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My own view is that part of the problem with getting a large turnout in D.C. is that we have a protest or rally each week, sometimes one per day it seems. Combined with the fact we're innundated with political advocacy ads on radio and television 24/7, the locals have tuned out and as you know, it's very difficult for families to load the diaper bag up in the mini-van and head to Washington, D.C. in the middle of the snowiest winter in our lifetime. Families with older children have Pinewood Derbies, basketball games and Girl Scout cookies to deliver; baseball and lacrosse practices starting up. University students who care about their grades have mid-terms next week.

The anxiety level has been high with the Orange Alert and companies having corporate meetings about the new "Shelter-in-Place" plans. People value their weekend down time to recover from the pace dictated by living here.

Without the benefit of a local radio host willing to really bang the drum and rally the troops as apparently happens in other cities or until we get a break in the weather, I don't see us ever having very large numbers here in D.C. I could be wrong, of course, and in the meantime, those who can will stand in the gap and be the coalition of the willing and offer a microphone to the Americans the mainstream media doesn't scurry after. Would I rather have Washington, D.C. pictures look like Seoul, South Korea? Of course. But the fact that they don't will not keep us home.

Give it a rest. If you just want laurels thrown...run a better race.

In what specific way? Do you have *any* specific ideas? The only one you seemed to have was that we should have called off the rally altogether when we saw the weather was bad etc.

I don't recall anyone asking for laurels. We figure the Freeper community wants to know about the CSPAN rally. And many posts here indicate that we figure correctly.

Deb, your posts and your very thoughtful Freepmail to me (thank you for that) all proceed under assumptiosn about the terrible consequences of any perceived critique from the left of our rally. Well, that's coming anyway. I think NOT doing anything is even worse, though. And Mr. Azziz's speech was broadcast to *many* through CSPAN. I think you worry about the worst case scenario here. That's *always* an excuse to do nothing unless you can *bing* magically have a multi-thousand person rally.

I know those are the two choices, the only two, you think realistic. I have to tell you my response: I'm not feeding off of any praise here, I and others were working hard to bring more people out every way we could, you're just *wrong* to assume otherwise. But you're also *wrong* to assume that this was worse than nothing. You only reach that conclusion by assuming that the left will attack us for our numbers *and that will be damaging.* That last, asteriked part of the sentence is where I get off your train of logic. Of course they'll attack us. Let 'em. I'm focussed on what I can do for the troops, and I know -- I tell you again from firsthand experience -- what many of the Pentagon employees think of what we did yesterday.

If you just want laurels thrown...run a better race.

I'm running in the race, you're sitting on your ass there sweetie cups. Come on, show us how it's done and volunteer to take on one of these tasks.

Put up or shut up time sweetie cups.