American Peoples Convoy Protest

[Azastan]

Convoy is likely taking Thur off because of rain.

This Oregonian isn't impressed. Do these snowflakes think they'll melt in the rain?

All it takes to defeat the convoy... water.

Perhaps also running out of money to purchase fuel for their fruitless endeavors? Or packing up to move closer to a place where people will make them feel like heroes instead of petulant children?

[Slim Cognito]

What next, half Nazi/half Old Glory?

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

I'm looking at the Capital Beltway and it's moving along quite well for a weekday afternoon. There was some congestion freedom on the other side of the freeway as we drove here, but nothing to slow me down. More later ...

Tell Papa Bryan "Happy Birthday!"

[raison de arizona]

#convoywatch Reports of convoy participants already in DC this morning ahead of the main drive, scattered driving around the National Mall.

Details from a streamer with the convoy: One guy with a horse trailer (MT plates) painted red white and blue is posted up by the National Mall, claims to be attempting to arrange a meeting with a senator from Montana, arrived a few days ago.

[Foggy]

Okay, so they have quit on blocking the Beltway.

Probably because they were terrified of annoying ol' Wifehorn, you know how she gets.

It's afternoon, and traffic has been streaming along all day out there. I was a little surprised, there wasn't much of a rush hour. Way more traffic on the 95, the main corridor of the East Coast. We came up the 95 yesterday and it was bad in Fredericksburg, but not anywhere else.

Maybe the pandemic had a permanent effect on traffic, or maybe it's the price of gas. Haven't checked the local market, we fill up in Virginia and don't pay the premium for suburban Maryland gas. Yesterday I paid $4.19/gallon. But it will be over $5 in this burg.

[raison de arizona]

They can't find anywhere to park - all four of them!

I'm out in Washington, D.C. where The People’s Convoy has descended on the city in small groups. Saw one slow group with four cars, flags. With no cohesive plan, they’re mostly driving in circles around downtown amid rain -- while expressing frustration over the lack of parking.

[FiveAcres]

In 1990, partner and I left the Washington DC suburbs and moved west. Hell, we can remember when the Metro system was new! Downtown parking was horrendous then, and I can't believe it's improved over the years.

In December 2021, we attended a science fiction convention near downtown DC. Because we remember DC traffic and parking hell, we did not get a rental car, flew into National airport, took the subway to our hotel, and walked or used public transportation while at the con.

Do these assholes have a clue about what it is like to drive in a major urban area? (I swear, when people complain about Denver traffic, I just roll my eyes and move on. They have no idea what it is like to commute along the Capitol Beltway twice a day. My partner had to cross one of the Potomac bridges. He worked late every night because he couldn't face the return trip home.)

[Slim Cognito]

In 1990, partner and I left the Washington DC suburbs and moved west. Hell, we can remember when the Metro system was new! Downtown parking was horrendous then, and I can't believe it's improved over the years.

In December 2021, we attended a science fiction convention near downtown DC. Because we remember DC traffic and parking hell, we did not get a rental car, flew into National airport, took the subway to our hotel, and walked or used public transportation while at the con.

Do these assholes have a clue about what it is like to drive in a major urban area? (I swear, when people complain about Denver traffic, I just roll my eyes and move on. They have no idea what it is like to commute along the Capitol Beltway twice a day. My partner had to cross one of the Potomac bridges. He worked late every night because he couldn't face the return trip home.)

Never lived there but even I know not to depend on public parking in a major city and the biggest metro area I commuted thru was cowtown KC (which is very nice BTW and pretty well designed).

Luckily, on our trips to DC, I either had a local guide me thru the subway system or a very helpful metro employee who explained it (In DC, at least the last time I was there) you had to pick your exit, unlike, say, Chi-town or NYC where you got off when you damn well felt like it.

[raison de arizona]

Do these assholes have a clue about what it is like to drive in a major urban area? (I swear, when people complain about Denver traffic, I just roll my eyes and move on. They have no idea what it is like to commute along the Capitol Beltway twice a day. My partner had to cross one of the Potomac bridges. He worked late every night because he couldn't face the return trip home.)

I'm convinced that they don't, it seems like the majority of their problems stem from a basic lack of understanding of... traffic.

Also, antifa apparently paid them a visit (and redistributed their supplies):

[dan1100]

Is it customary to give insane people truck driving licences, or do they get that way after driving many long distance trips on their own listening to Fox?

It's a job you can learn to do in 12 weeks and not get fired for being an *sshole because most of the time you are all by yourself in the truck.

[raison de arizona]

A convoy streamer is in DC. He films the Capitol building, saying "so much evil goes down in there, guys." He refers to police blockades as "political theater" from the "DC police and the Democrat party...these are tyrants in there right now...it's a battle of good vs. evil." >>

They're outside the Washington Monument. Someone on the CB radio chatter thinks it's the Lincoln Memorial. The streamer corrects him. I can't tell what they're doing exactly but it seems like a combo of sightseeing and trying to find the convoy. They are irritated at the rain. >>

[Ben-Prime]

In 1990, partner and I left the Washington DC suburbs and moved west. Hell, we can remember when the Metro system was new! Downtown parking was horrendous then, and I can't believe it's improved over the years.

In December 2021, we attended a science fiction convention near downtown DC. Because we remember DC traffic and parking hell, we did not get a rental car, flew into National airport, took the subway to our hotel, and walked or used public transportation while at the con.

Do these assholes have a clue about what it is like to drive in a major urban area? (I swear, when people complain about Denver traffic, I just roll my eyes and move on. They have no idea what it is like to commute along the Capitol Beltway twice a day. My partner had to cross one of the Potomac bridges. He worked late every night because he couldn't face the return trip home.)

Must concur. I'm used to SOUTH FLORIDA driving, and for the 6 months I lived in Arlington to attend training before starting my overseas deployments with the Foreign Service, I pretty much used my car for emergencies, big cargo runs, or heading way the hell out into the 'burbs to visit family and friends in the area. D.C. traffic is so crazy that I couldn't deal with it. The Metro system worked just fine -- I lived literally around the corner from the Ballston stop and used it or the bus for everything except the aforementioned car exceptions. The bus took me to and from FSI's main campus, the Metro itself took me to social outings or into the city for administrative foo at State Department HQ. It was lovely.

But I couldn't drive 3 goddamned blocks without feeling like I was taking my life into my own hands, and nevermind the time I had to drive all the way from Arlington to the far Maryland side of D.C. to pick up a friend whose own car had broken down.

[LM K]

[bob]

The Canadian "convoy" was "more" (read: temporarily) effective because they stopped. And occupied. The Canadian "convoy" didn't do endless loops.

And the Canadians brought a hot tub.

Dilettantes.

[LM K]

The article is interesting. When I scrolled up to find quotes to post here, I go the "wanna read cheapskate ... sign up" block.

Basically, a Jan 6 traitor had a "no social media" bail condition. The genius then filmed the convoy on March 8, narrated the video, and ... you guessed it ... posted it on social media.

The gov said the traitor has a distinctive voice, and they're that the traitor violated a bail condition.

Gov is asking a judge to revoke traitor's bail.

[raison de arizona]

What a maroon. Not surprising though, neither that an insurrectionist is involved in the convoy, nor that they are violating the conditions of their release.

[Foggy]

Went for a walk, over a bridge.

.

bridge_.jpg

[Gregg]

Ok. Whew. I feel better now, Gregg. NOTHING gets by them schnozzes!

Thanks!

[LM K]

The convoy claims they're meeting with a Congressional Dem today. They won't say who.

Most convoy members inside the city today are sight seeing. To me, this indicates that some in the convoy are leaving for home by Mon morning.

Approx 3/4 of the convoy left last weekend.

The main organizer, Brian, is going to visit his family this weekend but says he will return. I think he will return.

The speedway is kicking the convoy out on March 23 or 24. Leaders have no new camp spot at this time. Leaders said they were hoping to move the convoy closer to DC by tomorrow, but definitely by March 23/24.


Members of the convoy now have three excuses for leaving sometime by Mon morning:

1) We made it into DC. Organizers have no shared plan. Why stay? (Besides, Bill's horn stopped working yesterday afternoon.)

2) If the lead organizer is taking a break, and he's given no plan, I guess we've done what we came to do.

3) The speedway is kicking the convoy out on March 23 or 24. Leaders have no new camp spots at this time. Leaders said they were hoping to move the convoy closer to DC by tomorrow*, but definitely by March 23/24.

Why should anyone stay past Mon morning (March 22) if they have to clear out by Tues/Wed and there's no announced place to go?

*Brian hoped to have the entire national mall by now. That didn't work out.


Does anyone know of a large space for the convoy that is closer to DC? Perhaps in a 30 mile radius of the city?

[Frater I*I]

What next, half Nazi/half Old Glory?

Nahhh...half Nazi/half Confederate....if ya gonna go, go all out....

[Phoenix520]

Send them to Mannassas. There’s a huge battlefield park there. I’m sure the NPS won’t mind.

Or the racetrack in Charlestown WV. In fact, if it’s Manchin they’re meeting he’ll probably offer it.

[Phoenix520]

Off Topic

Gregg: Boop

[Frater I*I]

Does anyone know of a large space for the convoy that is closer to DC? Perhaps in a 30 mile radius of the city?

The local landfill maybe....

[pipistrelle]

Went for a walk, over a bridge.

.

bridge_.jpg

Dang. A working trucker.

[LM K]

Bold= interviewer's questions.

I cut quite a bit from this.

When Will the Trucker Convoy Leave DC Alone? Who the Heck Knows

Washingtonian:What do we need to know about the evolution in the convoy’s tactics?

Sara Aniano: Gosh, to even call it tactics is giving it too much credit. I really think that they have been hoping for the best this whole time. That’s their tactic. The People’s Convoy left on February 23 from Adelanto, California, and on February 24 Russia invaded Ukraine. So there was obviously like a big timing issue that they were displeased with. They were very upset that the actual legitimate war occurring abroad was diverting attention away from what they consider to be this big patriotic revolution movement.


There does seem to be an overwhelming sense that their country is being taken away from them.

Yeah, some people have compared it to the situation in Ukraine. There is a concern that we are losing our freedoms the same way that the Ukrainians are, which, of course, is ridiculous, because we are not actually being invaded by anybody. But this sentiment about tyranny is a really powerful tool that they use when talking about And it’s weird, because some of them don’t even believe that what’s happening overseas is even real. Some of them think it’s false flags.


Let’s chat about that. Does the language you’ve heard from these folks dovetail with other extremist movements, such as QAnon, or the pre-January 6 talk on the far right? I covered some of the latter, and the trucker convoy chatter reminded me of it as well.

There’s pretty direct QAnon references. “Where we go one, we go all” is one trope that you hear. That is directly from QAnon. Things like the “great awakening,” “hold the line,” those are kind of adjacent to QAnon. There was a woman who was in the Dallas, JFK Jr.’s coming back group who spoke to the convoy a few days ago. I would not say that they all subscribe to that. But they’re all kind of cut from the same cloth. As far as J6, I’ve always said that this feels like the culmination of all the tensions that have built since J6. I do think that some people really did think that Trump was going to come back, I do think that people thought that Covid was just going to be over by now, and that they wouldn’t impose vaccines on anybody. And neither of those things are the case. And they are very, very upset about that.


I’m not clear on how they hope to achieve those aims by annoying DC-area drivers. Ottawa was obviously very different—the protesters came downtown. Why are they so skittish about coming into DC itself?

The answer, according to them, is because they believe that if they go to DC it’s going to be a trap. They believe that Antifa is trying to incite violence with this group to make them look bad. The paranoia comes primarily from from post-J6. Now, to me, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because there was an anti-mandate protest at the end of January in DC, and it was ridiculous and ludicrous, in my opinion, but, you know, it was technically feasible. It doesn’t make any sense to me why they won’t just apply for a permit like regular people would and demonstrate—unless that’s not what they want. I just cannot figure out for the life of me what the actual endgame is, and we’ve all been trying to figure that out for a month.


What are they saying about Washingtonians? Why are those of us who actually live and work here the ones they’re inconveniencing? It’s not the deep state whose windows they’re punching on I-395, it’s people on their way to work and to, like, doctor’s appointments.

It’s a casualty of war. Remember that in their mind this is a battle. And if some people have to be inconvenienced for their greater good, honestly, they just don’t really care that much. They have way bigger fish to fry than upsetting a commuter on the Beltway. They see DC as a swamp and have compared it to the walls of Jericho. And if people have to miss their appointments or their jobs or whatever along the way, well, that’s what we get for living in a tyrannical America. Because nobody, in their mind, has been more inconvenienced than them.

Great, great. Do you have any idea when they might leave?

All I can say it’s from just like anecdotal, kind of whispering here and there from people that I know are following the convoy. It’s possible they might move locations. I don’t see that going all that well. I have heard that Saturday is the last day they’re supposed to have full access to the speedway. [The Hagerstown Speedway’s phone number is out of service, but its website indicates an event is planned for Friday.]

For people who claim to be representing working Americans, they seem to have a lot of time off of work.

That’s a big question I’ve gotten. Some of them do; some have had to go home. But a lot of people there will say that they have been, and I’m quoting, “mandated” out of their jobs. There was some kind of vaccine measure they had to take, and they didn’t do it. There’s definitely a lot of feeling like their private affairs are being used for political gain. And they would rather lose their jobs and their livelihoods because of their freedom, or whatever.