Folks, home safe and semi warm now. I wanted to thank everyone on TB2K for the honor or serving as an unofficial news source for the TB2K family. It was an important day for Virginia and potentially for the entire country, and each of us, whether virtually or actually, can say "we were there".
I wanted to especially thank Ibetiny and Sacajawea for posting the pics and text info I sent. I know I drove yall crazy but your efforts are sincerely appreciated. The text and pic relay worked from looking at this thread, and worked well. AWESOME!
Thought I'd share some thoughts of the day with yall.
Got to the diamond (VCDL's shuttle service ran from there) about 630. Parking lot was packed already with vehicles from a variety of states. And the lines for the shuttle buses ran from one end of that parking lot alllllllwwwwwaaaaayyyyyy down to the other side. The crowd was super friendly, people offering gloves to those who didn't have them, people giving out water, etc. VERY family friendly atmosphere (with guns!). I would have had ZERO problems taking the missus to this event with this type of crowd if she didn't have to work today.
The shuttle buses were extremely nice and the driver rocked. He was toting too! He dropped us off at 9th and Clay streets, as we got off he made sure to point how to get to the capitol (3 blocks away, and most of one block was Richmond PD it looked like). VERY safe. In one of the lots was a mobile cell tower truck (read-Stingray). Marked with AT&T on the outside, had a gen set running and think people were inside as well. Federal level surveillance methinks.
Got to the site, guns guns guns EVERYWHERE. It was awesome, and not one fruitcake making an a** of themselves with them either. Antifa WAS in the crowd, young kids with no guns scraggly beards and keffeh scarves almost to a man. Stuck out like sore thumbs and didn't interact with the crowd. Everybody else was talking with each other, chatting, laughing, comparing guns and just in general having a good time.
I was outside the fence for a while, took pics but one thing I saw almost made this GA redneck harda** bust into tears. It was the pic of the flag promoting the preservation of Confederate monuments. My family fought to preserve their freedoms; here I was almost 130 years later essentially doing the same thing. I told the flag holder how much I appreciated his flag, and talked about my family in the battle of New Hope, Kennesaw Mountain, Kingston, etc. Flagman was a street philosopher; he told me freedom was in my blood and I honor my ancestors and their memory by being there. Mr. Cold Fish redneck almost started balling at that; I'd thought a bit that way but he put it out there for all to see and then topped it with "God bless you" and a man hug. Whoa.
Regained my composure and made my way up the street to go inside the kill box. Walked a block, passing a wild variety of signage (hope the pics were ok) and throngs of peaceful, pleasant committed and polite!!! people. Ever passed through a crowd and people push and jostle you? Not here, the folks were "Excuse me" and " hey there" and hello! . Like the entire crowd took an IV bag of camomile tea before they came in. Southern manners on display folks, such a refreshing change from the DC swamp!
Anyway, got to the metal detectors. 17 of them, a stack of riots shields were stacked off to one side (and unused). VA state police (VSP) ran the entry point. Polite to a fault but VERY thorough. Dropped my fanny pack on the table, my medic alert bracelet, my Blackberry (All pics I sent today were done by Blackberry Passport, shameless plug
. Told the officer I had stents in my heart and they sometimes set off the detectors. He calmly and slowly!! (even though there were crowds) mentioned if I "went off" the officer would wand me. Went through with no problems; but had to wait an additional 5 minutes to get the fanny pack back. They didn't empty it but every single nook and cranny of it was searched and thoroughly too.
Had a sealed pack of Marlboros (Yes I cheated today, thought an E cigarette would have caused more problems.) The lighter did not, the officer said I could pick it up on the way back, said there were folks around inside with matches I could get a light from (hmm, think about that intel gathering technique.........). I went and bummed lights from people already smoking (because officers generally DON"T smoke. Think about that). Met some freaking wonderful people that way; had chats with each of them. Pleasant as could be.
Went up to the top of the hill at the capitol, took pics of some signs and headed down to the bottom of the kill box (and snipers were up and around the capitol, supreme court building and think one was on top of the US court of appeals too).
Got to the fence and saw Alex Jones screaming over the megaphone to the crowd (he sounded like Kermit the Frog!) But passionate and if he'd given an order to storm the gates the entire crowd would have followed him!) He shouted a chant of lock Gov Northam up, everyone did and dummy me says don't just lock him up, string him up! As loud as I could, then did my finest proper rebel yell...... People around me agreed, except for the tail I picked up. Older, grey haired, wearing Carhartts coat and looked like pants too. Scruff of a beard too. Saw his eyes as I turned around, he was 20 feet away and staring straight at me. Stuck around and chatted with the cute and very sweet German tv reporter (1ZDF was there, and she was getting an education. I mentioned "Ich bin Freddy Schenck" (famous character from the German crime TV series Tatort) and her face lit up with a 50,000 watt smile. Neat TV show, think of a German version of Law and Order. Been on their TV since 1970!!!
We chatted for a while off camera, she was utterly amazed there were so many weapons there yet nobody was violent or shooting or throwing stuff. I told her America is a very friendly place but when rights are infringed we protest and fight. Told her our rights are hard fought for and cherished like precious metals. People were describing the announcers on the stage in the open carry zone, the reason for the guns, the rights, etc. I hope she got a great story today, she was a joy to talk to. Did I mention she was cute?
After talking with her I started moving; so did tail man. AND as I moved picked up a tail woman. Dressed too lightly for the event, think both were local or state level cops. They converged and I took off. Hard to do I had a bright yellow safety coat on. So I took off, asked one man for a light and found he'd driven down from Alexandria too, enjoyed the chat and kept going up the hill. It was comic seeing them tail me, then try their best to look nonchalant as I chatted with my fellow smokers........They didn't pass the test, folks. One step above Barney Fife is the grade I'd give them.......I was trying to wear them down and go stalk someone else, I wasn't a threat! That's when I got the pics of the Washington stature and the VSP "changing of the guard". Heard their 5 second op update too, the tails took off guess I wasn't a threat. The op update was crowd calm, some instigators in the open carry area, look for the scraggly goth bearded kids and keffeh scarves (told you so!) be nice and do your jobs. Their CO hung back after they dispersed, thanked him for doing a good job and he said todays' protest was a dream to manage. No arrests no fighting; thanked me for being pleasant to him. Said everyone had thanked him and his men to death for their service and that he agreed with the reason for the protest. Said the scumballs are the ones doing gunplay. Quite the admission from an officer of the state!
Went back to the open carry area, signed various petitions (one to recall Gov. Blackface, one to toss Mark Warner out on his ear, etc.) and there were some vendors around. Picked up an awesome Trump 2020 hat done in woodland digital camo then picked up a Sic Semper Tyrannis T-shirt (just to upset the DC crowd when we go hang out up there). Then I started heading out, as I was going out there was a man preaching on one of the street corners, his megaphone was held by an old man in WW2 style marine full dress uniform. 3 hash marks on the sleeve. I was proud to jaywalk across a busy street (they hadn't shut it down yet) to go up, thank him for his service and shake his hand. He was a bit surprised I think, but a man that old and those hashmarks ( he fought before I was born so we could come and protest today!). I HAD to do it.
Oh, as I was walking up the street to the bus, 2 semis and a Ford F-650 monster pickup comes rolling through the street, blowing air horns, laying on the jake brakes HARD....and US flags from each window. Think if this were held on a saturday they would have had 250K people on site. People pulling up at stoplights as you walk, yelling We support you, thank you for standing up to Gov Northam, etc. That was wild. I'd heard the air horns all morning, they were circling the area all day showing support in a vehicular sort of way. Good looking old split window KW and a Peterbilt, and a flat black F-650 monster pickup. Neat.
Walked up to 9th and Clay street to catch the shuttle bus, watched one Jet Ranger helicopter with a FLIR pod stay motionless for a good 15 minutes (in at least a 20 knot headwind) over the capitol. Had a RC12 King air buzz the downtown area around 9 am or so, the comm relay Pilatus plane circled most of the time I was there too.
They left me alone finally as I headed to the shuttle bus area. Everybody waiting with me was chatting with each other, laughing, enjoying the rally. There was energy in the crowd, lots of it. And above all, unity was 100% against Gov. Blackface and his ludicrous laws. Finally the bus showed up 20 minutes later-FULL- of people coming INTO the rally. Driver got us back to the parking lot area, and there was STILL a line stretching almost to the end of the parking lot. A line of people going INTO the rally area! Thank God they weren't tying up the porta potties; the lines to get into them in the open carry area must have been 40 deep at each one. The parking lot ones were empty, thankfully Mr. teeny weeny bladder got one. Blessed relief!
All in all, a very thought provoking day. And again, thanks to Sacajawea and Ibetiny for getting the messages I sent out. It was a true honor to attend the rally and do the on site reporting for all of you!
