Slowpoke_Rodrigo
New member
May 14 Neal Knox Report -- A Million Mom March, it wasn't.
Three-quarters of a million, as the sponsors claim, it wasn't.
But it was big. Given the immense free media play, it should
have been.
The crowd was also big on Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Chuck
Robb. Stickers for all three Democrat candidates were common,
although not as common as the former National Coalition to Ban
Handguns ban-em sticker.
Prohibiting private handguns is clearly what most of the
Misinformed Moms want, not trigger locks with each one sold, nor
even registration -- except as the necessary step to gathering them
up.
The sponsors' claim of 750,000 attendees is off by about the same factor
as
their claim of "12 children per day" dying from gunfire. The truth is
indicated
by the fact that the Metro System, which carried most of the marchers, had
252,000 riders today -- including Jay and me -- which is about 80,000 more
than a normal Sunday.
Down toward the other end of the mall, the Second Amendment
Sisters held a great rally. It was "much smaller," an early
Washington Times report said, and "more than a thousand," an
Associated Press story said. It was both.
I would guess the crowd as in the 3,000 range, but hadn't
thought it was that big until I saw everyone strung out, about
eight abreast for several blocks -- and that was after many had
marched earlier, left due to the normal attrition, or simply didn't
make the considerable hike to the Hill.
What surprised me about the Second Amendment Sisters counter-
march was that these were new folks, at least half women, many with
their children. I worked through the crowd three times during the
day, and saw no more than a dozen people I knew, even including
speakers Suzanna Gratia Hupp and Dr. John Lott.
Several of the speakers, who had personal horror stories just
as wrenching as those at the other end of the mall, had never
before made a public speech. Technically, it showed, but it also
made their stories more powerful.
The march went near the Misinformed Moms' site, just as
they were breaking up, so a lot of them lined our parade route.
There was some booing and taunting from both sides, and a
lot of "thumbs down" signs -- with a surprising numbers of "thumbs
ups" from vehicle traffic moving in the opposite direction. One
thumbs-up that drew great cheers was from a motorcycle cop from a
a department that I won't name.
The only really abusive comments I heard were
from a burly, 40-year-old non-mom who had his face only inches from
the marchers, cussing us out, men and women alike, in the nastiest
terms.
If he wasn't trying to provoke an altercation, he was giving
a good imitation of it. And I wondered if he had been hired, for
he didn't fit with with either crowd.
Marches like this one are fun, -- even though they are serious fun.
But they are media events.
Although there was a suprising amount of media around the
Second Amendment Sisters rally, I don't expect to see much that
our side said in print.
But if it hadn't been for the Second Amendment Sisters, the so-called
Million Moms would have had this political event to themselves. One of our
marchers' signs declared the "Million Moms" to be an arm of the
Democratic National Committee, as tomorrow it will prove itself to be.
The Second Amendment Sisters did themselves proud, and just
like the Million Misinformed Moms, they're planning to stay active
in the fight.
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
I voted for the Neal Knox 13
I'll see you at the TFL End Of Summer Meet!
Three-quarters of a million, as the sponsors claim, it wasn't.
But it was big. Given the immense free media play, it should
have been.
The crowd was also big on Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Chuck
Robb. Stickers for all three Democrat candidates were common,
although not as common as the former National Coalition to Ban
Handguns ban-em sticker.
Prohibiting private handguns is clearly what most of the
Misinformed Moms want, not trigger locks with each one sold, nor
even registration -- except as the necessary step to gathering them
up.
The sponsors' claim of 750,000 attendees is off by about the same factor
as
their claim of "12 children per day" dying from gunfire. The truth is
indicated
by the fact that the Metro System, which carried most of the marchers, had
252,000 riders today -- including Jay and me -- which is about 80,000 more
than a normal Sunday.
Down toward the other end of the mall, the Second Amendment
Sisters held a great rally. It was "much smaller," an early
Washington Times report said, and "more than a thousand," an
Associated Press story said. It was both.
I would guess the crowd as in the 3,000 range, but hadn't
thought it was that big until I saw everyone strung out, about
eight abreast for several blocks -- and that was after many had
marched earlier, left due to the normal attrition, or simply didn't
make the considerable hike to the Hill.
What surprised me about the Second Amendment Sisters counter-
march was that these were new folks, at least half women, many with
their children. I worked through the crowd three times during the
day, and saw no more than a dozen people I knew, even including
speakers Suzanna Gratia Hupp and Dr. John Lott.
Several of the speakers, who had personal horror stories just
as wrenching as those at the other end of the mall, had never
before made a public speech. Technically, it showed, but it also
made their stories more powerful.
The march went near the Misinformed Moms' site, just as
they were breaking up, so a lot of them lined our parade route.
There was some booing and taunting from both sides, and a
lot of "thumbs down" signs -- with a surprising numbers of "thumbs
ups" from vehicle traffic moving in the opposite direction. One
thumbs-up that drew great cheers was from a motorcycle cop from a
a department that I won't name.
The only really abusive comments I heard were
from a burly, 40-year-old non-mom who had his face only inches from
the marchers, cussing us out, men and women alike, in the nastiest
terms.
If he wasn't trying to provoke an altercation, he was giving
a good imitation of it. And I wondered if he had been hired, for
he didn't fit with with either crowd.
Marches like this one are fun, -- even though they are serious fun.
But they are media events.
Although there was a suprising amount of media around the
Second Amendment Sisters rally, I don't expect to see much that
our side said in print.
But if it hadn't been for the Second Amendment Sisters, the so-called
Million Moms would have had this political event to themselves. One of our
marchers' signs declared the "Million Moms" to be an arm of the
Democratic National Committee, as tomorrow it will prove itself to be.
The Second Amendment Sisters did themselves proud, and just
like the Million Misinformed Moms, they're planning to stay active
in the fight.
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
I voted for the Neal Knox 13
I'll see you at the TFL End Of Summer Meet!
