Well…I’m back. Yesterday, I drove up to Washington D.C. to participate in the Freedom Rally. I don’t know how many people were there, but it was a good-sized crowd. There were even some folks there that I met in South Carolina. As for the rally itself, let me tell you that it went a long time. I was expecting a handful of people to speak prior to the main speaker, Rep. Paul, but I had no idea how many there would be. Most were interesting, a few were not, but as time ticked past the four-hour mark without any end in sight, I admit I was growing tired and hungry. I left to grab something to eat and when I returned, the event was over. Oh well. In any event, I figure pictures are better than words, so here you go.
As you can tell by the signs in the picture, along with my comments above, the rally’s main focus was Congressman Ron Paul and his message. Despite what you may think, Ron Paul supporters are diverse groups that come for many differing spectrums of the population. Although the media often chose to focus on the more radical elements, many of which I do not agree with, we are all drawn together with the hope and desire for greater freedom.
Update: If you’d like a more detailed perspective on the events of Saturday, (with videos and everything!), I’d recommend reading Scenes from a Revolution.
For over a year, I have been calling, emailing and posting to blogs, pleading with the millions of new voters who Ron Paul mobilized, to go down to their local Republican City or County Committee and get involved.
I have seen this phenomena of hero worship before, and as soon as the hero is out of the race, the supporters scatter like BBs. It is fun to hang signs about REVOLUTION all over town and to shout about the cause to passing motorists, but the real work for change happens in the often boring Committee meetings and the exhausting work of going door to door to build precinct organizations.
Ron Paul is determined to make an impact beyond his run for the nomination and the most sustainable way for those of us who agree with his theme of returning our government back to within its Constitutional limits, is for each of us to get involved in our local Republican Party and steer the GOP back to its libertarian roots, as expressed in the Republican Creed.
Right now, the national GOP is controlled by a bunch of war-mongering fascists who are fond of telling those who disagree with their pro-multinational corporation agenda, that anyone who objects, or talks about the Constitution is just, “unpatriotic.”
Ron Paul has sparked the interest of millions, but now those millions must inject themselves into the political process in earnest, and that means to be part of the long slog to build a precinct-by-precinct, county-by-county political network within the Republican ranks, made up of citizens who are willing to fight to win back our freedom and restore this nation to a Constitutional Republic.
The most frequent lament I hear from the politically self-neutralized citizens who try to excuse their inaction, is that the Republicans at their local Committee are a bunch of assholes. This is indeed the case in both major parties and I suspect the boorish, unfriendly manner is intentional, since those who currently control the parties do not really desire change. They are wedded to the status quo and by maintaining the same small clique in power, they retain control.
If the Ron Paul millions roll-up our sleeves and work within the ranks of our local Party, within two election cycles, significantly better candidates will be representing the citizens and we will be well on our way FORWARD to a new age of Constitution-based government.