Posted on 08/28/2005 3:14:54 PM PDT by basil
Edited on 08/28/2005 4:56:03 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
So now it's all a part of history. Would that all of you could have been there to take part in this joyous day of celebrating our troops, our president, and our mission. Everyone who was able to attend saw different things, had different experiences, came away with a different idea of what transpired yesterday. That is the nature of how these things work.
My own perspective is that the event was a huge success. The number of people who gave freely of their time, their pocketbooks, their expertise, their muscle power, and their overwhelmning support was truly phenomenal! What a heart-lifting experience to be surrounded by good, all American Americans! What a contrast to those poor people on the left, with their sad faces, their misplaced loyalty, and in some cases, their desire to destroy this, the most successful country the world has ever seen.
My perspective on the day will probably be surprising to some, especially to those who have never been involved in the planning and execution of a large event like this. The truth of the matter is that during the event, you are too busy to see and hear what is going on up on the stage, and around the periphery of the event. There are always details to keep up with, people needing something taken care of IMMEDIATELY, some minor emergency or some request, that keeps you focused on that little subject, instead of what's happening a bit futher afield from your location at the moment. In actuality, in a lot of ways, I wasn't there!
There was never a time to just stop and listen to this speaker or that one---most of them, I didn't hear at all. The one thing I did hear was the lovely singing of our anthem by Mr. Bruce Odems, a career Austin Firefighter, and a veteran of the 1st Gulf War. No one could miss him, as his lovely voice was projected so beautifully out over the crowd. Then, it was time to turn back and take care of other details.
Many thanks to TXBubba for keeping a live thread going--(someday, I will have finished reading all of those 3 thousand plus posts). I was not very helpful as the phone connection was so bad for one thing, and for another, there were so many things happening that I didn't yet know about, so I couldn't tell her about them. And--well, I have to add that some of the things I told her turned out to be not true anyway, so maybe some of that bad phone reception was a good thing--LOL!
There are so many people who did a yeoman's job of making this thing a roaring success. It was incredible--people from all over the country just showed up with wonderful contributions, and went to work right away. I'm going to start a list of the ones I remember off the top of my head, and hope that The Sarce, Gracey, Drewsdad, and all the other freepers there will add to the list.
First of all, of course, is Kristinn. There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe the contribution he made to this endeavor. Those of you who know Kristinn know what I mean--the rest of you will have to take our word for it. Kristinn is Kristinn and is one of FR's finest gifts.
While mentioning Kristinn, I have to interject and mention that 2 of my very good non-freeper friends who happen to live very near Crawford took over the duty of chauffering the non-driving Kristinn around all day every day from Wednesday through yesterday--when they even had to drive him about 100 miles to the DFW airiport, as the shuttle flight from Waco had mechanical problems. I won't mention there full names here for obvious reason, but Rich and Gail, you know who you are, and you have our gratitude!
One of our newer freepers, by the name of FFforFreedom-I think I got that right, but will check it to be sure-just literally connected with me, and got the ball rolling putting members of the Austin Firefighters Union to work, and rounding up supplies for the rally. The list of things they added is a long one, but one of the bigest things they contributed was sheer muscle power, hard work, heart, and sweat. They are the guys who furnished the barbeque and other food (and it was delicious). They hauled their grill and the power system to run it out to the site early in the day, and the smell of grilling sausage and brisket filled the air. They furnished water, ice, generators, fans, the EMS service, and on and on. They even hauled in a discarded old bathtub and iced down a load of watermelons in it! That's pure Texas, folks--LOL! Please give a word of thanks for these fine fellows. As the packing up, cleaning up was underway, FFforFreedom was nowhere to be seen--and then, all of a sudden, I spy him walking across the field, holding up his own IV! Seems he had finally been overcome by the heat and had to be administered to himself by the very EMS that he was responsible for getting onsite! He was on his way back to join his crew in cleaning up and packing up!
There were the two female dynamos from Ft. Benning, GA, who just came out of nowhere--with their 3 story tall flag, their balloons, their yellow ribbons, tents, and on and on. It was these young ladies who paid to rent out the air conditioned Community Center for EMS to have a place to bring in victims of the extreme heat for treatment. These gals were like a whirling dervish--came in, set up, broke it down, and carried it away. The engineering, heavy equipment, and all the details necessary to pull this off were just there--that's all--they just showed up.
The wonderful speakers, who truly spoke from their hearts, the families with loved ones serving in the Middle East, the bikers, the people on horseback, the true Gold Star Families--the people who made all the sacrifices to get to the rally from near and far--all contributed greatly to this wonderful day of patriotism and support for our fighting troops, their Commander In Chief, our mission.
Have no worry about lack of media coverage. (Is anyone really surprised?). Many, many cameras got this rally memorialized on film, and that film will find it's way to Iraq and Afghanistan and our toops will know that there is huge support for them in the U S of A! That was the point--that was our message, and our Service Men and Women will know this!
I will close with one personal incident that occurred at the end of this very long day. Forgive me, but I just feel the need "share" this.
We're finally on the road for home--it's about 8:30 PM or so, and Doctor Raoul is driving. He is an excellent, very safe driver (although he drives a bit slower than I do--LOL!) Anyway, after a while, he tells me that he has sort of hit the wall, and is having trouble keeping his eyes open. So we switch, and I take over the wheel. Raoul is now in the passenger seat, trying to snatch a few ZZZZZZ's, when he stirs, and says, "Is that a siren I hear?" I look out the rear window, and sure enough--I see these flashing blue and white lights, and the siren is growing closer. (Keep in mind, I've been behind the wheel for --oh maybe 5 minutes). Of course, I'm being nabbed--LOL!.
I pulled over , and my "new friend in blue" pulls in behind me. Also, you must know, we were on a back road, not a major highway, and there was very little traffic, and nothing but open road ahead. I didn't want anyone to get the idea that I was endangering anyone--but I was definitely speeding.
So the cop walks up and introduces himself as Officer so and so, from the Hutto TX police dept, and that he clocked me going 76 in a 65 mph zone. I tell him, "Guilty as charged, officer, and it is also my obligation to let you know that I am armed." He asked if I had a License to carry the gun, and I said yes. And then............................
His radio squawked--
and the message is that there is an erratic driver on the road, with a child in the car. The officer looks at me, and says. "Be on your way, and drive safely!" He hadn't even gotten around to asking for my driver's license! He ran back to his car and took off!
Doctor Raoul, who never opened his mouth during all of this, was wondering if he dreamt the whole episode. I told him no, it happened, and it just goes to show that there is a GOD! End of story--the rest of you take over with your details now, please--I've already been far too long-winded!
First? Awesome report basil and THANK YOU and all the dedicated freepers and PATRIOTS for what you did yesterday! I was praying for you all the way! God bless our military men and women!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING.
The good that was done is good in of itself and the power of Freepr work in Crawford will radiate out in this country and the far off lands where our troops will see the videos. The MSM can never 'minimize" the power of the actions that you all carried out this weekend in Crawford.
Your efforts, actions, and joyful hearts are a living "prayer" for our troops and our freedom and all that is good and decent.
"Would that all of you could have been there ..."
Thanks, Basil, we appreciate the thought!
Thank you for being there for all of us, and thanks for this excellent on-scene report.
Second that. You people are the REAL Americans there in Crawford, not Cindy and her clueless brood.
You're right. They tried their best but couldn't suceed.
Outstanding report, Basil. Many, many thanks for your hard work to all of you who represented us down in Crawford. I'm sure the troops are grateful for your support.
Kudos to all the on site Freepers and the frequent updates. We love ya'll!
Thank you and thank you to all freepers who participate din any way in this most important event. You are doing God's work, imo.
Outstanding!
"Have no worry about lack of media coverage. (Is anyone really surprised?). Many, many cameras got this rally memorialized on film, and that film will find it's way to Iraq and Afghanistan and our toops will know that there is huge support for them in the U S of A! That was the point--that was our message, and our Service Men and Women will know this!"
Will this be put onto a DVD? Can't DVDs be mass reproduced pretty cheaply?
Thank you for this perspective. This morning I saw Shemane Nugent on Fox & Friends -- the entire 2 minute (or so) segment, the only footage they showed was of the Cindy crowd. Not a single shot of the Pro-America crowd at all. I was so angry and disappointed -- if you weren't listening closely, you'd have assumed she was with them!.
God bless all of you & your wonderful efforts this weekend!
Isn't it amazing what Jim Robinson brought into being with just a little ole website? Thank God for Jim Robinson and all the wonderful people who have gavitated to his site and have made a difference. This is only the beginning. Thank you Basil and Kristan and everybody who made yesterday possible.
Ping!
I asked a dear friend whose husband Mike , a US Marine , was lost last year in Iraq , what she thought of Cindy Sheehan?
This is what she said :
This of course has the GSW (Gold Star Wives)group all fired up...
What the Sheehan woman is doing is creating negativity, AND
she is being backed by a hungry pack of liberals who
have been searching for a vehicle for quite a while.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I believe Mrs.
Sheehan will wake up and realize that emptiness she is
feeling never got filled by her media attention, and
instead she is alienating herself from the one
community that can offer her help today. Her son died
a very tragic death. War is never a good thing. But,
her son was a free man, able to make his own
decisions, obviously according to the article wasn't
trapped into the military but chose to enlist and
serve. Her pissing on his honor is just very very
sad, and I pity her more than anything else.
This weekend we had a group out in Crawford to make
the other voice heard as well. I also demanded that
Mike's name was taken off the cross they were
displaying. Mike would have wanted nothing to do with
a woman like Sheehan...
Thanks....soooooo much!!!
Thanks again, Basil! I wish I was there!
What was the reaction of the Crawford natives? Did they mind us being there? Did lots of people buy things from the Crawford merchants?
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