I had to miss the rally! report please?

[crispini]

got called in to finish some stuff for work at the last minute. :( Ya'll tell me all about it now eh? I hope it was GREAT!

[atxryan]

1. SUCESS!

crispini, the rally was absolutely AWESOME. Kip and I estimate that we had between 300 to 400 people show up! The speakers were great, especially David Van Os... Even Alex Jones gave a great speech and didn't go off on one of his tangents. After the rally, we all collectively marched down Congress with a police escort to the Austin-American Statesman. The response from motorists was supportive with honks, cheers, and waves.

I feel so empowered right now! Let's keep up the good work and keep the fight going!

-RYAN JOY
r at joyserve.net

[txindy]

2. It was a good turnout

I'm obviously pretty bad at estimating numbers because I thought it was about 150 or so. Not a bad turnout, at all. My kids and I arrived just as it got going.

The speakers were very good. I could have lived without Alex Jones, though. His insistence on Skull and Bones nonsense, plus saying Junior and Kerry are "cousins" (repeatedly) was slightly.... different. He struck the only discordant notes in the day, though. Everybody else was terrific.

The signs were great!

[atxryan]

3. estimate attendance

Well, we passed out over 200 buttons and by the end there were a helluva lot of people without buttons, so that's how we came to our estimate.
-RYAN

[txindy]

4. Then you've got the correct numbers

My kids and I were just trying to count noses. Not very scientific! LOL! We stopped at about 120+ because there was a big group bunched together that made it hard to get a number. Plus, there were those folks up on the steps. And people kept drifting in.

Count us as three who didn't get buttons. I didn't even know! Oh, well. It doesn't matter. We were there and my kids (10 and 12) said it was "very cool." :toast:

[WestHoustonDem]

5. It was great!

I didn't realize we had so many people there, how wonderful! Great meeting all so many DUers!

[sonias]

6. I think it did turn out very good

We had some slight problems, but it came off pretty well considering it was organized so late. Kudos to Karen Renick who did so much of the work locally. I didn't get to go on the march part since I helped clean up and pack stuff out, but we had lots of people thank us for doing something here in Texas.

In addition to the passionate speakers, we had a some great music thanks to Abbe who called in some of her friends in the Therapy Sisters.

There are several action items we need to follow up on. We have to continue questioning the validity of the '04 election with all of our friends, neighbors and the media.

Contact your State Rep. and Senator and tell them you support HB166 the verifiable paper ballot bill filed by state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg. It would require that electronic voting machines produce a paper ballot that allows voters to confirm on paper the choices they made on the e-voting machines. Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, filed a companion bill in the Senate.

Also contact Sheila Jackson Lee thank her for her support at the US Congressional level for investigations on the voter suppression.

I took a few pictures and I'll post those later.

Sonia

[sonias]

7. Here are some pictures

rally set up


Debbie Russell (Green Party and Code Pink member)


David Van Os


David Van Os


Code Pink members


Alex Jones


---------------
Many great signs out there. One little boy 6 years old or so had on an orange T-shirt with "March like a Ukrainian". My favorite all around.

On the stage in the picture with Alex Jones, you can see one that may not be clear but said "Electile Dysfunction" That was the best message. Another good one "Live Free or DieBold"

David Van Os followed Alex Jones. And David is the only person I know that could actually do that and more than hold his own. David basically said your country is at war with you and your liberties, so stand up and fight.

Vickie Karp from Black Box Voting, basically closed the rally with I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. And neither should we, now get out there and keep fighting.

Sonia

[Not_Giving_Up]

8. Thanks for the pics!!!

Wish I had been there...I'll be there next time!

[jbond56]

9. More pics.

This thread has a link to my pics.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=145174

[sonias]

10. Very good report on Indymedia

Send No Messengers of Defeat: The Texas Capitol Rally Against Election Fraud
"Today across the country a citizen uprising begins," says Kip Humphrey, giving the first speech of his life, under a pure blue sky in Texas. It is the day before the Electoral College meets, and Humphrey is here to demonstrate his anger and disappointment with the way that election 2004 has gone down.

Just two weeks ago Humphrey and his son set up a website called 51 Capital March dot com and, using internet chain-mails, began asking folks to make signs and show up at their state capitols. When I show up to the rally in Austin around Sunday noon (with a notebook instead of a sign) a young woman hands me a white button with slim black letters that say, "I Showed Up."

http://austin.indymedia.org/newswire/display/18472/index.php
Site is slow so be patient
Or
Go directly to the author's site here
http://peacefile.org/wordpress/
-----------------

Sonia