Posted on 03/14/2003 6:17:19 PM PST by RedWing9
Today, March 14, 2003, the Chicagoland Chapter, a member of the Free Republic Network, announces a Rally for America to be held on March 22, 2003 from 11:30 am to 2 pm in Federal Plaza, Chicago, IL (Map 1 and Map 2). The rally will consist of speakers, flag waving Patriots, and pro-Americanism. We will support our troops, display our support for America's anti-terrorism efforts, and best of all - enjoy each others company.
We have a committment from Kevin McCullough from WYLL 1160 AM radio in Chicago. Other noted speakers will be released soon.
We will be extending invitations to many organizations in the Chicago area. If you have a contact in an organization that would like to join us, please send them a link to this thread.
Official News Releases will be sent to all Chicago area news organizations.
For further information on the Rally for America, including other nationwide rallies, visit Free Republic Network. Resources available to us are also included in this link.
That might work real well, if I can't work deal on stage.
Also, we'll probably need a card table to set up the sound mixer and at least one chair. I've got a card table set, but won't know if I can fit it in 'til after I pickup sound gear.
Look out ... Rollee be on a roll!!
Don't worry about it... I can pull all the seats out of the van. I could lay a 4'x8' sheet of plywood back there... :) Plenty of room...
The leftist element in our congregation has really been milking the crowd in support of their anit-war rallies, candlelight vigils, etc ... This morning, after they got done with their weekly diatribe ... I got up in front of the congregation and said, "and for those of you who are interested in showing support for our country, our troops, and our president" ... and went on to give out details on next week's rally.
You can't believe the number of people who came up to thank me after service. Several plan to attend. One, a Mount Prospect City Council member, is going to help promote our rally through her political network.
Everybody: GET THE WORD OUT!!!! everywhere you can think of.
We can do this!!
Contact the VFW and American Legion!
I have a phone list of every VFW and Legion post in the chicago area, and will begin making calls in the morning.
BTW, is anyone responding to the various requests for someone to represent the pro-war side at the small, local debates? That's where we often lose. Both sides get invited. But our side doesn't take the invitation seriously. Then we wonder why our side isn't represented.
For example, Lane High School is sponsoring a debate and looking for someone to represent the pro-war side. I'll bet they're having no problem finding someone for the anti-war side.
I know you are locally focused spintreebob, but I find this post untimely and unwarranted. Why is it that we must hear about these opportunities now, instead of previously? You would have bumped me had this kind of opportunity been available before, right???
Let's bury the hatchet, you spend some time this week promoting the rally, and I'll be a debater at the next opportunity you post about, k?
Excellent idea! Spintreebob is big on this technique as well. I remember at the anti-anti-gun FReep in Des Plaines that he managed collect a good list of all those who attended. It's been put to good use.
Did you give them my contact info????
Yes, indeed. Going to bed early on Friday nite so I can be ready bright and early for a big freep! I'll be there about 10:30.
I think we need to make it clear during the rally that the liberal kooks don't speak for everybody they CLAIM is opposed to this war. During the Washington D.C. rally, one of the most effective speakers was a leader in the Iraqi-American council. He made it clear that this was NOT a war against Arabs since everyone he knows is an Arab who fled Iraq and can't wait to stop Saddem from terrorizing his people.
An another example is the incessant stuff we here about college students and high students being against the war. Well, I'm a college student and I'm not opposed to going after Saddem. The anti-war kooks are mobilized and funded to dominate college campuses and drown out any dissent on campus (the very thing they ACCUSE Bush of doing to the general public!) They are helped by an overwhelmingly liberal faculty and administration who insist the "official" position of their school is EVERYONE opposes war, no matter how many students challenge that assertion. Only about 1 in 5 students is even ACTIVELY against the war. Students who support action against Iraq don't have any college-funded organizations dedicated to it, so the media ignores their pretense. The only coverage we get on campus is through professional student newspapers who actually attempt to be fair and balanced
I'd bet that most the H.S. students and younger who "oppose" the war can't think for themselves and are just parroting what their liberal parents tell them to believe. Most of them are too young to remember Gulf War I and are actually giving the same flawed logic that people used in 1991 to "oppose" war. (i.e. the war will be another Vietnam -- lasting years and being unbeatable, the elite republican guard is extremely vicious and will fight the death, so thousands of Americans will be killed in combat, etc.) I was pretty freaked out by those claims at the time (hey, I was in 5th grade) but now I'm older and wiser. The same can't be said for people who were in diapers the last time they "witnessed" war in the Gulf.
As RedWing noted, let's deliver a message that's Not In Saddem's Name
I don't think the empathizes should really be about changing people's minds because trying to debate most of these people is like trying to debate a brick wall.
The problem is that most the vocal anti-war "activists" are NOT really "anti-war". They are simply anti-Bush and anti-America. You're not going to change their mind because they simply hate ANYTHING Bush does. However, the next time a Democrat is in office, these people will be beating down the door to heap praise on him or her for any "preemptive" military action they take "unilaterally". That explains why they were so "outraged" that anyone who DARE question Clinton's TIMING (not the act itself) when he attacked Iraq on the day of his impeachment.
It's been my experience in talking to so-called "anti-war" activists that perhaps 20-30% are GENUINELY anti-war and take a pacifist opinion regardless of which administration is going the war. The other 70-80% are Sore Loserman who are upset that there's no scandals they can use to destroy Bush (they miss Enrongate!) so they are mobilizing to tear him down over a war policy. This is all simply a device they want to use to create dissent and fraction in America so they can humiliate the President. They are actually rooting for Iraq to win just so they can damage Bush's credibility.
Second, I don't think any of us are truly "pro-war", which is the position the anti-war crowed wants to paint us into if we debate them-- i.e., we must be war mongers trying to "rush to war" if we don't agree with the placate Saddem forever crowd. I personally couldn't be happier if war is AVOIDED via Saddem fleeing Iraq or being assassinated prior to a U.S. strike. I'm sure most of us on this forum would share that position.
Essentially, we're taking a pro-choice position on war. It shouldn't necessarily be THE choice in every instance, but the government should have the OPTION of doing so! I find it ironic that most of the "pro-choice" abortion crowd actually gets upset if a woman CHOOSES not have an abortion because she finds another way to take care of the child. I wouldn't be upset if the government CHOSE not to attack Iraq because they found another means of getting rid of Saddem and his weapons. So which one of us is truly "pro-choice"?
These are all valid points, but try having an intelligent debate with the anti-war folks sometime. You'll be shouted down by people who keep screaming "It's all about oil, you U.S. imperialist facist capitalist pig!"
The point being that if they can go out there and get media coverage, then so can we. Big events like these show America that there is a huge segment that DOESN'T agree with the anti-war loonies. Small events may be personally rewarding, but are we REALLY making an impact there?
For example, a couple months ago the left protested the economic summit in Chicago hosted by Boeing with militant wacko protestors in the street. I was in the spectator crowd on the sidewalk, which outnumbered the protestors 5 to 1. Most of these spectators seemed skeptical to outright hostile to the leftist protestors. That has been my consistent experience since the first leftist protestes I observed in Chicago in '61.
See private FReepmailUnless you copy the text of a freepmail and paste it into the abuse report, it does us no good. We cannot read anyone's freepmail. Thanks, AM
Ahhhhh
Illinois Conservative Politics
To all: Post #5, a display of sarcasm was being interpreted for its message, as opposed to the poster's message that used its message... ;-`
To all, too: Let's take care to be on our best public behavior, not only at the rally, but in this very public thread! Let's be clear and unambiguous in our support for America.
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