Pix from Faneuil Hall today

[Sydnie]

Not very good - appears the camera was on the wrong setting and the Zoom feature kept them too small because of it ... but here there are, just the same. Wish they were better ...

Reverend Doctor John M. Borders began the program --



John prayed.



Then Captain Jonathan Powers spoke --




Then Judith Droz Keyes spoke --



John listens.



Then the main man took the stage!









Many standing ovations later ...

Kerry leaves but is mobbed in the aisle (my daughter was among them, I admit)



Then he ducks out of the hall.



This is a DO NOT MISS speech.

At first, when Powers was speaking, the room was still and quiet. Then he said something (I think it was the question of "how do you ask a man to be the last to die for a mistake", and I couldn't contain myself ... I began to clap. Before I knew it, the room had joined with me and then exploded. There was no longer quiet in the hall as the speeches all brought applause in waves through the hall. I found that I could not stay in my seat and actually was the first to stand in several standing ovations (at least no one in front of me was standing when I stood ... don't think anyone was standing behind me, but they might have been ;) ) and even stood sometimes almost alone because the speech spoke to me so deeply.

My daughter was with me and at the end of the speech, she scurried down the aisle to meet Kerry as he was leaving. She was determined to meet him this time. She touched his arm and thanked him for his words and his time. She made this Mom very proud (and she's only 13!) with her tenacity and her spirit. We nearly got trampled by the camera men that were walking backward down the aisle as Kerry exited though. It felt like a rock concert when the crowd rushes the stage.

After the hall emptied, we went in the the marketplace to grab something to eat. As we strolled through the crowds, I couldn't help but think that most of these people missed out on the most exciting event of the day. Even though they were in close proximity to the hall, did they know that we had just reaffirmed our pledge to take back our country on a quiet Saturday morning in Boston?

As we headed over to the parking garage and paid the equivalent of a tank of gas to retrieve the car, we encountered like minded people that had attended the speech ... and we all had the same glow, the same edge, and the same conviction. One woman turned to me and said "What an experience ... what a speech ... what an inspiration he is." I agreed and called for more of it too. We smiled and parted ways, both knowing that even though we were among the "choir" we had learned to sing a new tune today, loudly and proudly, and we will be better people for the humming of it from here forth.

Just a glimpse of what it was like ... don't miss the speech when it plays tomorrow ... you will be humming afterwords too.

:hi:

[ProSense]

1. Thanks for this wonderful recap and the photos.

Sounds like it was one of Kerry's most dynamic speeches. I don't understand why this wasn't broadcast live, but I'm happy it will be shown tomorrow.

[babylonsister]

2. Thank you, Sydnie. Very inspirational to this Kerry lover!

:hug: :hi: I can't wait to see this tomorrow!

[sandnsea]

3. Thank you Sydnie

That is music to my ears, gets me in the mood for tomorrow! I just can't wait!!!

[globalvillage]

4. Thanks, Sydnie

I've been dying for pics

[JI7]

5. that's great, i hope we see you and your daughter tomorrow also

i like it when cspan covers not just the speech, q&a, etc. but the parts before and after.

[rox63]

6. Thanks for your pics and commentary

I'm working on uploading my pics to the web. I was also there, and I found the speech, moving and inspiring. :patriot:

[Island Blue]

7. Thanks for sharing your story Sydnie!

You described the scene so well I could almost feel the electricity in the air. What a special moment for you and your daughter to share forever. :)

[Sydnie]

8. My daughter LOVES John Kerry.

When I got the email invitation, I asked her if she wanted to attend. She said "Why of course, you know I LOVE john Kerry". She went with me last year to NH to campaign and to attend rallys and fell in love!

I remember my first national campaign - for McGovern in 72. You never forget your first, do you? I am glad to have shared this with her too. :hug:

[rox63]

9. Some of my pix from Faneuil Hall

These are all from before the guests of honor took the stage. Several Kerry family member sightings. Did anyone who was there see Teresa? I didn't spot her, but it doesn't mean she wasn't there. I'll post some more later, but I have to go out shortly, and probably won't be back until tonight. I figured these might be some images that others might not have caught, and which wouldn't appear on news coverage of the event.

A couple pix of the halll itself, and the crowd gathering before the start of the event:






Siblings Cam and Diana (she's behind Cam, with the gray hair), before the start of event:




Vanessa meeting up with Kerry's aide, Roger. Diana is a couple of people back from Vanessa,




Another pic of Vanessa, talking to someone:




Alexandra talking to Diana and some unknown man:

[ray of light]

11. thanks for the post and rox thanks for your pictures too.

Those Kerry kids are so much classier than the Bush twins. And look into their faces. They understand compassion and love. The faces of the Bush twins are just showing their own ego and self-centeredness.

[rox63]

10. More pics, this time of the guests of honor

The event opened with a prayer by the Rev. Dr. John M. Borders III, pastor of the Morning Star Baptist Church, in the Mattapan section of Boston:



Everyone bowed their heads in silence during the prayer:



The young Iraq war vet who spoke next was Captain Jonathan Powers, who now manages a charity called 'War Kids Relief':


The next speaker was Judith Droz Keyes, the widow of one of Kerry's friends from the Navy (a fellow swift-boat captain), and the president of the Patriot Project:



Then came our real president, John Kerry. :patriot:






And the audience goes wild:



Swamped by the media and supporters as he leaves the hall: