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Greetings- One and All !

To my new found Indianapolis friends, a very hearty and deeply felt THANK YOU for a job well done... Good and Faithful Servants.

I would like to report that I have returned home safe and sound, and I must say the driving conditions were treacherous as I made my way back to Illinois. At or near the state line, the weather conditions began to improve incrementally, until I reached a point about an hour from my home where the pavement was adequately dry. On the way home I was lifted up by the many thoughts of comraderie and patriotism that I was both blessed to witness and participate in, at today's rally. For the record, instead of a routine 3 hour trip back home, it turned into a white knuckle 4.5 hour thriller. WOW !

The time difference of one hour between Indiana and Illinois completely escaped me when I planned an initial departure time to come over, therefore I arrived at the tail end of the rally (much to my dismay). Undaunted, I pulled up to the rally point where the police had conveniently blocked the road and dropped off numerous signs. During my initial stop at Circle Park, I observed what appeared to be a relatively large gathering of supporters for our armed forces. The most visible items, bar none- were American flags in all kinds of shapes and sizes. US veterans were everywhere. An anthem could be heard coming from the crowd as I drove away in order to park.

I proceeded to a parking garage and after securing a parking space I headed back to the rally site. Upon exiting the parking garage, the first thing I noticed were hundreds of rally attendees scurrying to their cars. Using reasonable deduction I concluded the obvious- the rally was over for all intent and purpose. Or was it ?

Knowing that some die hards would not go quietly into that good night, I collected my signs and moved towards the remaining supporters who were unwilling to concede the territory to mother nature. It should be noted that a storm front was passing through as the rally concluded. Strong, sometimes gusty winds and intermittent rain pelted those in attendence. My cardboard and posterboard signs fared poorly in such conditions. Speaking of signs, as I approached the remaining crowd I layed the bundle of signs down and said to- "have at it". They did so with gusto. The signs were eagerly scooped up and proudly held aloft.

Down at the street level, a very vigorous discussion was taking place between supporters of our troops and what had to be for obvious reasons, an opponent of Gulf War II. Let me just say that whoever they were, they were catching hell. Our side was in no mood for their appearance or opinion and stated so emphatically (understatement).

I proceeded up the steps in order to find the rally organizer/s and some freepers. I came across a familiar face, yet I could not recall this individual's name. My first thought was how did I recognize someone from Indianapolis ? I approached this individual and learned that he was Joe Kernodle. AHA ! Joe Kernodle of the Marine Viet Nam Veterans organization MOVE OUT ! Terrific. Joe was instrumental in organizing veterans to counter the communists and marxists and socialists that descended upon Washington, D.C., as they attempted to speak erroneously for the Viet Nam Veterans. MOVE OUT speaks for themselves. Period. It was a pleasure to meet Joe and I offered my appreciation for a job well done in D.C..

In finding the organizer of the rally, one Rob Greene, I met up with my first freeper, as he is known around these parts as "jaguarcr". A very fine rally was organized in no small part due to this patriot's efforts.

In just moments, the miserable weather sent participants scattering to their homes and in some cases to local pubs or eateries.

A few of the remaining friendlies, formed up a rear guard and set out to protect the territory seized earlier. I met my second freeper of the day- "Republic", as she approached our vantage point carrying signs in support of our troops, wisely brandishing the Free Republic URL at the bottom of at least one of her signs. I had received some directional instructions from a freeper named "RummyChick", and wondered if she was the freeper that stood before me. Guessing wrong, I immediately recognized the name "Republic" as being one of the cheerleaders for the rally, on several of the Indianapolis rally threads.

After communicating in virtual reality, it is an absolutely delighful experience to meet in person- freepers from this very website. It is also very satisfying to meet with like minded individuals, united in a common purpose. We exchanged pleasantries (OK we hugged) and then formed up a small skirmish line with our signs.

An unknown but much appreciated gentleman was to the right of "Republic" supporting our troops, and to "Republic's" left, was a US veteran named Tim who was holding a sign which read: Freedom Isn't Free- Thank US Veterans. Tim was a real trooper as he stayed with us nearly two hours after the main rally ended.

We were approached at one point by one individual who wanted to express his gratitude for the day's events, and a US veteran home on leave, made his thoughts known to us. He was appreciative and said so, and he also reported how discouraging the anti war protests have been to the men and women on active duty, (that he serves with). Many passing motorists honked and waved in support of us, as we talked and held our signs up for all to see.

It was agreed to move in front of the WIBC 105.7 radio station studio, as they were instrumental in promoting the rally. A running scroll at WIBC continued to announce the rally as we hunkered down in the ever worsening weather. Traffic continued to salute our effort, as we received numerous honks and waves in our new location.

An occassional moron passing by (rare) would salute us with the middle finger. These morons gave the finger to people holding- the American flag, a small Bush Cheney sign, and signs that read: (Freedom Isn't Free- Thank US Veterans), (US Veterans Defend America- Do You ?), (Help Iraq Become A Free Republic), (Wage Liberation In My Name- Remove Saddam), (Honk For The Troops). The morons gave us the finger for these messages...*sigh*

A very dedicated lurker approached us and joined in the honoring of our troops. This lurker has been doing so, since 1995 here at FR. For personal reasons, our newest troop supporter tells us that she is not interested in posting at FR. Fair enough.

I would like to bestow upon her, an identity for descriptive purposes in this post- one that is befitting of her actions and efforts thus far. "Honorary Anonymous Lurker 95", or "hal95" for short. "hal95" brought a US flag and several signs. "hal95" was dressed in a military OD green jacket and a smokey bear drill instructor hat. "hal95" was kind enough to give an extra pair of gloves that she brought, to a new supporter that joined us. This young man was named Tom.

Tom was quick to pick up a couple of signs and hold them in the winds and freezing rain. I had gotten completely soaked in the rain and had to retreat to my vehicle in order get more clothing. I brought a US flag mounted on an 8' wooden stick back for "hal95", as she was holding a similar sized flag in outstretched arms, and appeared to need a little relief. I gave Tom a construction hard hat liner for head cover, as the weather continued to deteriorate rapidly.

Tom was a very well informed individual and espoused a libertarian bent. Between the 3 or 4 of us, depending on who was there at the time, we had some interesting conversations under very adverse weather conditions.

Our faithful freeper" Republic" had gotten enough and called it a day. Before parting "Republic" offered to take me in for the evening knowing how dangerous the weather and road conditions were. She assured me her husband would agree to such an offer. I was very touched by this kind gesture from a local freeper. Wanting to return home by evening, I declined. Thank you just the same "Republic".

A young US veteran approached us during our final stand and kept us company for a bit of time. He had been in the First Infantry Division, garrisoned at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was impressed by our tenacity in such lousy weather conditions. We appreciated his interest and support of us. Likewise he was appreciative of our efforts.

Near the end "Republic" made a couple of trips around Circle Park giving us the thumbs up and honking. It was her way of saying good bye.

Tim, the US veteran that stood with us for nearly the duration, left us about the time "Republic" did. Tom, our newest additon, stayed until all three of us agreed to call it a day, as we were cold and now thoroughly soaked. We policed up the area and then had a moment to express our gratitude to each other and agreed that we were thankful for such opportunities and witnessed as Christians to each other. This was a fitting way to part company. Warmongers- go in peace... LOL (warmongers we aren't- pragmatists- yes)

One other kind gesture deserves recognition. In parting, "hal95" handed yours truly, a generous financial contribution for expenses to and from said rallies. Earlier in the day, I had expressed my views concerning a trip that I made to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to counter protestors assembled during President Bush's visit following the State of the Union address. Additionally, I remarked that I was making every effort to attend the rally in D.C., March the 1st. I am nearly at a loss for words... I want to thank you again "hal95" for your kind, thoughtful consideration. It should be noted that "hal95" takes care of her mother, and that she remained at her post until it was absolutely necessary for her to leave and attend to her mother. "hal95" expressed fond memories of attending similar rallies during the tumultuous 2000 Presidential campaign of Bush-Cheney.

Ladies and gentlemen, Republic, hal95, Tim, & Tom, have given me enormous satisfaction in their comportment. A lesson may also be taken from this rally/experience. It is important for a rear guard to remain on scene in order to pick up any stragglers or lurkers or late arrivals, as they are expecting to contribute to the good of the order, as did the main body earlier. It was encouraging to see this dedication in my brothers and sisters. I hope that they might be encouraged by my actions as well.

Finally, I would like to express appreciation to the freepers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, RepublicanHippy & photogirl, as they too were kind to this traveler. I was rewarded with some local newspaper clippings and photographs from this good and proper freeping of a few weeks ago. Thanks- the freeper community is awesome. Plan TheWork Work The Plan