Restoring Honor Rally 8/28

Getting there....
Our gang of six used the D.C. Metro system to get us from Arlington, VA to within walking distance (approx. 1 mile) of the Lincoln Memorial. As you can see from the photos the Metro was mobbed with folks. The multi car trains were jammed pack with people to the point where it was difficult to close the doors. Yet, there was no pushing and shoving and an over abundance of "excuse me" or "oops, sorry". No signs, no placards helped in these tight quarters. It was an incredible atmosphere on the train. In fact as we were riding, our car broke out in a spontaneous National Anthem singing!

The initial pictures are of the crowd exiting the station, again very orderly and patient as we funneled on to the escalators. Wisely the Metro folks chose to eliminate the need to use the pass cards to avoid a massive bottleneck at the electronic scanner/gates. Hey a freebie for the good guys!

Go to the light!.........
Only one mile to go............
Arrived!..........

We arrived at the Lincoln Memorial at around 9:30. It was immediately obvious that crowd estimates would come in on the high side. We were told that folks were streaming in since 5:00 AM! By the time we arrived it was impossible to get a "sight" view position and nearly impossible to get to a good vantage to see any of the "jumbo trons". Yet, people were settling in under trees, on blankets, just to be there and hear. The sound system was great. Seeking a spot under the trees to the left of the Memorial we settled down for the event. People kept streaming in well past the start of the program at 10:00.

The crowd swelled past the reflecting pool on both sides and then on past the WWII memorial toward the Washington monument. The field to the right of the memorial was filled with people. Just those observations would place the crowd to be in excess of 500,000. Amazingly, as you view the crowd, you will see no signs or placards. Impressions...........
Having attended the 912 rally in D.C. last year there are striking differences yet an underlying similarity between the two. Clearly, last year's event was the venting of the Tea Party frustration with government. It was totally political and refreshingly spontaneous. It did not require a leader yet brought together hundreds of thousands to "holler" at the politicians. This year, the atmosphere, albeit more subdued, appeared to be no less determined in its purpose. The theme was more spiritual than political yet if you listened to the chatter amongst the folks the same intense opposition to the direction our country is taking was there as it was for the 912 event.

The biggest cheer and response from the huge crowd was given to Sarah Palin. Although she stayed on message with the spiritual revival theme established by Glenn Beck, she drew a huge response when she said (paraphrasing her statement) " there are those that would like to transform America but we are here to restor America". All the awards and spiritual revival aside, there is no doubt in my mind that the underlying theme for those in attendance was right in line with Palin's comment ...we didn't travel to D.C. by the hundreds of thousands, endure 90 degree heat, to attend a revival meeting..we were there to restore our Republic to its fundamental culture of individual liberty, limited government and free markets driven by a meritocracy! The religion theme is an excellent mortar to cement our values together and add strength through moral courage and individual integrity.

The effectiveness of this rally and the whole Tea Party movement can best be measured by the near hysterical response of the Left. Music to my ears!

For those on the Left who think this is a forth of July sparkler that will soon fizz out...think again. Those 500,000 are but a fraction of the folks who yearn for a return of limited government and entrepreneurial exceptionalism. America is a great country, it just needs some thorough housecleaning from time to time.

GRAB A BROOM AND GET TO WORK!

Washington DC Tea Party -9/12/09

I'm sure if you obtained your information from the so-called mainstream media regarding the 9/12 Washington Tea Party you would have scratched your head and said what's all the fuss about. Well, let me tell you from first hand observation. It was a tremendous display of grassroots, patriotic concern for the direction our country is headed. The outpouring of ordinary folks who traveled from coast-to-coast to be in D.C. that day was unforgettable. I had to laugh at the consistent low ball estimates of the crowd provided by the "media". Even FOX fell for the "Tens of Thousands" bromide. There is hard evidence that any crowd that fills the Capitol lawn out to the pond area and street reaches up to 240,000. That was done easily and much more if you include the overflow into the mall and surrounding coves. At the same time, hundreds of "Tea Parties" were held across the country adding hundreds of thousands more to the days participation. Personally, I believe DC's crowd was in the 400,000 plus range. Regardless of the number, however, the enthusiasm and commitment of the folks is the real story. I've included some photos in a slide show and some videos to help capture the excitement of the day and give a sense as to he size of this event.

It all started with tens of thousands marching one mile down Pennsylvania Ave. beginning near the White House and ending at the Capitol where they joined hundreds f thousands already assembled in front of the Capitol......here's a clip as we joined the marchers


And here's a collection of photos I took that day assembled into a slide show......






The mood was festive, yet serious about the issues. Although many of the signs were aimed at the president's policies, both parties in Congress were assailed as well. The most prevalent theme was that of preserving and restoring liberty. Many signs addressed government spending and of course the proliferation of Czars. There was a sense of great frustration that our voices are not being heard in Washington. That is reinforced by the shameless, gutless reaction of the national print and electronic media. This is truly a national disgrace. Even the politicians continue to ignore us or view us with disdain. Here's a quote from Congresswoman Maxine Waters just yesterday (Sept. 16)......

"I want those people talked to; I want them interviewed," Waters told the liberal Bill Press Radio show in a podcast. "I want journalists to be all over those rallies and the marches with the birthers and the teabaggers.""What I'm looking for is the very people who carry the signs who are referring to the policies in very, very strange ways like 'Obamacare' and 'Barry Obamacare with Kennedy,'" she said. "What I've been interested in is hearing from those people that everybody's referring to -- everybody on the Mall, in the rally."

I say to Ms. Maxine ...where the hell were you when the crowds on the lawn shouted "HERE WE ARE"! Under your desk cowering with the rest of the spineless Pelosi puppets!

But take heart,Maxine, we WILL be back bigger and better...somehow I don't expect to see or hear from you then either!

But should Maxine decide to show up here's what she is likely to see and hear from the lawn of the Capitol...... (note particularly the crowd chanting "here we are" and "we are not going away")





There were many speakers that day including some political figures like Senator Demint and Congressman Pence. For the most part there were speakers from various Tea Party groups across the country. There were some clever musical parodies as well. One in particular presented by Lloyd Marcus, member of the "Te Party Express" that crossed the country from California to DC in a van. The next 2 videos are of his parody on "New York New York" ... the first is taken from a production he posted on You Tube the next is my video of his presentation at the rally in DC.

Hope you all enjoy.........





In summary.....

In my opinion the September 12 Washington Tea Party was a huge success. But this is not the end but only the beginning. The folks that were commit ed enough to travel there and be heard will not stop there. There are elections coming and as we all sadly learned last November, elections have meaning! It is time for the real silent majority to be heard. WE should begin to see some early indicators this fall with gubernatorial races in NJ and VA. But, we can not leave it to chance. Sitting on the couch and cheering on Glenn Beck will get us no where. We must remain vigilant and active. Contact Representatives, write to editors, be active in support of campaigns, make donations carefully and wisely.

I promise this.....To all in Washington ...WE SHALL RETURN!

A Nation of Cowards??

Recently our U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, accused us of being a "..Nation of cowards" when it comes to addressing matters of race. Just how brave is AG Holder when it comes to addressing the racist aspects of affirmative action?


Holder aside, cowardice is beginning to take a front seat in the Obama administration. Let's examine some recent events. During Obama's recent trip overseas he decided that the once proud nation of the USA should now bow before a monarch whose society trashes women and other religions and was the ethnic origin of all 19 9/11 terrorists! Such deference! Meanwhile the "O" team thought it best NOT to visit Normandy on this trip.

Cowards?



The president had a great time on this trip using every opportunity to apologize for the USA, bash George Bush, and praise Islam. The left wing press applauds His great statesmanship. From a recent Op Ed piece in the NY Times comes the following gush:

"The salutary fact is that when you look at the grinning group photograph, there is only one face you want to see. This conference was about saving the world, but more important for the participants, it was about saving their political lives. Mr. Obama is the only popular politician left in the world. He would win an election in any one of the G-20 countries, and his fellow world leaders will do anything to take home a touch of that reflected popularity.
We may be in the rare position of having an American president who has a deeper mandate among people who could never vote for him than with those who did. For the time being, he has only to offer his hand, and ask politely.

And so, our great , admired Leader marched on throwing rose petals at the Europeans and throwing the USA under the bus .....

From Obama ...."It's always harder to forge true partnerships and sturdy alliances than to act alone. ... In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of ... seeking to partner with you ... there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive."

The bravery of this man to stand before Europeans, who for the most part look down their noses at us and despise our aggressive capitalist heritage in favor of their own brand of mind numbing socialism, is breathtaking! Cowards?

Meanwhile Laura Ingraham holds her own with Matt Lauer as she addresses our Leader's bended knee approach in Europe....

And so , Obama Braveheart goes on to Turkey where he proclaims that the USA is not a Nation of Christians .....(can't leave this guy alone without a teleprompter) ......

It might be useful for President Obama and many of our citizens to view the following video before proclaiming we are a nation comprised simply of secular citizens, denouncing our heritage as a nation founded in Christian ideals....

Is it courageous, given the current admiration for secular progressive thinking, to de-emphasize our Judeo-Christian heritage? Seems to me that cowards would prefer the path of least derision and sadly that path these days is increasingly anti Christian. so who are the Cowards?

Do brave men and women boldly seek opportunity to excel based on their skills and efforts or do they cowardly seek refuge at the bosom of a nanny government?

Who are the cowards AG Holder?

Where are we headed?

It is the State which educates its citizens in civic virtue, gives them a consciousness of their mission and welds them into unity.

Benito Mussolini

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.

Barack Obama

I am in agreement with Glenn Beck and others who are now positing that the the Obama administration is taking us on a path that is more akin to fascism than socialism. Frankly, the academic debate that may engender is interesting but in reality either path puts us all in a place we should avoid with all our might. The "F" word, however is more insidious than the "S" word in that government extends its pernicious grasp in a most deceitful manner. We are witnessing these moves virtually daily. The TARP is a classic example of government establishing a "foothold" in a business enterprise followed retroactively by regulatory entrapment. All this is done by the exercise of power through the Executive Branch primarily with the assistance of a malleable legislature. The next prey to fall is the automobile industry. Can anyone have imagined that a U.S. President could step in and remove a CEO of a major corporation, redesign its Board and issue a national government warranty for the corporation's products? The domino train will proceed to complete the circle to encapsulate automobiles and energy into one government controlled cacoon. It's so transparent yet frightening to watch this tsunami of destruction of liberty take place before our eyes. As recently reported in Investor Business Daily:

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has canceled leases for energy exploration on 77 parcels of federal land in Utah, confirming that this White House is indeed a Small Oil administration.The previous administration, which was not beholden to environmental special interests and seemed to understand the importance of energy, had released 130,000 acres of largely uninhabited — and uninhabitable — land for oil and gas exploration.Some of the parcels are in or near the Green River Formation, an oil-rich region in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming that has the largest known oil shale deposits in the world, holding from 1.5 trillion to 1.8 trillion barrels of crude.

Although the Senate recently stalled the Cap and Trade movement it still lurks out there. The direction that Obama is attempting to take us under the guise of saving the planet is to have an energy/transportation complex under total command and control by the government. Skirmishes such as demonizing private sector management and turning loose ACORN nuts to harass businessmen and pursue a pro union agenda are all elements of the strategy. Sure, the stock market will "be allowed" to function and the appearances of a market based economy will be sustained to provide sustenance to the ever expanding needs of a gorged government. Education. meanwhile, has all but fallen to government control. The enormous influence of teachers unions and leftist professorial and administrator roles has locked up that sector. Their reward is more of our hard earned money is being siphoned off to that sector through the so called stimulus act. Pressures are mounting on private and home schooling activities. Freedom is being stripped from parents ruthlessly as we just witnessed by the elimination of vouchers in the DC school system. Parents are losing control across the country in areas of cultural development as well. The nanny state knows what's best for its children. The biggest shoe to drop will be health care. When that falls , the triangle is complete. Government control of energy and transportation; government control of education; government control of health care. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Then, the larger objective of a new world order can be pursued with a controlled and subdued socio-economic base in a once proud Republic.

Like it? I don't. We can still stop this madness but it will take major effort and above all leadership. There are signs throughout the country that the effort is indeed mounting ...leadership...that's another story. But as sure as Reagan followed Carter I'm confident that the post Obama era is worth waiting for.

Capitalism under seige!

Shocking! It is barely over 2 months since the inauguration of president Obama and the destruction of capitalism is proceeding at a breakneck speed with nary a whimper from the media and only tepid response from the GOP. Yet, look what's happened and is about to happen as well as what may happen. A two pronged attack on the major pillars of U.S. Commerce are under attack. The government is boldly using our tax money as well as borrowed and printed money to gain control of the banking and automobile industries. The poor bastards that accepted government money soon learned that their benefactor was no better than a Godfather Corleone loan arrangement. He's making them all offers they can't refuse. Today's action was classic fascist/mafioso! Obama , after toying with GM for several months pulled the rug out from under the GM CEO. The real reason is that the government can now control the makeup of GM and install its own "team". Look for positions on the new Board at Government Motors (GM) to include environmentalists, union personnnel, and greenies. Then Government Motors will become Green Motors (GM). To complete the strategy el duce wannabe said to Chrysler , "hey, nothing personal, only business...you guys go make a deal with my Italian buddies at Fiat and I'll give you my blessing, understand?" So there we have it. Little shit boxes made in Italy will be the early green wave to be followed by the government designed green buggies at GM. Then there will be a massive global warming attack on SUVs and "oversized" sedans, etc. It will begin with painful excise taxes on these vehicles. The ultimate move will be a mandate that all owners of "listed" vehicles have six months to "trade" in their enemies of the planet at your local government car dealer for a "fair value" trade toward an eco friendly Al Gore approved shit box.

The obscene level of spending that Obama has embarked on will bankrupt us. That's not just my opinion but was recently specifically put that way by Senator Judd Gregg(R-NH)! There are already rumblings regarding abandoning the dollar for a "global" reserve currency. Again, not rumors from wild eyed conspiratorialists but from our own Tiny Tim Geithner. In any case, the rate of spending and accumulation of debt is beyond what the economy can support for years if not for ever given that Social Security and Medicare will explode on the scene very shortly. So we can either look forward to waking up some day to learn that the dollar is kaput and we can go to the government banks when they re-open to get our new funny global paper. (All the more reason to have some gold tucked away). Or, they may simply try to print their way out of debt resulting in super if not hyper inflation.

So there you have it. In only 2 short months. Chaos and destruction of wealth.

He's not done there, however. Redistribution of wealth is proceeding headlong. It will get worse with time. The insidious nature of the Obama plan is that those that pay no tax at all is approaching 50%. This is a formula for perpetuating the socialist agenda.

And finally, we can all look forward to National Health Care! Make no mistake, it will happen. The House and Senate are set up for it. In fact, Pelosi has already indicated she may use the "reconciliation" move which in essence ignores the minority party allowing legislation to be rammed through on a one party vote. Let's see how the UAW likes that as their sweetheart health plans get replaced by your friendly government worker agent. After all, some folks have called GM a Health Plan company that happens to make cars.

Do not despair, however. We can still save our Republic. Watch the grassroots movements like the Tea Parties and others grow to impressive dimensions such that the national media will have to report it. Obama is going to eventually tip over the wrong bowl of rice and some of his "friends" will get pissed off. When the media turns on Him it won't be pretty. Take a reading from the NY special election on March 31st to fill the House seat vacated by the person appointed to Hillary's Senate seat. A win by Jim Tedisco (R) will be significant. But we all must do more than watch! Work for candidates, write letters to editors, contribute to candidates not the party machine, debate your friends, get smart on the truth about global warming. By the way, I haven't even touched on Cap and Trade here (mentioned it in an earlier post).

I've got to run now because I have a warranty issue on my GM car and I need to get hold of my new warrantor, Barack Hussein Obama!

Who is John Galt?