RNC 2004 Protests
Special thanks to www.seedsofdoubt.com
So, as promised I am writing to give you the on the ground report of the RNC 2004 Anti-Bush Protest activities as lived by me and my assorted posse...
Friday - My wife, sister and I spent several days pulling together info, and materials for the big weekend. My sister had printed large color posters of some of the graphics from The Distressed American Archives at www.seedsofdoubt.com/distressedamerican/main.htm. Friday night we sat up and assembled all manner of devices for carrying and displaying the 10 signs that she had made. We assembled 2 back rack display devices that allowed hands free display of two posters at a time (one to the front a second facing the back). In addition several others were mounted to sticks for marching purposes. We were ready to hit the streets and tell that retarded monkey and his regime exactly how we feel about there cynical attempt to claim New York as the backdrop for his little pep rally!
Saturday - We met up with two good friends who live in Manhattan and run a Moroccan restaurant. The restaurant they run has repeatedly been raided by fully armed draconian Ashcroft folks while full of customers since 9-11. Great for business. The folks with the guns have never found a suspicious thing. It’s great to see these stand up and not cower in the face of the hysteria.
Once we met up, we headed to a lower Manhattan protest sponsored by a group called Ringout.org (http://www.ringout.org/observance.htm). The point of the rally was to form a ring around the World Trade Center site and ring bells in honor of the victims of violence worldwide. I was very impressed with this rally despite the fact that it was completely overlooked by the mass media outlets. In the past three years thousands have died worldwide on all sides of the war on terror. Those include uncounted numbers of total innocents. The rally was particularly powerful looking over the deep hole that remains at the site. How the rally wasn’t crawling with media I can’t say. Screw the big outlets!
Following the rally we hit the subway where we put the word out to anyone caught on the same platform and/or car as us. People had time to read the signs up close and we had some great conversations with a ton of folks. It may be that more good would be done by taking over the subways than taking over the streets of midtown Manhattan. Imagine it, 250,000 protesters with signs, drums, and bullhorns filling the subway system of New York! Just let CNN try to ignore that event! Sorry just fantasizing. I guess there would be that dreaded third rail problem with a crowd that large. I’ll file that away with releasing chimps onto the floor of the convention during the Bush’s acceptance speech.
Anyway, we wanted to check out Central Park to see if we could find some folks telling Bloomberg to shove it and setting up tents in the park (as it turns out we didn’t). First, we needed food. Got a fine corner table at a Malaysian restaurant near central park and enjoyed a mix of reactions from the passersby to our signs, which we had placed strategically in the windows surrounding our table. Everywhere we went in the city from the moment we pulled the signs out of the car people loved the messages. It was pretty sweet to see Republicans in firm enemy territory. New Yorkers on the whole hate this power crazed freak show they call an administration.
This is only more proof to me that Bush it once again capitalizing on the lives lost on 9-11. He can’t wait to stand on the bodies of the 3,000 people who died because his administration ignored intelligence warnings and did nothing for 7 months as the storm gathered. I have never contended that Bush’s national security team could have prevented the attacks as they unfolded that day. All I say is that there is ample evidence from the 9-11 commission hearings that the Bush regime received non-stop threat reporting from intelligence services suggesting that a large attack was in the works and that it likely involved the hijacking of airliners. Yet, they did not hold a single high level meeting on terrorism. Not a single memo was issued to the airlines suggesting a heightened threat situation. They did nothing. Despite all this, he will be painted all week as a hero for his pitiful response to the situation. That’s just one of hundreds of reasons why the streets filled with hundreds of thousands on Sunday!
Sunday – Got up and ready earlier that most wanted for the big United for Peace and Justice March (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/ ). We blended into the enormous crowd. I have never seen more people in one place in my life. I don’t know if it is possible to estimate the size of a crowd like that or not. Certainly from my vantage point (which shifted as we walked, stopped and talked to folks, bought more water, etc.), I could never hope to guess but, I would certainly believe numbers like 400,000 people. It was pretty amazing. The mix of people was amazing. I met folks from the world over. Europeans seemed especially inclined to talk to you and cheer you on (one group of french speakers in the subway literally broke out into applause as we got off). I saw two guys sitting on top of a bus stop along 7th Ave with a large banner that said “We’re British and we think Bush sucks too!” Hope they take home the message that millions of us think that guy sucks as bad as they do. Given that there are so many things to criticize this regime for, it is impossible to convey the sheer diversity of groups and messages coming together in New York to remind America that we want him out of New York and out of the Oval Office.
The route ran down 7th Ave. past Madison “Republican” Garden. (Food for thought: Madison's party affiliation was Democratic-Republican. Citing attacks on our shipping, Madison declared war on England to begin the war of 1812. They invaded and burned the White House. As the story goes Dolly had to flee with important documents stuffed in her dainties like Fawn Hall did years later for Fox correspondent and criminal Oliver North. It’s hard to guess Madison’s feelings about Bush’s folly in Iraq. Somehow, I think he would have been for it.) By the time we passed the Garden, it was good and hot carrying all that signage in the packed crowd but, everyone was too psyched yelling at the convention hotels, the center and the HUGE Fox News screens at the corner where the march turned and returned to its start point. I had a few choice words and gestures at the altar of right wing propaganda myself. After this point, the streets became wider, better shaded and allowed a great deal of freedom of movement. People were having a great time walking and talking shit about Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, Rummy, even saw an effigy of American puppet Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.
Following the march, people filled the subway and headed to Central Park. A large group got together for music, speechifying, sign reading, dancing and who knows what manner of summer fun. It again was good natured. Folks were chillin’ and laughin’.
Everyone always wants the violence and counter protest report. Here are the shocking things I saw…
Cops standing along the entire route, helicopters and blimps hovering overhead recording my cell phone calls or whatever, a large array of stuff installed on a roof along the route that looked like it could sniff out Small Pox or provide better cell phone recording. Who the hell knows. Everything changed after September 11th you know. The only counter protesters I saw were a small group no larger than 30 or 40 at one intersection and a group of Jesus freaks whose sons I informed them I would marry some day. The news outlets were conspicuously absent from my vantage point. Probably up front with Jesse, or worse yet absent all together. No arrests, no tear gas, no dogs, no running or screaming. I didn't see a single jeep with barbed wire on the front. We did see three topless hippie chicks dancing in the park. Take that George!
Personal Message to George Freaking Bush: New York is a blue state and New York City even more so. Those of us who live here don't like NeoCons stinking up the place. Don't Mess With New York!. Stick to the hix in the stix you Wannabe Cowboy Jackass!
