Thousands heed rally call

WASHINGTON – From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck told the tens of thousands of activists he drew from around the nation yesterday that the United States has too long “wandered in darkness”. At an event billed as nonpolitical but reflecting the mood of a sizeable number in the country, the rally’s marquee speaker, Sarah Palin, praised “patriots” in the audience for “knowing never to retreat”. The two champions of the tea party movement spoke from the very spot where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his I Have A Dream speech 47 years ago. Some civil rights leaders who have denounced Beck’s choice of a venue staged a rival rally to honour King. Palin, the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee who may make a White House run in 2012, said activists must honour King’s legacy by paying tribute to the men and women in uniform who protect the United States. Beck said he was humbled by the size of the crowd, which stretched along the Washington Mall’s reflecting pool nearly all the way to the Washington Monument.“Something beyond imagination is happening,” he said. “America today begins to turn back to God.” (AP)