I agree with Mark H. on all points. Yes, it’s hard to tell how many people showed up at the march. However, one thing is sure: The crowd was large, very large. Much larger than anyone expected, I am sure. And it was peaceful, packed with middle-aged Americans.

More importantly, the difficulty to come up with an attendance number is a product of one of the most remarkable aspects of this protest. It was decentralized. Random people, who like me had never participated in a protest or a march, showed up at the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue around 10 a.m. Saturday. They came from all over the country to protest against big government.

In fact, my favorite sign at the 912 protest on Saturday in Washington D.C. was one that said, “We are John Galt.”

This reference to Ayn Rand’s character John Galt in the 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged seems to represent best the spirit of this weekend protest. In the book, leading innovators and productive members of society go on strike, led my the mysterious John Galt (a guy who gives speeches that are way too long), as the government increasingly asserts control over all industries and everyone’s life.

We are not striking yet, but how far are we really from that breaking point? This march was sending a true message to Congress and the administration. I hope that lawmakers all over the country, Republicans and Democrats alike, were listening.