Cardin protest in pictures and text

Aug 14, 2009

This is the first of two parts, with part two coming along sometime this weekend. In this part, which will mostly be pictorial, I'll try to give a flavor to the protest outside the Guerrieri Center at Salisbury University yesterday. Over the weekend I'll report and observe on the actual presentation by Senator Cardin as I was inside the room.

I actually arrived onscene about an hour before the event and there was nothing going on yet. I was, however, greeted by this sign:

This was a closed-door meeting, which is fine. But shouldn't the Senator also have scheduled another meeting for the public?

Finally about 10:00 or so the first protestors started to trickle in. They were promptly greeted by the gentleman in the nice suit with the folder.

A protestor pleads his case with the security staff at SU. Essentially the protestors were pushed back to Dogwood Drive, a couple hundred yards from the venue itself.

Undaunted, the protestors set to waving their signs. All told, there were about 40 at the peak of festivities.

These protestors were a few who occupied the east side of the entrance off Dogwood Drive.

A few chose to stand on the west side of the entrance.

A closer shot of the protestors standing on the east side of the driveway. Notice the signs are hand-printed so this isn't Astroturf.

Here's the tighter shot to those who held their ground on the west side of the entrance.

A couple pictures up I noted in the caption that the signs were generally hand-lettered. While I was inside some new signs arrived but they didn't have a lot of takers.

The phone number is Frank Kratovil's office. But I don't believe that calling him would do any good - hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

There were also flyers being passed out with a similar message and a nice bit of Photoshop.

As a guy who just got stuck with a couple needles last week, that picture makes me slightly ill just looking at it.

To me, the signage sometimes makes my day. Here's one good example of a guy who doesn't mind being blogged.

Given the end-of-life counseling in the House bill I'm not sure this isn't the overall intention. That's ONE way to save Social Security.

And this lady has some solutions which need to be tried before any further government interference in the health care market.

How about putting some of these ideas in the bill? Oh wait, the GOP has tried but they can't get the votes to do so. Democrats wouldn't even dream of giving up their cushy system by adopting the Fleming Amendment.

It's not a sign but something tells me there's someone making a small fortune off this image (and/or going to court soon on copyright infringement grounds.)

The new face of socialism - hey, at least there's no Nazi imagery or effigies. I just wish Obama were joking about his policies but unfortunately he's dead serious.

It was also good to see our protest getting its share of coverage from the two local TV stations.

This lady was taking video for Channel 16. I think their main reporter was inside with Senator Cardin at the time.

The other station, Channel 47, was actually doing interviews with the protestors. I didn't see the stories so I don't know what ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

Not only that, the protestors were making videos of themselves.

Andrew Langer (with camera) was taping this event for posterity. Here he's interviewing local Americans for Prosperity co-leader Julie Brewington.

If there was one message to be had from the protest, it's in the photo I'll close with today.

Don't tread on us. Say no to big government and socialized health care.

Next time I go inside the GraySHORE meeting. So no Friday Night Videos tonight, it'll be back next week.

Cardin protest in pictures and text

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