9/12
March on Washington DC
(up close and
personal)
Music: "Yankee Doodle"
September
11, 2009 Departure from Houston
when my friend, Joyce (on the left), and
I (Barbara) left this morning, it was pretty evident from the
patriotic tee shirts and jackets that we had some fellow
’marchers’ onboard. Joyce said it looked like the
Freedom Express! We did not have seats together, which enabled us
to have conversation with other travelers. The lady beside me and
her husband were from the Austin area. They said they were not
60’s activists, but now in their retirement they suddenly
have become politically involved. They worked for a French
company and lived in France for several years and are doing all
they can to keep our country from adopting the same kind of
government .
.....Away
we go !.....
We flew into the Ronald Reagan Airport and took the shuttle to our hotel just 10 minutes away. We were very pleased to see we had gotten a very nice and reasonable room in a great area and two blocks from the metro. When we returned from getting a bite to eat nearby, we stopped by a very busy room where the North Alabama group was making signs for the rally. There were also a couple of ladies from Humble there. After a short visit, we went to the room to relax and get ready for the big day on Saturday.
September
12...Rally Day
The breakfast room the next morning was abuzz with very excited people. We joined several of them for our walk to the Crystal City Metro.
(As you can
see, we were all geared up with all kinds of stuff hanging on us.
Our theme for the entire trip was, "What pocket did I put it
in!!)
As we neared the metro, we saw others making their way underground for the 15 minute ride into DC. We followed the crowd and managed to get our tickets and find our way to the correct escalator. We began the ’ where are you from’ conversations with those on the platform and in a couple of minutes heard loud talking and a shout or two……..the Texans had arrived!!!!
Didn't get a pic
of the big, rowdy Texans, but love this pic of WALNUT....
Workers Against Lazy Non-Producers United Together — the
conservative answer to ACORN !
Inspiration for the
Day
After a few minutes, a very frail lady
sat down beside me. She provided me with the inspiration for the
day. She was carrying a purse and a plastic shopping bag. I asked
her if she was part of the group (loud, excited people) and she
replied, “No.” I told her I was so sorry, indicating we
were a pretty rowdy bunch. She turned to me with eyes full of
tears and said, “ Oh no……..thank you for
coming.” I was very taken back by her comment and thanked
her for her reaction to our intrusion on her city. She said,
“I am overwhelmed that you would come.” and asked where
I was from. When I told her, she reached for Kleenex in her
purse, said, “I just can‘t believe it!” As she
wiped her eyes, she said, “Please forgive me.” She told
me that she works at the Capitol and rides the metro every day. I
asked if she felt alone in her beliefs here and she replied,
“No, there are a lot of us.” This was surprising to me.
Suddenly we were at our stop and we all scurried off the train.
That lady will never know how she “made my day“. I
would have loved to have seen her as Pennsylvania Avenue, then
the Mall and then the side streets and began to overflow with
people……… people just like her..
Boy, we were glad we got
there when we did!
Hope the lady on the metro was able to get somewhere for a good
view.......
Freedom Plaza
It was about 8:30am when we hurried off
the metro and walked alongside the Ronald Reagan Building to
Freedom Plaza, looking for our state flag. The plaza was already
quite full and we realized right away that we would not likely be
able to find our state group. Joyce and I found a place on the
perimeter of the plaza and began watching people crowd onto the
area. After a little while, I noticed that people were passing by
us not only on the sidewalk, but the street was full of people. I
wondered if people were just getting antsy and marching around
the Plaza. As people shoved tighter and tighter together, we
decided to move to the east side of the plaza in anticipation of
when we would start and hoping to get to the front of the crowd.
March down
Pennsylvania Avenue
Police had the street cleared for
marathon runners who were rounding the corner in front of us.
After about 30 minutes the last runner approached with a police
car following. Suddenly the Fife and Drum Corps began playing and
we realized the march was beginning. We did not learn until that
evening that the march left the plaza about an hour early because
the crowd had swelled to the point people could not get off the
metro a block away!
.....Waiting for the runners to clear....
Since there were only two of us and we
are little old ladies, Joyce hung onto my purse strap and we were
able to weave our way to the side of the crowd and managed to be
there as the Fife and Drum Corps passed. We got in step beside
them marched all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the
Capitol!! They were dressed in colonial apparel…..very
impressive. Note the person being pushed in the wheelchair.
Actually, there were quite a few wheelchairs. (Can you tell I am
a little excited?!)
The Rally
We were so fortunate to be at the front
of the march and managed to go right to the fence slightly to the
left of the podium. This was where the speakers came and went, so
we had the best seats….uh no, stands in the house…..uh
no, on the grounds. After about an hour or so, Joyce put down a
black plastic bag and we managed to sit for awhile. No matter I
had to sit with my feet under the elderly gentleman’s chair
in front of me! We were blessed with an overcast day…steamy
at times, but no rain.
After a couple of hours, someone announced two different times to please move forward and fill in any spaces available. They explained that we had not reserved The Mall, but were spilling over into it. It brought a huge lump in my throat each time I turned around and viewed the throngs of people flowing down the hill from the Capitol, teaming all the way up Pennsylvania Avenue, pouring into The Mall, jamming into intersections and side streets and wrapping around the Capitol grounds. Everyone was totally amazed and I saw many a wet eye as we all took in what was happening.
During a Presidential Innauguration, Pennsylvania Avenue is closed for the President and First Lady to make their walk to The White House. Also, flanking streets to the Capitol are closed to vehicle traffic.We filled all these areas and backed up several side streets. A park security officer told our group we had filled the area holding 1.5 million. Then they opened up one more area that held 0.5 million. (I don't know, but that is what he said.)
Glad we were not in the middle of this!
The six hour program was fast moving with many good speakers and much enthusiasm. The tone was not at all hostile and it was clear we were talking to ALL our elected officials. As the speaker recapped the out of control spending beginning with the Bush/Paulson $700 to now, she said at each point, “You did not Hear us”, “You did not Hear us.” At the culmination of the points made, we began chanting, “CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?” This was enthusiastically repeated many times throughout the rally.
Dick Armey was
the first major speaker.
He is the founder of "Freedom Works" and he could not
wipe the smile off his face!
...Senator Pence...
Joyce with
Steven Balwin on stage
....Senator
Demint....
See what a great view we had.......wow, what a blessing.
We seniors have pretty much been the
representatives at town hall meetings, (some people said it was
the geriatric crowd) but it was extremely encouraging to seeing
younger people taking up the torch. They ’get
it’…it is their future. It was pretty evident that we
had young people running the event also. Three times they asked
us to take out our cell phones and text a number so they could
get an ‘accurate count’ (ha, ha) of those attending.
Impossible! I had conversation with six other people near us. Out
of our group of eight, three people could text!!!! Also, they had
only two large screens and a sound system to cover 100,000. It
was obvious that the masses as far as my eye could see could not
possibly see or hear anything that was going on. It blew
my mind that in spite of that they stayed there all day!!!!!!!
We were told we had people from all fifty
states. There were 450 buses. I was told the bus lot held 400
buses, so as was said, “We have redefined Washington
gridlock today!” I was amazed that we had people from Hawaii
and a busload from Alaska!!!
Post Rally
Reflecting
After the rally we sat on the edge of the
Reflection Pool and reflected on the day. Awesome experience
sounds so lame and inadequate. Visiting with people from all over
our country was a very special part of this
weekend…..indeed, we are not alone. I did not hear anyone
asking your party association. It simply did not matter. That was
not the issue. There was much more at stake here than any party.
'It’s the Constitution, Stupid 'was a frequent chant we
sounded.
As we slowly trudged back up Pennsylvania Avenue, we stopped on the corner where a small group had gathered. A middle aged black lady whom I had seen earlier with a sign that said, “Abortion is Not Healthcare”, was telling a couple of white college age young people ‘how it is’. She very passionately told them she lived in Chicago as a teenager and experienced the abusing, using and corruption being dumped on her people in the name of helping them. We did not hear her entire monologue, but her parting remark was, “You young people need to open you eyes and really see what is going on.” As you might guess, there were very few black people at the march, but I have a great deal of respect for their being willing to resist peer pressure to stand and speak out for what they know to be true. Farther up the sidewalk,. I saw an older middle age black couple. She was dressed like Martha Washington. I wish I had stopped for a picture. My hat is off to them.
Haunting and
Encouraging Memories
Another memorable moment, was speaking to
a mother and daughter from South Carolina while waiting for the
metro. The mother explained that her daughter, probably ten years
old, had a test in school that morning, but then her mother said,
“ I am coming to get you and we are going to DC. “ She
asked her daughter at the close of the rally what she learned
today and the daughter replied, “I learned that America is
strong. I never knew Americans were so strong.” Her
observation haunts me. . Our country has been bashed and
battered, even sometimes by the very people who are supposed to
honor and protect it. We have given in to political correctness,
cowering afraid to speak what we believe in our hearts to be
true. As a result, our young people feel very insecure in their
country. That is the legacy we are leaving them.
There are so many people who are
permanently etched into my memory, but one was a young man by
himself on our metro going back to the hotel. As we did all day,
we engaged him in conversation. He looked like a kid but we found
out he is a married school teacher from Florida. His wife could
not come with him, but he decided on the spur of the moment to
jump in his car and headed for DC. He had slept a couple of hours
in his car. He said he had never been involved in anything
political, but now he was going to be involved. He gives me hope.
Proud Day
for both Black and White
Back at the hotel, many of us gathered
talking nonstop about the day’s experience. That was when we
learned that the reason they were asking our group to move off
The Mall was because it had been reserved by the Black Family
Reunion Celebration!!! As it turned out they had put up several
big tents, yet we covered most of the area. The fact that there
were no conflicts ..zero arrests made…was a tribute to both
groups. I Googled their website when I returned home to find out
more about them and found this Weekly Standard Blog entitled "Tea Party Protesters, Black Family
Reunion Particpants Peacefully Break Bread Together, WaPo Weeps
at the Racism:.
The article was written by a participant at the Black Family Celebration. They were decrying the way the Washington Post reported the day’s events. “It would seem that the peaceful coexistence and even—gasp!—commingling of these two events on the national Mall might reassure the reporter and all involved of the ability of Americans of different races and political viewpoints to, well, peacefully coexist. But that was not the reporter's mission. The mission was to go to the Black Family reunion, and ask participants, "Hey, aren't the people at that other event probably just there 'cause they're racist?”
This is a prime
example how our media continually leads us toward conflict with
each other. We must expose the media and their evil intents. I
was a very proud American that day and was even prouder when I
realized what our two races overcame that day. No one but you and
I know it, but we can pass the word.
Afterglow
Joyce and I spent Sunday walking and
taking pictures and soaking in the atmosphere of our
nation’s capitol.
Had to make this pic at this restaurant in the Ronald Regan building...our great granddaughter's name is Aria!!
We couldn't head home without checking in on our lease house !!!
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A Reason to Stand Strong
We came back home with a renewed energy
(well, after we recovered!) to do all we could to preserve the
God given rights and values on which our country was founded.
The morning I returned home I went into
breakfast and my adorable, precious three year old great
granddaughter asked me where I had been. When I explained, she
said, “I want to go too.” and I replied that I hope she
will be able to go there some day.
She climbed into my lap and I said,
“Aria, do you know why I went to Washington DC?
.....................
I WENT THERE
FOR YOU!
.....................
....she smiled and threw her arms around my neck....
*********************
...May God Protect, Preserve and Bless America…
Note: On October 31, 2009, I spoke at the Tyler County Patriot Rally.
Click HERE to view my speech.
To send comment Click Here
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