Posted on 07/26/2003 8:31:32 PM PDT by sweetliberty
Our first FReep of the weekend was in Little Rock at the Sam's Club. We were unable to secure permission to be on the parking lot, however, the kool-aid drinkers had been herded inside anyway. We actually ended up with quite a conspicuaous location on a busy road where the entrance to the Sam's is also the entrance to the Walmart next door and we were there through the evening rush and beyond.
Present were FReepers DCBryan1, Budge (in his new motorized scooter embellished with American flags), stop_the_rats, nolu chan, sonofron, gogirlgo, Travelgirl, maxplunder (formerly Don Friovinai) as Bill Clinton, sweetliberty as Monica Lewinsky, lurker Ann, stop_the_rats' husband, and Chad, a friend of DCBryan1.
We got to our corner to discover it occupied by a rather strange character who wielded a bigger than life sign, showing support for Hillary but not Bill. While I personally did not approach him, I understand from some of the others that he reeked of urine and alcohol. Travelgirl attempted to "correct" the old fellow, but when he said something asinine, she lost it and called him an idiot. He didn't seem the least shaken by it, however. We did have to be a bit careful to distance ourselves though, so as to keep anyone from thinking we were with him.
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Our most popular sign brought a great show of support from the majority of folks passing by and was even misquoted in the article that appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
this morning.
Well, I said that the "Honk" sign was the most popular, with everyone, that is, except DCBryan1 who was rather attached to Ann.
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We got a few one finger salutes, but a lot more thumbs up. One car full of young black guys drove by in a frenzy shouting, "we love Bill. Leave Bill alone." They did this repeatedly. Apparently they didn't realize that it was Hillary who was there.
We were interviewed and photograped by several members of the press, including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the AP. There was even some German news crew there.
There was a stop light there so Travelgirl had opportunity to pass out copies of our winning top ten list along with some questions and answers about Hillary, especially her ties to the Communist Party. Several passersby took our pictures
We even had one police officer (in a squad car) drive by and honk and another got out of his car across the street to take pictures. A good time was had by all and after the FReep we retired to the Buffalo Grill where we had some very good food.
We had to get a VERY early start this morning to get to the Blytheville FReep on time since we don't have the luxury of a private jet like her heinous does. When we arrived the town was all but dead even though the "event" was to take place in the middle of the downtown area. The officers and secret service were very pleasant and accommodating, even moving one of the orange cones blocking a prime parking spot allowing us to park in very close proximity and we had a whole area of shaded sidewalk complete with park benches to ourselves. While we were not right in front of the store, most of the Hillaryites had to walk past us to get where they were going.
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In attendance today were Travelgirl, Budge, maxplunder as Bill Clinton, SelmaLee and her daughter Madeline who drove down from southern Illinois, and sweetliberty as Monica. Madeline was a delightful and sharp young lady of 14 who gives me hope for the future. No pulling the wool over this girl's eyes. She created a terrific "retro Hillary" costume complete with the dorky glasses, her mom's original Woodstock t-shirt, a Sal Alinsky button and the writings of Karl Marx. Her 2-sided sign read "retro Hillary" on one side against a psychedelic background, and "Blast from the Past " on the other.
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SelmaLee had a great Hillary costume together, but decided it was too hot to wear the black pantsuit. Too bad. She had the details down!
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This was a very different crowd than last night and was definitely Hillary friendly....we're talking Stepford RATs here along with the typical lemon-sucking liberals with their panties always in a knot. We got a lot of confused looks and some seemed rather stunned, as if they'd never seen protesters before. We got some interesting remarks too. One older type lady (I use the word loosely) walked by and called us idiots. SelmaLee responds with "here is somebody who waits in line for hours to get Hillary to sign a book she didn't write and she is calling US idiots?" Probably the most amusing was an angry woman who called us communists as she clutched her signed Hillary book tightly to her chest. Gotta love the irony. Then there were 2 older women who kept shaking their fists at us. I'm quite sure we ruined their whole day....and it was very satisfying to do so. Another woman said something to the effect of "dearie, she's going to be our next president so you'd better get used to it."
We were puzzled and amused by the presence of an ambulance so close to the entrance of the store. We decided that it must be there just in case some poor unfortunate actually looked Hillary in the eyes and was turned to stone. Can't be too careful.
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We were again interviewed by several press and TV people and one fellow from the Jonesburo paper, Dave, I believe his name was, came over and said that we looked like a lot more fun than those other people. He hung around quite awhile and chatted and took pictures. I was also interviewed for a spot on the local news in Jonesburo.
There was one conservative lady who came by and wanted us to take her picture with "Bill".
One thing these FReeps, especially the Blytheville FReep, made clear is that we should never underestimate the power these Stepford RATs can wield. We have our work cut out for us.
The icing on the cake today was that the queen herself actually had to go right past us, and quite closely at that. Budge even made eye contact with her. Of course, he wasn't "quite right" all the way home.
Afterwards we all went to a place called "the Sharecropper" and had a great lunch and discussed the FReep. While there I went in the restroom to change clothes. A lady came in there and was terribly upset and felt the need to tell me about it. Seems she had been misinformed about the time of Hillary's booksigning and had bailed on a friend's funeral and driven from Paragould to have a signed Hillary book only to find that it was all over when she arrived. I had a few choice words, but I decided to be a good FReeper and not upset the poor dear furthur.
Ex-first lady signs copies of new book
By Amanda Harris
BLYTHEVILLE -- Hundreds gathered for the chance to see Hillary Rodham Clinton and gain her signature Saturday on a copy of the former first lady's latest book, "Living History."
New York's junior senator stopped at That Bookstore In Blytheville Saturday to sign copies of her new book and say hello to some old friends.
While a vocal group of protesters demonstrated a block away from the store, her fans gathered in droves on the steamy morning, fanning themselves to keep cool as a gentle breeze blew across the Main Street sidewalks.
Some of nearby store owners held sidewalk sales intended to entice Hillary supporters into their stores with air conditioning and bargains.
Many of Blytheville's police officers were located strategically around the 300 block of Main Street directing traffic and maintaining order. One officer could be seen lining a portion of the sidewalk with "caution" tape after a senior citizen tripped on a deteriorated street curb and fell. Through the crowd it appeared as though the woman was unconscious for a briefly.
Polly Bakker, a Conway resident who traveled to Blytheville to get a signed copy of the book for her 80-year-old mother, sang Hillary's praises as she waited patiently for her seconds-long visit with the 55-year-old lawmaker.
Bakker could be heard referring to Hillary as "the woman that should be queen."
Two Blytheville women, Christie Jackson, a loan officer at First National Bank, and Carl Rebstock, a loan assistant for the same financial institution, declared themselves fans of Hillary. As businesswomen the pair said they feel like Hillary helped pave the way for women in business.
When asked about the possibility of having another Clinton as president, Rebstock said, "I think she should do it. We need a change."
John Correnti, a friend of Hillary's from Blytheville and Charlotte, N.C., said he hasn't discarded the idea that Hillary will run for president.
"I think she'll run in 2008," he predicted.
Correnti explained that he previously held the title of chief executive officer for Nucor Corp., a steel manufacturer with two mills in Mississippi County.
"Bill was governor when we brought the steel mills to Arkansas," he commented. Correnti now has his own steel company.
"I have been a Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton fans for a lifetime."
But not everyone that gathered on the busy Blytheville block were fans of the former first lady.
A group of protesters gathered about a block away from the bookstore wielding poster board-sized signs that read "Honk if you think Hillary should NEVER be president," "Hillary can't be trusted," "We believe Juanita," and "What really happened to Vince Foster (that chapter seems to be missing)."
One of the protesters, Susan Ferguson of Pine Bluff, traveled to Blytheville, put on a blue dress, knee pads and beret. She was accompanied by a Bill Clinton look-a-like protester, also from Pine Bluff, named Doug Merritt. He was wearing a Bill Clinton mask, T-shirt that read "I'm with stupid" and had a "mini-me" Bill Clinton figure attached to his anatomy with a cigar in his hand.
Other protesters -- Budge Rahe of Pine Bluff, Bobbie Warner of Little Rock and Madeline Steimle and Selma Lee, both of Carbondale, Ill. -- were not as dressed in creative costume, but were just as enthusiastic in their protest against Hillary.
But the protesters didn't stop more than 500 people from crowding into That Bookstore In Blytheville to chat briefly with the 55-year-old senator.
A rough estimate put 550-575 people through the bookstore's doors Saturday and about 1,200 copies of "Living History" signed, a bookstore employee said Saturday afternoon.
LOL!!
'Living History': Blytheville bookstore has signing for former First Lady
BLYTHEVILLE -- U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. visited "That Bookstore in Blytheville" from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, where she autographed copies of her newly released autobiography, "Living History."
Many Arkansas residents were present at the signing, some who had history of their own with Clinton.
Lucretia McDonald, of Blytheville, reminisced about her days working with Bill Clinton's campaign for governor. According to McDonald, on one occasion, her late husband, Lavester McDonald, escorted the Clintons on a tour of Northeast Arkansas, beginning in Blytheville and ending in Earle.
During that trip, it was Lucretia McDonald's duty to watch Chelsea.
"I still have a book at home with some of Chelsea's first writings," she said.
Also at the signing was former CEO of Nucor, John Correnti.
"To tell the truth, I'm a Republican," Correnti said. "But I've been a Bill and Hillary fan for a long time.
Lashannon Spencer, political director for the Arkansas Democratic Party, commented on her favorite part of Clinton's book.
"How she describes actually meeting Bill ... I enjoyed how they were both willing to put their lives on hold so each one of them fulfilled their dreams," Spencer said.
Although Clinton saw plenty of supportive faces, a few individuals present at the signing weren't there to have books signed.
A group of protesters with the Website www.freerepublic.com congregated across the street from the bookstore wielding signs that read: "Honk if you think Hillary should never be president," and "America can't trust Hillary."
The group, which consisted of approximately a half-dozen individuals, included some who had traveled from as far away as Illinois.
"We enjoy doing this ... There's a group of us at every single book-signing," said Budge Rahe, of Pine Bluff, one of the protestors.
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Then we figured it had to be Hillary's arrival..
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That is too much! ROFL!
(I tried to post to GoGirlGo, but no such FReeper. Tell her I loved her sign!)
How pathetic is that? I'm telling you, these people were real koolaid drinkers there, completely smitten by her....or, as I see them, Stepford RATs. Travelgirl tried to give one of them the question and answer sheet on Hillary and it was like a cross to a vampire.
I can't help but notice the comfortable shoes and short hair.
That's a "girl's" gym teacher if I've ever seen one.
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