I love Rolling Thunder, the annual Memorial Day weekend gathering of veterans in Washington DC, most of whom arrive on motorcycles. I suppose it’s a little odd for a lesbian atheist liberal to like a gathering of gun-toting bike-riding right wingers, but I do.

It’s partly about the veterans. Most Rolling Thunder attendees are Vietnam vets or have family members who were in Vietnam. I’m a dove who supports our troops. Regardless of why they joined up, our government sent them into harm’s way, asking them to do a job I could never do. A lot of shit happens in a war situation and also after they come home, including violence against each other, civilians, etc. There are a lot of problems to be solved, no question. But generally, soldiers are doing a really dirty job and I respect them. This extends to the veterans. Every year, for Rolling Thunder, I want to wave and thank them for their service. I don’t think you have to be a hawk to do that.

I also like that so many are bikers. We don’t have too many Hell’s Angels types in DC! It’s fun to see a different demographic enjoying the city I call home. DC is every American’s city (they sure pay for a lot of it) and I like sharing it.

I like them because they’re different from me. Because this is America and it takes all kinds. The country has room for all of us. Sure, I roll my eyes at the annual JOIN THE NRA tent. But even though they would deny me rights (for being gay, mostly), I still respect diversity and that includes them.

Because I’m working downtown over Memorial Day weekend, I decided to do something to communicate with the Rolling Thunder crowd. I put signs up on the side and rear windows of my car: “ROLLING THUNDER Thank You For Your Service” and drove downtown. I was amazed when I crossed the Roosevelt Bridge and saw at least a thousand bikes – I wasn’t expecting so many! It was very crowded along the Vietnam Memorial part of Constitution Avenue, and I had to drive slowly. I assume people saw my signs. I know one guy did, because I was stopped at the red light for Henry Bacon Drive, and he walked right past me. As he got in front of my car, he turned around, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up. It made my day.