I was on the scene at Skagit Valley Community College's McIntyre Hall tonight in Mount Vernon, WA, a lovely little city approximately 50 miles of north Seattle. The excitement was high, as was the attendance from both sides of the political spectrum.
It was a beautiful NW Indian summer afternoon in Seattle today: cool, crisp, bright, and most things were right with the world. I made preparations to leave my home in Renton, a suburb 20 miles south of Seattle, and travel north to Mount Vernon to join whatever action may be happening coinciding with the arrival of Glen Beck at McIntrye Hall on the Skagit Valley Community College campus. I had purchased a three-sided "elementary school science project" display board at WALMART and written what I considered to be a smart-ass phrase on it in black magic marker: FEAR AND ANGER: GLEN BECK'S CASH COW. The comments from anti-Beckites were all extremely positive, so it seems the sign went over well.
Setting Out From Home
As it happens, the hall is situated on a noticeable rise in the eastern section of Mount Vernon, that is to say your car departs I-5 and drives due east for about a mile, gradually climbing a grade until you reach a peak in the topography, and just after the peak the street slopes gently down the other side, where you will find McIntrye Hall another quarter mile down on your left as you drive east.
For those who have never been, the beauty of the farmlands between Seattle and Bellingham, with the Cascade Range rising abruptly to the east and the waters of the Puget Sound off to the west, are a MUST SEE. Driving Chuckanutt Drive from Mount Vernon to Bellingham along the coast overlooking the San Juan Islands is truly something you will never forget. But I digress. . .
I was amazed at the size of the crowds lining both sides of the streets. Signs abounded, all shapes and sizes. It was difficult to discern which side had the most represented until I parked the car a half-mile beyond the campus and trudged back up the incline towards the activity. Perhaps there was 800-1,000 total in the crowd. I estimate 60 - 65% were anti-Beck, the balance being the pro-Beck nimrods. In fairness, there were some well-spoken individuals among the Beckites, but by and large what you saw in Washington DC a few weeks back during the Tea Bag fiasco march, is what comprised most of the "I Love Beck" contingent tonight. I quickly snapped a terrible picture of the first group of picketers I encountered.First Pic At Rally
There was a police presence there, but they were only interested in keeping access roads to the college free of traffic, meaning they kept telling people to stay on the sidewalk and keep a free path for those wanting to walk around on the sidewalk. I met a very, very quiet, but determined middle aged man whom I believe was a Muslim. I think he said he was a Pakistani but I am not sure. Newfound Friend
I was interested to see that the Tea Baggers had more than their fair share of young KIDS who were chanting things they did not understand. Some idiot lady carried a sign reading BECK SUPPORTS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS and when I asked her why Beck was quoting a section of the document pertaining to slavery and applying it to immigration in the 21st century she made an ugly face and turned away. I lost my cool with a woman who kept making these vitriolic remarks about "reverse racism," when I demanded to know why no Republican Congressman had repudiated the demonstrators carrying overtly racist signs showing Obama as a a gorilla or Hitler and she said the only racist demonstrators she had seen on the media was "Democratic LaRoche supporters." I told her to switch off FIXED NOISE and get some actual news happenings in her life.
The general exchanges I witnessed between the anti-Becks and pro-Beckites were not that hostile, with few exceptions. Many signs and chants had to do with the Mayor of Mount Vernon, Bud whatever his name is, and it seems that a whole lot of folks want him recalled because of this stupid gesture to Beck, including some rowdy college kids on the march. Rowdy Dudes (Our Side)
I will introduce some bias by plainly stating that with the exception of a few well-spoken Beck supporters, by in large I think that crowd was pretty stupid and uniformed. There were many, many of them carrying DON'T TREAD ON ME FLAGS, and handing out Lipton Tea Bags, and carrying nonsensical signs like, "He Speaks the Truth." I got the strong impression that many were members of local mega-churches. One guy carried a sign flipping off Beck, asking if "this key fits":
Flipping Off the Beckster
As for our crowd, it was an amazing mix of folks. There were a sizable number of Hispanic persons in the crowd, and a good mix of other minorities. I felt like our side truly was a microcosm of America today. Naturally, the Beckites felt entirely threatened by it all.
Then I stumbled across this guy's sign. Really liked it alot. He Wouldn't Trade His For Mine
Another sign showed a huge picture of Beck on one of his crying jags with the caption reading TEARS OF A CLOWN. Hilarious.
Of course, then came the infamous charge that Beck has raped a girl because he has not produced any proof that he did NOT rape a girl. Seems entirely logical to me, no? He MUST be Guilty, Right?
Yes, there was plenty of "tit for tat" and I anticipate some of the KOS crowd decrying us climbing into the slime pit with the misguided ones. It wasn't entirely appropriate, but, damn, it felt good.
One more silly sign in bad taste.Naughty Boys
I was actually on camera for five minutes, trying to have my say while a Beckite opined poetic about what the Grand Master / Wizard has to say to the world. But KIRO NEWS 7 did not carry the clip, so I will cry myself to sleep tonight knowing my one shot at fame has passed me by.
Am I glad I went? You betcha, to borrow the words of another nimrod from the other side.
It's good to meet the troops in the flesh and blood. There are a lot of us out there who are NOT standing for the crap the FIXED NEWS gerbils are putting on the air. Young and old, black and brown and yellow and white, we are standing up to the assault from the McCarthyites.
Tonight was a good night, all told.
rh
PS Forgot to say I am so SICK of the sanctimonious "we're patriots and you are traitors" garbage mentality fostered by the Beckite FOX people, as seen everywhere THEY were seen tonight. Really. They need to find a Klan rally somewhere and stay there. Regrettably, there's probably plenty to choose from.
A final, final observation: if one were to line up all the Beckerheads on one side of the street, and the anti-Beckites on the other, that is ALL one would need to confirm the racial / racist elements involved in last night's event. I cannot recall seeing one non-white carrying on for Beck. The ethnic mix of folks on our side was clear to everyone there. What does this say? Neurosis among the (shrinking) white conservative base is alive and well for all to ponder.