I prefer a weekday in early to mid-May, but I’ll participate whenever it’s held.
I don’t care when, just need to know how much money I’ll be needing, and whether any dopers are offering board, or whether any want to share the cost of a room, etc.
I choose either April after Cherry Blossom tourons or May before it is supposed to be hot. Though keep in mind that the weather on the appointed day may not keep averages in mind. Weekend, weekday, I don’t care. I’m not demonstrating for anything substantive anyway. Prolly.
Oh, wow, I get to plan a route for dopers? And me such a novice at Dopedom, too!
It’s definitely more than a mile if we want to go past the White House (which the Powers That Be might not let us do anyway – I know the March for Life doesn’t go past it) to the Supreme Court. So I guess we want to figure out exactly how long we want to march.
It’s half a mile from the Washington Monument to the White House.
It’s 1.8 miles from the White House to the Supreme Court.
It’s 1.6 miles from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court.
I vote to skip the White House and just go straight from the Big Pencil to the Supremes. If that plan suits most dopers here, then I can see about finding a suitable sitting-down place for Tris and others who want to sit and perhaps wet their whistles. (Though you can sit in the park opposite the Supremes, IIRC. I figure you meant sitting with potables and poting said potables. Possibly.)
What you are describing are democratic movements that, due to the apparent lack of actual democracy in the political system of America and to only slightly lesser degree Australia, find expression through activism. If we lived in a genuine democracy, in other words a participatory democracy, one in which ignoring the interests of the working majority would be rendered impossible, street demonstration would not be so vitally necessary on an issue to issue basis.
Unfortunately many miss-educated and indoctrinated tools out there will have you believe that street demonstrations represent noisy minorities, the truth is that under capitalism, a anti-democratic economic system that ensures limited negative liberty in exchange for gross class divide, war and the perpetuation of poverty, many of these demonstrators represent thousands, if not tens of thousands of people in the broader community. Even the activist Gun-Nut, a sad reflection of American society, represents views held by non-activists.
If only armchair know-it-all’s with world views determined by a combination of US government propaganda, private, massively right-wing news sources and conversions of reassurance amongst political ignoramus would forget their conditioned sentiments and learn to identify the reality of capitalist democracy and realise that liberty’s good name is, or was, due to the general impression that libertarianism was born of the Left, the honest and principled end of politics. As for permits, screw that, you have an inalienable right to gather in the streets for the purposes of political expression, this right is always protected, free of cost, IF you live in a democracy.
Halo13
Kewl!
So, does this mean you are comming?
Tris
Phamtomdiver.
Well, for purely artistic reasons, I really want to walk away from the Capitol. I really don’t care where we walk too, except as noted the presence of chairs if it’s further than a mile.
Several others seem interested in assurances of proximity to beer at the terminus, as well.
Tris.
I’d just like to point out for the benefit of those who haven’t been following the Chidope planning that that particular event is scheduled for the second or third weekend in May, IIRC. As such, my preferred time, though that might only mean I’m there purely in spirit (pure spirit … ha), is between the approximate date that Hell Takes Over DC (i.e. temps in the 100s) and the cherry blossoms. I have seen Tourists Take Over DC (When Tourists Meet Hell … wasn’t that a Fox Special?) and it is not pretty.
And, as I think it might possible one day go without saying, if I am there, the odds that fizzy is there approach … er, whatever number means she’ll be there;)
Noting the Chidope schedule, I suppose my vote for the Triskamassacree would be late April, on a weekday.
Also, I’m a “definitely willing but not sure if he can get the time off and won’t be until end of March” instead of an “interested”. (Mrs. xeno is an “uncommitted, doesn’t know any of these freaky message board folks”.)
If you do this in April, on a weekday, I will make every effort to attend and call on my elected representatives. I have a lot to talk to them about. Ever since Wellstone died, I can’t seem to find someone on my side in any of the big issues. They need to do some explaining.
Punkyova, you might want to check out Congressman Bernie Sanders. 
[hijack] Punk - My condolences on the loss of Paul Wellstone. He was a wonderful man.
Wellstone lived in the DC area long before he was elected. My husband likes to talk about when he used to drive my husband’s youth softball team to games. Wellstone would try to give a ride to as many kids as possible, and since my husband was the smallest guy, he would ride in the trunk. Of course, this was before cars had seatbelts, so the trunk wasn’t as crazy as it sounds now. [/hijack]
I vote for before summer, and not the same time as Cherry Blossom. Let’s avoid the heat and the crowds as much as possible.
Tris, a route which starts with the Supremes and goes toward the Nation’s Phallic Symbol would naturally lead us to walk around the Capitol building and then away from it as you wish.
Weekday in May sounds best, but I’m in regardless.
Woo Hoo!
Woohoo indeed! It’ll be great to see you again, Anita!