LIVE Report From Crawford (3,000 folks now and STILL COMING!)

Basil in Crawford | 8-27-05 | TxBubba

[jennyjenny]

I just thought it was funny to see the sign pop up at all the different camera angles. No matter where the camera was focused, the sign eventually made its way into the shot.

[ChefKeith]

Howdy there, how was London?

[El Gato]

Soooo, that's what Eaker looks like.

Yea, frightening isn't it? Just kidding. I'm the guy in the cowboy hat and green tee shirt. Basil is behind JimRob's head taking a break in my chair. The lady in the cowgirl hat is a Navy mom, and wife of a Vietnam era Marine, from North Carolina, who could best be described as "fiesty".

[El Gato]

We need to re-take the V for Victory sign.

We did. Actually we never lost it. Palm forward is the sign of the American Chicken. Palm towards you is the "V" for Victory. Look at pictures of Winston Churchill... of course he often had a cigar in the "V". ;)

[texianyankee]

Hey texjan - thanks for posting that pic! That's my lady & me w/ the white ball cap holding our youngin' in the center of your photo... Sorry we never got around to meeting you or any other FReepers.....

[Pantera]

where can i get one of those "i hate hippies" t-shirts?

[deport]

Thanks.... Apparently the warriors do a good job of getting coverage....

[SuzyQue]

Well - apologies accepted, I guess. I'm still not sure what it's about.

We did have fun walking through the cindy camp. There's some money in that effort. Great big tents, rows of porta-potties, water being passes out, tie-dyed umbrellas everywhere, and very officious people directing traffic and telling people where to stand. (Apparently us pro-America types don't need to be herded and controlled like the cindy people). It was a very obviously well-organized event. Where do they go to get demonstration training?

One tattooed and pierced young lady with multi-colored hair was confidently telling other sign holders that if it were legal in a place for a man to go shirtless, then it is legal for women to go topless also. Equal sunburn for all, I guess.

So, if you've wondered where to find scrawny, old men and women with greying locks straggling down around their red, sweaty faces past their earringed lobes, and down to their Birkenstocks, that is the place to be.

(Now keep in mind, that I am a conservatively-dressed middle-aged woman wearing a "Support the Troops" button and an American flag pin). One older, bitter-looking woman was asking a companion across the road if the "thing" at the "other place" had broken up and did they have any "intel". I told her she could ask me, I was there. She brightened up for a minute and wanted to know what "they" were doing, singing and praying for peace, and she said something about Republicans. I told her I was a Republican, and she just kept on like she heard me but it hadn't sunk in. I finally told her that I was "them" and she got it. "No, I AM them!" My friend told her that yes, we did sing and pray, and she sniffed and looked skeptical. We tried to insert "justice" into the conversation, but she wasn't having any of it. Her mind was full and she wasn't going to hear anything we said.

One other man was into full rant mode at a man and his three children (who looked uncomfortable and a bit frightened). He was talking about the "vets" who were working their side. I listened for a minute and then asked him if he was a vet. He looked shocked and and said "no" and it took him a few minutes to get back into rant mode. I don't know if was my sheer effrontery at questioning him, or at my suggestion that he could have ever been a member or our armed services.

I was so impressed and moved by all of the pro-America people there. There ranged in age from infants to the solidly mature, all of whom braved the absolutely BRUTAL heat to show our support. The fine citizens of Crawford really went all out, and we need to thank them. There were GW signs, "We support our Troops" signs, American flags everywhere. I saw a man in one of Rush's GITMO shirts. I loved the shoe-polished horses. It was just awesome!

[Allegra]

Howdy there, how was London?

It was wonderful. I had the best time and we also prowled around St. Ives, Penzance, Exeter and I met up with some old friends in Plymouth. A much needed respite from it all and the Brits could not have been nicer, more fun or more welcoming. Saw some great shows in the West End and built up my leg muscles climbing cliffs around Cornwall.

How's everything with you?

[snugs]

Yes the horses had the "cute value" for the press but the real story as you say are the WWII vetrans and young people with children.

[snugs]

Love the caption to the CND logo brilliant

[ChefKeith]

Cool, sounds better than the land o sand.

I had to come back from "vacation" at Mom's B-day party just so I could go back to work and get some rest.

Had over 50 show up for the party and My Brother, Sister in law and I ran our butts off setting up and keeping food/drink flowing for 6 hours then cleaning up.

[N8VTXNinWV]

When I worked for KWTX, we used to call KXXV a Mickey Mouse station, as they were owned by ABC/Disney when the station was born. KXXV is where E.D. Hill (FoxNews) got her start. Back then her name was Edie Tarbox (with Stu Bowersox the weather dude!lol)

[snugs]

Thanks for the wonderful account and once again sincere apologies for my earlier posts.

[TaxRelief]

The following is a photo essay from a young man from the Fort Worth area who is not YET a freeper. The commentary is exclusively his:

Here they are!!!! Our pictures from the "Cindy, You don't Speak for me Tour"!!!! I just wanted to send these to y'all to share this amazing experience as I joined up with MoveAmericaForward to take my stand supporting our troops!! I told them to check out the website.

To our surprise there were no peace loonies bathing naked in the water...they had scattered like flies at first sight of our caravan!!!!


Think this...and then multiply it by 1500 and u'd get a little visual of how the parking area looked!!!


Supporters line up to sign a letter to W while others prepare for the rally under the tent!


One of the more touching parts of the rally: this large flag had the names of family members and friends in Iraq and messages of hope and inspiration!



A packed house!


The 60's might be over, but there are still lost souls of the "do-nothing-peace side" that need to be educated in symbolism!


I love the sign on the left!!!


Showing up the boy from "Deliverance"! Nothing like some good-feeling, pro-American, country music!!! The banjo player, Richard Simms, proudly volunteers to entertain the USO at D/FW airport!!!!


A little cunning, conservative creativity!
Signing a flag to send to our brave troops!


We'll be right behind this guy, too!!!! Haha!


Just when you thought the trucks had gotten as big as they could get...!
Lots of soldier parents and vets showed up in force at Crawford!




Supporters, undeterred by the heat, filled the entire area as they treaded on ground that just a week ago had been infested with liberal pests!!!!
I think this one got a little lost. He's calling for a friendly, neighborhood Camp Cindy Kumbayamobile to come pick him up.
Camp Reality


He already has!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What an uplifting lookin group!!! Hehe!


If beauty can ever be used to represent political ideology well let this be the example: he is the representative from TruthOut.org!! So what we learn here is simply this: butt ugly=disgruntled and whining liberal. This man got in our faces to the point that my daddy chewed him out! After asking him to leave he'd just stand around filming our faces. Finally, a sheriff came over and threatened to arrest him. Even better, we asked him who he represented and he said the media, which is unbias so we shouldn't worry about a thing!!! Haha! That put up a red flag up!
My dad's famous sign was ranked by FoxNews as the #1 sign in Crawford!! We kept chanting it to the other side throughout the day!



Supporters came in all shapes and sizes!!!


I made this sign on the spot! "Cindy, don't capitalize on a patriot's death!!" This one got much attention and whining from the other side while each vehicle that drove by went crazy honking in support!!! My fellow conservative friend talked so directly to the kooks that the sheriffs came over and spoke to him, saying his remarks might "emotionally damage" them! Haha!
Right right right...freedom and democracy I guess is not a noble cause to this lady!


Both of these men are proud vets making sure what happened to them during Vietnam doesn't happen to our brave troops over in Iraq!


This vet was one of my favorites!!!!! He loudly proclaimed that he served his nation for 25 years so these kooks can commit treason!!!


Doing what they do best: dress vintage, sing of flowers, and dance like they're stoned! The lady with the picture of the soldier was extremely disgraceful to that young man: She danced around in a circle swinging his picture around like some worthless object!!!



Sheriffs taking off that same girl you had seen dancing in the previous picture!!! Her dancing just looked too much like she was stoned! Haha! Actually, she had been yelling irrelevant points the whole time!


Though they might be from the other side, I still felt like showing that we aren't bigots, ignorant, or hypocritical. I discussed Cindy's San Francisco State speech, Code Pink's funding for the insurgency, and Cindy's refusal to pay taxes. He asked me also how I felt about President Bush passing bills to support the highways and not VA benefits before going on vacation. I just shot him down as I pointed out that the president has nothing to do with passing those bills and while serving as a senate page this last month that I am against the highway bill, however only four senators in the entire senate voted against it. Only a handful also voted in favor of the VA bill, so they were out of line trying to place the blame on Bush.

Comment from Taxrelief: Pretty together kid for 18 years old, eh? We'll have to work on getting him to sign up on FR! Thebatlady, Do you remember giving him his application to register to vote on his 18th birthday?

[ChefKeith]

Interesting

I've only been in this area for about 2 years and I've only watched local news maybe 6 times. It's all fluff and lies.

Like I said earlier I got TV for SPEED Channel, FoodTV, Military Channel and go to the networks if there is a race on.

When were you at KWTX?

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Very cool 18 year old! Please tell him to say hello to me if/when he signs up! I would love to welcome him here!

[N8VTXNinWV]

1984-1990. From my understanding since KWTX has been sold (several years ago)they've gone downhill. They were always rated number 1, now I think KXXV has the honors. I'm sure the former owner (who told Dan Rather that he'd never make it as a sportscaster....)would flip, if he were still alive. He always said, "just give the facts and don't blow smoke up my a$$!"

On another note...My mom said that she enjoyed watching all of the buses with Pro-Bush supporters roll by. They live about 7 miles from Crawford. I wish we (myself & shezza)could have been there at the rally.

[blackie]

Wake Up America ~ Bump!

[Zechariah_8_13]

A couple of hours was plenty long enough in that heat and humidity. Unlike the other side, we had no "Patriot House" to retreat to. No Soros provided trailers (although we there two or three motor homes, some from the caravan, one that was there much earlier) As it was we had at least a couple of people hauled off in ambulances, and some number of others treated on site for heat exhaustion.

I think most people didn't realize that the VERY air conditioned community center adjacent to the rally was open for all. They had cases and cases of donated water to hand out. I, too, wish the rally had lasted longer.