Posted on Sep 13, 2013

When it was announced that organizers were planning a rally of Muslims, gathering in Washington, D.C. on September 1, 2013, there was an outcry against it.  Noting that everyone has a right to assemble, it was the date they chose that upset many people in this country. Billed as a peaceful gathering to address issues dealing with hate or distrust aimed at Muslims, organizers were hoping for 1 million Muslims to attend.

As average Americans voiced opposition to the plan, a faction of society chose to do something about it to make known its displeasure; enter the American riders.  A movement quickly grew to mobilize 2 million riders to protest the fact that Muslim leaders chose September 1 to hold their rally.  Although the rider rally fell short of the 2 million mark, we may never know just how many riders actually did show up. That's in part because the media chose to all but ignore this magnanimous gesture of so many Americans, willing to give up several days or more of work to ride to the Potomac in what is now called in some circles, a barometric reading of the mood of America. Read here what the Washington Times has to say about this rally and plans for 2014.

Some early reports indicated that the line of riders leaving the staging area at a Harley-Davidson dealership was 3 miles long, indicating a nice turnout for a parade, but hardly the statement organizers were hoping for. But can we trust the media to be accurate, especially since most agencies ignored the story all together? The Washington, D.C. Police are notorious for under estimating crowd sizes of conservative gatherings, yet they admitted that 1.2 million riders were in D.C. that day. Is that even accurate?  There were reports from California that a group of riders leaving Los Angeles was 55 miles long and 4 lanes wide.

Many of the riders were veterans who said they rode to protect American's freedom in the midst of tumultuous times. Despite the over or under estimation of the number of riders, it's very clear they outnumberd the several dozen people who actually showed up for the Muslim rally. If any statement can be gleaned from any of this, outside of the rhetoric of political agenda and accusation, it is that riders are truly one of the last remnants of the American freedom fighter.