Rally for AmericaII, Point Pleasant, WV

Self | 3/29/03 | WVNan

[WVNan]

My team of two arrived at the Mason Co. courthouse at 12:30 Saturday to set up our sound and hang our flags. We accepted posters from the school children and taped them to the doors to be judged.

The ceremony began at 1:00 p.m. with prayer led by self. Then a young lady who is competing in the Miss West Va. beauty pageant sang the National Anthem. Then the children led the crowd of 50-60 people in the Pledge of Allegiance. We brought forward all the veterans to be honored and thanked. We also thanked the first responders in our community.

Our State Senator, Lisa Smith spoke about our need to not only remember the troops, but their families as well. She called on the crowd to help the families who had husbands and fathers overseas. The next speaker was a former Sec. of Taxes and Revenue and now professor of economics at Marshall University. He noted that his uncle's name is engraved on the war memorial in front of the courthouse. He said that he never met that uncle who died in 1944, but that he and all of us enjoy the God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of men who gave their all to secure that right for us. A couple of other people spoke of their gratitude for the troops and our President.

We passed out song sheets and everyone sang four patriotic songs, then we proceeded to the intersection to wave our flags and display our signs. Then the local FOX network affiliate showed up and did a great piece about our efforts. Their shots made us look like a much larger crowd than we were. I might add that the weather was miserable. It rained Friday night and all morning Saturday. Then at noon it turned really cold and windy. I was happy for the turnout considering the weather.

Now we have something going which will be like the Friday night rally in Fresno. I'm starting a STAND FOR THE TROOPS movement. I will run a pledge form in the local rag where groups or individuals can send in a pledge to "Stand for the Troops" on a particular Saturday for one hour, from 1:00-2:00 P.M. until the peace is won. Hopefully, this will insure that someone will be n that corner every Saturday. I think it will be a great thing for church groups, scouts, 4-H clubs etc. to do.

[WVNan]

Here are some of the pictures. I'll work on the rest.

Rally number two begins. WVNan in the center offers the invocation.

Winners of the poster contest

Miss WV candidate sings the National Anthem

All the veterans. WVNan's hubby on left front.

State Senator, Lisa Smith

Professor Rob Capehart (next Governor?)

[Aquamarine]

Those pictures look great Nan!

[daisyscarlett]

Thanks for the photos...good to see your hubby out and about...And I loved your idea of having a poster contest for the kiddies...

[WVNan]

More pictures. How we doing girl? We cool, we cool.

Crowd listens

Crowd shot

Handing out song sheets

City Clerk makes announcements

Singing

More singing

Even more singing

On to the corner to involve the motorists

Happy troop supporters

About the time the television crew showed up.

[WVNan]

They all worked except...ta da! #13. I couldn't find anything wrong with it to fix. It was just a crowd shot anyway. Hey Aqua, you're a real Ga. peach! You learned something new and then told me in simple enough terms how to transfer them. One baby step at a time. Thank you so so much.

[WVNan]

daisy, speaking of posters, I forgot to tell something. I didn't want to get face time on camera this week since I was interviewed last week, but I really wanted to get the back of my HONK FOR TROOPS sign. It said, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE in big black letters with two drops of blood dripping down. On the news piece last night that sign on full camera was the last shot of the report. I was so happy.

[Aquamarine]

Stayed up to see how you did. Looks like you're a natural!

I got the 'More Singing' picture to work.

[WVNan]

Ha, aren't you the one. You can almost see my FREEDOM IS NOT FREE SIGN in that one.

[WVNan]

On second look, that's a soldier's grandmother. I must have missed two of them.

[Aquamarine]

[WVNan]

That's more singing. You beat me to it. I went back for it too. Thank you sweetie. Maybe one of these days I'll learn how to get the pictures out of my camera and then how to get them to FR. These are Kathey's pictures that she e-mailed to me. I have a card full that I don't know how to download. One step at a time.

[WVNan]

BTW, that's my good friend Kathey holding the sign on the left in that last picture. She has been such a huge help with all this effort. When I say that I started the rally, I mean that it was my hairbrained idea, but Kathey gave me the nerve to go ahead with it and helped me all the way. She lurks every day, but the turkey won't register and post.

[Taxman]

CSE is a strong supporter of the Armey "Flat Income Tax." Have they softened their postition?

Good to know that even with the war drums in full song, some folks are still thinking about fundamental tax reform.

What did you take away FRom the meeting?

And, many thanks for standing up for America!