Images of early American flags were projected on the south wall of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History building in Washington, D.C., Friday November 21, 2008 during “NightGallery DC: Illuminating American History,” part of the grand reopening of the museum. Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

View the gallery!

Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, Saturday, July 19, 2008, in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Visit the Anonymous Protest at the Lincoln Memorial Gallery to see more and order prints. Or view all Anonymous images in a slideshow!

Larry Brennan, an ex-Scientologist who held several leadership positions within the Church of Scientology, offers words of encouragement to “Anonymous” protesters in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008.

This is from a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March on Washington Photo Journal. Video soon. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when photos are added.

A demonstrator who asked to be identified as “Marc Abian” speaks to two passers-by during the “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008. Protesters masked their identity mostly with Guy Fawkes masks, a.k.a. “V” from “V for Vendetta,” as seen in the photo.

The identity “Marc Abian” is derived from “Marcabian.” The term was embraced by Anonymous protesters after a post on alt.religion.scientology alleged Church of Scientology leaders said Anonymous members were an interstellar invasion force from a federation of planets known as “Marcab.”

This is from a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come. Video soon. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when more are added.

A rowdy crowd of anonymi surround two folding tables, cheering nine of their members on to cake carnage. Cake flies - in your face, in your hair, in your clothes, not to mention your camera bag. “Puke! Puke! Puke!” shout some. Certainly it looks like someone will.

Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, and to eat delicious cake on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008.

While entertaining themselves with the activities, the internet-spawned horde gathered for a larger mission of, according to their website, “(bringing) into the public eye… hundreds of illegal actions, fraudulent activities, and human rights violations perpetrated by the Church of Scientology.”

These are from a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come. Video soon. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when more are added.

Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, Saturday, July 19, 2008, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Two protesters in the photo above are dressed completely in green fabric. Some protesters went to great lengths to cover their identity in fear of retribution by the Church of Scientology.

This photo is from a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come. Video soon. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when more are added.

Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, Saturday, July 19, 2008.

This photo is from a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come later today. Video soon.

An anonymous “V” with a Guy Fawkes mask and red hair protests between the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008, at the “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) against the Church of Scientology.

This is from a continuing series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come.

Members of “Anonymous” display signs protesting the Church of Scientology to visitors walking past the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008. The group held an international “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to highlight alleged abuses by the faith, developed by author L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s.

This is from a continuing series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. More to come.

Members of an amorphous group called “Anonymous” held an “>9000 Anon March” (over nine-thousand, anonymous march) to protest the Church of Scientology, and to eat delicious cake on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, July 19, 2008. The name of the protest comes more from an Internet meme than the number of people at the march. Masked protesters spent much of the afternoon bringing memes to life, including a contest to be the first to devour a complete loaf of “delicious cake” (a meme derived from a mind puzzle) without using his or her hands, and Longcat (from a photo of a long Japanese cat). Masked identities included mostly Guy Fawkes masks , a.k.a. “V” from “V for Vendetta,” while others included “Pedobear,” pirates from Operation: Sea Arrrgh, and the headless figure from the “Anonymous” insignia, represented by green fabric-covered faces and suits.

While entertaining themsleves with the activities, the internet-spawned horde gathered for a larger mission of, according to their website, “(bringing) into the public eye… hundreds of illegal actions, fraudulent activities, and human rights violations perpetrated by the Church of Scientology.”

This is the first of a series of photos from the >9000 Anon March that will be published on Washington Photo Journal. Be sure to add WaPhoJo to your RSS reader to know when more are added!

The 4th of July fireworks finale in Washington, DC, as seen from the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Francis Scott Key authored the 1814 poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which was later sung to the tune of an old drinking song and became “The Star-Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem. Photo by Sanjay Suchak for the Washington Photo Journal.

The Declaration of Independence, pictured here, in encased in a secure display case at the National Archives. WaPhoJo wishes everyone a happy Independence Day.

Pictured above is the American flag that was draped over the side of the Pentagon in the days after the September 11 attacks, as it was seen hanging in the Smithsonian American History Museum in 2006. The flag was permanently retired in a ceremony September 7, 2006.