Hey Mary (and everyone),
Thanks for the article. I'm passing it along to folks at our national
planning offices so they can check out the whole permitting issue. I know
the march and rally area have been permitted since around april of last
year, and am just curious to see if the permitting for the counter dem. is
true, too.
will let you know what I find out!
beth
Beth Tarallo, VT Grassroots Organizer, PPNNE
[log in to unmask]
802 878 7232 ext 232
March with me on Sunday, April 25th 2004 for Women's Lives! Check out
www.ppnne.org/march for more info and to buy bus tickets!
-----Original Message-----
From: Mary Coleman Howland [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 8:31 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Counter March
Hi Guys,
This is an interesting article about a Pro-Life demo that is being organized
to
counter out Abortion Rights March on April 25. Infuriating!
Mary
RightMarch Plans Counter-Protest Rally Against Liberal March in DC
>
> By Jimmy Moore
> Talon News
> February 11, 2004
>
> A conservative political action group is planning "the biggest
> counter-protest in history" in April to combat a liberal rally planned
> for Washington, DC on April 25, 2004.
>
> RightMarch, which has led the fight against leftist groups like
> MoveOn.org and International ANSWER over the past year, has organized
> a conservative rally on April 23-25 in the capital of the United
> States.
> Their rally will coincide with a planned event by a group of the
> nation's most "radical left-wing groups" on April 25, including the
> American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of
> Church and State, the Democratic Socialists of America, Democrats.com,
> the Feminist Caucus of the American Humanist Association/Freedom From
> Religion Foundation, Feminist Majority, the Feminist Peace Network,
> and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Support Network.
>
> Other groups participating in the liberal rally include the
> International Socialist Organization, MS. Magazine, NARAL, the
> National Education Association, the National Gay and Lesbian Task
> Force, New Yorkers Say No To War, the National Organization for Women
> (NOW), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, People for the
> American Way, Progressive Majority, Refuse & Resist, Secular Coalition
> for America, Socialist Alternative, and the Young Democratic
> Socialists.
>
> RightMarch said they will be ready for the "tens of thousands of
> radical liberals" who have organized a march from the Lincoln Memorial
> to the National Mall because of a "critical mistake" made by the
> organizers of the liberal event.
> "They failed to secure the sidewalks midpoint along their parade
> route, and we now have a permit for eight blocks of sidewalk on either
> side of Pennsylvania Avenue, from 15th Street to 7th!" RightMarch
> boasts in an e-mail to supporters.
>
> Dubbing the event by the left-wing groups the "March of the Radical
> Leftists," RightMarch says it is thrilled that the liberals "will have
> to pass through eight blocks of peaceful, hard-working, patriotic
> Americans holding up various signs and banners promoting conservative
> values and denouncing all that these socialists hold dear."
> Calling their counter-protest "Operation Witness," RightMarch says,
> "It will be a powerful witness for Truth!"
> Estimating the cost of conducting the counter-protest to run in the
> hundreds of thousands of dollars, RightMarch is asking for people who
> share their concern about these liberal groups to join them.
>
> "We are devoting extensive time, resources and energy to ensuring that
> the 'March of the Radical Leftists' is a public relations disaster for
> them, and a complete success for our conservative cause," RightMarch
> writes in the e-mail. "We must witness for the Truth."
>
> RightMarch admits this will be a daunting challenge for the
> conservative political action group, but they are ready to give
> conservatives an opportunity to "confront the legions of
> 'hate-America' liberalism."
> "[T]he time has come for the 'silent majority' to speak up loud and
> clear, and to let these out-of-touch whackos know that we will no
> longer sit idly by while they occupy our streets carrying signs
> comparing President Bush to Hitler or some other such nonsense," the
> e-mail exclaims.
>
> Pooling their efforts with the Society for Truth and Justice,
> RightMarch says they believe they will be ready to have plenty of
> "patriotic Americans taking a stand for what's right."
>
> "This battle, at this moment in our history matters," the e-mail
> contends.
>
> Describing this as a literal battle that will "inspire our troops" and
> "demoralize theirs," RightMarch believes the battle between liberalism
> and conservatism is as contentious as it has ever been in the United
> States.
> "Operation Witness" will include food, a music concert and training
> sessions for getting active in your local community on Friday night.
>
> On Saturday, the participants will have the opportunity to engage in
> "peaceful, legal demonstrations at local abortion clinics" during the
> day followed by a worship service at night.
>
> Then on Sunday, described as "the big day," there will be a prayer
> service on the Mall followed by lining up along the parade route where
> the liberal march will pass by.
>
> "We will stand as witnesses against the forces of liberalism and
> socialism, closing with a farewell service at 5:00 pm," the e-mail
> explains.
>
> More information on RightMarch counter-protest, can be found on the
> "Operation Witness" website.
> Brendan O'Neill
> ACERCA campaigner
>
> ASEJ
> Action for Social and Ecological Justice
> P.O. Box 57, Burlington, VT 05402 USA
> (802) 863-0571 Office / (802) 598-8373 Mobile
> (802) 864-8203 Fax
> http://www.asej.org
>
> ACERCA (Action for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central
> America), the GE Trees Campaign and Northeast Links are projects of
> the Action for Social & Ecological Justice (ASEJ) collective.
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