The gambling mantra, "Go big or go home," has some application in the world of activism.

In a town where protests happen daily, advocacy groups know they have to make a big splash to get noticed.

For Get Equal , a group that is working to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, that meant marching into the Capitol Rotunda and disrupting tours for hundreds of visitors.

"Speaker Pelosi," they shouted in unison, "I am somebody and I deserve jobs protections right here, right now."

Police eventually evacuated the area as the eight activists slapped the floor, filling the Capitol hallways with noise. The officers turned away visitors who tried to peer into the Rotunda to see why they weren't getting access to a key part of their tour.

The 20-minute action got the attention of several Pelosi staffers who were headed out to lunch. Word that the Rotunda had shut down brought more reporters to the scene, too.

The Speaker's office issued a statement in response acknowledging the liberal activists but adding that the California Democrat wasn't budging from her position that the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal should come before the jobs bill that makes it illegal to fire workers based on their sexual orientation.

Still, the activists congratulated each other on what they believed was a successful action. They managed to disturb the Capitol Hill routine and get a key lawmaker to react to their demands.

Dramatic protests can backfire

Just as in gambling, there's a risk with going big.

Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry disgusted some people by hanging an effigy of a lawmaker on the Hill Thursday.

"You've got to be a little crazy," he said in defense of his actions as several parents rushed their children by the display. "This is not radical. This is America."

Terry and his supporters devised the protest to draw attention to Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) support of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, whom they believe supports abortions.

Political effigies have been a part of protests for centuries, but burning and hanging them can evoke a sense of violence that turns off many voters.

Judges have ruled that demonstrators can face criminal charges for such actions if they pose a fire hazard or threaten the lawmakers.

Terry carefully stated that it was Graham's political career, not the man himself, that the activists had hung.

Also this week

* Another Get Equal activist made headlines this week by handing his West Point ring over to Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Dan Choi , who was recently discharged from the military under Don't Ask Don't Tell, meant to offer it as a form of protest, but it took Reid a minute to realize the ring was not a gift . The lawmaker said he would return it once the law was repealed.

* Immigration activists held protests in Arizona and Washington, D.C., as parts of the state's new immigration law went into effect Thursday.

Dozens of people were arrested at the rallies, but they lost some steam when a judge issued a last-minute injunction halting some key parts of the law. That action riled up conservative activists , who also protested this week.

Ambreen Ali writes for Congress.org.

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