What are they protesting?

The government trying to take over. Obama wanting to take away their guns. Freedom!

Almond plans to have his pistol loaded and openly carried, his rifle unloaded and slung to the rear, a bandoleer of magazines containing ammunition draped over his polo-shirted shoulder. The Atlanta area real estate agent organized the rally because he is upset about health-care reform, climate control, bank bailouts, drug laws and what he sees as President Obama's insistence on and the Democratic Congress's capitulation to a "totalitarian socialism" that tramples individual rights.

A member of several heretofore little-known groups, including Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership and Oath Keepers -- former and active military and law enforcement officials who have vowed to resist laws they deem unconstitutional -- Almond, 31, considers packing heat on the doorstep of the federal government within the mainstream of political speech.

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Obama wanting to take away their guns.

Huh. Gun control doesn't even appear to be on the Obama administration's radar. I guess it's a hypothetical protest.

Not on the PUBLIC radar, maybe! You know how secret Muslims want to take away American guns!! It's only a matter of time!

Oy. This is why the rest of the country should have the day off, too -- Patriots Day is a happy holiday! For sleeping and/or running a marathon!

I just met my replacement over the phone. He seems to know what he's doing, so that's good.

You know how secret Muslims want to take away American guns!! It's only a matter of time!

My crazy aunt wrote me around 1998 or 1999 and told me that in the year 2000, Bill Clinton was going to take away all our guns, so I should quick buy a gun and hide it.

She got this info from some right-wing Christian group.

What really concerns me about today's rally is that the Oath Keepers, the group of military and law-enforcement people who vow to resist any law they consider unconstitutional, were originally supposed to be sponsors of the armed rally today, but they pulled out last week when they decided that the rhetoric online was getting too violent and they didn't want to be associated with it anymore. There's also a non-armed second amendment rally at the Washington Monument today, and the organizers of that one are also making it clear that they are totally separate from the armed one in Virginia.

My officemate is out with a sore throat.

It's been two weeks since I got sick. This is not my fault, right? I was way past being contagious.

with everyone bringing their guns to show that they have guns

I own guns, but this seems like such a bad idea. To me, the only thing that makes guns safe to be around is trust in the people who are carrying them. Which I can't imagine having in this sort of situation.

Oh, a lot of the "Obama's gonna take our guns" rumors were started by gun and ammunition companies. Their sales are now through the roof....

Anatomy Of A Tribble

It looks to be about 60% uterus.