Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

So many bastards, so little time.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Come on, man.

When they say they’re pro-life, they don’t mean yours.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

I really should read my own blog.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Fight them, without becoming them!

Nothing worth doing is easy.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

The willow is too close to the house.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Everybody saw this coming.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Even More Inspiration To Keep Us Focused On The Goal

Even More Inspiration To Keep Us Focused On The Goal

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I probably have enough photos for one more long post tomorrow. I find all these photos and BJers comments heartening. We can do this, don’t let the latest news cycles rob you of that feeling.

From Joel, more DC march (and I know I’ve been saying 3-4 pic limit, but these were sent in before that and I had a difficult time choosing)

So a line of cop cars tried to drive through but became engulfed by the crowd where we were.  An officer in the front of the line called out to this one who was close to the end and asked him to try and back up.   he gets up onto the hood of his car and looks behind, turns around and yells back to the front of the line “we can’t go anywhere, there’s a hundred thousand people back there!” evoking a huge roar from the crowd.  Cops were very cool – high-fiving everyone in the crowd as they worked their way through.

Left @ Metro station entrance

How about a video of the march (thanks to Neil Gillies)

More below the fold:

From mdblanche, the Providence march:

Here are some shots of the sister rally at the Rhode Island State House. A few crowd shots, photos of some of the signs collected afterwards, and a special guest whose suit didn’t fit him very well. Sad!

From prawnworks a photo essay (blessed are those who send me links!) on the Philadelphia march:

Yep, her hair really was that color

For the full photo essay on the march in Philadelphia – click here.

From Karen, the Austin march (I had a friend there, too):

We drove from San Antonio and arrived early so the crowd is sparse when the first photo was taken. They expected about 30,000 and the final estimate was over 50,000. The entire event was well organized, positive and upbeat. When we left we were Fired Up and Ready to Go.

More DC march from Valerie – I asked her to pick 3, but then looked at her photos and picked several more because the signs were so awesome:

Finally from No One You Know, the Portland march:

Reporter interviews representatives from local activist group
Portland’s Hawthorne Bridge filled with people as the rally overflowed

That’s it for today. I’ll continue the fun tomorrow. Remember:

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

56Comments

  2. 2.

    Jordan Rules

    Look at protest puppy! Too cute.
    Some more great signs! I love the creativity that was on display.

  4. 4.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m going to try a third time to post a comment.

    I don’t get the blue one with the shadow. What’s the shadow depicting?

  14. 14.

    ? Martin

    @Iowa Old Lady: The hats are amazing. I’m still blown away at how many people had them. I want to learn how to crochet just so I can make some. I always wanted to learn – my grandmother crocheted constantly, but she was terrible at sizing things so everything was either absurdly too small or ridiculously large. She’d always laugh about it – she didn’t care, it was fun for her. I don’t know why I never had her teach me. She taught me to cook, after all.

  19. 19.

    randy khan

    I love seeing all of these photos, and it’s even better that they are being stretched out so we can savor the feeling.

    I wanted to second the comment about the police being cool. I’ve never been in a protest where the police were violent (more luck than anything else), but usually they have something of a “I’m here because it’s my job” attitude. This time, the DC police were polite, even helpful. At one point, they’d created a corridor on the street where I was to let some police vehicles through, but when the caravan was delayed, they cheerfully let people cross the corridor to the other side.

    And I guess this is a good point to mention the guy running the Metro train we took to downtown that morning, whose announcements got more and more supportive the closer we got to the march. When we got off at the Archives station, I almost wondered if he was going to join us.

  21. 21.

    Mary G

    I got a ton of compliments on the hat Mnem sent me. Here is a link to the march in San Clemente I ended up going to (lots of drama, but I made it). It’s nothing that special, but I was so happy and amazed that a) they had one and b) so many people came and were so enthusiastic. Not bad for one of the (formerly, I hope) reddest towns on the CA coast. I saw older women there I know are, or at least were, Republican. All of them hate Trump and Pence.

  27. 27.

    dogwood

    @? Martin:
    I second that motion. I don’t really think Trump has shut the phones down though. The Obama Administration’s mailroom staff and volunteers probably shut things down when they left on Thursday or Friday. The Trump people don’t have anyone to get things up and running again. A smooth transition, and a staff capable of setting up complete and effective operational protocols from the Oval Office to the mailroom won’t guarantee a successful presidency – see Bush, George W. This kind of transitional ignorance and chaos, however, is a sign that no one at 1600 knows what they’re doing.
    ETA: This happens when people don’t read their briefing books. Not all of the 250+ briefs put together by the O Administiation were about the weighty issues of national security etc. I’m sure there are plenty that deal with things like how to set up the fucking phones.

  29. 29.

    Mnemosyne

    @? Martin:

    It will be super easy for beginner crocheters: crochet a rectangle about 14-15 inches long and 6-8 inches wide, fold in half, sew up two sides, and you have a pussyhat. You won’t even have to crochet in the round.

    There is a rumor in the wind that the next crafty protest project may be “handkerchiefs for the crybabies” that can be collected and sewn together into blankets after the march. More details as this story develops.

  30. 30.

    Jordan Rules

    The climate facts that @BadlandsNat’lPark was tweeting out are now gone.
    I hope that brave person can find a new job and not be blackballed or anything.

  31. 31.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: I’m about to ask you to knit me one, altho’ learning to crochet myself just so I could make one is also tempting… (I am a hopeless knitter, wondering if even crochet might be beyond me!)

  33. 33.

    MomSense

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m going to start making pu_syhats for juicers who want them. Have to finish some knockers for a friend first. Then I’ll set up an Etsy so I can keep track of them.

    Just saw something about the hankies. I’m loving the craftivism!

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    You have my email address, so just let me know. I may have to poke around in my stash and see what other pink yarn I have (I know I have some, I just have to find it).

    Some people can crochet like a champ but can’t knit, and vice versa, so you may as well give crochet a try.

    @MomSense:

    I’m too lazy to set up an Etsy shop, but maybe I can join your sweatshop? Again, I’ll have to see what pink yarns I have in my stash before I commit for sure.

  39. 39.

    amygdala

    Won’t link it, but David Brooks weighed in on the March, with the expected whining about identity politics. It’s hilarious, in an absurdist, clueless, utterly privileged way.

  40. 40.

    The Moar You Know

    “Brains, Class, Decency…I’d settle for one” is one of the best signs I’ve seen.

    And sadly, she and all of us are not to even get that choice.

  44. 44.

    The Moar You Know

    Since they shut down the White House phone

    People have been calling up Trump Hotels…

    @rikyrah: Holy shit, that is a great idea. No snark. Kicking this Hitler-in-waiting in his wallet seems to be the only thing that really gets his attention.

  47. 47.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    Whenever you get around to knitting them, I’d like to buy one. I couldn’t wear it into work, but I could place it strategically on my cubicle wall during the days.

  49. 49.

    Nelle

    A friend knit a small version and then stuck it on a large safety pin. I’ll try to make something similar to wear on my coat.

  50. 50.

    MomSense

    @Mnemosyne:

    There are a few people here who have said they would help. I’m thinking I can set up an Etsy and all the knitters/crocheters can use it.

    @Miss Bianca:

    TIts and hats knit myself a fancy pair
    While sitting on my derrière

    Knitting knockers for the mom of a friend who is having a mastectomy and not reconstruction.

  52. 52.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    Have to finish some knockers for a friend first.

    Ummm…?

    EDIT: N/M, just saw your explanation at #49. What a good person you are.

  53. 53.

    Aleta

    Hard to describe how beautiful people’s expressions were in Boston. Committed, unafraid, angry, joyous looking into each other’s faces. The preteen and teen and young women just blew me away. Some teen girls hung out of their bus windows to lead big chants as we walked by. They had already marched and finished, I think; we had waited nearly 2 hours before we could get to the street because the crowd leaving the Commons was so large.

    Toward the end of the march we stepped out to watch for a bit. Bringing up the very end came the only police I even noticed, a handful who were on bikes. They were relaxed, no obvious armor, just bike helmets. I said thanks and instead of avoiding eye contact they smiled and said nice things back. I had expected that because of the marathon bombing, Boston would be much more patrolled and the police would be on alert.

    I think these marches mattered because of the aerial photos they produced, showing our reps the number of voters who are ready to vote against them.

    I loved the energy just as it was, and I also have thought: if each of these participants brought one more (peaceful) person next time…. I think there’s a tipping point for a demo’s influence if the numbers are large enough. Hope the fear of losing office will have some effect on the Rs. My new friends in Mass were exchanging ideas for ways to act outside their state.

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