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| Operation American Spring |
Operation American Spring, the mass D.C. rally aiming to force several top government officials — including the president — to resign, spent a portion of its first day at the capital assuring people tuning into its livestream that more people are on the way. The protest's lead organizer, Harry Riley, promised 10 million to 30 million people would show up for his event; Friday's crowd appeared to be in the dozens to hundreds.
Weirdly, the only people who might understand how the Operation American Spring people my feel right now — virtually everyone who trekked to D.C. is a true believer, to be sure — might be the early Occupy Wall Street organizers who were there on the first day of the protests in 2011. There are no signs at this point that Operation American Spring will become something too. At least, that's what the participants of "Operation American Spring" were hoping to do.
The rally, organized by retired Army Col. Harry Riley, aims to "[restore] Constitutional government, rule of law, freedom, liberty 'of the people, by the people, for the people' from despotic and tyrannical federal leadership." Here are some more pics that aptly sum up Operation American Spring.
Operation American Spring is on, people, in the streets of Washington and Baton Rouge and—that's about it, really.
Compared to the Tea Party, Operation American Spring is... nothing, in truth. Like, literally tens of people sitting around being crazy. The activists say they expect 10 million to 30 million like-minded Americans to join them Friday in the nation's capital for a rally patterned after Occupy Wall Street and "Arab Spring" protests.
They also plan a sister event the same day in Bunkerville, Nevada, where militia groups have gathered to support scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy in his dispute with the federal government.
Organizers also anticipate "incremental nullification" by state legislatures of "all withholding taxes, employment taxes, employer taxes, and income taxes."
Get your Gadsden flags and gas masks, people. To paraphrase some lefty chick: Never doubt that a small group of militant white conservatives can change America; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
The organizers of Operation American Spring don’t really expect their demonstration to dislodge some of the nation’s top elected officials.
At least, not right away.
The organization plans to launch a sustained, Occupy Wall Street-style demonstration Friday in Washington, D.C., to voice their concerns about the direction of the country and its leadership.
“Without a doubt, that’s a must,” Coffey said of impeachment. Over the long term, Coffey said, the group anticipates the “incremental nullification” over the next five years by state legislatures of all federally imposed taxes, and some members are urging their state lawmakers to call a convention of the states to amend the Constitution.
Group members have claimed anywhere from 10 million to 30 million people will show up in the capital to demand the removal of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, Sens. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, and Reps. John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi.
The protest is named and patterned after the “Arab Spring” uprising that overturned the Egyptian government.
“If somehow, with the snap of a finger, these knuckleheads in Congress started caring about the American people, people would see that and businesses would see that, and the economy would turn around,” Coffey said.
Operation American Spring organizers, however, insist participants disarm before coming to Washington, which bars the possession of firearms in public.
When the government is changed constitutionally so will the laws in Washington DC.”
“You do have a right to self defense.”
Coffey said he flatly denied a request by one group from out west that wanted to march into Washington carrying firearms, and he advocated revisions to the rules of engagement to de-emphasize the right to self defense.
“It pierced my heart, broke my heart when Obama said we’re no longer a Christian nation,” Coffey said.
“God doesn’t exclude and we don’t exclude,” said Coffey. “Thank God we’re not all white. Coffey said he became active in Operation American Spring because some of its mission statements resonated with him, and he’s cautiously optimistic about what it will accomplish.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow poked some fun on Thursday at the upcoming “Operation American Spring,” linking Friday’s event to a series of similar protests that talked big but ultimately failed to deliver on their promises of revolution against President Barack Obama’s administration.
Organizers for Friday’s event have vowed to bring between 10 million and 30 million people to Washington D.C. on Friday to demand the removals of not only Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, but Attorney General Eric Holder, Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). A second rally is scheduled to be held in Bunkerville, Nevada, where supporters of anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy have gathered.
A month later, the “Reclaim America Now” event also vowed to bring millions to demand Obama leave the White House while somehow wanting to arrest him at the same time.
“They didn’t even get dozens of people,” Maddow said. “And I don’t know if they brought a jail for President Obama, but they did not end up arresting or jailing President Obama.
