It was as if all the kids in our neighborhood had a mansion with its grounds for a back yard, and professional gardners to make it all look gorgeous as the seasons changed. My parents, on pleasant summer nights at dusk or early dark, sometimes piled us in the car in our PJ's and drove us to the fountain and let us run around to blow off energy while they sat in the waning light and enjoyed the quiet beauty. There was a Dairy Queen a couple blocks away ... and Capitol Lake for swimming just down the hill from the Capitol grounds.

It was all just the right size for kids to feel free to play, roam, learn, enjoy.

[Just Lori]

When the local "news" (lol) programs were threatening us with a severe water shortage a couple or three years ago, taking film crews out to the reservoirs and lakes and showing the *frightening* water levels, predicting death and mayhem, so to speak, I asked the Lord if I needed to pray about this -- was it really that bad? I had the feeling they were beating drums for a manufactured disaster. After praying over time, I just had the strongest sense that they were in an old playbook and were not basing their projections on anything but fear not founded in fact, on the assumption they needed to tell us to ration our toilet flushes or something.



I know of one lake that may or may not be drained by man-made means. Alder. When I first got here, they were draining it (other lakes too, maybe?) .... not sure why, maybe fear of flooding... I don't know. Maybe they're not "wasting water" anymore.

[4woodenboats]

I remember him looking down at us, he looked worried! I didn't get a picture of him that time, but on the way out James took some one minute moving clips, and we have about 20 other pics. I don't have a clue how to post 'em, but I'll be happy to email e'm to anyone who can. I just need a normal email to send it to. WHAT A GREAT DAY!!! They were expecting 20,000, cops at the scene said they got alot more. Hard to tell, as they were leaving early, then some coming back..probably just getting a fix or something. James and got there around 10:30 - 11, and things were in full swing by then. We hooked up with Libertina and alot of others with HUGE signs, none of whose name I ever knew at C st. The sea of lemmings was routed right alongside us, then hooked a left for a short block where they spilled into a fenced area with a stage and bleachers, surrounded by a large pen. This area was apparently set aside for steerage passengers while they waited to mingle with the "swells". As a group, these folks were easily the most upset people I had ever met, kind of a Tourett City if you will. We did what we could to cheer them up - I had Kerry's voting record proudly displayed on my posterboard, and I offered to share it with everone I met today, which was pretty close to all of 'em. When that failed to make 'em any chipper, I even offered to share the latest news with them about 911 comissioner & ex Secretary of the Navy John Lehman's assertion he had no idea where Kerry's latest Silver star citation that bore his name came from. Pretty soon the sounds stopped on the stage. Kerry was late and nobody had thought of a plan for what to when the music stopped. James and I had ventured up to the gate leading into the pen so we could see what happens to Libs when the music stopped. I couldn't believe we left all our radio transmitter collars at home...missed opportunities...sigh. Now that there was nothing going on in front of them, they started to take note of us behind 'em and we had a nice chat with about 20 of the stranded headcases. It went pretty well, only one lady actually ran off literally pulling her hair out and screaming, a late 50's hippie started doing a spasorgasmic dance on the top bleacher whilst uttering some spittle chant that was way above our level of understanding, and I actually had one young couple stop and read Kerry's voting record start to finish. Then they left. Kerry finally showed, the volume went WAY up and the Bush rally had begun. With few exceptions, every word coming out of his mouth was "George Bush". Figuring things were in safe hands James and I went to lunch. When we came back, I was amazed at the deftness with which Kerry had successfully handed over the rally to the dozen or so Bush supporters still there. It was awesome, now EVERYONE wanted to know about George Bush and nobody wanted to to talk about Kerry, much less his voting record or military experience. The few thousand Kerry supporters left gathered around us on all sides - there was no way they could escape. Before long the sound went off again, and we deliberately, methodically and politely had our way with our new pets. We even got a double thumbs up from Lurch on the way out. What a gas

[ladyinred]

Of course there were a lot of one-finger salutes and swearing at us, all in front of kids that were waiting to go in. One guy was trying to sell stickers to people waiting in line that said “Lick Bush and his Dick” (as in Cheney) or something obscene like that.

These are the kind of people who support kerry including the media who are obviously not objective or decent human beings who know how to conduct themselves professionally. I only hope the American people reject these immoral bunch of pigs on election day.

[SW6906]

Just watched Q13 Fox news. Their mention of the 50+ of us and our HUGE signs was a distant shot of an unreadable sign through the Kerry crowd and a fence while saying "there was a small crowd of protesters present. There was one minor scuffle with no arrests". Five seconds max.

Nope, no media bias here, move along, nothing to see........

[SW6906]

I was stunned by the level of swearing and incivility displayed by the Kerry side. I was going to bring my 8-year-old daughter today and I'm glad I decided not too. Now, before you think I'm some kind of prude, you should know I can be about as crude as they come ;o) I just choose not to expose my daughter to these things.

[Libertina]

kind of a Tourett City if you will
LOL Sound like you had fun after we left ;! Hey, it these are video clips I will have you FReepmail AmericanSovereignty Defender and coordinate with him. Hope you son had a good time, must have been an eye-opener for him! Thanks for a wonderful After-Report as well. It occurs to me that a fact filled sign or hand out would be good to prepare each time and having a bull horn megaphone needs to be placed on the top of my buying list. Think of the education you could have inflicted er...offered them with a megaphone. ;)