New to TFL, would like to start you all off with a sitrep from the Federal Building Plaza in Chicago.
About a week ago, I read a letter to the editor of the Sun-Times announcing a rally to be held at the Federal Plaza today October 19th. So, yours truly paid a visit to the Windy City to see for myself.
Here's the report.
Imagine several bus loads of Chicago inner city high school kids and their teachers with hand painted anti-gun posters (no doubt last week's art class project) packed tightly in front of a raised stage. The kids were obviously brought in (on a regular school day mind you) to raise the head count for the major network television cameras which were positioned front and center. On stage was a liberal bandwagon of anti-gun politicians including Dick DeVine (Cook County Atty), Jesse White (Secty of State), and even Richie "Adolph" Daley himself. Surrounding the stage front, back, and flanks was an array of plain clothes cops, uniformed officers, personal bodyguards, bicycle cops, suburban cops, and who knows what else (no doubt there were SWAT snipers positioned above the plaza). It was obvious that their orders were to keep this rally as one sided as possible keeping any pro-gunners far away from the honcos and TV cameras. Their presence also undoubtedly added to the mirage of police support for gun abolishment. The rally was organized by "Council Against Handgun Violence".
Guns this, guns that, guns, guns, guns. But not much was said about the criminals who commit the violent offenses. Nothing was mentioned about Chicago's existing strict gun control laws which prohibit ownership of handguns within city limits. In his usual inarticulate blurb, Richie "Adolph" Daley read from prepared text on the podium, only looking up to point into the camera lens. As if to lead this great rally forward, Daley's audio crackled and hissed as he raged his usual left wing diatribe. About to puke, I saw pro-gun posters being waved and headed over to join my fellow comrades.
Far, far away from the cameras, behind a pathetic plastic chain barrier, the "anti-protesters" (as defined by Chicago's finest who ordered them to stand there) waved there pro-gun messages. Posters reading, "Crime Control - Not Gun Control", and "Armed and Free", and "Born American - Gun Owner By Choice", waved to the kids and on-lookers. About a dozen people purposely behind the chain, "anti-protesters" each and everyone of them.
An attempt to acquire some of the anti-gun propaganda came to a screaching halt when the worker behind the information booth added a condition in return for the info. "You have to sign this petition and wear this little sticker (a politically correct anti-handgun symbol). Noggunadoit!
It was sad to see all those kids rallying for the abolishment of their own freedom, and not even knowing but one side of this liberal debate. At one point, the kids raised their posters for a camera man right in front of the pro-gunners, and one kid ran out pointing at the folks standing behind that plastic chain and said, "Its because of you that we have this problem". Blaming gun owners for the crime on Chicago's streets, blaming law abiding good folks for the crimes of thugs, drug dealers, and gangbangers. So sad it was to see that my friends.
Thanks should be paid to John Birch from Concealed Carry, Inc. (
www.concealedcarry.org ) or (
[email protected] ) who seemed to be heading the pro-gun message. A shame to have been placed behind a pathetic plastic chain as if the good guys were somehow circus freeks.
Subtract the high school kids, their teachers, City workers on city payroll, and the hundreds of law enforcement officers, and all you had was about fifty rally attendees (mostly people on their lunch break trying to get a peek at Adolph). Our opposition plays dirty and they play for the cameras. This rally was a farce, a lie, a deception. But, then again, so is their message.