Jason in WI
Regular Member
I didn't think I was going to attend this rally as I usually have to work on Saturdays and I don't consider myself a Tea-Partyer but then I don't really know what to label myself and the Tea-Party does believe in a lot of the same things I do and they are active and trying to make a difference.
With the whole OC not allowed then allowed again it became clear I needed to go, if anything I would have stood with the counter protesters (it's their event and I respect that) if the organizers stuck to the OC ban. I thought the Tea-Party stood for freedom and personal responsibility and I admit I felt pretty let down they wanted to impose restrictions on my rights to attend their event, luckily that seems to be rectified and Nancy never did point me out to the police.
So as usual I was running late. I was hoping to take Motofixxer up on his gracious offer to car pool but, I would never have made it to his house on time. We ended up parking at 11:55 and made it to the rally just as it was starting.
We had walked past numerous people and police on the way into the rally with no issues, no one screaming or running in fear. We then made our way through the counter protesters on the lawn and I decided that I would feel more comfortable being away for dumb collage kids who might think it would be a good idea to try and provoke something, them young'ns don't think too far ahead.
Once we got in to the center sidewalk we were still pretty far back and were packed like sardines with both groups of protesters mixed together. I had Jenny stand on my right and slightly back of me to shield my sidearm from anyone coming up behind and that made me feel way more comfortable. I was very tiered by the end of the event keeping my situational awareness on overdrive, I know the odds of anything happening were very low but this is the first time I carried in suck a large group and I didn't want to take any chances.
We only got a few pics, Jenny was taking a bunch of video instead. Since I know the Internets rule, pics or it didn't happen I'll toss some up:
My view of the crowd facing forward, this was half way through the speeches we were slowly moving up the entire time.
Another pic, hard to tell but we were packed tight with no room to move! And yes that is my thumb on the top, I'm no Handy.
Tried most of the day to get a pic of me and my side arm in the crowd but there just wasn't any room!
My zoomed in picture of Sara Palin, don't look too hard she ran by the opening to the mic; I missed the photo. I did see her, just didn't get the pic.
Finally, a group of people left the front and we had an opening as they went through Jenny happened to have her camera out and snapped this. I know you guys like sidearm shots.
Pics as we were leaving, I know I look like a slob, it was snowing for a bit before this pic and I stuffed my pockets with all our crap we didn't want wet. Most of the people in the pics by me are counter protesters that were talking crap to the tea-partiers as they were leaving. And no my fist wasn't for solidarity! I was frikken freezing, couldn't put my right hand in a pocket just encase.
When taking the last pic I noticed a group of guys in uniform checking me out, so I changed places with Jenny and she took the picture in the other direction.
One really cool thing was there was a women making her way through the crowd (really hard work I might add)with a petition for CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY! She seen my gun saves lives button and said you want to sign this I hope? I turned and exposed my sidearm and said you damn right! We got a chuckle out of that along with the people I was standing right next to who didn't notice even though we had been rubbing up on each other for almost an hour. I did ask her if she ran into any other OC'rs and she said no
.
So no one running in fear, or crying. I was a little concerned because I found on a counter-protest Facebook page that they were telling people if they see a gun Madison PD wants them to call 911.
The only negative thing I had was on the way to the car two guys were following us and when they noticed my sidearm they started talking about guns and what-not and I hear one of them say "you would think with guys carrying guns around the chuckle heads on the other side wouldn't be acting so obnoxious". Now I think I can speak for most here when I say I don't carry a firearm to intimidate or project a threat of any kind, I was a bit disappointed when I heard people from our "team" imply something like that. We have lots of educating to do. The entire time I was there I was as nice as could be. Even telling a women who had A funny Anti-Walker sign that while I didn't agree with the message I thought it was very funny and it looked like she had put a lot of effort into making it, between me being nice and her seeing my sidearm she looked a bit confused.
With the whole OC not allowed then allowed again it became clear I needed to go, if anything I would have stood with the counter protesters (it's their event and I respect that) if the organizers stuck to the OC ban. I thought the Tea-Party stood for freedom and personal responsibility and I admit I felt pretty let down they wanted to impose restrictions on my rights to attend their event, luckily that seems to be rectified and Nancy never did point me out to the police.
So as usual I was running late. I was hoping to take Motofixxer up on his gracious offer to car pool but, I would never have made it to his house on time. We ended up parking at 11:55 and made it to the rally just as it was starting.
We had walked past numerous people and police on the way into the rally with no issues, no one screaming or running in fear. We then made our way through the counter protesters on the lawn and I decided that I would feel more comfortable being away for dumb collage kids who might think it would be a good idea to try and provoke something, them young'ns don't think too far ahead.
Once we got in to the center sidewalk we were still pretty far back and were packed like sardines with both groups of protesters mixed together. I had Jenny stand on my right and slightly back of me to shield my sidearm from anyone coming up behind and that made me feel way more comfortable. I was very tiered by the end of the event keeping my situational awareness on overdrive, I know the odds of anything happening were very low but this is the first time I carried in suck a large group and I didn't want to take any chances.
We only got a few pics, Jenny was taking a bunch of video instead. Since I know the Internets rule, pics or it didn't happen I'll toss some up:
My view of the crowd facing forward, this was half way through the speeches we were slowly moving up the entire time.
Another pic, hard to tell but we were packed tight with no room to move! And yes that is my thumb on the top, I'm no Handy.
Tried most of the day to get a pic of me and my side arm in the crowd but there just wasn't any room!
My zoomed in picture of Sara Palin, don't look too hard she ran by the opening to the mic; I missed the photo. I did see her, just didn't get the pic.
Finally, a group of people left the front and we had an opening as they went through Jenny happened to have her camera out and snapped this. I know you guys like sidearm shots.
Pics as we were leaving, I know I look like a slob, it was snowing for a bit before this pic and I stuffed my pockets with all our crap we didn't want wet. Most of the people in the pics by me are counter protesters that were talking crap to the tea-partiers as they were leaving. And no my fist wasn't for solidarity! I was frikken freezing, couldn't put my right hand in a pocket just encase.
When taking the last pic I noticed a group of guys in uniform checking me out, so I changed places with Jenny and she took the picture in the other direction.
One really cool thing was there was a women making her way through the crowd (really hard work I might add)with a petition for CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY! She seen my gun saves lives button and said you want to sign this I hope? I turned and exposed my sidearm and said you damn right! We got a chuckle out of that along with the people I was standing right next to who didn't notice even though we had been rubbing up on each other for almost an hour. I did ask her if she ran into any other OC'rs and she said no
.So no one running in fear, or crying. I was a little concerned because I found on a counter-protest Facebook page that they were telling people if they see a gun Madison PD wants them to call 911
.The only negative thing I had was on the way to the car two guys were following us and when they noticed my sidearm they started talking about guns and what-not and I hear one of them say "you would think with guys carrying guns around the chuckle heads on the other side wouldn't be acting so obnoxious". Now I think I can speak for most here when I say I don't carry a firearm to intimidate or project a threat of any kind, I was a bit disappointed when I heard people from our "team" imply something like that. We have lots of educating to do. The entire time I was there I was as nice as could be. Even telling a women who had A funny Anti-Walker sign that while I didn't agree with the message I thought it was very funny and it looked like she had put a lot of effort into making it, between me being nice and her seeing my sidearm she looked a bit confused.
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