What Austin's Doing in Response to The Response [Politics]

To pray, party, or rally? That is the question.

Bukowsky18/flickr

Having swatted away lawsuits, mocking from the librul media, and hand-wringing from political insiders like so many pesky, mustachioed plumbers, Rick Perry's "Prayerpalooza" (AKA "Day of Prayer and Fasting") is on like Donkey Kong. Which makes tomorrow a very big day for Perry-watchers and prayer warriors alike. The hardcore are making the pilgrimage to Reliant Stadium. But what are the not-so-hardcore—or those who simply can't afford the $70 bucks in gas money—to do on this day of days?

Fear not, beloveds. We at Austinist.com have compiled a brief list of activities and suggestions for you.

For those who wish to pray, Above Grounds, a local group dedicated to connecting Christians in the Austin area, tells us that many area churches are sending buses to Houston for the rally. If you're stuck in Austin, however, you can watch a portion of The Response via live web streaming from 2 to 5 pm at Rally Call. Fasting is optional.

Austinites who wish to pray/meditate, but who find themselves on the opposite site of the ideological fence, may wish to ponder Rev. Jim Rigby's “Five Scriptures You Won’t Hear at Rick Perry’s Prayer Event." If you're not the praying type at all, Matt Dillahunty of the Atheist Community of Austin tells us that while there are no Austin events planned, some members are heading down to Houston to protest. Non-believers without gas money can re-read Darwin's Origin of Species while engaging in the First Amendment asana, we suppose.

Meanwhile, the more politically-minded can join the Travis County Democrats for their “Rick Perry: Bad For Texas, Worse For Our Nation” rally on the South Steps of the Capitol (if you're playing for the other team, however, you're on your own—the Travis County Republican Party did not return phone calls or emails by the time of this post).

And finally, you partiers. Sorry, but you're somewhat out of luck, too. Attempts to contact the folks behind The Day of Debauchery and Gluttony proved fruitless, as did a lonely post on the new DDG Forum. Possibly this is because they decided to get an early start on all the debauchin' and gluttin'.  DDG does encourage making up your own godless party plans—perhaps an End Times theme? Or the Seven Deadly Sins, as suggested by the DDG folks (make that six—they recommend leaving out Wrath, "as there's plenty of that already."  Also, it's a real buzzkill).

Regardless, whether you decide to recognize Saturday as a day of solemnity or a day of wretched excess, you have our support -- if for no other reason that that we're hoping that the debauchers will send us an invite to the debauchery, or at least photos after the fact.  But you're all welcome to send Austinist your writeups, photos, and stories of how you spent tomorrow.  We can't guarantee that we'll run them (this is a family publication, after all), but we'd like to know just how Austin prays, parties and rallies.  

Gentlemen, ladies, children of all ages -- start your engines.