I didn't get any photos but ELPC posted some on flickr.
Some Illinois Farm Bureau members came from the Farm Progress show happening in Decatur this week.
Buses from around the state lined up to take people home.
At least they got a free lunch.
Doug wrote two posts with pictures of the rally which he thought was surreal and just plain sad.
Wes shot some video from inside.
The line you hear before the pledge is: "This is a wonderful opportunity for all us to realize what a great country we live in that we can have a rally like this and there is nobody outside getting ready to shoot your ass."
Unless you're rallying for health care or hearing Obama speak, in which case you'll have conservatives with guns waiting outside. I saw a few cars with NRA stickers in the parking lot but they must have been inside for this one. I guess being on the same side as the crazies has a few advantages.
A couple of people were walking around with signs which read, "Say no to socialism!" I was worried they might get into fights with the rural electric co-op members since conservatives called those a socialist scheme when they were created.
The big irony of the pep rally being in Springfield, Illinois is that we're proving them wrong. Our city is using nearly 20% wind power, we shut down an old coal plant, we're making major new investments in energy efficiency, creating green jobs, and we still have lower electricity rates than nearby Ameren customers.
Jack Darin points out that Springfield shows how realistic the goals of the federal energy bill are. "Springfield knows these were good choices, and we are already seeing the results. Maybe big oil and dirty coal can take some of those lessons back to Washington."