Yeah, I know, I'm late. Everybody has already stuck their Instanalysis out there. So why bother?
Because my take-away from it was... different. And will make some people around here argumentative, I'm guessing. It's been a hard post to write. I'm only going to talk about the rallies and the march, not what went on at the Capitol. I wasn't there, I'll leave that to people who were.
SWWBO has a nice little gallery from our visit to the anti-war rally. I've got one that has pictures from the Gathering of Eagles rally, and the counterprotest site, where the two groups met and interacted along the route of march. Yeah, I got to meet Michelle Malkin and get a hug, too! But even that and an hour with the President doesn't get me on her blogroll... ;^ )
I've talked, tongue in cheek, about SWWBO's adventure among the ANSWER folks. I swear, by the time I decided to E&E (escape and evade) out of there, the top of her head was bouncing around like the valve on a pressure cooker, ready to vent. Which, of course, is why I called for the extraction. It was their rally, and they were throwing out red meat for their crowd. I just didn't see it as my place to monkey-wrench it (as some of the ANSWER-types tried at the Gathering of Eagles rally). Let's face it - people going to things like that are going to be passionate about whatever it is that brought them there, and the rally was to fire up and organize the troops. What, aside from antagonizing them, are you going to accomplish by jumping into their den and peeing on their furniture?
It's not "brave." It rarely results in civil conversation. It doesn't change anyone's mind. It realizes the dreams of the organizers, and it makes the Press happy, because they might get some good footage for the evening news. Mostly, it's just dumb and you end up playing into the hands of the people you *think* you are scoring points on. But it does put you at risk, for little gain except coffee-house braggadocio.
This is true pro or con. Just as fomenting trouble at the ANSWER rally didn't strike me as smart, the ANSWER types who, with faint heart (good thing, the Eagles were fired up) tried to insert themselves into the Eagles pro-military rally were dumber than rocks, too. Dumb. Not brave, not daring, not advancing the cause - just, dumb. And they looked even sillier as they fled, sandals flapping, from the phalanx of greying Eagles who surged at them when they approached.
The ANSWER rally suffered, as they always seem to in my very limited experience, from a diffusion of message, as every counter-cultural cause and moonbat theory was on display, from the 9/11 Truthers to Palestinian Right of Returners, to Che-idolizers, to Ron Paul supporters were on display distracting from the main message, bravely carried by tired Boomers reliving their youth (and probably using their original signage), and eager young Speakers of Truth to Power types who felt the need to hide behind bandanas, probably because they didn't want to lose their job at the McDonalds or whatever law firm they're clerking at. Oh, and probably a quarter of the young men were there hoping that being there was going to result in night-time athletic activity. That's how *I* saw it. They of course, were storing up memories of how they stuck it to The Shrub 200 yards away at the White House before going on to spank Congress for not yielding to their demands, right.this.minute.
Hey, it was their rally. One of them, looking at the Gathering of Eagles, would write similar stuff about that rally.
They both had their wince-inducing moments. But aside from the comfort level, the Gathering of Eagles rally had a lot of flag-waving, positive energy and it was a fun group to be around.
I got to meet some very cool people, but that's a different post.
After SWWBO and I e&e'd out of the ANSWER rally, we went down to the Navy Memorial, across from the National Archives, to await the ANSWER parade to the Capitol. The Gathering Of Eagles guys were in front of the Archives, the Protest Warriors, ably led by Concrete Bob, were on the Navy Memorial side, and DC police, US Park Police, and even Maryland police were on hand to keep things in hand. Gad, how much does something like this cost the District?
There were 4-6,000 marchers by my estimation, 8k at the outside. There weren't any supportive crowds lining the road, as we made our way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Memorial. The only significant crowd was the counter-protest, which had mebbe 1,500 or so people - but I admit to not being an expert at estimating crowd sizes. There certainly weren't tens of thousands of anybody around, however.
This is where I'm going to start to get in trouble. I don't think the counter-demonstration, as it unfolded, was productive. I think the rally was an excellent idea. Heck, I think the ANSWER rally was a fine idea, it's still a mostly-free country, regardless of what the people who managed to bravely shout "Free Speech!" towards the White House with no fear of being clubbed, arrested or shot seem to think.
Had both groups just engaged in a mutual Slogan Shouting Contest, like opposing college football fans do, it would have been fine. And being there, being seen, along the march route was fine.
But when the first person flung out the "F-word" - and if I knew who it was, or which side, I'd have their picture up here, believe me - it went rapidly downhill, as people who'd been discussing philosophy, finance, and child-rearing turned off their higher-brain function and let their lizard-brain take over. No violence, but a lot of spittle-flecked hate that was painful to watch and embarrassing to be in the middle of. Just like the chasing of the Code Pinkers on the sidewalk with a bullhorn yelling "Soo-eee!" at an ear-damaging volume wasn't useful. [Side note, we do know the "Soo-eee!" call is intended to bring the pigs to you, not chase them away, right? Leave aside how the police doing their job by escorting the Code Pinkers might take a pig call, not to mention the hearing damage. - oh, and yes, I *do* know what side I'm on, believe me].
What could have been a simple demonstration of support for opposing viewpoints just degenerated to mindless drivel punctuated by sprays of spittle. On both sides, mind you. No one was draped in a mantle of virtue here.
What really hit it home for me was this.
There's a bigger version here.
Leave aside a whole 'nother post about leaving your kids out of something like this - look at that little girl. There she is, among the adults, thinking to herself, "Gee, isn't this fun! We're against war and for flowers and children and puppies!" - and she ends up having to run a gauntlet of faces twisted with hate and contempt, spewing vile words and stupid slogans. No, she shouldn't have been there, because sadly, that interaction seems to be inevitable. I was watching, no one was directing anything at her personally - because if they had been, I'd have jumped them myself - but ask yourself - what useful purpose was truly served?
Were minds changed? Nope. Were attitudes hardened? You bet. Was a larger audience somehow affected? Nope. No more than the simple presence of the counter-protest would have achieved, without the mindlessness on display when idiotarians of both sides sank to the lowest common denominator.
Mind you, there weren't a huge number of people on either side being room-temperature stupid. Clearly, it doesn't take many drops of vitriol to ruin the stew.
I loved the Gathering of Eagles Rally. It was a positive event. I didn't mind the ANSWER rally, grating as many of the ideas on display were. Both were good for a democratic society.
I'm glad that the Eagles and Protest Warriors took station along the parade route.
But I wish the cretins of both sides had stayed home.
My most striking moment, aside from the look of fear and confusion on the face of that little girl?
This.
To me, the documents on display inside that building created the space for the existence of the placards displayed outside that building. In there lies the paper that sets forth the concept I swore the oath to. Outside, embodied in the presence of both sides, was an ideal representative of one of the myriad reasons I swore the oath.
Not to mention that little girl - who is the symbol of the main reason I swore that oath - the future.
The discussion continues above - and new comments should shift to that thread.
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