I had to work yesterday, so I couldn’t attend or observe the Leeches United rally in DC. Fortunately, plenty of others did, and there’s plenty of room for analysis of the whole thing. I might even take a stab at it later.
But for now, though, one aspect is compelling my attention.
Doug Ross has a remarkable collection of the rally and its aftermath up — and it’s that aftermath that caught my eye.
When OneNation left the Mall, the place — especially the World War II Memorial — were thoroughly trashed.
Contrast that with Glenn Beck’s recent rally on 8/28, and how they left the Mall.
To me, this reflects the differing attitudes the two factions have towards public property — and, by extension, public resources:
“This is our property. We own it, as citizens. We’re going to clean up after ourselves.”
“This is public property, not mine. Let someone else clean it up — and government workers need the work.”
There’s another element that may be at play here. One side would be ashamed at leaving a mess behind; the other takes pride in the proof of their presence and numbers.
And a third one comes to mind: the Tea Party and 8/28 gatherings mostly brought their own signage and whatnot; the One Nation folks were given their mass-produced signs and banners and fliers, so they weren’t personally invested in the material — and had no qualms of just dumping it on the ground when they were done.
So much for “give a hoot — don’t pollute” or “don’t be a litterbug.”
