CROWDS: And abortion numbers

In 1960, a University of California at Berkeley journalism professor named Herbert Jacobs used regular grid lines on campus, which allowed Jacobs to see how many grid squares were filled with students and how many students on average packed into each grid during demonstrations.

After gathering data on numerous demonstrations, Jacobs came up with some rules of thumb that still are used today by those serious about crowd estimation. According to Jacobs, a loose crowd, one where each person is an arm’s length from the body of his or her nearest neighbors, needs 10 square feet per person. A more tightly packed crowd needs 4.5 square feet per person. A mosh-pit density would need 2.5 square feet per person.

If people jammed into the 81 acres of the National Mall between 1st and 14th streets Northwest at a tight 5 square feet per person, about 700,000 could squeeze in.

Imagine an aerial shot of The District of Columbia — which is 61.4 square miles. Now imagine within this aerial a section of this area, which includes the D.C. Mall of 12.5 square miles. Can you see it? Now imagine this: Put all of the children who have been killed by abortion (59,000,000) giving each a 5-square-foot per person grid — it would take the 12.5 square miles of our inner section to hold them all. And this means they are standing on the buildings and in the streets.

The oldest of these would be 44 years old today. How would they have voted? The silent vote is deafening.

ROBERT HOLLIDAY

Blanchard