In an event arranged by FReeper Libertina, a number of Americans paraded
in support of our troops, right through the heart of Seattle itself. With
four other Support Our Troop rallies occurring at the same time around the
Seattle area, the organizers truly did not expect that a full million would
actually show up. Libertina said, "If the Left can call their events
'Million-whatever Marches,' without actually having a million people there,
so can we." In their expectation that the actual attendance would be
less than a million, the organizers were not disappointed.
The group met at 11:00, bearing plenty of signs and flags of all sizes,
at Denny Park north of downtown and near the Space Needle.
This fellow won the award for the tallest presence. The tall pole
later became a bit of a liability when encountering the overhead 12000 volt
electric bus lines downtown.
Several of Seattle's finest stopped by to chat before the rally began. The
press and media also came, here interviewing Libertina.
Following an interview by cellphone on a national radio talk show program,
everybody rounded up their flags and signs for the march to the federal building
downtown, passing near some well-known landmarks (the Space Needle, the Monorail
and locally-known Westlake Mall) along the way.
Occasionally they would stop along a street and wave their flags and signs.
They got support all along with way with car horns blaring and passersby
cheering (the fellow on the right put his right fist in the air and cheered
the group on).
When they arrived at the federal building downtown, a group of supporters
were already there with their signs and flags. The groups merged and
lined the street.
One fellow showed up with a cavalry flag, which he said had seen a lot of
action. Later a group of bicycle riders, decked out in red, white & blue
showed up to join the group. (Check out http://www.extremeartofsports.com for
the t-shirts.) The commotion even had a tourist or two taking pictures.
All in all, March 1st's Million American March in Seattle, to support our
troops, was a success and fun for all involved. And even if the turnout,
as one can see from this photo, fell a bit short of an actual million, there
was spirit enough for millions more.