Wow, what a whirlwind week it's been. I've been traveling through the South and Washington D.C. with my family since Monday, building up to today's 8/28 Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Since I've gotten requests from friends for the full report, I wanted to hop on and blog it right away while it's still fresh - but because I pulled an all-nighter to camp out on the Mall last night (well, you can't "camp" - but it's open 24/7, so I held down the fort all night and attempted sleep, but it was fleeting), I am so ridiculously exhausted! Forgive me if this is not the most eloquent or cohesive post ever.
Last night my parents dropped me off at the Lincoln Memorial shortly after midnight. I'll circle back to the travelogue of the camping out experience later, but for now, let me jump right into the event while it's fresh in my mind.
First, check out the crowd!
Estimates I've heard peg it at upwards of 500,000 (although do we love how ABC lowballs it at upwards of 100,000?!). However, when I came back from getting breakfast around 9:30 a.m. (so, half an hour before showtime), the crowd already spanned past the reflecting pool, past the World War II memorial, and up to the hill by the Washington Monument. At that point, the hill by the monument wasn't full but I'm pretty sure it filled up - people just kept streaming in. During the rally, Beck said the reflecting pool area plus lawn to the south fit 550,000 - that's not including all the people on the hill by the Washington Monument or the hundreds of people on the Lincoln Memorial steps.
Now, let me clear up two misconceptions that I heard time and time again both in conversation and in the media:
1) TEA PARTY: The Restoring Honor rally was NOT a "Tea Party" event. Buzz beforehand kept deriding it as "just those Tea Partiers," but it wasn't. Sure, there was a fair showing from that contingent, but there was a lot more than that.
2) POLITICS: This rally was explicitly nonpolitical and nonpartisan. Beck said to leave all the signs at home - but bring the family instead. He stressed again and again and again that it was about faith, hope, and charity - and he kept to it, too. Those were the focus of the entire event. If the people of our country could incorporate those values into their lives, we'd be in good shape!
The rally kicked off around 10 a.m. with Glenn Beck giving a quick intro about the values as well as the cause - Special Operations Warriors Foundation. It's an amazing organization dedicated to sending each child of a fallen Special Ops soldier to college with a full-tuition scholarship plus room, board, and books. They've already put more than 100 students through school and are committed to hundreds more, including the grandson of one of today's speakers, the woman selected to introduce SOWF. It was so touching to hear her tribute to her son and his dedication to keeping commitments, even if that commitment to his dream of being in the elite military forces led to his untimely passing. She emphasized that everyone has a mission to fulfill, and she's so right on that!
The next speaker - or the speaker just before, I'm not sure - was none other than Sarah Palin, herself the mother of a combat veteran. "They can say what they want about me, but I raised a son who's a combat veteran - that's something no one can take away from me," Palin said. (Well, I might have butchered the precise wording, but that's the gist.) Not sure what y'all think of Sarah Palin, but I think she's lovely. Her address was brief but strong. She introduced the segment in which Beck awarded individuals with Merits of Honor for Faith, Hope, and Charity. I hate to admit it, but I was soooooo exhausted that I can't really recall all the details of what each speaker said!!! There were so many speakers, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s niece, Dr. Alveda King. They were amazing speakers, but things just ran together. Awful, seriously. I'll be doing my fair share of reading the recap articles myself as a refresher, lol.
However, I can tell you what I felt. It was phenomenal to be surrounded by so many fellow patriots. While grabbing breakfast in town I chatted with people there from Maine, Chicago, and Seattle. My family represented California and Utah, and the people in our group (friends of my stepmom's) were from Arizona and Idaho. I'd bet every state had at least one resident there! It was really, truly phenomenal to see all these people who love their nation and were willing to make the trip (a sacrifice of both time and money) to attend, who are driven to really make a difference. Sometimes it seems like the faith-driven point of view is in the minority in our secularizing world, but we're not. We ARE the majority, even if a silent one at times, and our nation needs to return to its faith-based roots.
I loved the focus on faith - but a UNITED faith, despite doctrinal differences. That's major. Glenn announced the return of a "Black Robe Brigade" - thousands of religious leaders across the span of many denominations and faiths who may not agree on fundamental issues but who stand united on the importance of God, faith, hope, and charity in the lives of all. It also symbolizes a return to our Founding, as the original "Black Robe Brigade" was the idea that the ecclesiastical leaders were the ones who blazed the trail for American independence through their teachings at church - not partisan or politically specific, but emphasizing ideals of liberty and independence. That is so what we need again!
Well, friends, that was quick and fragmented - I am so exhausted, I'm going to sleep. Sorry to not give more now, but believe you me, there will be more posts pending to recap the entire trip (from Little Rock through Memphis, Nashville, North Carolina, Virginia, and finally into D.C.). For now, enjoy, and if you want to know anything specific about 8/28, ask away!
