After Rally Report from Raleigh NC

ME | 3/22/03 | mykdsmom

[mykdsmom]

We had a GREAT turnout for our Rally for America in Raleigh today. Crowd estimates are between 500-750 people. The weather was great, the speakers and singers were awesome and awe inspiring.

I am SO PROUD to be an American and part of Free Republic. I can't begin to tell you the dozens of people that came up to us today to thank us for sponsoring this rally.

I'll let all that attended post their reports here and I'll have the pictures up soon.

Freepers in attendence were :
Spacewarp, Wise Counsel, Goosie, Skeet's Wife, Skeet, Howlin, mykdsmom & husband, Freedom'sWorthIt, Constitution Day & wife; Overtaxed, Congressman Billybob, dstarr, Kitsgrits, RightOnline, RightOnline'sWife, Koz, dei23 & wife, kayak & husband, Ann_Archy & husband, wimpycat, 45semi, rrod, Howlin, ncweaver, Bobsbribe.

I apologize if I forgot anyone, we had a really busy day so please forgive me and go ahead and post your name.

MKM

[mykdsmom]

www.news14.com

War supporters gather in Raleigh Updated: 3/22/2003 5:42:16 PM
By: Stephen Conschafter & News 14 Carolina Staff

A supporter of the U.S.-led war holds a sign up high in Raleigh.

Supporters of the war in Iraq staged a rally for U.S. troops Saturday at the state capitol in Raleigh.

People carried American flags and held signs that read "freedom isn't free" and "support our troops."

Some were members of the Free Republic Network and Young Americans for Freedom. The groups called for nationwide rallies praising troops fighting in Iraq.

David Ianucci, a member of the Free Republic, wished the troops a quick and safe return. But while they’re in Iraq, he said he’d be rooting for them.

“We want them to know that we're behind this, behind them,” Ianucci said. “We want them to know that we're thinking about them and that we support what they're doing."

Despite the gathering in Raleigh to support the war effort, thousands marched worldwide to protest the war in Iraq.

In response to the anti-war movement a speaker at today’s event around the capitol building assured folks there that “cheering crowds” will greet American forces as they “liberate” Iraqi cities.

[MinuteGal]

Congrats gang!

Nothing could be finah than to freep in Carolinah!

Leni

[anymouse]

Way to go NC FReepers. Eagles up!

[Congressman Billybob]

Once you have all the information on all the rallies that took place across the country, I know you'll post that up to FR. Might I suggest that you throw into that thread copies of the press releases sent out for many of those?

Then, well wired Freepers can try to plug the likes of O'Reilly and such? The title is "The Rally that Never Happened," with the irony that DID happen, but as far as one can tell in the lamestream media, it never happened.

Just a thought.

John / Billybob

[mykdsmom]

Thank you SO MUCH for the inspiring and funny as he!! speech you gave today. You had everyone wrapped around your finger : )

We appreciate you so much and are fortunate you live in our great state and that you are a NC FReeper.

MKM

[mykdsmom]

Post Rally Report!

[spacewarp]

I called WTVD to protest their coverage. Stating there were "just over 100" was just plain inaccurate. They said it was from the police official crowd estimates. So, I did a little digging. I called Raleigh PD. They said it was a State Capitol PD thing and so they did no official estimates. I would have to call SCPD. So, I did. And they said they don't do those numbers, RPD does. And if they didn't do them, then the count didn't get done. So, WTVD is officially taking the stance that they got the count from an organization that didn't do one. But, when the Anti-Bush protesters put theirs together, the crowd estimate was not from official sources, but the organizers. Also, the reporterette who did the story, according to WTVD was the one responsible for getting the numbers correct, didn't even attend the rally.

Something stinks like the garbage on Blount Street next to Tir Na Og.

[Constitution Day]

Uploading pictures BUMP

[kcar]

Great rally. My wife took some pictures. Here:
http://theunsucks.com/RaleighforTroops.html

[dei23]

Take a look at this quote from one of the "Human Shields"

A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030321-023627-5923r

From UPI

[Constitution Day]

Ping! For Great Justice.

[Constitution Day]

bump

[ncweaver]

Thanks for the pics 45semi!!

It WAS a GREAT Rally! Constitution Day, Mykdsmom and dei23 did a WONDERFUL job organizing this. I know they were discouraged earlier in the week, but they didn't give up and it PAID OFF BIG TIME!

A special thanks to dei23 for taking responsibility for conducting the rally and keeping everything going.
Congressman BillyBob was fantastic and Jim Snyder very impressive.
We also had some great surprises-
-The 11 yr. old girl was great who sang the song she had written after 9-11 and sang Grand Ole Flag. Would love for the media to give her some air time.
-Then State Senator Patrick Ballentine!! He mentioned he had been at the White House and spoken to President Bush recently which tells me they must be supporting him running
for governor.

EVERYONE WHO COULDN'T COME THIS TIME SHOULD NOT MISS THE NEXT ONE!!!!!

[spacewarp]

O.K. I've reported my findings with RPD and SCPD and WTVD. Now, on to the report for the day.

Raleigh Rally Report.

Arriving, I saw dozens of signs up on Hillsborough Street about not parking. So, I pulled into the church where I attend and walked. Since it's only a block, and it was BEAUTIFUL weather for a rally, I decided to walk. I was treated to the sight of barricades and about 150 people in the crowd. I was about 10 minutes early. By the time it started, the crowd had moved up to about 500, and the music was getting people stirred up. Then it started. Moving speeches, lots of fun, great time meeting other Freepers and people who hadn't heard of it before, who have now. Beautiful weather. Great singing. Congressman BillyBob and the "I know what it means to be an American" speech. The very nice lady from the Republican Women with a wonderful speech. The prayer that stirred us all on. Senator Ballentine (who should be our next Governor). Jim Snyder (who I HOPE takes on Edwards and would be our next Senator). The wonderful lady from Iraq who told what it meant to live under the thumb of Saddam. All the signs and banners. The flags. The British flag that two ladies brought. The vet who got up there and I'm sure was wishing he was back in his unit which is right now freeing Basra. I'm sure I'm forgetting some (like Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Agar). The lovely young lady who sang with heart and soul with a very stirring song she wrote herself. The wonderful couple who sang several songs, including Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA. Wow. I was thrilled to be a part of that. All in all, by the middle, around 1:00 or so, I tried to estimate the crowd. It was enormous. Nearly 1000, if not more. No less than 850. There were people stretched back to most of the barricades in two of the directions.

I've been to some of these types of events before, but not a Freeper event. Once the applause dies down, it's a race to get to the cars. Not this one. Most stayed to mingle, get acquainted, clean up. This was not a trash fest like the corrupt Anti-Bush, Anti-America crowd. When I walked back after the resturaunt, I saw one plastic band from probably the barricades. There was maybe one or two pieces of paper, no more than notepad size. Apparently, the previous group left graffiti on the statues, trash all over and broken glass in the streets and grass.

When Dei23 and I were walking down to his car to take something there, we ran across a Raleigh PD. I asked him about the demonstrators a few weeks before. He just sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. He couldn't comment. But his attitude shift when asked about them was enough to let us know what he meant. RPD found out we weren't like the "other" group. They were prepared if we were. There were snipers on the roofs of a few buildings. It was significant to know that the bad guys rattled them so much that when the good guys came to meet, they needed that precaution. Anyway, it was great meeting some of you in person finally. And when I finish putting it together, I'll post the speech I had been working on presenting. (Since I didn't get to finish writing it, only one person's heard it.)

Paul (Spacewarp)

[dei23]

WB just gave our Rally FANTASTIC coverage. They spoke about the rally for a good two minuites and interviewed Maha on camera...of course they forgot to mention FreeRepublic.com and spoke about the NC Federation of Republican Women but FreeRepublic did appear on a number of the signs they showed.

WB provided the most and best coverage by far!

[wimpycat]

CD and MKM, y'all did a great job putting this together. The weather was perfect, the turnout good, the speakers great, but the media coverage (at least on TV) was minimal.

I saw a great shot of mykdsmom on WPTF's coverage, though. :-)

Congressman Billybob, I don't know if you saw the 3 Marines from Camp Lejeune standing near the back with the Marine and US flags, but they were loving your speech, this Marine, especially. He was marvelling (that's the only way I can say it) at everything you said. They were your Amen Corner. We should have Marines at every rally, because these guys were hollering and "ooo-rah"ing louder and more often than anybody there. They would have led the crowd in some cool cadences if they had had the chance.

The little girl singing was very good. I also liked Jim Snyder's speech.

Howlin, it was great to see you again. ncweaver, I waved at you but you didn't see me. Overtaxed, I must have missed you. I was introduced to a few more FReepers, but I apologize, I can't remember who they were. I had a splitting headache and wasn't up to snuff this afternoon.

[Constitution Day]

ARGH!

I cannot get into the image server... going to bed.

[Overtaxed]

Overtaxed, I must have missed you.

I was standing next to ncweaver most of the time. :)

I saw you there at one time but you were gone before I had a chance to come over and talk to ya. Hope you're feeling better now!

[Constitution Day]

One more -bump-

[ncweaver]

Sorry I didn't see you wave. I saw you and pointed you out to Overtaxed, but it was during the speeches so just thought I'd get to talk to you later. In fact, I looked for you when we did the group picture but didn't see ya-Sorry you weren't feeling well!