I just got back from Washington DC a little over 24 hours ago, so I have some catching up to do. I’m sorry I didn’t have the capability of uploading my pics sooner, when the events were more current.
I didn’t take any signs with me to the rally. There wasn’t a shortage of signs, though. Since the loudspeakers weren’t loud enough for featured speakers to be heard throughout the venues (perhaps they were expecting smaller crowds?) many of us circulated throughout the throngs to read people’s signs and ask people where they were from. Since so many had never participated in a political rally before, it was difficult to sustain chants like the the professional astroturf mobs do so well. We were just a bunch of grassroots amateurs, amazed at our surroundings, amazed at the turnout, amazed that we found ourselves even doing such a thing, and amazed at how far and we had trekked (and at what cost) to do it.
As I mentioned in the title of this piece, I think women hoisted the best signs at the rally. I’m sure the men felt sincere about the messages that they displayed on their signs, such as “Taxed Enough Already,” but they were . . . how shall I say it? . . . boring and repetitive. If there were signs that brought a smile to my face, women were the ones brandishing them. Here’s a sampling:
September 17, 2009 at 3:13 pm
what is your estimate on the crowd?
September 17, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I think these two articles do a better job of assessing the size of the crowd than I could ever do.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/how-big-was-the-crowd/
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/more-912-crowd-data-yeah-it-was-big/
September 17, 2009 at 4:15 pm
[…] Pics from DC on 9/12: Women have the best signs […]
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January 21, 2010 at 6:57 pm
[…] shown you the pictures I took at the 9/12 rally here and here. But I haven’t told the bitter story of my visits to the DC offices of Senator […]