Posted on 10/23/2004 8:26:44 AM PDT by FlJoePa
Gallagher 'humbled' by huge turnout
By Nichole Dobo
ndobo@centredaily.com
UNIVERSITY PARK - Deafening applause and shouts of "four more years" greeted Mike Gallagher as he walked into the Thomas Building at Penn State on Friday evening.
He briefly left the auditorium as flags, prayers and patriotic music filled the hall and photos showing images of Sept. 11, 2001, were shown. Then, the talk-show host re-entered the room, shortly after 9 p.m.
"I'm gonna start weeping," Gallagher said to more than 750 people in the audience. "I can't believe the feeling in this room tonight."
Gallagher said he was "humbled" by the huge crowd and its energy. He vowed to "yap about this night" for many weeks to come on his nationally syndicated radio show, heard locally on WRSC 1390 AM.
Although Gallagher opposed spending student money to pay for an appearance by filmmaker Michael Moore at the Bryce Jordan Center, free speech at the university is important, he said.
"We know he's wrong," Gallagher said, "and we want our side to be heard, too."
Gallagher, since announcing he would come to Penn State, has been asking for contributions to send care packages to troops overseas. He said he'd raised $62,200, about 95 percent of which came from the State College area.
He had invited three soldiers to speak beside him.
Staff Sgt. Larry Gill, a career military officer and the recipient of two Purple Hearts -- one for wounds received while serving in Iraq -- said the packages will mean a lot to the soldiers in Iraq.
"It's great getting a package from home," he said. "Little things, like a bag of M&Ms that you might take for granted, really brighten our day."
Gill urged the crowd to vote for President Bush on Nov. 2.
Dave and Mary Lu Sittler, of Spring Mills, sat in the lobby for lack of any available seats in the auditorium. They donated money to Gallagher's cause, they said, to support the troops and show their displeasure for the Moore event.
"We are both Penn State alumni, and we were not pleased that student money went to fund that event," Dave Sittler said.
The good thing is, the more the left tries to intimidate people, the more they reveal themselves for what they really are.
Great job jhigh! I look forward to visiting your blog and seeing some pictures.
This is such an outstanding blog. Read and bookmarked. Thank you.
Very well done website, but, uh, there seems to be a site missing from your links ;)
Anyway, Gallagher said there had been a $1,500 reward offerd by some leftist group to anyone who could assult Gallagher with a pie to the face while he was on stage .
It's fun seeing the left spinning out of control, but they're starting to put our guys in real danger.
Good point. Taken care of. Thanks.
lol, I also thought it was about the comic.
I think we're one middle reliever away from turning this season around...
lol...If we could have given Iowa a few more possessions, maybe we could have come up with another safety to tie it and send it into overtime.
Of course once into the overtime, the task of driving their offense backwards 60 yards for yet another safety (our only apparent method of scoring points) would have been very daunting.
I think the problem was they stranded too many guys left on base.
"Confused" was NOT the word to describe seeing that 6-4 score...
It's a shame to see Paterno's reputation tarnished like this.
That's exactly what I said during the game...LOL.
Can't blame 'em. How the mighty have fallen...
Joe's gotta hang it up. Why put himself through the last few years?
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