By: Bryan Siemon
How great was it?
July 12th 2008 Revolution March turned out to be a successful event. The team and I worked hard to put this event on and we feel it paid off. Not because we made money from the event, not because we changed the world or even our country cause we didn't. It paid off because we now know that the freedom movement is not going away, that we are hear to stay. It confirms what I have always felt, that Ron Paul was a huge springboard for the message of freedom and now we are ready to work together to achieve that goal.
Before I continue the story of the event I would like to take a moment to thank some very important people. I would like to thank Ron Paul for curing my apathy and inspiring me and so many! I would like to thank GCNlive.com for sponsoring this event. I would like to thank all our MCs, speakers and bands for their participation, they all did a wonderful job. I with out a doubt would like to thank the team that help put this together, they worked wonderfully together to get this done. Last but not least I would like to thank all those who attended the event. I hope you were as inspired as I was and will continue to support us and any other freedom event. Lets continue to fight the good fight together!
I arrived in Washington D.C. Thursday July 10th. I really had no idea what to expect, the only thing I know is I had stuff to do, things to get done before Saturday. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't anxious, I was just busy. Some of the board of directors were there and some were still arriving throughout the day. I meet Carl, Ron Paul's head of security along with some members of our team when I first arrived, that was awesome. After all of the board arrived at the hotel we got together for a couple drinks and finally got to meet each other face-to-face. I can't believe we worked together for 5 months without knowing each other (of course I knew Ray). We worked well together so meeting each other in person was wonderful and help seal the bond we had with each other. Later on in the evening I had the pleasure of meeting our two MCs, Gary Franchi and Ernest Hancock. What great guys they are! Ernest informed us on Friday he and his team would be placing banners and fliers all of D.C. to help advertise the event.
Friday the 11th came and we all had our own set of work to do. I know some of our team and fellow revolutionaries got together and lobbied congress to get more support for HCR 40 (stops the SPP or NAFTA/NAU). While I did not go with them I learned from what they told me and I really felt it was a success. I do believe we will make that a bigger part of next years event since change is what we are working towards. Later that day others from our team organized and went to picket the Federal Reserve, wait till you see the pictures from that. I once again did not attend but felt it was a success and we determined it to be another thing on the to-do list next year. After phone calls, emails and so on, Ray and I decided to go the march assembly point and walk the route that we would be marching to the Capitol. On that adventure we got to see all the hard work Ernest Hancock and his team did, there were banners and fliers everywhere, even outside my hotel room. The feeling walking the march route the day before the event was exciting; anxiety or nervousness still did not kick in. Excitement was the word. As Ray pointed out, we were in the "belly of the beast". That evening we got together with the Board and the Core Team and had a great dinner. I had the chance to meet more of them in person, give a toast and thank them for all their hard work. What an honor! After dinner we finished up some last minute details for the day in preparation for the big day. I went to bed about 1:30 am, I had to be up at 5:30 am, needless to say when I laid down in bed all the nervous thoughts kicked in and I did not get much sleep.
5:30 AM Saturday July 12th, the Day of the March and Rally. Immediately after I woke up I had to call Michael Voneston to get final confirmation on the stage (I heard a rumor they were going to move the stage). Michael informed they were there and getting ready to set up and every thing was going on as planned. Not long after I received a call to my room from Trevor "Oyate" our march logistic officers telling me he was on his way to start getting the marshals together and doing their job. It is now 6 AM and I am now getting ready to leave with Mark, Deb's husband to deliver the table, chairs, water, and other supplies needed at the rally point. After unloading them and getting back to the hotel I started working with Carolyn on writing my speech I was to deliver right before Ron Paul spoke ( a speech I did not get to deliver). 9:30 AM the speech is done and I am now working on getting to the march assembly point at the Washington Monument, my cell phone is ringing off the hook with everyone asking where I am. 10 AM I arrive at the Washington Monument not knowing what to expect for crowd size. The anticipation was killing me! When I arrived and was at a point to look at the crowd I was so excited and energized by how many freedom loving, Ron Paul revolutionaries decided to join us. Words can't describe the feeling but it was awesome. People where chanting, holding signs and ready for this event. 10:30 AM we start marching. Ray and I up front to help lead the march, we did not need too. Everyone was ready and moving, once again it was awesome! While we were marching I moved from the middle to the front observing. Different chants where happening from different parts in the march and it was just great to join in and be part of them. One memorable moment was when we walk past the IRS building and you could hear thousands of people chanting "shut down the IRS", I will never forget that. The energy level was so high the heat of a July day in Washington D.C. did not take away from any one's energy in this march as far as I can tell.
I don't know what time exactly we arrived at the Capitol, our rally point I do know I was at the front and when I got there and turned around the street was covered with people from one side walk to the other and the line went as far as the eye could see. I knew this was going to be a great event. As we arrived Michael had Aimee Allen's Ron Paul song playing over the PAs, I love Aimee and that song, what a great song to have people hear while they arrived! Not long after as people finished arriving Marc Scibilia starting playing on stage to get the event going. After that our MCs introduced our very own Susan Wolfe (organizer of the RonVoy and part of the travel committee) sang our National Anthem and she did a great job. After which our MCs Ernest and Gary gave a duet speech that was just great and got the crowd warmed up screaming "We know the truth".
The day was hot and long, I was busy running around making sure everything was working the way it was suppose to, and it was. All the volunteers worked hard and made this possible. The speaker line up was great and I was very impressed with all of them. Some stuck out more than others but I will get into that in another write-up. While the rally started at around 11:30-Noon and ended at around 5 PM, I was running on pure energy and nothing else, I was exhausted! Meeting Ron Paul and all the other speakers was a big highlight of it all. I got my picture taken with most of the speakers and several autographs. While I will never forget all the great speakers and bands. And while I am on it I want to give a special thanks to the bands Poker Face, Jordan Page, and Marc Scibilia for being part of this with us. I encourage everyone to support them as much as possible, they deserve it. As I was saying there was some memorable moments but nothing more memorable than seeing what the Capitol police estimated at 10,000 fellow revolutionaries and freedom lovers uniting and being part of this. I know I have brothers and sisters who share the core values that I do, and it is good to know I am not alone. And for that memory I thank each and everyone of you with all my heart, Thank You!
After the rally ended you would think I would be done. I was not. With the help of the gracious volunteers from the crowd, we starting packing up the tables and chairs and loading them back in the truck. I delivered the truck back to the hotel and got ready for the book signing that was already on its way. Now I was suppose to work at the table and help G. Edward Griffin however I arrived there a little late due to clean up at the rally and someone filled in for me. This was good and bad. It was bad because I have a high amount of respect for Mr. Griffin and it would have been a great honor to help him at his table during the book signing. The good was it gave me a chance to walk around and talk to some of our speakers and bands in a more informal environment and get to know them...They are all awesome. After the book signing we had a little after party, this was the wind down faze and I enjoyed having a few drinks with those who joined us.
To sum it up I believe it was all a success, the march, the rally, the book signing, everything. I am so happy to know that the movement can and will mobilize. I want to thank all those who attend, I want to thank our board of directors and our core team, and I want to thank all the volunteers and marshals for doing such a great job and making this happen. Thank you and I hope we can all work together to make next years event even bigger. It is time for the voice of Freedom to be heard. Regardless of the lack of media attention given to this event I feel it was worth it and would do it again. I hope I am blessed with the honor of being the Chairman again and I hope we all understand that we need to mobilize together, we need to lobby together, we need to picket together, we need to stand together to make sure our message is heard. To make sure that we know we are not alone, and to energize us and keep us going. Mass mobilizations usually don't get much media attention but imagine how many congressmen are now wondering why Ron Paul gets 10,000 + people at an event and how it is all done by the grassroots. This has to make them think, and hopefully rethink what they are doing, or not doing. With every year this event needs to get bigger and bigger, the movement is growing and will grow and events like this will help motivate people to get involved.
Thanks
Bryan Siemon
Chairman
Revolution March
