PROTEST RALLY: Washington DC, 1/27/2007 I'll begin with puppets. I'll also probably end with puppets ... so stick around. If you're a puppet fan. Although the rest of the puppet "magic" may not make it into this particular "update". I'm still processing the video. It's all in real-time, my friends. Almost 2 hours. **** UPDATE **** Video is up. Click HERE. Almost 2 hours of this crap to filter and sort, so it'll take some time. Plus I have to relive two hours of my life that I'm not really that anxious to relive. And after that, I've got to edit it all down to 10 minutes ... tops. Then process it as a swf file and then as a YouTube file. This is all going to take some time but ... I assure you ... I am doing all I can to make sure it is worth the wait. In the meantime, I'll amuse with some photos. Let's stay with puppets, shall we? Now this is, actually, a somewhat unusual puppet as far as puppets go. It's manipulated by three (3) puppeteers ... one in the middle controlling the general aspect and direction of the puppet ... with two others manipulating the arms (basically just up and down with limited motion to the side). You can make out the sticks they use for that if you look carefully. It's also taller than puppets tend to be. The reason for that is that the puppet itself is completely flat if you view it edge-on and is, therefore, lightweight ... yet sturdy enough to achieve the requisite height. Kinda creepy. This rather peculiar puppet was ... at least at this stage ... simply a bookmark for a place people could contribute to the "effort". It does make an appearance later on. Here are those two puppets in the first image as seen alone. Frankly, I'm not entirely certain what they are supposed to represent. I think the dude may be wearing some sort of military cover ... though the rest of him is far from kosher on that issue. The chick ... well that's anyone's guess. Maybe they're supposed to be farmers or something. You know ... the "people". The ones in the red states who hate Bush. Or they would if they were properly "educated". Maybe. 911 "Truth" was a big subject at this rally. I didn't manage to get everything ... but it was very pervasive. This particular sign was just about everywhere. This is just getting, well, supernatural. It's almost a death cult. There's going to be stuff re the "truthers" on the video when I get it done. "When". This particular guy was of a type we find quite often at these events. He knows he wants to be here. He knows he's got something to say. Something important. And ... yet ... he can't quite remember where the Art Supply store is. So he makes a quick dash to the CVS ... buys a Sharpie pack (on sale) with and assortment of red, blue and black. Too late he remembers the poster board. No matter ... he's got some 8.5x11 in the old Epson. That'll do. That'll do just swell. This type of dude is harder to pin down.

You don't talk to these types.

You just don't.

OK, here next we have an assortment of borderline anti-Semitic tripe that is just all too common in this environment.

This is a fairly typical selection.

You don't talk to these guys either.

I mean ... just look at that hat.

Now here's a group of folks you don't see when the MSM covers these kind of events. But that's why I'm here. They're everywhere. They probably comprise the largest force in these protests. You'd never know it, would you? You might guess it, true. But watching Katie on CBS you'd never actually know it. Would you? G-d I love my job. And then there's the inevitable "keffieh clutch". How progressive.

Here's some stuff I simply filed under "insanity". You be the judge.