Posted on 03/01/2009 10:36:56 AM PST by DTogo
OK, thanks to Rick Santelli’s rant we’ve all had our symbolic “tea parties” around the country, then CPAC, and are feeling pretty good. Some have protested in public before, others haven’t but enjoyed getting out and meeting other outraged citizens, and others couldn’t make it because it was on a Friday and they still have a job.
So, ‘what’s next’ many are asking. Here’s a suggestion, with some built-in skepticism, expounded upon by a recent post by FReeper LS It's Not Time Yet, But . . .. Turn the proposed “Bonus Army” massing of people in DC into a We The People event, or “Woodstock” if you will on the National Mall!
Skeptic: Woodstock… wasn’t that for hippies?
Bear with me a minute. Say we’re able to amass a couple hundred thousand people or more into DC for several days. Interesting idea! But what would we do; march all day, shout all day, simply mill around? No, we should organize some activities to not only occupy the time, but also draw even MORE people/attention to D.C.:
1) Encourage Talk Radio hosts to broadcast live from the Mall! Imagine Laura Ingraham at one end of the Mall and Glenn Beck at the other in the morning, just talking out a parked RV or bus equipped to do so. Rush Limbaugh, Publice Enemy #1 from noon (would the Maha show up?). Hannity from 3pm and Levin and Savage from 6pm at either ends where Laura and Glenn were in the morning. And whoever has a daytime or evening TV show, like Beck/Hannity, could also do their shows “man-on-the-street” style.
Skeptic: What, stand around and listen to our favorite radio host yack into a mic?
2) Additionally, invite conservative musicians to come play, motivate the crowds, mingle, etc. No fancy stage set-up, just start playing where you stand and let the crowds gather. Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood, Ted Nugent, etc.
Skeptic: Hmmm, The Nuge on the Mall?!
3) Also, invite conservative celebrities/politicians to come speak and mingle with the crowds. Chuck Norris was just on Glenn Beck’s show the other night and seemed pretty fired up. How about Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin who’ve been making the rounds recently. Expound on that with invitations to Jon Voight, Robert Davi, Joe the Plumber, and political insiders like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, etc.
Skeptic: I don’t like all those guys, and would any celebrity even show up?
Yeah, we don’t all see eye to eye on every issue. It's time to unite and use their “gravitas” on site to attract media attention and motivate even more folks to attend. I’m not saying they’d all show up, but their absence might speak volumes and diminish their own future ambitions. And if 2~3 did show up, you'd think they have others on speed dial. Hey, there are no celebrities in the trenches of this 'war' for the Constitution!
4) Notify and invite local and national media outlets to the event. LS himself is a regular on Fox & Friends and other long-time FReepers have connections to the media and perhaps the folks in #3.
5) In addition to the media, we’d need some web savvy folks on site to quickly package clips on to Youtube and other web-based outlets so as not to let the MSM marginalize the event and the message.
Skeptic: Yeah, but you need a permit to do this kind of stuff…
You don’t need a permit to go to Washington D.C., and you don’t need a permit to walk around with a guitar over your shoulder or a fiddle in your hand, and play to whoever wants to listen. Pan-handlers strumming for a buck don't have permits, why should Ted Nugent or Charlie Daniels?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Skeptic: Yeah, but if they knew in advance they’d call out the police and shut us down.
Shut what down? People visiting the Mall? A musician playing to some folks who stop and listen? And how many D.C. policemen would probably rather hear Charlie Daniels or meet Chuck Norris as opposed to shoot tear gas at them? (Tear gas to Chuck Norris is actually laughing gas, isn’t it?)
Skeptic: OK, then they’d block off the Mall to begin with.
Then you’d have several hundred thousand people on the streets of D.C., blocking traffic, walking to different parks looking to hear who’s playing or who’s speaking. Is that better? What’s next, martial law?
Skeptic: Well yeah, what if they declare martial law?
Fine, then we win as they shut down the District of Corruption for a non event. And we can all stay home and shout “Ha HA!” at the TV. In the city named after one of the Founding Fathers and our first president, where the very Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are enshrined… our government calls out the police to deny We The People our first and most fundamental Right. Would they dare?
They will have demonstrated for the entire nation their absolute disdain and disregard for the Constitution, and distrust of We The People. Stay home, shut up, and pay your taxes – it is no longer your country and you no longer have rights. We’ll be stopping by for your guns later this week.
We all talk a big game about the Constitution, here on FR, on Talk Radio, and recently at CPAC. Well, when are we going to walk a big game?
FYI, what I suggested the other day on the Glenn Beck thread.
Personally, I think it’s a great idea. You probably need to get input on the length of the activity. What would send the message and what would be overkill. Also, whatever mass gathering could eventually come about, I think July 4th says it all for a date.
Great idea! And kudos for just spending the time to get your message out. I would plan to be there, for sure. Keep me posted please, pingwise.
So it wouldn't really 'inconvenience' DC as was originally suggested. And our message might get lost in the shuffle...
We must fight back the way the left did in the sixties - a tall order for conservatives, busy with responsibilities, I well understand.
Thanks for the support! Spread the word.
Oops, post 4 was for you, no Kenny...
You *do* know what happened to the Bonus Army, don’t you?
NOT Kenny.... AARGH dam fat fingers..
A great re-election commercial for Obama: Crushing the 1st Amendment in D.C.!
Music would help
I was actually thinking about something like this. Cover about 10 or 12 songs towards the heavier spectrum, but which nonetheless usually have a great chorus that everybody could get into.
Well, the “tea parties’ got pretty well organized with nothing but the Internet. (Thank, Algore!)
I believe conservatives will activate, even more fiercely than liberals, when their tolerance threshold is breached. We’re probably there already.
Count me in.
Ah, conservative musical 'diversity.'
Very good idea.
If you have a ping list for this, please add me.
If interest grows, I will create one. Consider yourself the first pinged! :)
At NYC Tea Party we had 2 radio stations, 1010 & CBS and a Post reporter. That was it. It could be the organizer, who threw this together in 2 days, never alerted the media—although he was on Neil Cavuto. You would think Fox News would have been there. But no. I like this Tea Party on the Mall.
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