It occurred to me that we on the Right have gone so long without protesting that we have forgotten how to do it
better.
So a few Do's and Don't's as we head into another rally at Gabby's (21st, 4-6 pm) and Grijalva's (22nd, 12-2 pm) offices. Some of this may be tongue-in-cheek, but only to emphasize the point:
DO - wear comfortable clothing, colored to match the protest OR the fallback color of red.
DON'T - come half dressed. We want our signs to be read and message to be heard - not to have cars honking at your flat-belly.
DO - bring water and sunscreen. If you need a place to occasionally sit down, bring a chair.
DON'T - use bus stop benches. We are there to protest, not get Sun Tran upset with us. They have a job to do, so do we. Since we are all conservatives, we understand the desire to be left alone to do our work.
DO - stay on PUBLIC PROPERTY, sidewalks and easements.
DON'T - enter private property. Again, we conservatives believe in property rights of the owner. Let's prove to all that we respect that.
DO - bring your own homemade signs.
DON'T - hand out pre-printed signs. We are not MoveOn - We have the ability to think for ourselves.
DO - respect the roadways
DON'T - stand in traffic, or disrupt the flow. We want people to hear our message, not get turned off at us because there is a red shirt holding up the light.
DO - chant slogans
DON'T - chant slogans inside the counter-protest. That is ILLEGAL. No group promoting any protest (Tea Party, Code Blue, etc) condones, permits, or promotes direct confrontation. You get attacked, you are on your own...and we WILL laugh and point at you for your stupidity.
DO - spread out... preferably down the oncoming traffic side to the red, as they will be stopped waiting for the light. IN ALL DIRECTIONS, as long as we concede the right to the counter-protest to their corner/corners
DON'T - bunch up in one mass under the only tree for shade. How can anyone count how many people are there, if you just look like a blob of red? Spread out, numbers speak volumes at these rallys, come prepared to be in the sun, bring an umbrella if you need to...but please spread out! Also, you spent time handmaking your sign, right? You want somebody to appreciate it - they can't if it's in the middle of the mass of red.
And on the subject of signs, there are some good and bad's there, too:
GOOD - 7 words or less
BAD - anything over 7 words long, remember we are trying to get our message out to the drivers as they pass, they cannot read a novel during a red light.
GOOD - jokes, puns, quotes from founding fathers, quotes from talk show hosts or bloggers
BAD - racial slurs, personal attacks, curse words
GOOD - logic
BAD - nonsensical ranting
GOOD - logical linking of policy to political stances
BAD - use of the words: Nazi, Hitler, or any other form of Godwin'ing the argument
GOOD - BIG BOLD LETTERING
BAD - any lettering smaller than 2 inches tall...why do you think the Fed mandates lettering on roadsigns be 2 inches tall MINIMUM?
GOOD - pictures ex: Kool-Aid Man, Joker-bama
BAD - pictures that look like they were drawn by a two-year-old, unless it was actually drawn by your two-year-old. Then I say awesome for getting your kids involved!
GOOD - Flags
BAD - Flags waving into traffic. Again, we're not there to piss off the motorists!
UPDATE: Aug 17th: DO NOT BRING GUNS. If you have a CCW, bring your carry weapon. BUT DON'T BRING A FLIPPIN AR-15. Obamacare has NOTHING to do with the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
