Monday, September 14, 2009

The 9/12 March on DC: A Proud Day For The American People


I've been reading some of the posts of my blogger friends who have written about their experiences at Saturday's 9/12 March on DC. I will try to expand on their stories with my photos and thoughts, but I think we all are basically reporting the same story...it was one of the most gratifying things we have done in our lives.

On Friday my husband and I drove from New Jersey and arrived in Alexandria, VA where we met up with our friends. The hotel was packed with people from all over the country and everyone was excited to be there for the Saturday march.

We took the Metro on Saturday morning from the Van Dorn station, which is pretty far from DC. People just kept piling on as we rode to our final destination.  It was standing room only. We sat next to a dentist and a medical doctor from South Carolina. Both were outspoken about their opposition to ObamaCare and Obama administration's policies in general.

The site that greeted us when we emerged from the Metro at the Federal Triangle stop was breathtaking. As we approached Pennsylvania Ave., the sea of people was overflowing onto the sidewalks. The police were telling the people to get off of the sidewalks, because the permit was only good for the street. But the street was so filled, and the press of people so great, that it was almost impossible not to overflow onto the sidewalks.

The marchers were trying to line up by state and, by some miracle, the Florida group was moving through the lines led by the state flag, so we were able to start the march with our fellow Floridians. And speaking of miracles, during the march down Pennsylvania Ave. we actually ran into 3 friends of ours from Florida in the crowd. One couple had traveled by bus from Florida the day before and headed back to Florida Saturday night.

We were in the midst of so many people that we couldn't move. But with all the crowd squeezed together, there was no pushing or shoving.  The crowd politely made way for wheelchairs and people who asked to move through. An ATM repairman with a big, heavy bag of tools who unfortunately found himself having to cross the street to make his way to a job, was helped and guided through by the protesters.

The crowds were so great, that the march began early. We were lucky to be far enough in the front to be among the protesters on the Capitol lawn. So many were kept behind the fences. It was a site to behold.

Although the skies threatened rain all day, we were blessed with dry, cool weather. The speakers were enthusiastic and motivating. The people were curteous, kind and helpful. We had folks come up to us, shake our hands and thank us for coming. The Capitol Police were respectful and helpful, but they sure weren't needed to help me feel safe. I have never felt safer among a crowd of people in my life.

The people we met were proud to be there and most have never attended a protest in their life. Many took their children. What was obvious, and unfortunately misrepresented in the state-run media, is the fact that the people at the rally were there on their own, taking time from their busy schedules, traveling thousands of miles, spending their hard earned money on transportation and hotels just to be in DC on that special day. All of this was done for love of their country and fear for it's future.

I have heard differing estimates as to how many people were in attendance. I don't doubt that there were over a million in attendence. I saw it with my own eyes.

I also want to add that at the end of the protest, the Capitol grounds were left spotless.  Trash was placed in bags and taken with the protesters or placed in trash cans around the area.


There is one thing I know...this experience has proved to me that the people of this country are waking up. The patriots at the rally are a testiment to the greatness of this country. It will be a direct result of them and those around the country with like minds, that we will get our country back on track.

I want to personally thank everyone who attended a rally on Saturday or who supported the rallies around the country.  I know many of you could not attend one in person, but I know you were there in spirit. We're all in this together and if Saturday was an example of our determination and resolve, then we can be assured that we are fighting a good fight.


This is not the end. We have a long way to go. Keep the faith and keep on fighting for our Republic.

I took over 300 photos and I tried to whittle them down to give a perspective of the day.
Click to view my photo album:
9/12 March on DC

I took this video as we marched down Pennsylvania Ave. past the Newseum building.  Engraved on the side of the building is the First Amendment.  As we passed this engraving the crowd chants, "Can you hear us now?".


I took this video from the Capitol lawn. Rev. C.L. Bryant (Shreveport, Louisiana) is speaking the the background.


This video is a timelapse of the protesters marching down Pennsylvania Ave.
H/T http://hotair.com/


Update 7:16 PM:
I neglected to thank the one person who was courageous enough to speak out and spearhead the 9/12 Project.  That person is Glenn Beck.  Thank you, Mr. Beck, for putting yourself , your family and your career on the line for the sake of freedom and liberty.  It began with your "We Surround Them" project, the formation of the "9/12 Project" and culminated into Saturday's March on DC.  May we keep our resolve to continue the fight.






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22 comments:

  1. TC,

    I loved reading your experience! Thank you so much for sharing it. I wasn't there but reading experiences; I know this was a time in our history that will be remembered. I have heard varying estimates on crowd size but watching the news; you can see that so many people turned out!

    Thanks for sharing all of the photos too! They were all so great! :)

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  2. Jennifer:
    Thanks for checking out the post. It was a great day for America.

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  3. TCL, wonderful, heartwarming post. Thank you for going, and for sharing your experiences. I have to think our children and grandchildren will ask us about this time in history.

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  4. Opie:
    Thanks. You are right...our children will ask us someday about this time. At least we can say we took some action, whether attending rallies, blogging or whatever else we can do to take action.

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  5. Thank you for going. I admire you and the tens of thousands who were with you. I wish I could have been there, too.

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  6. I'm clicking over from SGP's Blogger group!

    I LOVE that top photo! THE BEST!

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  7. Hi CS: I just loved your post. I felt like I was there with you. I went to the Chicago Rally in Millennium Park, and it was very well attended between 500-900 ppl, of course, being in the Belly of the Beast, as Glenn Beck would say, we won't get a truthful count from the media. They didn't even cover it!

    I've read accounts similar, nice helpful people, and DC the safest it's been in 25 Years!
    I'm glad you had such a wonderful experience. I'm going to look at all your photo's too.
    I have a couple of vids on my blog. I'm waiting for pics from a friend, will probably do a post tomorrow.

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  8. Desman:
    Thanks for stopping by and the kind words. Maybe you can join in next year...I think this is going to become a habit.

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  9. Bunni:
    Thanks. I look forward to seeing your post once it's up.

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  10. Gonzo Mama:
    Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad I found the SGP Blogger Group.

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  11. Great story! I was unable to attend, but we were all rooting you on!

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  12. Thanks for sharing your pictures and your experiences! Man I wanted to go, just wasn't possible right now. But I get all teary eyed when I see the pictures and realize what we are doing! Just incredible!

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  13. Matt & Janie Lynn:
    Thank you both for taking the time to read my post. There are many people who wanted to be there and due to circumstances could not attend. It's not easy to get away, especially if people have a job. Just know that you all were there with us in spirit. Maybe you will have an opportunity to attend a local rally in the near future.

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  14. TCL

    This is awesome, I wanted to go so badly, but just could not juggle my schedule enough. I was even tempted to ditch an assignment to go. Thanks for providing a first hand accounting of the events. You are a true patriot!

    PS Love your signs. I was going to have one that said:
    I disagree with Obama, does that make me a racist too?

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  15. Clifton:
    Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. It really was a great day and maybe next year, if there is another, you'll be able to attend.
    Your sign idea is great...you may get a chance to use it one of these days. I think there will be many more protests before the end of this administration. Good to hear from you.

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  16. Yes, Saturday was a proud day for America. Americans standing up for freedom, Awesome!!

    I absolutely loved your videos and pictures!!! I thought that there was at least a million people in attendence, also. Your right, Beck deserves alot of credit for starting the 9/12 project.

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  17. Teresa:
    It was a great day, wasn't it. I doubt we'll ever know how many people attended, but it really doesn't matter. They know we were there and we'll keep coming back until they listen. Thanks for checking on my post.

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  18. Looks like you had a great time! :)

    From watching a bit about it on MSNBC, you'd think all that showed up were "crazies" were their "OBama is Hitler" signs.

    My cousin went and said he only managed to see 3 offensive signs throughout the entire day.

    It's a crying shame that rigged media won't show the truth about these sorts of protests, but it will work out in the end. The more they cover up, the less credible they are, and the quicker they'll be ran out of town.

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  19. Josh:
    It was a wonderful day and it was great that your cousin could attend. I am not one bit surprised that the rally didn't get fair coverage in the press. The turnout was HUGE and I saw a few signs I wished weren't there, but there will always be a few who don't think beyond their nose that those are the signs that will get the attention. Sometimes I think they're plants from the left to make us look bad, but you never know.
    The state-run media has lost all credibility, so they are digging their own grave. True journalism is dead.
    Good to hear from you.

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  20. That's a great post, TCL. I wish I could have been there with you.

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  21. Dr. Dave:
    Thanks for checking out the post. Unfortunately, not everyone could make it work to be there on Saturday. You've been doing your part locally and every day on your blog.

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  22. "Sometimes I think they're plants from the left to make us look bad"

    It certainly wouldn't be something new for those hacks. It's a tactic they've gone with before.

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