We want Congress IN SESSION when we MARCH!

[Dave]

We don't want to march on DC when the lights are out and the crickets are chirping!

We want to march when the Senate and House are in session to expose them and all their entourage/employees/media/etc. to our message.

This rules out May 24 thru June 1 AND June 28 thru July 6 since these are periods when the Senate and/or House are adjourned for "District Work Periods", which is another way of saying Memorial Day and Independence Day breaks.

I'm sure our Beltway friends can fine-tune this suggestion to find the right timing for maximum exposure and impact in DC.


I also vote for doing this as late as possible (within RP's suggestion):

To maximize the possibility of warm weather
To allow people time to plan
To get the students through the semester so they can come.

[princessredtights]

good points -

[Cooter]

i didnt think of that, but good point. im just hoping that college students wont be asked to miss exams to make the march and parents wont be ask to find people to watch their kids who are still in school.

[John of Des Moines]

Stay away from June 18th, it's the full moon and needless to say...

[billjarrett]

But, all the plans here are leaning towards weekends, and congress doesn't work weekends either. Looks like we have a dilemma there.. weekend when we'll get larger turnout, or weekday when congress is working.

I'm gonna have to take vacation time anyways for it, going to spend a few days with my family seeing the sights so it makes no difference to me.

[MrAustin]

Agreed.

+1

[mosquitobite]

But, all the plans here are leaning towards weekends, and congress doesn't work weekends either. Looks like we have a dilemma there.. weekend when we'll get larger turnout, or weekday when congress is working.

I'm gonna have to take vacation time anyways for it, going to spend a few days with my family seeing the sights so it makes no difference to me.

What about making it a Monday? (I would say Friday but I think our lazy politicians take off Fridays as well)

If you make it a Monday people might only have to take off a day or two.

[Cooter]

would doing it during the week effect getting ther permits since you proly be shutting down part of the city? just curious.

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

But, all the plans here are leaning towards weekends, and congress doesn't work weekends either. Looks like we have a dilemma there.. weekend when we'll get larger turnout, or weekday when congress is working.

I'm gonna have to take vacation time anyways for it, going to spend a few days with my family seeing the sights so it makes no difference to me.

We could start on Friday with the meetup and march then go into Saturday and maybe Sunday. Or SUnday to travel back home and back to school and work on Monday. Missing one day of work.

Sometime in June sounds good to me. I would like for this to be so popular and the speeches so good that other members of Congress watch or even speak. Its better obviously if they are in town.

[John of Des Moines]

The week of June 8 to 14 is good from a lunar stand point. June 11 is the Wednesday of that week. Most schools are out by then.

But the 22nd to the 28nd of June with the Wednesday being 25th all schools are out.

[Dave]

But, all the plans here are leaning towards weekends, and congress doesn't work weekends either. Looks like we have a dilemma there.. weekend when we'll get larger turnout, or weekday when congress is working.


Yes, there is a tradeoff here for us to weigh...

I think a weekend is still OK as long as the House and Senate aren't "out of town" on recess during that weekend. As long as they're still in the DC area we'll still have an impact on them. But can we get the same exposure to them and the same media coverage as a weekday?

Beltway Patriots and/or experienced DC marchers - please chime in!

[John of Des Moines]

bump

[Henry Lahore]

http://files.meetup.com/592508/Protest%20Marches%20on%20Washington.PDF (http://files.meetup.com/592508/Protest%20Marches%20on%20Washington.PDF)

This includes all previous Washington DC protest marches

[The Tao Of Bill]

I guess if it's the summer time anyway weekends won't matter much because they will be out of school anyway and probably will still have to request time off school especially if you are a college student and work a part time job on the weekends. So it might actually work out fine to have a weekday date.

[Tarzan]

A few of us have been trying to warn you that this type of plan will not achieve the results you want. I wish you could hear from other people who have marched and participated in rallies in DC... or, from people who live and work in DC.

The notion that a large group of people will have any influence is not supported by the history. The idea has failed time and time again. The only way to affect change in DC is to vote out the current representatives and replace them.

I lived and worked in DC for several years... I participated in anti-Vietnam marches... the town is designed to make large crowds look small and to keep them away from the elected officials. A protest march on DC, regardless of when it is held, will have no affect on changing the government or their policies. Our only hope for this is a grand meeting elsewhere... where we meet one another and learn how to take back the government district by district. The "Death March on Washington" will not achieve our purposes.

[tbrambo]

bump:):):):)

[-lotus-]

you dont think that if they get wind of this and realize its actually gonna happen that they would suspend session for that day? :P