The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It’s probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally “a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots”, and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received many nasty, harassing, and threatening messages.

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Basically, in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it’s a success.

...

When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state.

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The Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage!

This is heartening......

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/a...-rally-is-huge/


Check out the pictures of some of the signs at the rally. Hi-LAR-ious!

Pleas Merge with Mine...Thanks

Anti-Palin rally organizers receive threats
4: 04 by Lori Tipton
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Opponents of Gov. Sarah Palin's policies are being threatened.

Alaska Women Reject Palin, a local group that opposes the Republican vice presidential candidate, on Wednesday announced plans to host an anti-Palin rally this weekend.

Since that announcement organizers say they've received intimidating messages.

A press release for the Reject Palin rally went out to practically every media outlet in town Wednesday. And one talk radio host decided to share the names and phones numbers of the two contacts on-air.

That decision has left organizers feeling somewhat fearful of practicing their First Amendment rights.

KBYR talk radio host Eddie Burke admits he is a conservative and a "Palinista."

But on Wednesday Burke resorted to name calling when he found out Alaska Women Reject Palin planned to host a Saturday rally.

"They're a bunch of socialist maggots, that's what I'm going to call them -- socialist maggots, that's what they are, a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots," said Burke.

On Thursday Burke pulled back, a little.

"Yesterday, I was probably a little over the top," he said.

The talk show host encouraged listeners to call the two women listed on the press release, which he calls a public document.

Burke says he released the information across the airwaves because organizers had included their contact numbers in the press release.

But some listeners ended up making abusive threats toward the two rally organizers.

One message said, in part, "You liberals need to get a life. What is wrong with you? You think you speak for everybody? You don't speak for nobody but your individual, stupid selves."

An organizer of the rally said the message "shocked" her. Channel 2 News is not publishing or broadcasting the name of this organizer.

"I was honestly shocked because I couldn't believe that a member of the media would take information that I think is pretty standard in a press release and use it for what seems like pretty unethical purposes, for one thing," the organizer said.

This organizer and another woman have voicemail boxes "full of messages," they say, thanks to Burke.

The messages range from people objecting the rally to personal threats.

"To really abusive, hostile, you know, swearing, personal attacks, name calling," they said.

Burke says he never told his listeners to threaten the women. He is backed up by his boss, Justin McDonald.

"I don't think Eddie told anybody to harass anybody; he just said, 'Hey, call and give your opinion,'" said McDonald.

On Thursday Burke returned to the airwaves and asked listeners not to threaten anyone.

"Today I'm going to go on the air and talk to listeners and say, 'Listen, you can express your point of view, but don't threaten people, OK?' Because that, I don't think is good for the public discourse. It doesn't help anything," said Burke.

Burke also announced Wednesday he is sponsoring a counter-rally for the same time and same place as the Reject Palin rally Saturday.

The anti-Palin group says everyone is welcome.

"Our group is committed to staying above the fray, taking the high road. We don't intend to engage in any verbal altercations or anything like that, we just want to speak our mind and go home," said an organizer.

It looks like Alaskans from all sides of the political realm are making plans to gather at Loussac Library this weekend.

The two rally organizers who received threatening phone messages did call the police.

They were told they could file a report alleging harassment against those who left messages.

And even though Eddie Burke did not tell his listeners to make threatening calls, according to Anchorage Police Department Lt. Paul Honeman, Burke did instigate the harassment.

Burke is not facing any type of punishment at this point.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8996315

This is heartening......

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/a...-rally-is-huge/


Check out the pictures of some of the signs at the rally. Hi-LAR-ious!