Posted on 08/28/2004 3:33:16 PM PDT by SW6906
Today the unwashed masses gathered at the Tacoma Dome for a Kool-Aide drinking party AKA a Kerry rally. The line snaked down several blocks and was continuously feeding into the event for about four hours. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there were thousands and thousands of Kerry-ites there. All-in-all, there were at the peak about 50+ pro-Bush/anti-Kerry protesters spread out over a couple block area.
I arrived in Tacoma around 8:30 AM and never before have I seen so many hard-core lefties in one place as I saw here. Nearly every car I saw as I drove to the parking garage (and in the parking garage) had at least a Kerry sticker, more often than not also some kind of anti-Bush sticker. This was truly going into the belly of the beast. As I parked my car, I decided that:
1-I better back my truck into a wall parking space, and
2-I better take down the 8X11 Unfit For Command book cover picture from my back window.
I need this vehicle to get to work. ;o)
I linked up with our fearless chapter leader, Libertina as she stood alone on a corner with her Kerry Lied sign. We weren't there five minutes before we got our first one-finger salute. One woman with a Bush Lied shirt stood across the street and gestured to herself saying "This is who lied". That was just too much of a slow, fat softball pitch right over the plate that Libertina felt compelled to swing it out of the park with her retort: "Yeah, that's right, you are a liar!" That lady gave us our second one-finger salute.
We weren't allowed to meet at our original meeting place, so other Freepers may have had trouble finding us. We met up with some Protest Warriors and headed up towards the event. We soon discovered that the real protest was down a block and around the corner, right at the entrance to the rally! Yes, folks, they set us up on one side of a narrow two-lane street with the line feeding into the rally across the street, WELL within eye and earshot. The police did a good job of keeping the street a "no mans land" as many a time one of theirs tried to come over to get in our faces.
There was one guy there on our side who was VERY vocal, mostly about Vietnam. For some reason, after a while, he decided to get off on a rant about homosexuals and abortion, asking the crowd across the street to raise their hands if they were a "homo" or had had an abortion. After some time of this, a cop came and asked him to tone it down and not use the word homo. Bad idea. This set him off even more and he got louder and even more offensive. Several of us tried asking him to calm down as he was not making us look good, he was not helping the cause. We eventually packed up and moved down the block as we didn't want to be associated with his over-the-top extremism and choice of language - especially when there were kids there.
I respect his opinion, but this just wasn't the place to go off on that. None of the 25+ signs we had dealt with homosexuality or abortion (including his), that was not what we were there for.
After about an hour, he left and we were able to return to the prime spot he had occupied.
The LaRouchie's showed up with a huge banner condemning Bush and Kerry. They had some obscene song they kept singing over and over in unison about Bush and (Dick) Cheney and Kerry and so on. It actually was a nice sounding tune, but the words were nothing I liked. Good thing it was hard to understand many of the words. ;o)
A big group of the protesters (Protest Warriors?) brought these HUGE 4 ft X 8 ft poster boards that they wrote everything from Kerry is a Traitor to Asians for Kerry to Washington Loves President Bush to Kerry Lied and so on. EXCELLENT signs as they were huge with large, easily readable letters. We took turns holding them at various times.
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.
One yell I used over and over as the line moved by was Kerry wraps his campaign in Vietnam and says Bring it On, then when the Swift Boat Vets bring it on, he says make them stop, make them stop (in a whiney voice).
Kerry was supposed to be there at noon, he ended up being 50 minutes late. By then, we had been told by some of Tacomas finest that Kerry was going to come right by on the main street at the end of the side street we were on, so we moved down there and lined both sides of the street with our huge signs and people waving flags. When his entourage arrived, he drove RIGHT THROUGH OUR GAUNTLET. When he came around the corner and saw us, he was clearly seen in his SUV (yes, he was in an SUV) immediately turning and ducking his head so as not to see us. Coward.
Several of the vehicles in the entourage had signs in them saying Press Pool. In one of them the passenger in the front seat had his window down and I saw him flip us off. Another person said they heard him yell FU as well. Nope, no media bias here folks, nothing to see.
A couple other Freepers besides Libertina and I were there, but Im afraid I didnt get their names. As I recall more details, Ill post replies
.
Don't forget to send me an email address to send the pics to.
Thanks for the pint and the report. You guys and gals have all the fun.
X42 will be here in Pittsburgh tomorrow, but I don't think that I'll be able to get out to see him. Darn.
Maybe that guy is looking for some action, if you catch my meaning.
Grandpa Dave you find the best graphics!
Please give this poll your attention.
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/late.edition/
It asks if you will watch Pres. Bush give his acceptance speech Thursday night. Right now it is 79%, NO!!
AuntB???? Is it really YOU????? LOL
What do you expect from CNN?
Thanks, this was a custom made graphic by Meekonegop as per my request.
Richard is like so many talented freepers, very talented, creative and willing to share their talents with us.
I hope that graphic gets to every active duty warrior and their family and friends.
We could call it the "F-Umeter."
I hate to give CNN the hits, but I did and it is now 70/30 No/Yes. :o(
My estimate of yesterday's festivities: over 30 F-Bombs in four+ hours. Most - if not all - of them delivered in the presence and ear-shot of children.
You described the scene perfectly. I got up early to drive down from Bellingham and brought four signs one for me and three to share. My favorite sign read "Welcome to Cambodia"
I really enjoyed talking with the libs as they got in line. The one thing they didn't want to talk about was Vietnam.
I'd ask if they had read the book "New Soldier" written by John Kerry.
I received over 150 'no's' and not a single 'yes'.
Then I'd as say, "You should really read it before you vote." and of course I told them where they could find a copy to download. I was stnading there waving an American flag when the motorcade came thru. It was rather funny that someone from the SUV labeled press corps decided to give us the bird.
I am absolutely positive that Kerry saw our small but well organized welcoming committee. And this made it all worthwhile!
Thanks, Grampa. That one was fun to make. :^DI hope it gets distributed far and wide, too!
(Please God, keep Ron Sims from becoming our governor and help him to realize he requires medication.)
Thanks for adding that GREAT cartoon, Meekie! BTTT
Thanks! My pleasure. :^)
ROTFLOL Glad to see you here, MarMema. HEY! it's time for me to go watch the convention... chat later:)
I've been keeping busy. I'm going to Westminster College now, studying economics. Seen some of the freepers, but mid MO doesn't seem quite like the Puget Sound chapter, so far.
Guess you'll have to show 'em how WE do it then! ;)
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