Abu Wabu

With Glenn Beck's popularity soaring and the left in full idiotic attack mode, my wife and I decided to head to Seattle to witness Beck's visit to Safeco Field on Saturday, September 26, sponsored by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. It was a gorgeous sunny day and our seats on the field put us in the middle of a genuinely friendly crowd of about 7,000 folks, the happiest and most sociable bunch of right-wing haters I think I have ever had the pleasure of joining.

Yr. Fthfl. Svnt.
There were a handful of demonstrators outside (certainly not the ridiculous numbers some press reports gave) who either couldn't or wouldn't go inside and actually join in, choosing instead to stand around outside and wallow in their ignorance and anger. In fact, the only anger I saw was in their faces and their signs; the only anger I heard was in their voices.

Once inside the stadium, we proceeded down to the playing field and sat down to a delicious box lunch, a bottomless supply of chilled water and, appropriately enough, pitchers of iced tea. Within seconds we were engaged in friendly conversation with everyone around our table, sharing stories about what brought us together and the common ground we shared as vicious right-wing haters and racists, sentiments that brought peals of laughter from all.

The affair began with an introductory speech by EFF CEO and co-founder Lynn Harsh, who asked the crowd to rise and acknowledge the servicemembers and veterans present. Then Korean War veteran and actor James McEachin presented his short and deeply moving one-man play, "Voices - A Tribute To The American Veteran". It began before those of us seated on the field realized it, because McEachin started off behind us, almost wispering into his microphone as the crowd in the grandstand stood to applaud him; it was the roar of their cheers that caused us to turn around to see what was going on, and soon everyone was standing and listening to the old man give what amounted almost to a sermon, just a very inspiring and heartwarming moment as he walked through the throng toward the stage, smiling and shaking hands as he recited the words that spoke to the life and thoughts of the military vet from a distinctly American point of view.

After a few more words from other speakers, local radio personality David Boze introduced Glenn Beck to an appreciative crowd that listened for just over an hour as he addressed everything from his childhood in nearby Mount Vernon, to his journey out of addiction and his present role helping to expose the corruption that is corroding the government from the very top. He talked about the formerly mainstream media abdicating its traditional role in favor of advocating for Obama and the left; of how private citizens have begun using the new media to mount a counterassault on big government, criminal enterprises like Obama's ACORN, and radical revolutionaries like Van Jones; of how taking personal responsibility for action is the best weapon against the statists, and how the effort and pressure must be kept up against those who would turn all powers over to the likes of Obama and his totalitarian-minded followers. The man gave a full accounting for how and why he has become one of a few powerful voices insisting on smaller, better government and more action by citizens to reclaim their roles as the real leaders in America, subservient to no-one, especially the pack of Marxists presently in power.

He may come off as a bit goofy sometimes, but Glenn Beck is as honest as they come. He wears his heart and his emotions on his sleeve and also possesses a marvelous sense of humor. And when it comes to nailing the powers that be, he takes absolutely no prisoners and is merciless in his criticisms of both left and right. Of course, there has always been inherently more to criticize on the left, and with Obama in power, there is a genuine threat to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights emanating from Washington, along with a threat to national security, all of which was perfectly expressed in both Beck's passionate words and the conversations around our tables.

Yr. Fthfl. Svnt.
After Beck left the stage to a thunderous ovation a number of us were guided to the Key Bank Club room below the Safeco stands, where we met Glenn in person. Signing copies of his new book, appropriately titled "Arguing With Idiots", he was as gracious and genuine a guy as we've ever met, and the experience capped a heartwarming day of celebrating freedom, fellowship and good cheer with our neighbors.

Having experienced this event firsthand, it is no wonder to me that assemblies such as this are happening all over the country with increasing frequency and in ever greater numbers. Americans are reclaiming their freedoms as I have never seen before in my lifetime, but they are doing it with a sense of humility, service, duty, and a firm resolve against those who would destroy all that in the name of overwhelming state power. It was a day and an event that brought complete strangers together in patriotism, and in friendship and appreciation for each other that truly moved us.

It hardly requires stating but I will anyway: these folks are nothing at all like they are portrayed by those who would silence them, a fact that deepens my resolve to stand with them at every turn.