Posted on 10/26/2004 8:16:32 PM PDT by sneakers
I'm all pumped and trying to collect my thoughts to get this down before I forget it all!
Tonight, Michael Moore spoke at our local University - Indiana Univ. of Pa. The word was spread that the College Republicans were going to stage a protest and the turnout was beyond what they expected!
At 4:00 p.m., members of the community showed up at a local pub (Boomerangs). A free draft was offered in exchange for a Michael Moore tickets. Lots of students, and members of all ages gathered both inside and out. Everybody carried signs and sported "Bush/Cheney" stickers and buttons. They showed the film "Fahrenheit 9-11" then a prayer was said and we marched approx. 8 blocks to campus. As we marched, others joined us and our ranks swelled. I don't know how many but I would say at least 400 at the low end. We got plenty of honking from passersby in support of our march. We arrived on campus where we were met by a crowd of protesters from the 'other' camp. I heard somebody say that they the other side was a bit taken aback because they didn't expect our numbers. (Heck, WE didn't expect our numbers!!)
Many of our group had tickets. The plan was that they would go in an take their seats and, when Michael Moore came out and started to speak, all of our them would get up at the same time and walk out. I didn't go in, but A LOT of our crowd did. The rest of us stayed outside and protested for the hour and a half and, just after 9:00 our people came out of the building - all jubilant!
While part of our group was inside, the rest of us were facing off with the sKerry supporters. Their side was nasty and I heard lots of vulgar language. The venom!! It was like throwing holy water on a demon! I ran around taking pictures. I was hoping to meet up with freepers GregB and Pubmom but didn't know what they looked like! So, instead, I took pictures and told people I was hoping to post them on the Conservative site FreeRepublic. That's how I found out that two of them were Freepers! I had the pleasure of meeting Freepers Jhigh and Ironclad74 tonight. Both college students and members of, I believe, YCOP! It's always so cool to meet fellow Freepers. They told me they knew Badray, whom I had met as well.
Anyway, we yelled "Flip/flop/flip/flop" "Moore-on, Moore-on!", "IUP loves Bush" and "Get a clue!, Get a Clue!" to the ketchup-boy supporters. Finally, when our people came out of the fieldhouse shortly after 9:00, we turned and left.
I guess there's hope for this community, and I'm surprised at the number of students who are Bush supporters. I think our crowd gave them a voice. Now, don't get me wrong - there were plenty of pro-kerry students there along with some older folks, but there sure were a lot of Bush supporters!
I'm afraid I'm going to need some help posting pictures. It was dark, but I got some good ones. Maybe some wise freepers can lend a hand here and talk me through it?
FahrenHYPE 9/11.
Well done, good and faithful Freeper.
Hi there! I think you are the lovely lady I met Tues night walking back up from the campus. I am the one that couldn't remember her handle here. lol
Anyways, there is an article in the Indiana Gazette on the march, not a bad article, here's the link...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13234073&BRD=1078&PAG=461&dept_id=151025&rfi=6
But they were very low on the numbers as well. I know it was well over 400.
Did you see the Dem kid throw the fire cracker at the little boy? That was just sickening. :-(
Anyways, if you haven't found a way to get your pics up, you can email them to me and I can post them on a page on my web site. I can make a new one and throw them up for ya if you'd like.
It was so great to be a part of that.
Oh, and Ronda Goodrich and her friend Courtney, who are both stay at home moms, were the ones that helped the College Republicans organize it. :-) That is what caught my eye when I originally learned about it.
I thougth it was a great night and we have a bottle of champagne ready to toast to President Bush come Tuesday. :-)
Hi!!! Glad you found your way back to FreeRepublic! That means we have FOUR freepers from Indiana County!
No, I didn't see the incident with the Dim throwing the firecracker. Those folks really make me mad! Also, one of the marchers - a young man in a wheelchair named Jeremy - was mocked!
I've had several offers to post my pics, I just haven't had time to get to it. Since you live in Indiana, I can e-mail them or, since I burned them to disk, you can use that.
By the way, check your mailbox! :)
Yeah, the moron threw a fire cracker at the little boy, he seemed to be around 2 yrs old. But when the cop came over, the moron insisted that someone from our side did it. Yeah, right. That relaly upset me and that's when Ronda decided we were out of there.
Yeah, I met Jeremy and his brother. I don't know him, but turns out Dave, my husband, works with his father at the power plant.
It was great to see him there, even better when he was one fo the people that went in and then got up and left!
That's fine with me. :-)
Ping me if you get the pictures up.
Sneakers. I am Rhonda Goodrich who was the head and "founder" of this event. Would it be possible to email the pictures you took of this event??? Thanks so much.
I have to compliment you on a job well done. Everybody was impressed at how well-organized it was. I understand Michael Moore was also a bit surprised at the turnout!
Well, stay warm. I have to go to work. If the weather gets really bad, I hope they close the courthouse down early - though I doubt it will happen! (that's where I work) Meanwhile, I'll check out other disks. Maybe he labelled the wrong one. sneakers
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