Rally for America
Afterwards

It's one thing to be ignored by the liberal media...
When they attack you, you know you're doing somethin right!

I urge all of you who take time to read this report, to help us set the record straight as the professional hate-America deep pockets wage war on our day of tribute.

Since this was a team effort I'm using this communication to share some after-the-fact observations with our team and visitors. I realize we're just one more city in a series of patriotic efforts that this country desperately needed. I made a comment last night in an email, that I hadn't received as many heartwarming hugs and handshakes yesterday since graduation in the sixties.  To feel the tears of joy from someone else's cheek on yours, is heaven sent.  How else can you begin to put those feelings into words.  Therapeutic comes to mind, but it's even more than that.  It's filling a deeper gut-wrenching ache that's been building for months as we listen and watch images on our television of anti-America masses trashing our country, our president and everything we believe in.

I'm not a numbers driven person, opting instead for a quality event aimed at our event participants.  In this case, the vast majority of the folks who attended the rally were the families of our troops and California's veteran's. We were a small event compared to the fantastic turnout seen in other cities the past two weekends.  Still, for California, I suspect it was respectable given that it was a truly grassroots effort, wholly organized by volunteers and funded from our own pockets with the generous help of many who came to the rally itself. The rally team that was pulled together just 10 days after we learned Glenn Beck and KSTE would not be able to co-sponsor us, was none other than a blessing from God. Dawn Setters and I were truly blessed to have such talented and generous people make this event something our military's children, their families and our aging veterans will remember forever. 

You see, that's what matters to us most.  Not the numbers, not the spotlight of the press and not who gets credit for what. It was  Dawn Setters and KFBK's Mark Williams who did the one thing I personally wanted most from this effort.  A chance for military families and most importantly their serving relatives, too see and hear Californians paying tribute and honor to them, our veterans and our domestic soldiers in law enforcement! Many have and will in the days ahead thanks mostly to the live broadcast that streamed world-wide on the internet.

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Folks who know me understand I'm not one to quietly ride off into the sunset without comment about the tactics of the mainstream press and media.  I may have told MSNBC to pound sand 

The Sacramento Bee's front Page below the fold photo was Anti-war images and detailed coverage of San Francisco anti-war protests. The photo featured a Navy petty officer, in uniform with a small American flag duct-taped across his mouth marching with the usual washed up sixties Viet-Nam era anti-war bunch.  A beautiful color photo on the Bee's internet news coverage is attached, while the story and black and white photo can be found on the last page A-23

Alicia Deporto, 4, stands next to a portrait of uncle Rudy Eugene Deporto -- who is in the Marines -- at Saturday's pro-troops rally.

Capitol rally backs president, troops By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 a.m. PST Sunday, March 23, 2003 Photo Credit: Sacramento Bee/Hector Amezcua

Update: March 26, 3003

The best the Bee could do with your letters:

Setting It Straight
Bee Metro Staff
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Wednesday, March 26, 2003

A photo caption Sunday on page A24 that showed Ruth Medrano holding a portrait of her soldier sons at a rally at the state Capitol should have said that the rally was in support of U.S. troops.

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The San Francisco Chronicle on the other hand gave the rally more ink and coverage. And oh yes, as expected, ample opportunity to bash everyone connected with it in the process.

Sacramento rally backs invasion 3,000 show up to counter large-scale war protests in S.F. Robert Salladay, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Sacramento -- "Let's show those protesters in San Francisco that we support the troops!" a woman screamed into a megaphone outside the Capitol. Moments later Saturday, a sneering mention of the city gets a low-rumble "boooooo" from the crowd. It was characterized as a Rally for America -- more than 3,000 demonstrators gathered on the west steps chanting "USA, USA, USA," waving dozens of U.S. flags.

Sunday, March 23, 2003

Television media faired slightly better... it's hard to spin images of law abiding, God-loving and patriotic people at a gathering paying tribute to America's finest. KCRA-3, the NBC affiliate didn't bother to provide streaming content from their website although they were the one station most involved in pre-rally activity and "coverage" of the event itself.  When they had the opportunity to "control" content in their studio, they did. They stacked the Town Forum 5-3 against us. They'd have made it 6-3 at the last minute had I not sternly objected. We saw that same tactic used with ABC Nightline's Town Hall so rules of engagement were carefully crafted to insure we'd have an opportunity to plug Rally for America. Giving up three hours of precious, last minute, night before work for grass roots organizers is a lot to ask. As the cameras rolled, they refused to let us make one mention of the rally calling it "an agenda" according to Kelly Brothers, the forum host.

Well, KCRA let's talk about agenda. A woman called Mark today to claim her husband watched the evening news on channel 10 last night and saw us burning a French flag.  It wasn't KXTV-10! The proof of that follows.  But according to Dawn, it was KCRA-3 news at 6:00 PM and was a shot of someone not attending our rally or any part of it. KCRA will be held accountable for all their deceit and deceptions.

The only streaming video coverage we can find on the internet a day after the rally did come from KXTV-10.

 

Hundreds Gather at State Capitol to Support Troops About 2,000 people showed up at the State Capitol on Saturday afternoon for a rally in support of American troops fighting in the war with Iraq.

Update 3-26-03 - Free Republic Item

NPR Hit Piece on Rally for America
National Public Radio's Marketplace
Posted on 03/25/2003 5:05 PM PST by Wordsmith

NPR's widely broadcast business and economy radio program Marketplace included a short segment tonight intended to discredit the past weekend's pro-war rallies.

In short, the segment raised the possibility that many of the pro-war rallies were organized by Clear Channel Communications radio stations either at the direction of the Bush Administration or due to a desire to gain favor with the Administration, a quid pro quo.

They specifically reported that "many in the media" were questioning whether these rallies reflected legitimate public sentiment. Their source for this? A SINGLE "journalist" from salon.com!!! This "journalist's" comments that Clear Channel was part of a Bush cabal staging shows of public support was the ONLY evidence given of the existence of doubt from "many in the media". Neither Salon nor the journalist were identified as liberals.

To be fair, while Clear Channel didn't comment, the program manager for an affiliate - I believe in Virginia - that organized one of the rallies did speak at length, and quite eloquently, about how the rally sprang from listener demand not directions from HQ.

Still, the smear was quite noticeable. Typical "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" reporting from NPR, planting the idea with listeners that the VRWC is behind these rallies and all is being directed by the Bush cabal. Thought those who helped with the rallies might like to know. I'll post a transcript or link if I can find one.

Channels of Influence
By PAUL KRUGMAN

y and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as antiwar rallies, but they have certainly been vehement. One of the most striking took place after Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, criticized President Bush: a crowd gathered in Louisiana to watch a 33,000-pound tractor smash a collection of Dixie Chicks CD's, tapes and other paraphernalia. To those familiar with 20th-century European history it seemed eerily reminiscent of. . . . But as Sinclair Lewis said, it can't happen here.

Who has been organizing those pro-war rallies? The answer, it turns out, is that they are being promoted by key players in the radio industry — with close links to the Bush administration.

More...

Direct rebuttal:
26 posted on 03/25/2003 5:33 PM PST by EternalVigilance

I hate liars.

57 posted on 03/25/2003 8:31 PM PST by GailA (THROW AWAY THE KEYS http://keasl5227.tripod.com/

Clear Channel promoed our Rally for America and made arrangements for Rally T-shirts with all but $2 of the $7 charge to go to the American Legion who was the MAIN sponsor of the Millington Rally for America Support Our Troops.

I invited our afternoon drive time talk host Mike Fleming to MC. He accepted with the station's blessings. Local businesses provided the flyers, Yellow Ribbon, and America Flags we handed out. The American Legion and I made up the Yellow Ribbons we handed out. We made the big Thank Your Cards, put out paper and drawing items so the kids could draw/write our Troops. Mr. Babe Howard owner of USA Stadium DONATED the use of USA Stadium. DONATIONS were taken up to help defray the cost. Millington CTV (Community TV)video tapped our Rally and has tapes available BTW.

City of Millington put out our 4th of July US Flags for the event per the American Legion's request.

What's next?

This page is a work in progress. If you support what happened this weekend in Sacramento and feel compelled to help us set the record straight, here's just a few things you can do with the click of a mouse and a few keystrokes:

• THANK Clear Channel for the great coverage and the extraordinary job Mark Williams did for all of us. 

  Lowry Mays Chairman and Chief Executive Officer LLowryMays@clearchannel.com

	The Ombudsman investigates complaints of unfairness, imbalance or inaccuracies in The Bee's news reporting. His conclusions are his own. To make a comment, mail him at P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, 95852. Call him directly at (916) 442-8050; FAX: (916) 556-5690; or send e-mail to ombud@sacbee.com. Who is Sanders LaMont? This former executive editor at The Modesto Bee has a rich journalism history. Learn more about him here. Sunday, March 23, 2003 The Ombudsman: Is Bee ignoring peace protests or promoting them? Even after bombs began dropping on Baghdad and missiles were launched at U.S. positions in Kuwait, most of the complaints about news in The Bee repeated themes heard for months from anti-war activists and supporters of administration policies. more »
	Scott Lebar - Assistant Managing Editor, Metro, Library - (916) 321-1182 e-mail: slebar@sacbee.com.
	Stuart Drown - City Editor - (916) 321-1121 e-mail sdrown@sacbee.com.
	KCRA-3 says: "You've probably gathered by now that we're really into feedback. Let us know what you think! You can contact the station by phone at (916) 446-3333. To reach the news department, call (916) 444-7316."  Well KCRA has a web feedback form or you can e-mail Millicent Ozdaglar Special Projects Producer who pulled the fast one on us.
	A Yale Law School blog is giving Krugman's hate article free publicity.  Luckily, you can post comments, either anonymously or by signing your name.
	NPR's Market Place: Comment on the yellow radio journalism. So much for "many in the media" claim... Bush bashing Krugman is it.

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