Religious Liberty Rally Draws a Thousand and Change in Chicago Today

The Yellow and Black Balloons are part of a Rosary chain built by the students from St. Cantius Catholic Church for the Religious Liberty Rally in Federal Plaza today.

With a complete media blackout and absolutely zero pre-event announcement whatsoever, more than a thousand citizens (I estimated the crowd in Federal Plaza at between one thousand and twelve hundred)stood in the rain to stand up against the HHS Obama Mandate.

Speakers included United States Congressmen Democrat Dan Lipinski (3rd) and Republican Joe Walsh (8th)as well as the head of B'nai 'Brith Chicago Joe Morris -President and General Counsel of The Lincoln Legal Foundation.

This was a respectful and polite throng of very angry people. The anger is palpable, because the respect is purely one-sided. President Obama has made it clearly evident that his will be done and religious people can keep their mouths closed, much as he and his script writers told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Here are some photos of this afternoon's rally, which had its power shut off by the Federal Building, only to have power restored by the US Post Office, in Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams from Noon - 1 PM today.