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| A parade of signs appeared in front of us |
Late Friday afternoon on September 11th, good friend Chris Hughes, and I met at the Mayflower Hotel. We once worked two blocks away at Edison Electric Institute in the late 70s, early 80s and seized on the opportunity to walk around the old neighborhood ... reliving our mid-20s, the glory days as young professionals, doing important business.
To say that we knew what to expect over the next 24 hours would be akin to our knowing which college teams would prevail the day's football games and on a par with news agency reports that only a few thousand people came to Washington, DC. to stumble around Pennsylvania Avenue, angry and complaining.
Ridiculous. Absurd. Laughable.
Regardless of your party or non-party affiliation, offered here are some observations that you may not find or hear, especially from media outlets, which presently mystifies and concerns me. Are free press and free speech disappearing before our eyes? (Update 12/21/11: Answer. Yes. Intuitively, we all know this and can self-confirm.) Muffled by the fear of what is happening? (Update 12/21/11: Fear is the reason, but fear that their once secure jobs are being over-taken by amateurs.)
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| Sardine-packed Capitol to Washington Monument |
There were not thousands, not tens of thousands at 912. At the very least, there were hundreds of thousands. All I can tell you is what we personally witnessed, and heard and learned from our fellow travelers. See what The London Mail reported (and their sources) that our American media would not.
Do you remember the scene in the movie Forrest Gump when we see the Mall filled with people, extending from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and beyond? I imagined this as a possibility. Only two helicopters hovered about us, ever-so briefly, and they might have taken the all-incriminating picture to serve as evidence. Such a photo has yet to appear on the net.
Wouldn't the Park Service do this analysis? Or, does the federal government reserve these occasions for only the preferred Democratic Presidential Inaugurations? (A typical DC political ego trip to remind you who is in control.)
When we arrived at Freedom Plaza for the beginning of our Saturday morning walk in the park, we had two thoughts: (1) We might be alone and this was a two-man march and (2) what was our exit strategy if things got rough.
We walked to The White House the previous evening and there was no hint of the next day. Only small groups of tourists and several manned outposts of protests that had obviously been there for years.
Only when three marines, decked out in their uniforms, arrived at the lobby bar later that night and a spontaneous applause erupted did it occur to us that something of significance might be afoot. The downtown hotels were completely sold out.
Upon our arrival at the plaza, what we saw was a crowd of people holding their homemade signs. We looked at each other and I am sure thought, OMG.
We had heard that there might be trouble from Acorn and unions, akin to the Healthcare Town Halls. There had been a bomb scare at Freedom Works on the eve of the march. A deep cheer forecast the next three hours of human traffic.
Honestly, we were uncertain. Neither of us had signs. On purpose. We were not there to attract attention. Get into rumbles, verbal or otherwise. Lose fingers. We were simply there to be counted in favor of the 912 project mission ... the national unity that followed 911. In general agreement with the 912 principles and values. The practice of limited government.
Despite the signs you read, this was not a referendum on healthcare, taxation, global warming or Obama ... it was a referendum on America. What it means. What it is. Has been. Will be.
To read the signs is to read frustration. Personal frustration. A tipping point, a point at which the addition of one more new government program will crash the entire system.
It is the personal stories behind their bearers, their knowledge of the US Constitution, and thoroughness of their book studies. They speak best to who was there and why.
You would never get this from a newscast. Possibly a carefully constructed documentary film.
Even better, the three-hour conversations we had with two couples, one from Cincinnati and the other Kansas City, at the Mayflower bar, post march. This is where one learns the real story, which requires patience, listening, and an abundance of questions. Again, not instant enough for a newscast looking for controversy with which to snatch eyeballs, and the reason all is already known by the producers and directors before questions are even directed by the on-camera talent.
The walk itself was quiet, incredibly orderly. Given the numbers who were there, this is what we call the benefits of American individualism, civility, self-determination, self-reliance, charity, working together.
No direction is required, we are Americans.
Not remotely nearby the behaviors one might see at a hotly contested Yankees-Boston baseball game or European football brawl.
In our slug, we figured the first quarter of the march, which began an hour early, probably because of the unexpected participation, one participant was good-naturedly admonished by his fellow walkers for overdoing his chant and attracting "an angry mob" designation.
We'd see volunteers with yellow tea shirts on either side of Pennsylvania Avenue, smiling and thanking us for coming. Rarer were police officers and their vehicles, clearly puzzled and nervous, never-the-less with sirens blaring and lights flashing to let us know they were there, I guess.
Periodically, the quiet order was interrupted by chants of "U.S.A." "Can you hear us now?" or spontaneous cheers, for what reason, who knows, softly sung versions of "My Country T'is of Thee." All would fade in-and-out, like scenes in a movie. People were walking, talking with one another, laughing, remarking about each others signs, taking pictures of them. We commented how creative so many Americans were.
Angry? Hardly. Passionate? Would you come from any one of the 50 states represented, spend your own hard-earned money and scarce free time, post Labor Day, just after school had started, if you were not passionate? Would you stand up for your country? Be counted.
It is startling to think how many people in America are thinking similar things and were moved to come to Washington with no advanced warning of what they would find. A whim of sorts. No idea that this gathering was no flash in the pan. Or, that a sea change was afoot.
Most of the people who came had no group affiliation whatsoever. That had made up their minds to come, just as we had, two weeks ago. A Field of Dreams or Close Encounters type compulsion ... for some reason I have to go, even though I don't like crowds, dislike political parties, etc. With the attendance, in spirit, of their closest friends and family. These are the so-called 912ers. Hungry for human connection, human touch, a merger with American spirit.
Why else would The National Parks Service, D.C. police be so caught off-guard? There was no way of knowing. Human spontaneity at its best.
One lady with three kids said that there was a 2-hour wait to use the Porta Potties. There was no point, she said. Route 50 was experiencing a 7-mile backup, we were told, by noon. How many could not get into the city?
It is all unverifiable, because there were no media of consequence present. We looked. Oh yeah, we saw one CNN bus. That was it.
A small test: Were you shown or told any of what I have described?
Of course not.
Now, the nagging question for me, right now, is Why?
If two million people showed up on your doorstep for lunch, unannounced, challenged your household expenses, your plans for the future, you might feel a little intimidated to. Add to this, this was an orderly, self-directed, civil crowd. Not to diminish their insistent questioning.
Did you know that most of the marchers were women?
More than 50%.
And, older women. Moms. Bet you did not know that? Nor did you know that many of the organized tea parties were run by women.
Aside from Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton, society is generally loathe to criticize women. It is much easier to look for gunslinging, unshaven, tobacco-chewing, self-unemployed older white men and blame them for standing up for America.
A few months back, a medical intern clinically described me to her superior at my 5-year annual check-up as, " ... an unremarkable, 55 year old, Caucasian male." I would add to that, "... living one remarkable life."
There were people in wheel chairs, on scooters, young and old ... almost all carrying signs for a mile and half ... and standing for 3-4 hours listening and applauding the 25 or so speeches.
But, what of the crowd's complexion? My response would be this: If you cared about and shared the 912 convictions, and could, you came. What happened to the standard Martin Luther King set: Judge us by the content of our character?
So, to look for diversity of flesh, religion at an event or workplace has no place in free and civil society. Test yourself: Would you complain that we couldn't have 85% of blacks voting for a black presidential candidate because it violated the principles of diversity?
At the end of our walk, we arrived at the pool, where Forrest's childhood friend splashes. In front of the Capitol was a stage that already looked packed in. Again, we could see that a steady stream of people that kept coming and coming and we remained true to our exiting strategy.
It was never a worry.
Many people spoke. Not household names, with the exception of a Baldwin brother and Dick Army. Some were quite funny in their commentary and open-ended questions of the group. Others were dead serious about an amendment, a policy and its consequences for them personally, for us generally.
The overriding questions. "Are there any patriots here?" "Can you hear us now?" For me, these two questions were the oft repeated and memorable. At one point, there was absolute quiet for the singing of the national anthem. A reminder of why we are here. How fortunate we are to be here and know freedom, liberty, pursuit of happiness.
Over the loud speaker, "ABC is reporting 1.6 million in attendance, surpassing the Obama inauguration." A cheer from the crowd. "This is my Woodstock," as one sign put it. Later, the tally was upped to 2 million.
Regardless, I have never witnessed so many people with signs in one place in my life. Had we compiled and burned the signs we might have paid D.C's light bill. ... still a very beautiful city ... and one that many were coming to for the very first time in their lives.
Small business was represented, I am sure. I doubt seriously that many would characterize themselves as materially well off.
What do people want? Congress to follow the constitution. An end to ever-increasing government spending, bailouts, regulation. Though tired of it, they are far from worn out about America. They are not fleeing, not fighting. They are participating.
Unanswered e-mails to Congressmen. Encountering phone busy signals. Ears deaf to alternatives have exhausted the people's respect for their elected representatives; so, they applaud the Joe Wilson outburst at a special session of Congress, "You lie!' Though it may be inappropriate decorum, he is them.
Now, it is the peaceful congregation of numerous individual sound waves to create a thunderous, harmonious chord of a voice that echoes throughout the Lincoln Memorial.
When I was in Russia and would speak with Russians, who barely knew English, but still wanted to try without translators, they would complain that I spoke too loudly, at some point. This is what happens when people feel, that after vain attempts to speak slowly and clearly, and are still not being understood, They speak LOUDER.
This morning, I will bet my life that meetings are happening all over the city to try and figure out what to do. This was too big to ignore. Any debate over numbers would be silly and unwise. This was pure grassroots. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
Brush it under the rug or misinform and Washington could be over-run by 20 million next time. I am absolutely confident of this, based on our conversations with a small sampling of the attendees.
Chris and I worked in Washington, so we have a pretty good idea of how it works. You think your smarter because you're there. Realtime close to the action. Your work is the most important thing happening in the world. Everything said must be carefully scripted or a disaster will surely result. We know the drill.
It is the Center of the Universe complex. LA, NYC, Chicago ... all share it. It is hard to step outside of it. Many people did on Saturday. We heard their stories.
To say that leadership is called for is, once again, an under-statement of immense proportion. It is not as simple as announcing what you will do, repeating it, with increasing degrees of conviction, to numb the senses, until all are humbled and proceeding.
It sounds too much like torture, doesn't it?
Leadership is more about listening, paying attention, remembering as some signs said ... "You work for us." You cannot announce yourselves as here from the federal government, here to help, and give us the programs that we need, and expect no response.
The participants in 912 know their history. Know their US Constitution. Are current on the events up until the moment.
When a carried signs reads, "Where are ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS ...?" The reality is ... the media are decades behind the average person, they have become irrelevant, not worth the time. Perhaps media outlets are worried about their livelihoods too.
People are much more sophisticated and smarter than you would think .... and I mean MANY people. As observers, we were stunned, amazed, impressed, and proud.
There is something magical about America that at times you might erroneously think has disappeared into daily drudgery. But, it has not if 912 was any indication whatsoever.
There is much to digest here. Perhaps an incubation period is necessary. (Ed. 9-22-11: See Post 912: Is Something Wonderful Happening.)
If you were there, please send me your impressions. I would love to compare notes.
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