Old Media v. New Media: Where's the Beef? After Action Report of Anti-tax Rally 2/22/06
I was due to work in the early afternoon so was able to make it to the Rally at 11:00 am. These are just some of my impressions and observations.
Due to a series of miscommunications on someone's part (there seemed to have been at least two different groups involved in the goings on) neither Governor Gilmore nor the Honorable Paul Harris were there to speak. For awhile a group of 30 or so people waited at the Bell Tower. We were then asked to move up to the General Assembly building and waited inside where another Anti-Tax Hike crowd had gathered.
Many of the folks wearing Anti-Tax Hike stickers had been to see their delegates and senators before I arrived. Some left and some walked over to the Patrick Henry building with us to greet the reps again as they entered the building for that day's session.
James Parmalee acted as Rally Master and we formed a gauntlet along the sidewalk holding signs and chanting. The capitol police quickly came over and politely asked us to put the signs away and stop chanting since the permit was for the Bell Tower area not the sidewalk in front of the buildings. Everyone complied politely and immediately.
Tyler Whitley in his opinion piece said it drew the "wrath" of the police. Makes you think of swinging billyclubs and tear gas. Too funny.
While this was going on the reporter from the Dead Tree Media, Mr. Whitley, wandered through the crowd (yes, 60+ people equals a crowd), interviewed participants, appeared to write down their words and take their names. How odd that none of these working people and business owners, black, white, brown, old, young and in-between were quoted in his article.
He approached me with the thoughtful "So-why-are-you-against-taxes" question that is actually a statement. Rather like the faux-peace people who say "So-why-are-you-for-war".
I suppressed the urge to sigh audibly and said I wasn't against taxes. I was opposed to a second tax hike following a huge tax hike when we were running a surplus before the first tax hike ever took effect, etc. etc.
As the Delegates & Senators "ran the gauntlet" on the sidewalk, many stopped to greet constituents (guess which way they were voting!) and others hurried along at a trot or detoured around (guess which way they were voting!).
Here are a few VA blogger posts:
One Man's Trash Wet Astro-turf
Shaun Kenney OMT: The Fizzle in the Drizzle
Too Conservative Parmelee’s “Fizzle”
And this sums up the experience for me:
Fill up for an '88 Olds = $37.43
Powhite & Downtown Expressway Tolls = $1.75
Parking in the Bottom = $4.00
Walk up the "hill" from the Bottom = Excruciating
Sen. Potts in wrinkled raincoat scurrying through a gauntlet of angry taxpayers = PRICELESS
Due to a series of miscommunications on someone's part (there seemed to have been at least two different groups involved in the goings on) neither Governor Gilmore nor the Honorable Paul Harris were there to speak. For awhile a group of 30 or so people waited at the Bell Tower. We were then asked to move up to the General Assembly building and waited inside where another Anti-Tax Hike crowd had gathered.
Many of the folks wearing Anti-Tax Hike stickers had been to see their delegates and senators before I arrived. Some left and some walked over to the Patrick Henry building with us to greet the reps again as they entered the building for that day's session.
James Parmalee acted as Rally Master and we formed a gauntlet along the sidewalk holding signs and chanting. The capitol police quickly came over and politely asked us to put the signs away and stop chanting since the permit was for the Bell Tower area not the sidewalk in front of the buildings. Everyone complied politely and immediately.
Tyler Whitley in his opinion piece said it drew the "wrath" of the police. Makes you think of swinging billyclubs and tear gas. Too funny.
While this was going on the reporter from the Dead Tree Media, Mr. Whitley, wandered through the crowd (yes, 60+ people equals a crowd), interviewed participants, appeared to write down their words and take their names. How odd that none of these working people and business owners, black, white, brown, old, young and in-between were quoted in his article.
He approached me with the thoughtful "So-why-are-you-against-taxes" question that is actually a statement. Rather like the faux-peace people who say "So-why-are-you-for-war".
I suppressed the urge to sigh audibly and said I wasn't against taxes. I was opposed to a second tax hike following a huge tax hike when we were running a surplus before the first tax hike ever took effect, etc. etc.
As the Delegates & Senators "ran the gauntlet" on the sidewalk, many stopped to greet constituents (guess which way they were voting!) and others hurried along at a trot or detoured around (guess which way they were voting!).
Here are a few VA blogger posts:
One Man's Trash Wet Astro-turf
Shaun Kenney OMT: The Fizzle in the Drizzle
Too Conservative Parmelee’s “Fizzle”
And this sums up the experience for me:
Fill up for an '88 Olds = $37.43
Powhite & Downtown Expressway Tolls = $1.75
Parking in the Bottom = $4.00
Walk up the "hill" from the Bottom = Excruciating
Sen. Potts in wrinkled raincoat scurrying through a gauntlet of angry taxpayers = PRICELESS
posted by f mcdonald at 10:59 PM
1 Comments:
"Sen. Potts in wrinkled raincoat scurrying through a gauntlet of angry taxpayers = PRICELESS"
Most excellent!
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