Reply #16: I agree... I was hoping that the Columbus rally would turn into [View All]

something bigger, but it was so darn well-behaved and polite. I was going there ready to be arrested if need be, if we staged an impromptu sit-in or linked arms to block traffic or something. But, nah. Instead, I waved a little "Honk 4 Recount" sign that someone gave me at passing motorists, many of whom did honk, BTW.

Is everyone afraid? We had more action at anti-war rallies in the past (especially in the first Gulf war... there was one time when we had this huge march of people circling the City Center--a big mall downtown). Is everyone just giving up? I know of several people who believe there was massive fraud but who think there's nothing we can do about it.

Funny... in a way, it's like we're all so civilized about this. The woman at the rally who said this was like a second American Revolution was absolutely right (I forget... was it Susan Truitt?). I was hoping with Jesse Jackson in on it, that more people would see this as a basic civil rights issue, but I don't think he's been pushing those buttons hard enough, exactly, and I don't know why.

There's a poor, primarily African American neighborhood close to downtown. I was thinking that if I were Mr. Jackson, I would have organized a huge march from that neighborhood to the courthouse for the rally. OK, he was on CNN and will be at this meeting tonight, but I truly think that we need the type of actions we saw in the 50s and 60s civil rights movement RIGHT NOW. And what's more, he participated in those original actions. I can't understand why he's not spearheading similar ones now. Maybe later?

Another issue might be that people just don't think we have the kind of country where this kind of thing can happen ("this kind of thing" being widespread massive fraud). After all, those are the kinds of problems they have in the Third World or Eastern Europe... we have a democracy, we're America, dammit, and that kind of thing just doesn't happen here.

Not sure how we combat these problems, but I don't think standing around politely listening to speakers in front of the State House is going to get it done.