Posted on 02/17/2003 9:28:30 AM PST by tgslTakoma
This past weekend I was thrilled to read the accounts here on FR of all the rallies, large and small, that my hardy fellow FReepers organized or participated in across the country.
It was a great effort and you made a difference.
At a bare minimum, these "Support Our Troops" rallies gave a morale boost to law enforcement officers on the scene and to our fellow citizens who came in contact with us. While the rallies were not the main story, our message was picked up and reported on in various media outlets, letting families of servicemembers know that patriotic Americans are making their voices heard above the din of the so-called "anti-war" protesters.
The leftist organizations are drawing on a forty-year head start of demonstrating and poisoning the minds of young people with anti-Americanism, hence their ability to bring out large crowds without much effort.
While their success in changing the viewpoints of rational people and the adults in the White House about defending America from terrorists and rogue regimes with weapons of mass destruction is doubtful, they are giving aid and comfort to our enemies and giving them great fodder for propaganda.
I recognize public protesting is not a full-time calling for conservatives. Most of us have families, jobs, studies and other productive things in our lives that we'd rather do on the weekends than go stand outside and hold a sign. However, when the issue is of critical importance we do come out in large numbers--impeachment, the Gore Wars, gun rights and pro-life marches for example.
I believe that this is one of those critical moments when we need to take to the streets.
FReepers have been doing a good job getting out and countering the leftists. Now we need to wage a campaign to convince our fellow patriotic citizens to join us in public demonstrations of support for our troops and the efforts to rid Saddam Hussein's regime of WMD and the Iraqi people of Saddam Hussein.
Freepers who belong to veterans groups, church groups, gun-rights groups, PTAs, home-school groups, colleges, high schools, unions, book clubs, quilting circles, etc., can help to spread the word by actively communicating the need to take it to the streets, and guiding these folks to the rallies that FReepers are organizing.
It is imperative that the anti-American left does not go unanswered like they were during Vietnam. Many FReeper veterans of that era can testify to the destructive influence that the left had back then at home and abroad. Our soldiers were abused at home and their enemy on the battlefield was emboldened. We must not allow that to happen again.
On Saturday, March 1st, the DC Chapter of Free Republic will be holding The Patriots Rally for America IV, from 11am until 3pm on the grounds of the Washington Monument. We have a permit for the Sylvan Theater, which is an excellent venue as it has a professional covered outdoor stage and a large field that can hold thousands of people.
We are asking our fellow FReepers to make the sacrifice of time and effort to come to our nation's capital that day to send a message of support to our troops and a message of resolve to our enemies abroad (and on the homefront.)
In addition to being there, any assistance you can provide - such as: distributing flyers, calling talk radio shows, contacting your local media, informing your families, friends, co-workers and email chains - will help immensely.
Members of the DC Chapter will be doing all we can here, but we need your help.
We have already received commitments from several speakers and are working with local College Republican groups and others to get the word out here.
If you are in the DC area and would like to help please contact me, Angelwood or Kristinn.
We will be making a formal announcement about the rally soon.
I challenge all Freepers who are within 11 hours of Washington to ask yourselves this question: Is anything else you might have done the weekend of 1 March more important than standing up for your principles, your nation, your men and women in uniform? If something else is more important, than do that.
But if not, pack up your family, a cooler with sodas and sandwiches, and hit the road for Washington. We have no well-organized communist party to run our rally from backstage. We have no left-wing money to pay for our busses and expenses. All we have is ourselves, our beliefs, our commitment, our FreeRepublic.
Let that be enough. Find the time. Find the money. Find your way to Washington on 1 March.
Congressman Billybob
Latest column: "Using the Old Noodle," now up on UPI and FR.
I will mobilize my ping lists for this thread sometime today - I'll try to get to it soon. Thanks for the ping!
Great idea! Gracey, spread the word, let us do it in Austin!
I'm sorry that you think I am abusing the state topics, but I must disagree with your contention. I felt that this is of interest to all states, in that I feel that FReepers in each of the states would want to organize or participate in a rally in his/her own state... if traveling to DC is not possible for them.
I thought that FR was a site for grassroots activism. If I can't put an activism thread in the topics list for all the states, doesn't that defy the purpose for FR?
If you want your state left off the 50 states ping when someone chooses topics, could you give us a hint what state you're in so we can skip you (and all the other FReepers who live) in your state?
Admin moderator... I try to follow the rules around here... did I just abuse a rule??
Isnt 'they' us? WHo is running the march/event?
I'd suggest a parade up Capitol avenue with school bands and veterans, etc. but that takes a lot of preparation. For political reasons, cant do the school bands per se, but we could try to get some kind of entertainment from sources. what about a DJ with "Proud to be an American" in between speeches?
I like the idea of some kind of march - the lefties did it. If we had a big enough crowd (1000+) it could work too.
Smaller crowd, might as well stand your ground.
Great Idea!! I will do the same.
RATS arent smart enough to keep their mouths shut.
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