I'm also back from a small adventure. I took a few days to attend the Restoring Honor rally put on by Glenn Beck in Washington D.C. Depending on what news organization you choose to watch, no doubt reports about the event have varied wildly. I've already seen a few of them - part of me can't believe the inaccuracies that have been reported, and another much more cynical part of me isn't the least bit surprised. All I can accurately report is what I saw and heard.Like many Americans, I've been bothered by politics the last few years. Things just seem to get worse - from the corruption, the ever-widening gulf between Democrats and Republicans, the fact that most politicians see no need to listen to their constituents, and most especially the increasing venom and hate being hurled around with wild abandon. Personally, I don't like being called a hate-monger or a racist or downright stupid simply because I don't want to be a backdoor Socialist, I don't believe in the principles of Marxism, and I do strongly believe that the ideas and principles that our founding fathers put forth are still valid and applicable today. So, instead of sitting on my duff and continuing to complain about the state of things, I heeded Beck's call to rally. I needed a positive experience, and like a great many people, I was tired of feeling helpless. I wanted to DO something.
So, I went to D.C. for several days with my mother and aunt. It was surreal - walking in the shadows of iconic buildings and monuments, seeing the wonders of the Smithsonian, and meeting countless crowds of people excited about attending the rally. We encountered so many people that we started to worry about getting a decent spot on Saturday. Since we depended on the Metro Rail for transportation, and were staying way too far from downtown to consider walking, we were extra worried since the Saturday Metro didn't run until 7:00 a.m. Even though the rally didn't start until 10:00, we got a little antsy...antsy enough to get out of bed at 11:30 p.m., get dressed, and catch a Metro to the Lincoln Memorial in the middle of the night, armed only with a blanket and backpacks full of water and snacks. We found several thousand others had the same idea, and we joined in and staked out an area to wait out the night. (Actual camping on the mall is not allowed, but park rangers allowed "waiting.") Talk about surreal - I can honestly say I never thought I'd spend a night under the stars, under the iconic cherry trees, beside the reflecting pool, moonlight the only thing illuminating the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument - but strong convictions will make you do some strange things. We chatted the night away with people around us who were from all over - Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, South Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, even California. About 5:00 a.m. I got restless and took a walk, and ended up sitting for more than an hour on the top step of the Lincoln Memorial, listening to the gentle but growing murmur of more and more people joining me on the steps and the mall quickly filling up as the crowds streamed in. Once I watched the sun come up, I made my way back to our "camp" to eagerly await the start of the rally.
Our campout turned out to be a good thing - we heard reports of Metro lines the length of football fields, and people waiting hours just to board, not to mention gridlocked traffic even keeping taxis from getting in. We also had a fairly good view thanks to our long night's wait, though the folks with the REALLY good views had been there since Wednesday. Rally-goers were a pretty diverse group, despite what any press may report. I saw young along with old, and all ages in between. Black as well as white, Hispanic, and Asians. Speakers were all colors and backgrounds, starting with a prayer given by a Native American. And, I'm not sure, but I think I was sitting next to two gay guys. :)
I won't give minuscule details of the whole rally, but it was honestly the most amazing event I've ever attended in my entire life. The speakers were wonderful, including Sarah Palin, who spoke only as a military mom, not as a politician. Alveda King was simply unbelievable - it's astounding she's currently enduring death threats for the message of peace and unity she gave. And those were just a couple. Other speakers such as Marcus Luttrell (the "Lone Survivor") and ballplayer Albert Pujols also blew us away. There were many other speakers, singers, and performers equally as inspiring.
Beck ended the rally, which was an overall homage to the military and an distinct call to peace, unity, charity, honor, and honesty, with his presentation of the new Black Robe Regiment - a group of clergy from multiple faiths who have pledged to preach about individual God-given (not government-given) rights and personal/individual responsibility. Christian preachers linked arms with Muslim Imams, linked with Jewish Rabbis...and on and on - 240 representing his thousands of church clergy, male and female, who have made the same promise.
In the very end we were treated with special patriotic singing from Jodee Messina and a couple other Nashville stars.
On our very slow way out with the masses, I couldn't help but notice how clean everyone was leaving the grounds. All trash was picked up and put in bags next to trash cans - everyone stayed afterward to clean up after themselves. Crossing the mall we encountered the first rally protesters - a guy and girl with a megaphone, yelling pretty hateful things. I won't repeat any of it, but all the rally-attendees simply ignored or smiled at them. Apparently they didn't listen to the rally.
I know not everyone agrees with the rally, or is receptive to the message. You may be smirking your way through this whole post, having decided that I'm just another Conservative cheeseball. Just the fact that it was put on by Glenn Beck is enough for some people, despite the positive message of peace and unity, and the fact that $5.5 million dollars were raised for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college educations for fallen special ops soldiers. But, for me it was a wonderful, life-changing experience, and that fills me with hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment