Additional footage by Walt Farmer.
Last week, protest organizer Jim Stanford had hoped that 50 people would show up to Saturday’s war protest/peace rally in Wilson.
He lowballed himself.
An estimated 300-500 people showed up on Saturday afternoon for the speeches and music at Stilson Ranch, and for the walk down the pathway to the southern gates of Teton Pines, Cheney’s gated subdivision. Indeed, the marchers stretched almost all the entire 1.6 mile distance between Stilson and the Pines.
In a town renowned for its fun-first lifestyle, it was heartening to see so many coming together to exercise their right to assembly, and to publicly register their opinion of Jackson Hole resident Dick Cheney, the Bush Administration, and the Iraq war.
Hopefully, this “blow against apathy,” as Stanford put it, will inspire more Jacksonites to take an interest in the democratic process.
By the way, Karl Rove resigned today. Coincidence? Maybe.
——————————————————————-
It is now eight hours or so since I posted this video on this page. Traffic has been steadily growing since then.
But not as fast as the traffic for a video posted on youtube by a Jacksonite calling herself “Suzbekistan.”
That video, which includes only the footage of the toppling of Dick’s effigy, has gathered about 7,000 hits today. It’s brief, unedited, and unadorned. In its economy, it portrays a completely different event than the one my video does.
It makes the protest look like an act of simple anger. Which it wasn’t.
Or was it?
An hour or two before, amidst the cheatgrass of Stilson Ranch, we stood around listening to music and speakers, chatting amongst ourselves, and admiring the blue of the sky and the green of the mountains. Said Alexandra Fuller, the female speaker in the video, “I feel like we should have a wedding or something, since we’re all here.”
It certainly felt like any other Saturday afternoon in August, until Cheney’s head was being kicked across the Teton Village Road.
Thank you Jackson Hole! It is refreshing to see that even those that prioritize their personal quality of life over many things still care about the lives of others and are not turning a blind eye to the most decietful administration in all of our lifetimes. It is an important message to the nation that, while second (and third) home owners here may prefer to act and vote according to what benefits their financial well being, many of those that live and work in Cheney’s “home town” are disgusted by his actions. Cheney and his minions do not represent Teton County. We did not vote for him and we will not forget or forgive him for he has done.
Thank you Jim Stanford and those that attended the rally.
The appropriateness of the psuedo-violent beheading of Cheney’s effigy is debateable (as is being done on several other sites.) What is clear is that many Teton County residents performed a non-violent demonstration to speak out against an administration they feel aliented and insulted by. To fear public demonstration or outcry and equate it to Islamic radicalism is juvenille. Theatrics can raise awareness and are a far cry from kidnappings, beheadings, and suicide bombings. Hopefully this non-violent protest has made one more voter to think critically.
I find it very encouraging that so few have been demented by the anti-American and anti-military right wing extremists attempting to alter the valiant efforts of Americas’ finest leaders like G.W. Bush and Richard Cheney . I enjoyed the videos greatly . Insight into the radicals attempting to distroy America is always helpful . Thanks again , and keep ‘em coming .