What the hell is wrong with these assholes? I mean, seriously.
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January 19th, 2004 at 8:37 pm
I think it has to do with their anger that no one is alowed to protest against Bush or his policies within 1/2 mile or often more. and reporters not being kept away from the protestors by the ss. where as pro bush people have no such restrictions.
January 20th, 2004 at 11:15 am
Yes, of course that sucks; setting up the “free speech zones” is one of the worst things this administration has done in terms of directly infringing on people’s first amendment rights. The Secret Service needs to let anti-Bush protesters protest closer to the president, and they need to put pro and anti Bush groups on the same footing. I don’t think they can let the two groups mingle though, because all it takes is a couple pro-Bush ex-Marines to get fed up with guys brandishing the Demon Donald Rumsfeld puppets to cause a fight of epic proportions. (And you could bet it would be spun as “Peaceful protesters battered by Bush Goons”, no matter who started it.)
But my point in linking that article is that the depth of the anti-Bush protesters frustration doesn’t automatically excuse everything they do. It would have been much more respectful (and powerful) if the protesters had boldly displayed their banners and signs but remained silent in honor of Dr. King. I guess subtlety is a lost art in politics these days.
As an aside, I think “traditional” protesting tactics are on the way out, at least in terms of influence and political relevance. I have far more respect for someone who can put together a decent argument for or against a given position than I do for someone who stands around in a crowd and yells “Bush lied, people died!” over and over again. Yes, dissent is the foundation of democracy, but dissent has to have substance to be effective, otherwise it’s just repetition. “Bush lied”… when? Give me dates with links to transcripts. “People died”… who? I know that I’m hardly a representative sample. But I don’t know any moderate voters who have changed their minds or were persuaded by U.S. protests in the past five years or so.
Don’t get me wrong, I think protests are great, and anyone who wants to take to the streets in support of their political or religious beliefs has an absolute right to do that, whether I agree with them or not. I just think there’s got to be a more effective, and less alienating way to get the message out.
January 20th, 2004 at 12:29 pm
I think the idea behind protest like this isnt to pursuade people, as you said it won’t. on the other hand it might make some people ask “what the hell are they blabbing about” and go find and read some of those arguments that are well written with facts and figures. If there were not people out protesting most people would assume everything must be fine and wonderful without bothering to look.
Oh, the hair is done now.