July 4th Rally Update by Rally organizer Caroline Kenner

We need a good-sized crowd of people at the rally in order to support our contention that this is an important issue to our community. If the media come and there is only a small turn-out from the community, they will judge us accordingly. So please join us at the first Pagan rally ever organized to get national media attention on one of our issues. Help us make history, and add your part to the many hands working to get the VA to accept the pentacle on veterans' memorials.

This is an issue of respect for me personally. I take the First Amendment literally. I feel that my religion is being disrespected by the VA. The thing that irks me the most is that other religions' symbols were approved while we were still waiting. Please join us on the 4th of July so we can send a message to the VA, and the world, about what the First Amendment really means. No one is going to do this for us, we need to do it ourselves. Please join us!

If you are coming, please take Metro. Farragut Square Park is on three Metro lines, the red, the orange and the blue lines. There is almost no place to park without paying a fortune around Farragut Square.

Here are some things you can do to help with the rally, if you are so moved:

• Come at 11am and help set up the event.
• Bring a cooler filled with waters to give away to overheated persons.
• Stay during the drumming circle and help us take down the event.
• Make a home made sign for yourself to carry during the rally, with a positive message.
• Adopt someone from out of town who is coming to the rally, and let them sleep at your place.
• Offer to drive a Pagan leader to or from the airport.
• Donate a few dollars to defray the costs of the rally, which are well over $2,000 at this point.

Nine blessings from Caroline Kenner
cell: 301-412-1760

After the rally is over:

There will be a gathering after the rally at Mandalay Restaurant and Cafe, 930 Bonifant Street, Silver Spring. Mandalay is an inexpensive restaurant with a new bar that has just opened. It has wonderful Burmese food. There are many vege options, and it is my favorite place to bring vegans. Their website is www.mandalayrestaurantcafe.com.

Here are walking directions from the Silver Spring Metro station:

Via the Metro – Take the Red line to Silver Spring. Exit towards the bus stop area. Walk up the steps towards the taxi stand, MARC train station, Ride-On buses, and parking garage. Walk down Bonifant Street or Wayne Avenue. Be careful when crossing Georgia Avenue. Continue on Bonifant Street (or walk one block to the right) until you come to the restaurant. It’s three blocks walking from the Metro station.
For anyone driving, Mandalay is half a block off Georgia Avenue to the East, and two blocks South of the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue. There is a large parking garage on Wayne Avenue, between Georgia Ave and Fenton Street, one block from the restaurant, and a small lot next to the restaurant as well as street parking.

You might want to park your car in the Fenton Street garage, or in the commuter garage between Bonifant St and Wayne Ave on the other side of Georgia (which should be free on the 4th of July) and take Metro from Silver Spring down to the rally, if you want to join us at Mandalay afterwards.

The gathering at Mandalay will be at 5pm, when they open for dinner. We expect it to end early enough to get people home before the giant influx of people from the Fireworks makes it impossible to use Metro easily.

Please distribute this message widely to all your usual Pagan and non-Pagan lists. Thank you!

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