“Thomas Paine”: It’s time for a million-person march on Washington
posted at 4:50 pm on April 18, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Glenn Beck was pushing this idea weeks ago but it’s more plausible now given the success of the tea parties, about which “Paine” is properly excited. A friend who was at an event where he spoke e-mailed me this week to scold me for sniping at him, promising that I’d like him if I just gave him a chance. I do like the idea of fiscal cons flexing their voting muscle with protests; that’s why I support the parties. What I don’t like is this guy’s habit of lapsing into rhetoric about a second revolution, legislators ignoring the people “at your peril,” and, per the letter from a Marine that he reads near the end here, the idea that “our country is under attack from an enemy within” — which isn’t the first time he’s used language about enemies and attacks to describe policy disagreements. I get that the character he’s playing obliges him to use a certain amount of revolutionary parlance, just like I get that I’ll take plenty of heat in the comments for being a squish who’s afraid to fight nutroots fire with fire, etc, but what can I tell you. That sort of rhetoric leaves me cold, and I can’t be the only one. And yes, yes, I know, I’m a RINO whom the party’s better off without anyway. No need to remind me.
One interesting detail: Note his salute to protesters past who marched in the name of green power and ending wars to save lives. He really is aiming this message at both sides of the aisle.
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Why don’t we just make it the capitols of every state for those who can’t make it to DC?
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM
I’m for the march on Washington. Name the time. I’ll be there. And I’ll try to get as many like minded people as I can to go with me.
Obama says he didn’t even know about the tea parties. It’s time to show him what they are about face to face. And Dodd and Frank and Rangel and Schumer, and Emanuel and Specter and Snowe and…..
Christian Conservative on April 18, 2009 at 9:05 PM
Seems to me, rather than getting a million men, women and children to DC, the time, $$ & energy would better be expended by massing at the local level.
Think about it. If we bum rush DC, the target of our ire won’t even be in town on Independence Day. Not even Obambi and TOTUS. and you know the MSM will do all they can to trivialize the effort.
So let’s catch them at their home where they’re sure to hear our message loud, clear and unfiltered. Boo them down when they get up on that parade or pre-fireworks stage to rhapsodize about how great the USA is and by extension, what a great job they’re doing to perpetuate our manifest destiny.
For instance, if one lives in a small town, far from the State Capital, go protest at the City Hall If your State/Federal Representatives/Senators happen to have a local office, all the better. Amp it up by going to the County Seat. Those who can go to the State Capital, do so.
And be sure to name names of both parties who are complicit to this mad rush to socialism.
With the energy and money saved by keeping it local, we’ll be able to hit City Hall & offices weekend after weekend. Heck, one month of Saturdays tea-parties will get the attention of those 535 princelings real quick. That’s what I’d call grassroots, as the panic and anger percolates up from the Local to State to Federal politicos.
As for those of you in AnyTown, where Obambi & TOTUS show up to speechify, may you be “clear” in relaying our displeasure. That way, he can’t pretend to not be aware of tea-parties.
AH_C on April 19, 2009 at 3:16 PM
I am with you on the danger posed by the junta occupying the White House and Congress. There is no question that they might very well cause irreversible damage to our country. But that doesn’t change the likelihood of getting people to Washington or not, based on other issues. It’s not a question of selfishness, just a realization of what could happen. You are taking a lot of this as personal assessments, when it is a discussion about which date is best to get the biggest turnout. That’s all.
Like I said before, I prefer July 4th. But Yakko’s argument is reasonable and not personal in any way.
I also like your idea in the next post about all state capitals on the 4th, as well as scruplesrx’s one about picnic type rallies.
progressoverpeace on April 19, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Try http://jim.com/econ/contents.html for an excellent primer.
BTW, AH_C on April 19, 2009 at 3:16 PM the bold type should have been blockquoted. D’oh
AH_C on April 19, 2009 at 3:20 PM
PercyB on April 18, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Wow,SP!! Who are you,and what strange power do you have?
That was some good stuff.
lizzee on April 19, 2009 at 3:48 PM
I read a suggestion somewhere that we should amass our protests in front of news agencies across the country… get in their faces.
That’d be fun. :)
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 5:12 PM
Yeah, I’m sure the Founding Fathers all whined about spending less “family time” when they were trying to birth a free nation.
atheling on April 19, 2009 at 5:13 PM
OK, so your argument boils down to name calling – I am blown away by your amazing show of intellect. You have not yet shown me any reason to prove that (a) monopolies are less harmful *economically* than the federal government, and (b) monopolies are more *trustworthy* than the federal government.
As for your comments on government intervention, you are bringing in a totally different topic – I am talking about the economy while your point is on national defense. If the large corporations were allowed to be involved in national defense, then we might have had the argument, otherwise we are comparing apples and motorbikes here.
peter_griffin on April 19, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Exactly!
After spending the day at Valley Forge, reading posts about planning for a family day outing “protest” is laughable.
The tea party wasn’t about getting together for a party, it was about people giving up something they really wanted for a principle.
I will continue to support the tea parties and encourage others to go, but I still believe they are mostly impotent and will be ignored by DC and the media for the most part.
Other than the ballot box, our only leverage is with our wallets. Disrupting the cash flow will get attention. Do something that really requires a sacrifice. Don’t buy music or watch any of the movies that celebrities are in who use their fame to speak against conservatives. Hate the way CNN biases the news? Cancel your cable subscription.
Ask your employer for an unpaid day off for one less day of paying taxes. Don’t use the excuse that you’ll be fired– no employer is going to fire you for asking for an unpaid day. Use the day to go to Valley Forge and learn to appreciate those who really knew what sacrificing for your country meant.
dinobalz on April 19, 2009 at 8:04 PM
1. I guess I wasn’t clear. I would attend a another Tea Party, even fly to Washington for July 4th, but I fear many others would not for various reasons and that a low turnout might hurt the cause. There are plenty of other days of historic and symbolic importance to hold another Tea Party on than July 4th which might yield better turnout which I think is very important.
2. I sacrificed a vacation day from my employer as it was to attend the Tea Party on April 15th and this vet knows plenty about sacrificing for his country when I served in the Navy back in the 90’s.
Again, I think we’re on the same side and have the same goal in mind but just try to be more open when someone offers an alternate and perhaps more effective route towards that same goal.
Our fight is with those who are destroying our country from within.. not with each other.
Yakko77 on April 19, 2009 at 8:20 PM
God Bless you, Thomas Paine!
Defeat the Enemy Within! Judging from the left-wing howling, the punches from Tea Parties have definitely landed.
Time to deliver an uppercut to their collective glass jaw. If that means a massive gathering in D.C., for which some sacrifies may need to be made, so be it.
“It takes strength to inflict pain, Bobby.”
– The Joker, 1989
Drawing inspiration from our our brave and honorable military, Let us all grow stronger through discipline and sacrifice, that together, with our unified voices and combined strength, we may be able to unleash a knockout punch.
OneVision on April 19, 2009 at 9:05 PM
Gah, bad editing job when I was rewording my statemement.
I meant to state I would attend a local Tea party even on July 4th and I would love to fly to Washington D.C. if for no other reason than to visit my nations capitol especially for July 4th but trying to have our Tea Party compete with a National Holiday I fear might work against us.
Yakko77 on April 19, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Or every county seat in America. Let’s roll
vulcannomad on April 19, 2009 at 9:30 PM
assemble in front of the liberty bell and demand that it ring again to free taxpaying citizens from an out of touch government that is out of control.
Let freedom ring again.
workingforpigs on April 19, 2009 at 10:52 PM
I would be a participant at my state capitol on the 4th.
I would also like to find a US manufacturer with injection molding equipment that could make up some several thousand plasticized pitch forks ala “American Gothic” style to take with us.
I know we can get Chinese, and I know we can get steel.
Just want to pump some stimulus $ into our economy and we wouldn’t be accused of having weapons. lol
Are you for the Fair Tax?
It’s a common ground we can build on.
OkieDoc on April 20, 2009 at 1:11 PM
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