4:00pm - Hear a rumor that McCain is coming to Springfield on Wednesday. Make a mental note that it sounds worthy of attention. Promptly toss it on the backburner, and focus on more interesting things... like shiny objects.
[Tuesday Evening]
7:00 pm - Realize that "Wednesday" is in 12 hours. Begin calling everyone in your phone, using phrases like "We are all getting together...", even if "we" means... the three of us. Sound confident. Send out a couple of Facebook messages to relevant groups.
8:30 pm - Go to Walmart, buy posterboard, markers, and Diet Coke.
10:30 pm - Begin making signs. Use an old sheet to make the banner. Toss around a lot of really crude tactless ideas, and then use only the press-friendly slogans.
12:30 pm - Pass out.
[Wednesday Morning]
9:30 am - Get a call from a friend saying that the crowds are arriving. Throw the signs in the car, grab sunscreen and a few bandannas, and roll out.
10:00 am - Arrive at the campus. Meet up with friends, and discuss the best strategy to increase visibility. Discuss where our protest can be, without violating Missouri State policy.
10:15 am - Set up signs. Watch the Secret Service watching us.
12:00 pm - As the reinforcements begin rolling in, smile big at all the McCaininites wandering mindlessly into the building. While they will occasionally shake their head, they never really want to discuss or debate their beliefs.
Our fears that the signs will not be used diminish. Soon a second run for poster board is required. More signs are made, and I begin seeing my signs in the hands of random smiling faces. Success!!
Until 4:00 we just chill, holding our signs and swatting down the AWFUL attempts at logical debate we have tossed our direction.
4:00 pm - Go home. Sit down. Eat. Sleep.Overall, I think the event was a success. The protesters, our group and a group that spoke out inside the Plaster Student Union, were covered on the news and in the Springfield News-Leader. Not bad, considering that it was tossed together in one evening, between a game of Scrabble and walking the dog.
