Rally for America: Chicagoland Chapter [after action report]

Me | 3/22/2003 | RedWing9

[RedWing9]

This is the thread to post after action reports from all the FReepers and for any NEW FReepers who were at the Rally today!

[diotima]

YEAH!!! Good work! I can NOT believe how AWESOME the rally looks! We saw you on CNN too!

Tomorrow LA hits the Oscars!!!!

[Dengar01]

Did you notice the second we left that the riot police had the plaza surrounded. Those commies made me sick, but I'm sure they were about ready to call 911 with our patriotic songs playing loud!

[MinuteGal]

Congrats to all Chicagoland freepers! I was at the Sarasota, Florida rally today, but my heart was with all youse Windy guys, also. See ya when I make my next trip northward!

Leni

[GRRRRR]

First Pics from GRRRRR

KevHead is going to put MORE MORE MORE on his site, and I'll post a link later---HE's out having dinner..well how do you like that????!!!

[Dengar01]

Well if you want I can post my pictures on this thread I just don't want to suck up bandwidth let me know what you want me to do.

[RedWing9]

2000 my a$$. We have got to do something about the truth in the press.

[GRRRRR]

Your link works beautifully...

[RedWing9]

No need to Dengar01... Although I hear there is a way to "download" pictures for FR to actually host... Don't ask me how though...

[GRRRRR]

Here's my speech from today---but first, I must say how PROUD I WAS, and am to be affiliated with such fine people. RedWing, you did an awesome job marshalling us to action...Inertia is a powerful force to overcome...

Second, Standing up on the "soapbox" and seeing so many people, at first made me a little weak in the knees, plus I had to go..really bad!---but, when we all chanted USA-USA-USA and I knew it was going to be fine--I closed my eyes and imagined the whole crowd naked...LOL!

WE THE PEOPLE, of FreeRepublic did a GOOD THING today. The veterans and parents of young men and women OVER THERE TODAY, thanked us for doing what we did today. We have LET THE Troops know, that we are FOR them...Those Moms and Dads will write to their sons and daughters and tell them of this day, of what we did FOR THEM...God Bless America and ALL who sail in her...GRRRRR

---

Thanks for the intro---

Wow, what a great crowd---ARE YOU PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN TODAY?
I know I am...

Before you stands a PROUD AMERICAN—with a “BORN ON DATE” of January 6, 1994. Yes, Yes, I know I don’t look that young...but, I remember that specific date because...just a few yards from here, I stood with over a hundred other people, raised my right hand and took the OATH of Allegiance that all naturalized American citizens take. I swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic—a few short minutes later I became an American Citizen by choice. You see AMERICA is the only country in the world that people RISK THEIR LIVES to get into...why is that? BECAUSE WE ARE A FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE IN A FREE COUNTRY!!

There was a time when I never gave a thought about what it meant to be an AMERICAN...
As a teenager and a young adult, “BEING an American” didn’t mean much to me UNTIL Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.

The Reagan years brought to all Americans, an awareness of what the AMERICAN CIVILIZATION really was...a rugged individualism, a sense that WE THE PEOPLE could accomplish many great things,.... if only we would Dream it, we could DO it! Reagan’s vision for the future of America embodied what the SPIRIT of the American people could do to make the impossible, possible.

Then just a few years later, when Bill Clinton moved into the White House, I knew I had to do something—and after a heated discussion with one of my Favorite Liberals, this lady reminded me that I had NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN, because I was NOT an AMERICAN and I couldn’t vote, I couldn’t say a word...
Well that did it...she was right...and less than a year later, January 6, 1994, I became an American CITIZEN...and nothing has been the same since. Today, I am a VOTER, I have a VOICE in my future, I have a VOICE in my COUNTRY!

Today I am a PROUD AMERICAN, when I see MY PRESIDENT speaking, I can see the Pride and Love he has for his country, his wife and his family. I can see his eyes sparkle with his vision for America, a place where we can be safe, a place were we can voice our differing opinions but still agree that the God given right to be FREE is NOT JUST FOR AMERICANS!

Today is NOT JUST another Saturday in America. Just as September 11 altered the course of history for Americans and the world, the LIBERATION OF IRAQ will alter the course of history for the Iraqi people and, perhaps, the entire Middle East. George W. Bush has a VISION FOR AMERICA and for that, I am PROUD TO SEE AMERICANS HERE TODAY that SUPPORT HIM and DEFEND him and Pray for him!

Many people will pass this day doing family chores and the like, however, WE THE PEOPLE have decided to come here and BE PROUD AMERICANS. WE THE PEOPLE are excersizing our FREEDOM of SPEECH, just like “those people” who blocked Lake Shore Drive...except WE THE PEOPLE have a message of optimism and hope, a message for those who support Duty, Honor and Country—our Military...for as someone else said, “it is they who keep us free, not the journalist”...

I’d like to close with something from the Gipper,
President Ronald Reagan, who said this at his State of the Union Address on January 25, 1984.

“I've never felt more strongly that America's best days and democracy's best days lie ahead. We're a powerful force for good. With faith and courage, we can perform great deeds and take freedom's next step. And we will. We will carry on the tradition of a good and worthy people who have brought light where there was darkness, warmth where there was cold, medicine where there was disease, food where there was hunger, and peace where there was only bloodshed.

Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.

[baseballmom]

Great Job - looks like an awesome Rally for America

[PatriotKaNe]

I'm still new to the freepers, but very very conservative and love what you all do, you give me so much hope which I indeed need finishing my last year in a 4yr sentence of liberal-taught public high school. I went with my family to chicago, we made some nice signs you might recall... "Daschle for President of France" "France we surrender take Daschle" those were just two of the 5 or 6 we made. Really fun! We visited D.C. 5 or 6 months ago and went to a freepers counter rally to an anti-war march and were well outnumbered but standing beside others with similar convictions was uplifting and I think it was then I silently commited myself a freeper for life. God bless all and great job out there today!

[GRRRRR]

I remember your signs--THANKS for coming and WELCOME to FreeRepublic. You now have 100,000 FRIENDS all over the country!

GRRRRR

[sistergoldenhair]

Awesome turnout! Well done Chicagoland FReepers.

[TheRightGuy]

I think they're all resting up!

Rest is good. I am both exhilerated and exhausted. This was, by even the most pessimistic account, an un qualified success for the Chicagoland Chapter. I may chinme in periodically tonight, but will not file my official after-action comments 'til manana.

[GRRRRR]

Chicago Rally makes it to Washington TIMES... HERE

As usual, scroll to NEAR the bottom...we done good!

[RedWing9]

I may chinme in periodically tonight, but will not file my official after-action comments 'til manana.

Why? Too busy soaking up the stardom?!?!?!?! LOL We did good.

[GRRRRR]

Aw heck, here's the RELEVENT PARTS---


Meanwhile, after several days of anti-war demonstrations, Chicago Saturday saw its first rally in support of Bush and coalition troops.
The Free Republic Network, a collection of Internet and conservative radio hosts, organized the midday rally in Federal Plaza. Authorities estimated about 2,500 turned out -- fewer than half as many people as the 5,000 who turned out Friday for an anti-war rally in the plaza. Other rallies in support of the troops were planned around the nation.
"I want to make sure our troops don't just see them, but they see us," Free Republic organizer Andrew Burns told the crowd, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The gathering in Chicago was part of The Rally for America, which included more than 100 events nationwide planned for this weekend, said Scott Swett, chairman of the non-profit Free Republic Network.
"What we want to do is provide the opportunity for those who support the war in Iraq, to make their voices heard," Swett said. "How long we continue holding rallies depends on "how strongly people feel that the other side needs to be represented by going out into the street."

[BureaucratusMaximus]

You thought that was bad...getta load of this BS...(snip from AP via AOL)

Anti-War Protesters March Across U.S. by Tara Burghart AP NEW YORK (March 22) - Anti-war activists marched again Saturday in dozens of cities, marshaling well over 100,000 in Manhattan and sometimes trading insults with backers of the U.S.-led war on Iraq. War backers rallied too, often by the thousands, with American flags and chants of ``USA!''

In Chicago, some of about 800 troop supporters came within 20 feet of a small group of anti-war activists outside a federal building. As the protesters shouted ``killers, killers, killers,'' a military backer yelled back ``idiots, idiots, idiots.'' Later, about 500 anti-war protesters marched around the same building.

Carrying peace signs and wearing costumes, demonstrators in New York spanned 30 blocks as they marched down Broadway toward Washington Square Park. Unofficial police estimates put the crowd at more than 125,000; United for Peace and Justice, the march organizers, estimated the crowd at more than 250,000.

Yeah...there's no bias here! /sarcasm off

[RedWing9]

What's sad is the bias is not in the numbers, but the failure to report correctly. What they are reporting is the 500 or so who went and stood face to face after the other 3000-4000 left. They reported the number based on 2p, not 1p when the rally was in full swing.

[TheRightGuy]

Too busy soaking up the stardom?!?!?!?!
Am busy soaking up something, d=never thought it might be called stardom!

LOL We did good.
We did real good.
Don't know if we can beat their consistency, but definitely feel this brings up to even with or even slightly ahead of the exalted DC chapeter