Practical Tips for the RTC Rally -- 19 April 2010 -- Fort Hunt/Gravelly Point Parks
From boots on the ground here in Northern Virginia, please consider the following suggestions as you prep for travel to the big show:
Weather: Good news -- current reports have conditions on Monday as mostly sunny, little chance of rain, and highs in the sixties. Still, it's a good idea to pack your rain gear, along with hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug juice, folding chair, and other sunny gear.
Food/water: There are no food/beverage concessions at either Fort Hunt Park or Gravelly Point. That means you should plan to be self-sufficient for food and drink for your entire time at the rally. Now, of course, it's not like you will be in the outer deserts of Fluoristan for necessities; in fact, there are two Safeway grocery stores within three miles of Fort Hunt Park. Pack your snacks/lunch/water and enjoy the day.
And please -- especially given the silly comments near the end of this local press account of the RTC event -- just like every other firearms event that you have attended all of your lives, no alcohol of any kind until you are off premises with your gear safely stored away for the day.
No Gear Drama: Date of arrival on scene is not the place to be working through the gear drama associated with new holsters, slings, or any other aspect of compliance with our event's rules of non-engagement. Do your rigging and mounting practice at home so that when you arrive on Monday morning, you just slip your gear on safely and competently like the professionals you are.
And don't forget your chamber flags!
Communications: It would be a big help if folks brought a couple of FRS/GMRS radios plus spare batteries. We'll lock down our commo plan on Sunday, but some spare radios which could be lent to event marshals would be helpful as a back-up. As previously noted, we plan to have some limited wifi access at each location, and of course voice and data cellular service will be available at both locations from all major carriers.
Still/video cameras: EVERYONE should plan to have digital still and videos cameras, plus spare batteries and memory cards, with them for use as warranted throughout the day. The good news is that the US Park Police continue to treat the event with professionalism, courtesy, and respect, and we have no indication that any of that will change. However, given the likely high media interest in the RTC rally (along with subsequent editing decisions) and the possibility of disruptive counter-demonstrators, we all will be well served by as many citizen journalists as possible running their own audio/visual newsgathering equipment for YouTube and other post-event uses.
- First step with any media inquiry on scene is to direct the reporter to Dan and the other event organizers. You can't make the reporter do so, and the reporter obviously isn't obligated to listen to you, but please -- help us stay on track here.
- Suggestion #1: After you have directed the reporter to Dan and team, if they insist on talking with you and you want to talk (obviously, you are not obliged to do so), stay positive and happy. The mainstream media "gotcha" story here is "angry people with guns"; being positive and smiling helps to thwart that stereotype.
It also confuses the media ;-) .
- Suggestion #2: First, remind them that the event organizers chose this date -- and you chose to attend -- as a celebration of the 235th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. They'll want to talk about OKC. Don't play into their game.
Then pull out your pocket copy of the US Constitution/Bill of Rights (you ARE bringing yours, right?) and ask the reporter to show you the language in the Constitution that allows Congress and the President to:
- spend public money to bail out Wall Street brokers and bankers
- spend public money to bail out auto manufacturers
- restrict political speech at election time (remember McCain-Feingold?)
- require citizens to buy health insurance
- require citizens to pay into any social security system, let alone one which will be broke by the time you are eligible for benefits
- listen to cell phone conversations and read emails of citizens
- to ban firearms in DC or anyplace else
You get the picture. Keep your comments focused on the Constitution, and insist (politely) that the reporter answer you.
It will make their brains hurt.
Signs/posters: Once again, keep things simple and direct to thwart the "angry people with guns" meme. The mainstream media wants to tell a "stupid rednecks"/"cold dead hands" story.
You tell them instead:
NO!
WE SURROUND YOU
WE ARE EVERYWHERE
RESTORE THE CONSTITUTION NOW
FREEDOM!
I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY CHILDREN
STOP THE LOOTING & START PROSECUTING
NO SURRENDER
WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING
COME & TAKE THEM
WHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION DOES IT SAY THAT?
Make them think.
Make them work.
Don't play into their racism, their bigotry, and their stereotypes.
All for now. Updates as possible/needed.
Travel safely, and make sure you are squared away on all relevant transport/carry laws on your journey.
We'll see you Monday morning.
posted by Concerned American | 2:26 PM
24 Comments:
Do you have links for Twitter/Facebook, etc. where real-time updates may be sent? Maybe a website for live streaming video?
I'll be working, but I can pass along updates.
We will do our best to get those set up and post links.
A note about the pocket Constitution/Bill of Rights for those with an iPhone. You can download the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence as apps for the iPhone (since I don't actually carry a pocket set of these documents).
This may be anal, but we need to be in order to avoid some of the "stupid redneck" stuff you're talking about.
If someone makes a sign, I'd advocated, "Land of the free, and home of the brave." instead of the other way around so as not to be accused of mistaking the national anthem.
Either way, it's a damned crime I'm not going to make it.
Good points.
Great advice for any event anywhere in the country. I'm forwarding it to friends who are attending events where firearms are the focus.
BTW - IF you happen to have a quantity of those pocket sized Constitution / Bill of Rights booklets like the ones offered via Heritage Foundation, and IF you can spare a few, please consider also offering one to any media members whom you challenge to show you those articles referred to above.
From various public education / political efforts I've done in years gone by, I know that sometimes you can even educate an unwilling student ( media ) by giving them a tangible item to take with them and read.
(btw - Word Verification + "re-abled"
not that those aren't good, but i went a little highbrow. let's see cn try to paint that as "redneck."
"I WON'T LET YOUR HURT MY CHILDREN"
Might wanna fix your sign typo.
Tx Chef!
how about:
WANT A ROCK THRU YOUR WINDOW?
or
NOW I'M PLAYING WITH REAL TOYS!
or
PUSH US! JUST TRY IT!
or
FEEL MY GUN!
or
LETS PLAY SOLDIER! YEAAA!
bunch of goofs.
All good ideas.
You've probably noticed that the media love to show pictures of liberty advocates carrying poorly spelled signs.
I respectfully suggest that, if you plan on carrying a sign, you have it proofread by a friend. I don't mean to impugn anyone's literacy, but it's often hard to recognize errors in our own work, especially when making a sign. It's easy to get so caught up in the process of crafting the sign that we spell common words wrong.
I look forward to seeing everybody there. It should be a great time.
Dave
III
Agree with Dave, above.
Other ideas to avoid the press' bias towards us:
Use big words.
Wear a suit and tie.
Rent a fancy car (leave the clunker at home).
III
.14159
A plain text version of the Constitution can be found at http://bit.ly/crpqN5 which is a short link for http://www.usconstitution.net/const.txt.
This will be useful for those whose phones have web features but do not have the applications.
Save to Favorites in advance and it will be ready when needed.
The most disappointing thing about this is I can't make it!!!
But, those of you who are going, thank you. On behalf of my kids, thank you.
Also, know that if something goes awry, there are plenty of people around the country who will stand-up in minute. You may be on point, but the bulk of our brothers and sisters will be paying close attention.
Good luck and stay safe.
A Latin phrase doesn't make you highbrow, backwoods. A better description of you pathetic lot and your half-literate terrorist government disability check-receiving leader would be "In regione caecorum rex est luscus."
Real big stones you got there "anon". Obviously you're too stupid to understand that Mike is receiving money that he put into the system. But to you it's just the government's money and they're kind enough to let us borrow. And I'm sure it gets under your skin that a "backwoods redneck" is actually more literate than you, you poor dear.
Last minute thought - APs would find laser pointers cheap provocation. In addition to chamber flags, RONE might include hitting the master switch on any laser sight - disabling it. PLEASE moderate this comment if you find it useful and make this a word of mouth SOP on site. No sense giving these idiots an inch.
Just did my gear and mounting practice. Everything is good to go. Camelbak, tactical pistol rig for Monday, regular holster for more refined outings Sunday night, three mag rig for the old lady, USMC ballcap, 5.11 tactical pants (I'm FANCY!!) and my trusty combat boots. adjusted, jumped up and down, tightened, practiced my employment and packed my Old Spice. I'm on a horse!!
A Latin phrase doesn't make you highbrow, backwoods. A better description of you pathetic lot and your half-literate terrorist government disability check-receiving leader would be "In regione caecorum rex est luscus."--ANON
Two questions: Is Mike's book being written in Braille?! ;^)
Is a no-name highbrow leftist kulturkritic superior because he has read the Clift Notes version of Das Kapital?
MALTHUS
Just bought extra batteries for a pair of FRS radios, I'll get to you Sunday night-Monday morning early for use by the organizers...
I have my FlipHD ready with bipod...
Many of the comments here make me believe that many of you believe what the MSM writes about gun owners. You feel you need to tell others how to behave and what to say and write. It'd be more honest if you just came out and said, "we think you are all a bunch of backwards rednecks so please only say and write exactly what we tell you." I would rather die as myself than live as someone I'm not.
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
- George Orwell
theaton
Suggestions, bro...
@anon (theaton) 4:08 AM - as a "veteran" of a dozen or so interviews, myself, I can say this with certainty: The MSM will use the MOST inflammatory statement you make and publish that to make THEIR point. They will ignore a half hour of carefully crafted, practiced and sublimely worded prose, and use that one off-the-cuff remark they've tricked you into saying to underscore THEIR agenda. These "suggestions" are well considered, in my view, and SHOULD be carefully adhered to if at all possible, not taken as any kind of percieved insult to our intelligence or background. It's just good propaganda to stick with statements they can't misconstrue.
Don't give them any more ammunition than they already have in their leftist bag-o-tricks. These a-holes are VERY practiced at what they do: provoking a reaction to use on the nightly news. A wise man once told me how to handle an obviously hostile interviewer: shut up, shut up, and shut up. They'll make up lies, anyway, but we don't have to help them, and they generally won't use dead air time (someone just holding a sign being quiet). If all else fails after all their provocation, BEFORE you get mad and vent your spleen, remember to just refer them to the official spokesperson. That's what they're there for. YOUR primary 1st and 2nd Amendment exercise will be on your hip or slung on your shoulder.
JR Mayfield
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