Steven Latimer

I spent most of the day in Washington, D.C. for the Revolution March. The following is a very rough summary of events. Enjoy!

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to the chorus of my three alarm clocks (I have two conventional alarm clocks, and my cell phone also has an alarm feature. Yeah, I know. I'm a heavy sleeper.) I obviously didn't want to miss anything! I then showered, and put on a set of clean clothes -- a pair of khaki shorts and my green polo shirt, which turned out to be a bad, bad idea (read on and you'll find out why).

Then at 6:50 a.m. I went outside, where I met VCU student and fellow Ron Paul supporter Aaron Jaek, who got a ride with me to the march. After stopping at Hardee's for a bite to eat in the form of a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, we then hopped on Interstate 95, which we drove to the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station in Fairfax. (On the way up, we were passed by a station wagon full on Ron Paul people -- presumably going to the rally as well -- who honked and waved at us, observing my car's Ron Paul for President bumper sticker. Aaron was napping at the time, so only I returned their waves.)

We arrived at Franconia-Springfield at about 8:40 a.m. While waiting for the train to come, I bumped into Petey, a friend I made when I attended the going-away party for Paul Jost in May.

Above: Petey (l) and me (r)

Metro was teeming with Ron Paul people from Franconia-Springfield -- the terminus of the Blue Line -- all the way to Smithsonian. After we got off, we walked toward the Washington Monument, where the march was to begin. Thousands gathered just northeast of the monument, holding signs, and in general, just being happy and passionate about freedom.

Flags, props, and signage helped reflect the event's libertarian sentiment.

No doubt the event featured some fringe elements who have found Ron Paul to be a way of explaining their frustrations. Perhaps the most annoying group are the folks who think that 9/11 was an "inside job." I respect their opinions and analysis, but this just sounds silly.

For the most part, those who marched along Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues are normal people who are frustrated by excessive government -- and dumb government. The IRS and Federal Reserve were favored targets, here.

The march ended on Capitol Hill, where the crowd heard from a host of speakers, culminating with Ron Paul.



And now, the stupid story:

The day was very sunny with few clouds, and the temperature was a steamy 90 degrees. Long story short, libertarians are generally not the most formal people, and as such, many people removed their shirts to deal with the temperature. Noticing that my green polo shirt began to get sweaty, I removed it. (And now you will find out why wearing my polo shirt to the march and rally was a bad, bad idea.)

Since it was very hot, it seemed to me that shedding a heavy layer would work. Not so. Even though I applied sunblock and popped my collar when I was wearing my shirt, I got burnt to a crisp. As of this writing, I am as red as a lobster. I should have worn a t-shirt, which I could have comfortably kept on. Oh, well.

Afterward, Aaron and I had dinner at Union Station with my friends Rick Sincere and GMU student Richard Morrison, who were in town for the day. Following dinner, Aaron and I metroed back to Franconia-Springfield, and drove back to Richmond.

Above: my friends Lauren Sanders, Vladimir Rudenko, Conor Murphy

NOTE: All the pictures I took can be found at this public link.