9/12 DC March – Best (and Biggest) March ever!
September 12th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under
Reports are that between 1.2 and 2 million showed up to march in Washington DC Saturday, 9.12.2009.
OH, HOW I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!
Related Reading:
Excellent video over at Michelle Malkin.
Great thread at HotAir.
I’ve been searching google for an hour (I know, doesn’t mean much) and cannot find any record of any march on Washington (or anywhere else) that topped 500K.
Yeah, we’re just an angry fringe mob. I’m so mad I couldn’t go.
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??? Did you read any of the estimates from the press? 1.2 – 2 million… only in the eye of the beholder. I saw them marching through DC yesterday. It was a lot of people, but nowhere near 7 digits.
I read the police estimate- 1.2 million. ABC said 2 million in an early report and then pulled it. And then there’s the authorities (NTY) claiming they were completely unprepared for such a turn-out. Sounds to me, as someone who has marched with a supposed 750K, that it was a huge group. But I’m curious about your crowd estimations expertise. Frankly, I don’t care if it was 500K, 250K or 2 million. No one ever expected so many to come and that is what is remarkable and historical about this event. Conservatives rallying as they’re being told their movement is dead. Hah!
Other than Fox, no network is reporting much of anything. So we’ll just have to settle for never truly knowing, as if the number matters. Of course the news black-out and Google blocking all blogs that are posting photos and videos isn’t helping.
USA Today “How to estimate crowd size” from the inauguration.
Screen capture from MSNBC coverage.
…try again
Metro Police first told organizers that it was estimated at 1.2 million, later they updated the estimate to 1.5 million.
I was there, I don’t think you could get the true sense of how many because you just couldn’t get up at a high enough vantage point to see. However, the way they estimate is from an aerial view with a grid overaly. I would say that they were probably correct in the estimation after viewing the aerial shots.
According to Wrench (watching Fox), an aide to Pelosi tried to inflate the number with a memo Saturday am, which is where the original “2 million” came from. Interesting that on Friday Dems said they expected 30,000 whereas organizers expected hundreds of thousands. On Saturday, they jump to 2 million? The irony is that you marchers came closer to hitting Nancy’s bogus estimate than to the original estimate from organizers. I’d feel sorry for the Left and all their straw grabbing if they weren’t such despicable creatures. They deserve and have earned what they are receiving. As I said elsewhere, watching Obama “win” was unbelievable – watching him self-destruct is even more so. I am almost a believer in Right-wing conspiracies at this point.
Again, the number does not matter half as much as the fact that the MSM was forced to bury it, Google censored it and still all of America knows it happened and most approve. WIN!
Meh, WSJ and every newspaper seem to be reporting “tens of thousands” or something in that range. And as far as I can tell, no actual police estimate exists – this may be a myth being drummed up somewhere on the interwebs?
There were clearly many people at this march, but don’t get ahead of yourselves…
I was at the 9/12 protest and wanted to get an official number before I went home. I stopped a policeman at the Washington Monument and asked him if he had heard the official number of the march. He said they don’t do official numbers anymore. I asked him why and he said because of the Million Man March. They estimated that number to be 600,000 – 700,000. The officials of that march did not like the fact that they did not get the one million number and sued the police. That’s when they “officially” decided not to put out official numbers anymore.
After an amazing day, even my 16 year old son was part of this historical wonder. We’d been awake for almost 24 hours but, we were just high on the day! Wonderful people, doing something that had a real purpose, feeling as if I have been honored to be part of this, much like the day that I took the oath to serve my Country in the United States Navy. We were walking back toward our bus, laughing, so many things to talk about. As we walked down Pennsylvania Ave, I stopped at a fountain, a man, no shoes, was playing a guitar. He stopped, looked at me, and said, “Hey, so, are you guys some sort of low level terrorist organization or something?” I was a bit stunned, and saddened too. I’m sure that he didn’t have a job, possibly no home but, my taxes are certainly paying his wages. I took the wind right out of his sails with my response to him though. “Nope…..isn’t that what YOU ARE?” I asked him. Left the man sitting on that wall, mouth hanging open, and nothing coming out. Guess he wasn’t expecting that one huh? I am so thankful, so happy, just thrilled that I am part of history, part of something good, that is finally happening in this country again! Being part of the “Patriots for Freedom” from Western PA. Yeah and GO US!
Thanks for the video.
I was there and I was so proud to be amongst the greatest people in this country…..the true believers in the constitution, limited government and liberty.
Freedom and Socialism do not work together.
Well, I was there and around 2:30 that afternoon as I was talking with a D.C. Police officer, I asked him if they were keeping up with how many people were there…He told me that the last he heard was about 10 minutes before and that it was then between 1.8 and 2.1 million…He then said “Look back there, That is Jefferson and that is Madison Ave…..AND THEY’RE STILL COMING”…!! his words…. but then, ATG, you believe anything you like, afterall, this IS America…..
Beth, Tricia and Craig, Thank you so much for spending your time and money and being a part of the 912 March. I feel like a kid who missed the State Fair. I am so mad at myself for not going. And for not dragging my daughter along.
Remember during the election last fall? So many were talking about a tipping point, where the American public finally takes the sharp Left turn our government has taken. Well, I think we hit that point but turned Right.
And I believe what you say, Craig, about the police reports. (Have you seen the graphics estimating attendance at the Inauguration?) When we put on the Tax Day Tea Party in Boston, the police were the go to guys. They knew what was going on and the people counts were as accurate as possible, not according to them for publicity purposes but for, of course, safety. The city needs to know how many people are around in case of an emergency. Duh. Nevermind ATG – he exists to irritate me. And he’s so lackadaisical about his arguments, it’s not worth losing a moment’s peace over.
Thank you!
P.S. If you want to write up something (and/or have pictures), I would love publish it here.
I don’t know why you all left your sheets and burning crosses at home. You should of brought them to let everyone know how you tens of thousands really feel in your hearts.
We didn’t bring sheets and crosses because we aren’t Democrats and racists. KKK was a Dem invention ya know, and the Dem party was, is, and probably always will be racist. Really, read the party’s history.
The party’s history involves racists leaving it in droves for the GOP once the Dems started supporting civil rights. The racists never came back.
You’ve certainly shown your hand here, haven’t you ATG? Replying to almost every comment, all full of snarl and snark. At this point, I can only come to one conclusion – the 912 march, which you supposedly saw with your own two eyes, represents a massive shift in the public’s previously misguided opinion of the administration and you are quaking in your Keenes. Deal.
Oh, and…
So, if we just keep saying 2 million showed up, kind of like how you guys kept saying Obama was the “smahtest Precedent evah”, eventually 1/3 of the nation will believe it for six months, right? Good enough for me.
Your side predicted 30,000 – we got one million – or more. That’s a win.
More along the lines of I wasn’t doing much of anything yesterday. Plus, I felt the need to respond to what I thought were particularly absurd posts.
In 2003, Joe Wilson voted for Federal Funds For Illegal Immigrants Health Care. Don’t You Joe Wilson Supporters Feel Pretty Stupid Now.
No….
Does no one realize that with a single exception, none of those photo show the mall (and that one mall shot shows the mall empty! not surprising since they didn’t have a permit to use the mall), but rather a very narrow street? And if you just look at the actual photos, they show not much more than a football stadium’s attendance!
What the heck is wrong with you people? Are you so delusional that you even refuse to acknowledge what your own eyes show you?
Blah, blah, blah.
So, if we just keep saying 2 million showed up, kind of like how you guys kept saying Obama was the “smahtest Precedent evah”, eventually 1/3 of the nation will believe it for six months, right? Good enough for me.
Your side predicted 30,000 – we got one million – or more. That’s a win.
You’re forgetting the biggest factor, BTW – people with jobs spending their own money made the time to make the trip. No Liberal ever gave that much of anything. Well, not since the true Liberals fought the Revolution, that is.
I love the internet. All the world’s information at your fingertips – if you know the “good” sources.
“Thomas Lifson
The truth will out. Despite mainstream media attempts to characterize turnout as in the thousands, a spokesman for the National Park Service, Dan Bana, is quoted as saying “It is a record…. We believe it is the largest event held in Washington, D.C., ever.”"
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/09/912_demonstration_a_record_dc.html
All the world’s information at your fingertips, distorted by the dishonest websites that you source them from. Shame about reality having a liberal bias, isn’t it?
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/01/22/inaugural_crowd_size_reportedly_dc_record/
Send out an APB for your sarcasm radar, ATG. It’s not working.
The following will now be my only response to suggestions of how many people attended the 912 March.
If I could find any indication in America today that I could believe something I read or hear yet haven’t seen with my own two eyes, I’d be happy to accept someone’s educated estimate. But there’s not, so I won’t. Welcome to Obamerica!
Unlike you, Mom, I did see it with my own two eyes. It was a lot of people. It was not a million people, no matter how many misattributed quotes intellectually dishonest bloggers post to try and blow their success out of proportion.
It is amazing how liberal math works.
6 figures = 1 million (when it is a Liberal March)
The libs sure are spending a lot of time debunking this insignificant protest. I wish they expending the same amount of time researching the magic ‘47 Million Uninsured Americans’ number.
I never said it was insignificant, just pointed out that conservatives are spending a lot of time distorting facts to make themselves feel good.
So, if we just keep saying 2 million showed up, kind of like how you guys kept saying Obama was the “smahtest Precedent evah”, eventually 1/3 of the nation will believe it for six months, right? Good enough for me.
Your side predicted 30,000 – we got one million – or more. That’s a win.
ATG – Remember, this was a conservative march. A rare event… Conservatives do not know how to march, so any number is FANTASTIC.
One of the many honest signs from the march.
I’m sure that he didn’t have a job, possibly no home but, my taxes are certainly paying his wages.
Beth, I am glad to see the milk of human kindness flowing in your heart this weekend, when we are all humbled and saddened by the memory of one of the most terrible days in US history.
Just kidding, you guys can’t leave your smug superiority behind for one minute, can you?
How can someone have “wages” if they have no job? Just to show you I can be snarky as well.
No matter how hard I try, I cannot lower myself to the level of you guys.
Gloves are off.
I was there and the crowd was absolutely amazing…Beck said tonight that some university did a crowd analysis and came up with 1.7 million and it was also pointed out that there was 0 arrests made. Whatever the number, we who were there knows the truth. This was the first time in my life that I have ever been part of anything like this but I intend on continuing to stand up for AMERICA’S FREEDOM.
Can anyone point to original sources for the million-plus count (i.e. Parks)? All I see are rumours and it makes us look like we’re not in command of the facts…
We’ll never know. Original estimates came off the street apparently from police officers that put it at 1.2 million. (Based on my Tax Day Tea Party experience, the police estimate for safety purposes – not for publicity.) A memo from Pelosi’s office claimed up to 2 million shortly thereafter – maybe an attempt to make the 1.2 look puny? And a local ABC affiliate reported 2 million as a possible count. Based on historical counts at other events, maybe 500K.
It kind of doesn’t matter anymore, does it? It was more than anyone, even the Left, expected. And those “in the know” know these were working Americans who paid their own way and took their personal time to be there. And it was a conservative march – unheard of until now.
But as I said, I’m sticking with 2 million because every time I say it, somewhere a Liberal blows out a blood vessel. Good clean fun.
Thank you for your service GOPMom. My family and I also want to personally thank ALL of the AMERICANS who participated in the 9/12 Tea Party. They need to know that EACH ONE who participated “in person”, represented dozens more patriots all across this great land who couldn’t make it to DC; my family and I included. It was a proud day, a passionate demonstration for Democracy; and a pivotal day for the rebirth of America, Freedom, Liberty and the greatest document the world as ever known: The U.S. Constitution.
Whatever the number of attendees, whatever the media reports, whatever the blogger’s spin: the Truth is still the Truth. It doesn’t need me, you, or anyone to interpret it, or “tell it like it is.” It simply is, and always will be, the Truth; and no amount of opinion on it matters in the slightest.
All reports tell us that there were no arrests, and that in itself is amazing. I have also heard that the “angry mob” even left the place clean, no trash (Unlike the ‘09 Coronation of Our Dear Leader – which also caused millions of $’s in damage to the lawn on the Mall – another item taxpayers got to pay for in the Pork-Useless Bill). Maybe the place was left “clean” because the Great Americans who attended were aware that “they”, the American Taxpayer, would eventually have to “pick up the check” for that too!
This great day in American History is a powerful testament to all the magnificent men and women in military service at home and around the world – the ones who preserve for us the opportunity to assemble, speak our minds, live our lives in freedom; and then pass these gifts on to future generations. Nothing is more important to me and my family…and that IS the Truth.
Well said. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thank you.
“My family and I also want to personally thank ALL of the AMERICANS who participated in the 9/12 Tea Party. They need to know that EACH ONE who participated “in person”, represented dozens more patriots all across this great land who couldn’t make it to DC; my family and I included.”
Solomon, my family agrees…My sister and I were there. The whole family wanted to go, but with tough economic times we couldn’t afford it. So our 4 households took up a collection to send 2 representatives. I am so proud of everyone, most of whom have never been involved in politics before! We are paying attention now! I am also proud to have been part of a group that was not only soooo huge, but so polite and respectful. I was so impressed that people picked up after themselves that I had to take pictures of the clean fields as the crowd cleared. I think we all felt that we were on almost sacred ground–the center of our liberty. Those marching paused at the huge 1st amendment to take a picture and read it out loud. We will never forget this day!
I just tune out anyone who says, “Why did you leave your white hoods and crosses at home?” This seems to be the default position with some liberals: ANY citicism of the policies of Obama or the Democratic Congress is immediately met with “You’re a racist”. Many of us who are conservatives or consider ourselves moderate (I’m still a registered Democrat and before this voted for every Democratic Presidential casndidate that came down the pike since 1980) are so used to being called racist that it’s just water off our backs. I really wanted to like and appreciatee Obama, However, 18 months of reading about his time in IL and his associates and seeing how ne handles himself in the debates just tanked it for me. If you want to call me a racist for voting for the content of a person’s character and his political background instead of his color call me a racist. At this point all I do is shrug because I consider nothing more than trolling.
This guy must be racist too: He didn’t vote for Obama either:
http://theblacksphere.blogspot.com/
It’s like no one ever told these people the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” If everything is racist, nothing is racist. Unfortunately, any actual instances of racism that do occur and harm people go unnoticed or are not rectified because of misuse and abuse of the word.
Attacking his policies isn’t racist at all, it’s all the “he’s not one of us” and “he wants to destroy America” crap that gets people worried that there’s something more to the criticism than just thinking his policies are wrongheaded.
But he’s not and he does. Proof is in the pudding.
Well, you wanted to know why people think you’re crazy and worry you’re a racist, there it is. Call it one of those unbridgeable gaps.
I would baulk at “He’s not one of us” but I DO think that he wants to fundamantally reshape America into a socialist or communist country, and from what I know of his associates, yes, I think he’s off on the fringe. That belief comes from lot of reading material about him, And no, i don’t understand why he had to spend millions and stall so as not to produce his birth certificate, and I don’t know why if he’s such a brilliant student he won’t produce any academic records. Very questionable. Do I think he was born in Kenya? Unlikely IMO, but WAY too many questions.
And No, I have never felt that Obama had respect for America as it has been hitherfore. It will only be acceptable to him when it’s been completely made over in his image.
I agree with you liberal mom; If everything is racist, nothing is racist.
“liberal mom”? I don’t get it.
Big Whoops. Pardon me, GOPMOM. I’ve had a long day before I posted to you I was speaking to a woman who said she was a liberal mom. Hence-LiberalMOM. I apologize for that.
No problem. It has been a busy couple of days on the web. Gotta’ get the word out – since the MSM won’t do their job.
Well president Zero called us out and what happened? He ran to Minnesota!
Don’t forget the predictable “Kabuki theatre” performance at a union event in Ohio. Maybe if he charged an entrance fee, we could start working on his deficits.
This tells you how stupid the Liberal left is the blank part of the grass beyond the capitol was reserved for a family reunion so a lot of us were kept on Pennsylvania Ave. So many of us couldn’t hear a thing when it came to the speeches. The march lasted easily over 4 hours of people.. As my sign said which is the total truth… What do liberals carry in their wallet? The Race Card, they can’t debate without it, because facts get in the way. I met a liberal blog reporter and he asked me what the Race Card was – what a joke. I had to explain to him that they are saying that just because you are against the Obama policies you are accused of being racist. Then he said who has said that (I wanted to say are you kidding?) I said Rangle, Pelosi anyone on the left, try watching the news. Then I explained how all of this spending will hurt everyone no matter what race, creed, or color and I had to explain to him that the poor and African Americans were already paying more in taxes: Cigarettes are mostly smoked by the poor and even more so by African Americans and this Einstein said “that was to pay for Bush stuff” what an idiot. I said no it was to pay for SCHIP which actually lowers the number of uninsured since all poor children are covered by SCHIP. So I had to explain the spending that is now at 49% GDP which is worse than any of the socialize european countries. It was amazing how ignorant he was to the actual economics and laws that have been passed. I then quoted to him what Thomas Jefferson said “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” then he as the moron he was says Thomas Jefferson also said “If ignorance is bliss, then why isn’t everyone happy” I said don’t you get it that only the ignorant are blissful with this administration and it seems that everyone here is mad at what is going on…. so what does that tell you? His reply was a shrug of his shoulders… TALK ABOUT IGNORANT!!!
Don’t wrestle with pigs…
GOPmom, why is the flag at half staff in one of those photos? Fact is, the right nearly destroyed our country and can’t get over the fact most people in this country became very tired of alleged leaders such as yourself and right wing radio. Remember, Michael Reagan, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh et al were making repeated comments that liberals “…should be taken and shot!”, are “Nazis and facists” ad nauseum. Fact is, name one good thing the Republican Party has done for my country. The GOP has become a party of thugs, cranks, whackos, and other illiterates who think crazy things like that the Earth is only 6000 years old, that Cb is not a terminal atom, (fifth grade science student will understand that), that evolution and intelligent design are held in equal esteem in the scientific community, that skin stem cells are the same as any other stem cell, that being required to make a contribution to society applies only to others, that education is a liberal plot…. I could go on and on about the delusional nature of the superstition and half baked “facts” the right wing media cites as science. My students find much of what is reported as being symptomatic of either wishful thinking or an incomplete education. The late William Buckley must be turning over in his grave. Bottom line is the right wing is clingy and not very adaptable, this sense of insecurity often leads to violence. Mark my words, some nut job from your side of the tracks will do something idiotic. My gun club already has certain members informally sharing militia type literature & ideas–all of it trash. Want God in the classroom, GOPMom? Move to Saudi Arabia or get your own school on your own dime.
First of all, these marches are NOT about the GOP; millions of us – Independents, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, etc – are fed up with overspending ( yes, it didn’t just start with libs “Messiah” the great O, but he has hyper-accelerated it), with attempts to grow government and ignore our Constitution. They are coming together to say, “Enough! NO MORE!”
“Want God in the classroom, GOPMom? Move to Saudi Arabia or get your own school on your own dime.”
I guess the defenders of liberalism, such as yourself, prefer other things in the classroom – killings, swearing, pregnancy, stealing, vandalism, lack of respect, as well as the idolized god of humanism, Self. Shall we depend on godless science – “knowledge” – for all the answers to save us from moral corruption? There was a time when Semmelweis taught that doctors should wash their hands, and his “scientific” medical colleagues scoffed at him. Human knowledge and reasoning is limited, and therefore, so is the science of mankind.
You, sir, are out of touch with and on the wrong side of such notable right-wing superstitious extremists as Columbus, the Pilgrims, our Founding Fathers, and those who set up our States’ Constitutions, who also must have been, as you call them, a “a party of thugs, cranks, whackos ( actually spelled ‘wackos’ ), and other illiterates who think crazy things.” Such ignorant wackos, as labeled from your worldview, gave us this country and our Constitution, but then I guess they all were wishful thinkers with incomplete educations. . . . perhaps they would advise YOU, Richard Mertens, to go find a godless, socialist country to inhabit, but I believe that God would rather you ( & your students ) move into a relationship with Him and discover the incredible love, like none other, that He has for you ( & them ) and wants you ( & them ) to know, experience, and live in daily for all eternity.
Consider an excerpt from the diary of Christopher Columbus:
“It was the Lord who put it into my mind–I could feel His hand upon me–the fact that it would be possible. . . All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. . . There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of illumination from the Holy Scriptures. . . It was simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied. . . the fact that the Gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a short time–this is what convinces me. No one should fear to undertake a task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His Service.”
Consider the Mayflower Compact, drawn up and signed by the Pilgrim men on the Mayflower shortly before they landed at Plymouth Colony in 1620:
“Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith. . .. a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern part of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic. . .”
Consider the stated purposes of the Charters for America’s first Colonies:
Virginia, 1606 – . . .To make habitation. . .and to deduce a colony of sundry of our people into that part of America commonly called Virginia. . . In propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness. . .[to] bring. . . a settled and quiet Government.
Virginia, 1609 – . . . Because the principal effect which we can expect or desire of this action is the conversion. . . of the people in those parts unto the true worship of God and the Christian religion.
Virginia, 1620 – . . . To advance the enlargement of the Christian religion, to the glory of God Almighty. . .
Massachusetts, 1629 – . . . Our said people. . . may be so religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed, as their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Savior of mankind, and the Christian Faith, which is our royal intention, and . . . the principal end of this plantation. . .
Maryland, 1632 – Our well beloved and right trusty subject Caecilius Calver, Baron of Baltimore. . . being animated with a laudable and pious zeal for extending the Christian religion. . . hath humbly besought leave of us that he may transport. . . a numerous colony of the English nation to a certain region . . partly occupied by savages having no knowledge of the Divine Being.
Rhode Island, 1663 – The colonies are to pursue with peace and loyal minds their sober, serious, and religious intentions. . . in holy Christian faith. . . A most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained. . . rightly grounded upon Gospel principles.
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
- John Quincy Adams
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!” Patrick Henry
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions. . . upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” – James Madison
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
- John Adams
“The Congress of the United States approves and recommends to the people The Holy Bible . . . for the use in schools.”
- Congress, Sept. 10, 1782
“The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty. . . students perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens.”
- Thomas Jefferson
“. . . But for the Bible we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare. . . are to be found portrayed in it.”
- Abraham Lincoln
“. . . the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children under a free government ought to be instructed…No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
- Noah Webster, 1758 – 1843
“It is impossible to rightly govern. . . without God and the Bible.”
- George Washington
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”
- Patrick Henry
“. . . Christianity is part of the common-law.” James Wilson, Justice of the United States Supreme Court, appointed by George Washington, and signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
“No purpose of action against religion can be imputed [given] to any legislation, state or national, because this is a religious people. . . this is a Christian nation.” . . . “This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation. The commission to Christopher Columbus. . . recited that ‘it is hoped that by God’s assistance some of the continents and islands in the ocean will be discovered. . ‘ The first colonial grant made to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584. . . and the grant authorizing him to enact statutes for the government of the proposed colony provided that ‘they be NOT against the true Christian faith’. . . ” Supreme Court conclusion, 1892 – Holy Trinity Church v United States
“Christianity, general Christianity, is and always has been a part of the common law. . . not Christianity founded on any particular religious tenets; not Christianity with an established church . . . but Christianity with liberty of conscience to all men. Thus this wise legislature framed this great body of laws, for a Christian county and Christian people. This is the Christianity of the common law. . . and thus, it is irrefragably proved, that the laws and institutions of this state are built on the foundation of reverence for Christianity. . . in this the Constitution of the United States has made NO alteration, nor in the great body of the laws which was an incorporation of the common-law doctrine of Christianity. . . without which no free government can long exist. . . . No society can tolerate a willful and despiteful attempt to subvert its religion, no more than it would to break down its laws–a general, malicious and deliberate intent to overthrow Christianity, general Christianity.” Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1824 – Updegraph v The Commonwealth
“We are a Christian people, according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.” Supreme Court, 1931 – United States v MacIntosh
. . . “all confidence must be. . . reposed only on that God who rules in the Armies of Heaven, and without whose blessing the best human counsels are but foolishness- -and all created power vanity; . . . John Hancock, Massachusetts Colony, April 15, 1775
What DID the Founding Fathers view as Religion?
As the word and its intent would have been used in the First Amendment relative to that time, the original Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines religion:
RELIGION. Includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of His will to man, and in man’s obligation to obey His commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man’s accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties. . . the practice of moral duties without a belief in a Divine Lawgiver, and without reference to His will or commands, is NOT religion.
Whatever was not religion was not protected under the First Amendment; that would include atheism, secular humanism, and other groups which have been granted a status of ‘religion’ by the Courts in the last several decades. These United States undeniably were founded on freedom OF religion, not freedom from religion. Diametrically opposed to that of our Founding Fathers, the current viewpoint of the courts is that religious exercise ( which IS protected both publicly and privately ) is equal to establishing a national religion, and that viewpoint now is used to prevent any form of Christian activity or display. Now more than two centuries later, on what basis can the courts and politicians of today claim to have a clearer understanding of the intent of the First Amendment than those who framed it, ratified it, and applied it to their governmental and judicial decisions?
The origin of the phrase “separation of church and state”
The words “separation of church and state” did NOT originate in any of our founding charters, constitutions, or declarations; they do NOT appear in the First Amendment nor anywhere in the entirety of the Constitution; anyone who believes otherwise needs to carefully read through those documents.
An early prominent Baptist minister, Roger Williams, had spoken about a one-directional wall of separation protecting the church from the world,
“. . . When they have opened a gap in the hedge – or wall of separation – between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall itself. . . And that therefore if He will e’er please to restore His garden and paradise again, it must of necessity be walled in peculiarly unto Himself from the world. . ” Notice in his imagery that the world is walled out of the garden of the church and its affairs and not the other way around; it would be desirable to keep weeds of the world out of the garden, but no one would wish to prohibit fruit and flowers from the garden from being propagated into the wilderness.
Around 1801, the Danbury Baptist Association wrote to President Thomas Jefferson with concerns over a rumored forthcoming recognition of a particular denomination of Christianity as THE national denomination, which would be in violation of the First Amendment by establishing one Christian denomination as the official religion of the American government to the exclusion of all other Christian denominations. Thirteen years after the passage of the First Amendment, on January 1, 1802, he addressed a gathering of them at Danbury, CT, to alleviate their fears that the federal government would establish any denomination of Christianity as the national denomination. As he was not one of them, and using the words of one of their own to foster a connection between himself and his listeners, he borrowed from the words of the previously mentioned Roger Williams and stated, ” . . . I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
That “separation” phrase was not recorded in the Constitutional Convention discussions nor in any records of the subsequent Congress that produced the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson was serving as U.S. Minister to France when the 1787 Constitutional Convention was held; he was not a delegate at the convention, nor a member of Congress in 1789 during the framing of the First Amendment, nor a member of any State legislature or ratifying convention relevant to the passage of that amendment. He had the same understanding as Roger Williams about the need to protect the Church and free exercise of religion from the State and made the following statements:
Kentucky Resolution of 1798: No power over the freedom of religion (is) delegated to the United States by the Constitution. . .
Second Inaugural Address, 1805: “In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the General (i.e. national) government.
Letter to Samuel Miller, 1808: “I consider the government of the United States as interdicted [prohibited] by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting an establishment or free exercise of religion (First Amendment), but from that also which reserves to the States the powers not delegated to the general government (Tenth Amendment). It must then rest with the States as far as it can be in any human authority. . . ”
In 1947, in Everson v Board of Education, the Supreme Court of the United States excerpted “a wall of separation between Church and State,” from Jefferson’s address. Again, his address was not to any legislative body or in any legislative proceedings but to a single gathering of Baptists. That Court completely reversed the meaning and intent of Jefferson’s words, usurped the power previously belonging to the States, and began ruling on individual State’s decisions and laws that had been passed by State legislatures since the 1600’s, laws which allowed the free exercise of religious practices in schools and public affairs – voluntary prayer, Bible reading, the use of the Ten Commandments, etc., laws which had been passed through elected representatives and with the consent of the governed. Adopting and using one individual’s words out of context, that distortion of Jefferson’s address became national legal policy, and the Court then began declaring State laws unconstitutional. Statutes allowing religious practice were no longer being enacted or removed by the people through their elected representatives; it was now occurring through unelected Justices; with a majority of the Court – just five justices – they could overturn the people’s will that had been expressed through Constitutionally correct legislative means in every State, and where is the “justice for all” in that?
“I do not forget the position, assumed by some, that constitutional questions are to be decided by the Supreme Court. . . At the same time, the candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the government, upon vital questions affecting the whole people, is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are made. . . the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having. . . resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal.” Abraham Lincoln
“How long can public respect for the Court, on which its power ultimately depends, survive if the people become aware that the tribunal, which condemns the acts of others as unconstitutional, is itself acting unconstitutionally?” Raoul Berger, Harvard Professor
“. . . If the judges of the Supreme Court should dare. . . to declare the acts of Congress unconstitutional. . . it was the undoubted right of the House to impeach them, and of the Senate to remove them. . .” Senator William Giles, Virginia, 1803 – 1815, Governor of Virginia, 1827 – 1830
“. . . The proper restraint of Congress lay not with the Supreme Court, but with the people themselves, who at the ballot box ‘could apply the Constitutional corrective.’ . . .” John Randolph, Virginia, House of Representatives, 1799 – 1826 & 1827 – 1834, Senator 1825 – 1826
“America has become the battleground between the world’s two oldest religions. The first religion to appear in the history of mankind worships God. The second worships man. In America, the first is expressed primarily by Christianity. The second by humanism. It is not a question of whether morality can or should be legislated. It is a question of which religious guidelines will undergird the legislation: religious guidelines that deify God, or religious guidelines that deify man?” Dr. Sterling Lacy, Valley of Decision.
“Behind every system of law there is a god. To find the god in any system, look for the source of law in that system. If the source of law is the individual, then the individual is the god of that system. . . If our source of law is the court, then the court is our god. If there is no higher law beyond man, then man is his own god. . . When you choose your authority, you choose your god, and where you look for your law, there is your god.” John Eidsmore, Christianity and the Constitution
“Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.” Robert C. Winthrop, 1852
“The only assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion. . . . At what point then, is the approach of danger to be expected? If it ever reaches us, it must spring up from among us, it cannot come from abroad. If destruction is our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher; as a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide.” Abraham Lincoln
“As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities.” George Mason, 1725-1792, framer of Virginia’s Bill of Rights, a model for part of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights
“To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief, or the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom. . . Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican form of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them.” Jedediah Morse, American educator and geographer, known as the “Father of American Geography.” 1761 – 1826
“The proposition that the United States of America [is] a Christian. . nation is. . the statement of a fact. That fact is not simply that the great majority of the people are Christians. . . the organic life, the institutions, laws, and an official action of the government, whether that action be legislative, judicial, or executive, is. . in accordance with the principles of . .Christianity.
. . . If a man goes to China, he expects to find the government administered according to the religion of the country. If he goes to Turkey, he expects to find the Koran supreme and regulating all public action. If he goes to a [Christian] country, he has no right to complain, should he find the Bible in the ascendancy and exerting its benign influence not only on the people, but also on the government.
… In the process of time, thousands have come among us, who are not Christians. Some are. . . Jews, some infidels, and some atheists. All are welcomed; all are admitted to equal rights and privileges. All are allowed to acquire property, and to vote in every election. . . All are allowed to worship as they please, or not to worship at all. . . No man is molested for his religion or for his want of religion. No man is required to profess any form of faith, or to join any religious association. More than this cannot reasonably be demanded. More, however, is demanded. The infidel demands that the government should be conducted on the principle that Christianity is false. The atheist demands that it should be conducted on the assumption that there is no God. . . The sufficient answer to all this is that it cannot possibly be done.” Charles Hodge, American Theologian, Princeton, 1876
“The basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I don’t think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a. . . government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State !” President Harry Truman
“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about. . . The Bible. . . is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God and. . . nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation.” President Woodrow Wilsom
“Our forefathers passed the vast Atlantic, spent their blood and treasure, that they might enjoy their liberties, both civil and religious, and transmit them to their posterity. . . Now if we should give them up, can our children rise up and call us blessed? . . . Let us all be of one heart, and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. And may He, of His infinite mercy, grant us deliverance out of all our troubles.” William Prescott, Massachusetts Colony, August 1774, Colonel of the Militia at Bunker Hill
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George Washington 1789
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be — That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks — for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation — for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed — for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the Great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions — to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually — to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed — to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord — To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us — and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York, the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
George Washington
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Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation
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Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclomation that follows is taken from the collection of Lincoln’s papers in the Library of America series, Vol II, pp. 520-521.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
Abraham Lincoln
Do you know the Preamble for your state ?
Alabama — 1901, Preamble. We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution…
Alaska — 1956, Preamble. We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona — 1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution…
Arkansas — 1874, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arkansas,grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government…
California — 1879, Preamble. We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom.
Colorado — 1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe…
Connecticut — 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy. . .
Delaware — 1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences
Florida — 1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution…
Georgia — 1777, Preamble. We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution…
Hawaii — 1959, Preamble. We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance . Establish this Constitution.
Idaho — 1889, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois — 1870, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana — 1851, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa — 1857, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings establish this Constitution.
Kansas — 1859, Preamble. We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky — 1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth, are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties…
Louisiana — 1921, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine — 1820, Preamble. We, the People of Maine, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity … And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland — 1776, Preamble. We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty…
Massachusetts — 1780, Preamble. We…the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe .. In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction ..
Michigan — 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan,grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom establish this Constitution.
Minnesota — 1857, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Minnesota,grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings…
Mississippi — 1890, Preamble. We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work…
Missouri — 1845, Preamble. We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness .. Establish this Constitution.
Montana — 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, establish this Constitution …
Nebraska — 1875, Preamble. We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, Establish this Constitution.
Nevada — 1864, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution.
New Hampshire — 1792, Part I. Art. I Sec. V. Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey — 1844, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors. .
New Mexico — 1911, Preamble. We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty…
New York — 1846, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New York,grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina — 1868, Preamble. We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those…
North Dakota — 1889, Preamble. We, the people of North Dakota,grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain…
Ohio — 1852, Preamble. We, the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common…
Oklahoma — 1907, Preamble. Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty … establish this …
Oregon — 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences..
Pennsylvania — 1776, Preamble. We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance…
Rhode Island — 1842, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Rhode Island, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing…
South Carolina — 1778, Preamble. We, the people of the State of South Carolina, grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota — 1889, Preamble. We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties…
Tennessee — 1796, Art. XI.III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience…
Texas — 1845, Preamble. We, the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah — 1896, Preamble. Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont — 1777, Preamble. Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man…
Virginia — 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator, can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other.
Washington — 1889, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia — 1872, Preamble. Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia, reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God …
Wisconsin — 1848, Preamble. We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility…
Wyoming — 1890, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties .. establish this Constitution.
After reviewing acknowledgments of God from ALL 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong!
Love it! Although my jaded, cynical heart cannot help but wonder if we’ll see legislation in many states soon wanting a rewrite of the pre-ambles.
Thanks for this – a great read that I passed on to many.
More hateful lefty spite. I should go to Saudi Arabia. Your grasp of reality in tenuous. It is you that longs for a monarchy with a constitution based in ancient religious law. Are you not one of the believers that Obama was sent by God to save us all?
FYI – God is already in every classroom, everywhere from Arkansas to Afghanistan. He’s with you right now. And I already send my kid to a private parochial school that I pay for – as well as the atrocious public system. Keep up.
I was there. When we got on the Metro in Bethesda Md. the train was so full we were packed in like sardines. We knew then that the trip we made from Phoenix, Az was going to be well worth it. The amount of people at this march was absolutely amazing. It was historic and I was so proud to be there with my son and nephew. Whether it was 1 or 2 million, I don’t know, but it was amazing how many people were there and how friendly everybody was. Black, white, hispanic, asian, Indian, it was a coming together of conservatives and ex-liberals, like I have only dreamed could happen. Don’t get upset about the media, lefty bloggers, or these morons who try to downplay what is going on cuz I remember what the Republican Revolution did in 94 and 2010 is stacking up the same way. Americans know what Marxist, Statists look like and they don’t want it. Proud to be an American. Love it or leave it, it’s time for a a** whooping!
Thanks for going. People across the nation are encouraged and energized. We’re planning another Tea Party for Boston in October. We want our own march!
I don’t really care what the national media says about the number attending the Washington protest. I don’t care if it 10,000 or 1,000,000 or even 2,000,000. I only care that I WAS THERE. God Bless America, The freedom to assemble is worth dying for.
+1000% I’m with you.
I don’t know about the numbers offered from unconfirmed sources. definitely they didn’t cover the national mall so this whole 1 million argument is moot. then I came across this website http://deathbymedia.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/912-washington-dc-tea-party-rally-crowd-estimation/
he has done a lot of work to determine a more accurate estimation with god knows how many pictures and videos. too much time on his hand but i guess someone got to do it. for whatever reason everyone seems to be missing the core message here but it won’t hurt to be more truthful with the numbers.
God bless America
One thing is for sure…The fact that over one million working tax-paying citizens could take the time off to make this, is ground shaking. Although, not ALL were working folks. I spoke to one lady who had lost her job & health care, and held a sign saying: “I lost MY job, and MY health care, and it is MY problem! NO! to ObamaCare”
One has to admire such a fierce level of personal responsibility. Oh, and I believe she spent her own scarce resources to travel to DC, as I am pretty sure she was not a native.
All of this is driving you crazy and you know it. I’m willing to admit, no matter how “small” it makes me, that I’m enjoying all of this all the more so because it’s getting to you. And I’m sure Marie is having difficulty coping as well.
It’s ok, Liberals. We’re not the enemy. We want you to be happy and successful and fulfilled and working and in a home of your own and eating what you want when you want and living where you want. Basically, we want you to be free just like we want to be free. The only downside is that you’re going to have to start paying your own way – those of you who don’t already, that is.