My journey to the Glenn Beck inspired 9/12 Tea Party was truly memorable. Like so many of the people I met I felt compelled to be there, just like the characters from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” that were drawn to that flat-topped mountain. I am so happy that I made the trip and will try to convey to you the emotions that I felt.
The morning began at Freedom Plaza at Pennsylvania and 12th around 10 a.m. My brother-in-law dropped me off near the corner of the plaza and I immediately blended in with thousands of sign-carrying patriots. People lined both sides of the street, and the plaza itself was jam packed. Cameras and cell phones were snapping pictures and the energy was tangible. I made my way toward the plaza and looked for a Texas flag so I latch onto a group.
Being alone (the wife and kids were sadly back in Texas), I was able to maneuver quite easily through the crowds. The march was supposed to start at 11:00 or 11:30, but as I made my way toward the forward end of the park I noticed that crowds were already marching due to the massive inflow of people pouring into the plaza from various side streets. The march was underway!
THE MARCH
As I walked down Pennsylvania Avenue I was amazed at the positive energy I felt, and was truly entertained by some very creative signs. There was NO astroturf here, all of these signs were handmade. I passed groups from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia and Connecticut as well as a few groups from Texas. But since I was making such good time I kept moving forward hoping to get a good spot to watch the speeches.
Along the way I didn’t see a single pro-Obama sign, or any organized dissenters or protest protestors. Chants were varied and equally energetic: “Can you here me now!” — “Throw them out!” — “We want our country back!” — “You Lie!” — and of course, “USA! USA!” Noticeably absent was the press. No cameras, reporters, etc. It was as though the event was invisible.
Some of the best signs I saw included a life-sized Obama cut out with two clear plastic TelePrompTer screens; a Nancy Pelosi poster with an over-sized mouth for people to throw tea bags into; a gorup of people holding up letters that spelled “ENOUGH”; and a group carrying a huge American flag horizontally as they walked. Costume of the day went to a trip of partygoers: a man wearing a huge dreadlocks wig and fake marijuana leaves on is chest labelled “Green Czar,” a woman wearing a flesh-toned body suit and a clear plastic cover labelled “Transparency Czar, and a curvaceous woman wearing a tight t-shirt strategically labelled “Boob Czar.”
THE RALLY
As we approached the Capitol the crowd was being routed through an entrance to the right side of the grassy area between the reflecting pool and the capitol steps. I was too late to make it into the central area stage front, so I worked my way to stage left. As I walked around looking for a good view a woman was waling around with a megaphone announcing “the official police estimate is 1.2 million in attendance.” I thought that this was a bit unusual, since it was still only 11 a.m. and I thought it was too early for a count to be determined yet. Honestly, I felt that this was a liberal plant trying to spread false information, but perhaps I’m just a skeptic. I saw that same person about an hour later announcing “1.5 million according to park police.” I’ll never know… but I still remain skeptical of that individual.
After a few minutes on the grass I decided to head back to a more central location to get a better view and hopefully grab a spot on one of the statues. I swam against the flow of the crowd and made my way to the Garfield statue a little stage left of center. I climbed up and established the position that would be mine for the remainder of the day. Next to me was a lovely woman named Sandy (a United Airlines flight attendant) and her husband. They were from South Carolina. To my left was a gentleman from California, and below me was a guy from Ohio. As I positioned my backpack on the head of a lower statue I heard someone call my name. Then I heard someone yell out my company name! Lo and behold, I looked down to see not one but TWO of my coworkers from San Antonio, Texas! Here I am in the midst of realistically a million people at a single event and ten feet away from me are two coworkers. What are the odds?
As I started snapping pictures and noticed that the crowd was growing much bigger behind me. The crowd reached back as far as I could see in all directions. But still, no press to be seen. Eventually the speakers started and I was very pleased to hear a crisp, clear sound system. My vantage point was a good one, and I actually was able to sit for the entire event while still being able to see everything.
All of the pre-speech energy and crowd noise disappeared almost instantly when the national anthem was announced. Hats were removed, hands placed over hearts, and the entire crowd sang in a beautiful unison voice. After the anthem completed a large group in the heart of the crowd started to chant “USA! USA!”, something that always give me goosebumps. Then the speeches began. There were politicians, a few musical performances, and lots of speeches from people like you and me that until recently were not actively involved in politics or watchdog efforts. But still, the most moving portion for me was when the entire crowd sang the national anthem.
At one point a small group called “People of Faith for Health Care Reform” showed up all holding identical blue signs. There were about twenty in the group, a dozen had signs. They stood off by the side for a little while, then left. I noticed the next day that there was a picture of them in the Washington Post, next to two pictures of tea party groups. Despite the fact that there were one million of us and twenty of them, yet they received any coverage at all, never mind a photo in the paper, is just another sign of the ridiculous media bias we face today.
The speeches, occasionally interspersed with video and musical segues, lasted almost three hours. The entire event was broadcast by C-SPAN and can be found here. As “God Bless America” played over the speakers the massive yet peaceful crowd left as orderly as they arrived. Eventually the place was mostly empty with just a few stragglers staying behind to cling to the last fragments of remaining energy. As you have probably seen by now, the mall and Capitol areas were kept clean by the responsible actions of all of the attendees, unlike those that trashed the grounds during the Obama inauguration. (This isn’t necessarily an indictment of democrats or Obama supporters, it just is what it is.)
I spent the rest of the day walking around the mall, occasionally entering various Smithsonian museums. I ran into more patriots and we shared our similar views: this was a magical event attended by wonderful people with the best of intentions and a deep desire to return America to the country our founding fathers intended to create. Sandy, I’ll see you next year!
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