Stage Set for Huge Anti-Bush March in New York (Reuters)

[Nambe]

NEW YORK (Reuters)

They have protested naked, used pedal power, marched and rung bells in the days leading up to the Republican convention, but on Sunday political activists were expected to turn out in the hundreds of thousands to rally against President Bush's policies.

Tensions are high between activists and police, who have negotiated for months over Sunday's planned march past the Madison Square Garden convention site by up to 250,000 people under the banner, "The World Says No To The Bush Agenda." ..

"We're looking forward to a very large crowd to raise our voices," said Bill Dobbs, spokesman for the United for Peace and Justice anti-war coalition, which organized the march. "People are streaming into New York for this protest despite efforts to scuttle it." ..

Political activists who oppose Bush's economic, environmental and legal policies have vowed to make themselves heard by Republicans at the convention, being held under the tightest security in the history of U.S. political gatherings.

[TaleWgnDg]

1. yessssssssssss . . .

:bounce:

[LauraK]

3. The Fabulous Four from our office are there now.

Do Oregon proud my friends. I love all of you.

[TaleWgnDg]

9. oh, sheesh . . .

. . . some folks have all the fun!

====================================
"We know who the chicken hawks are. They talk
tough on national defense and military issues and
cast aspersions on others," U.S. Senator Frank
Lautenberg (Dem., NJ) said. "When it was their
turn to serve where were they? AWOL, that's where
they were." -- U.S. Senate floor, April 23, 2004.
http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/press/2003/01/2004224A36.html
====================================

[alarcojon]

2. Bring 'em on!

[DaveSZ]

4. I wish I could be there with them

It may be one of the last marches if you get my drift.

I only hope they are peaceful and nobody goes nuts.

[swag]

5. Good coverage of today's Pro-choice march and also the Ground

Zero bell-ringers on local news. Then back to the puff pieces on the Oregon delegates who are just as smashingly turned out as always.

[alittlelark]

6. I plan to be glued to Pacifica

for the next week.
"May you live in interesting times" (ancient Chinese curse).

[Carla in Ca]

7. Protests

Well, after the negative press the last few weeks, I'm finally getting the feeling we are back on track. Kerry's rally today drew as large a crowd as ever and the RNC has got to be feeling bad about choosing NYC....God, I wish I could be there!!!!

[DaveSZ]

8. It depends

If the protests are violent, then Karl rove will be happy to have picked NY.

I don't understand how anyone protesting for peace could justify violence in the first place.

[AndyTiedye]

10. That's What Provocateurs Are For

Real peace activists tend to be peaceful, which must be frustrating
for the regime, who is looking for a pretext to paint us all as "terrorists".

They will, no doubt, be sending in some provocatuers to stir up trouble.
They will pop up right in front of the TV cameras to do something bad,
and fade away before the cops get there.

[Mike Niendorff]

17. re: "... and fade away before the cops get there."

I guess that's up to the legit demonstrators to decide. I hope to god someone with a clue on this has made plans for making "citizens' arrests" of these people, even if that means gang-tackling and holding them for the police themselves (not to mention pulling off their masks and photographing their faces, for identification purposes). If the NYC cops are anything like the ones in Seattle during the 1999 WTO demonstrations, provocateurs have little or nothing to fear from them -- they won't be pursued, won't be caught, and won't be charged. If we progressives want that to change, it's up to us to force the issue.

</.02>


MDN

[Nambe]

12. Anarchists and alcohol, there will be violence.

I will be a small minority but the media will get their opera.

[ArnoldLayne]

34. We don't need violence!!

That is what they want and could backfire on us just keep it cool and yell all you want.:dem:

[RhodaGrits]

13. Even my brother, a conservative NJ cop said..

Whatever possessed the Republicans to choose NYC? Haven't those poor people had enough already??? He was very critical of them.

I'll be there today. Lil Bro counseled me to be careful and asked why I was purposefully putting myself at risk (for terrorism and violence). I asked him why he is the point man on his SWAT team - because we do what feel we have to do for what is right. (I sure hope I'm not as at risk as he is though!)

He said that yesterday before I read about cuban_liberal's nephew... when I read about that young man dying - I added another sign: SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - BRING THEM HOME! and was more determined than ever to assemble and protest.

Peace Be With Us All.

[Bo]

11. Go Go Go Go Go Go

I wish I could be there. Not like a little idiot wishing

[0007]

14. I'll be there in spirit.

I hope Tom DeLay and his thugs are spoted and taken out like the cock-a-roches they are. Never forgot 2000 in Florida.

[radfringe]

15. stage set for bush* and cheney to model new fall fashions

if 'toon didn't show up go here --> http://radicalfringe.freeservers.com /

more 'toons --> http://radicalfringe.freeservers.com/photo.html

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

16. How do you wake up to that headline and NOT have a great day?

"Stage Set for Huge Anti-Bush March in New York"

"activists were expected to turn out in the hundreds of thousands to rally against President Bush's policies"

"up to 250,000 people under the banner, "The World Says No To The Bush Agenda"

"2,000 people circled the site of the World Trade Center destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and solemnly rang bells to protest the Bush administration's military and diplomatic responses to the attacks on America by Islamic militants."



"Rachel Hoeffel rings a pair of bells Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004 at the Ground Zero site of the World Trade Center in New York during the 'Ringout' observance, where hundreds of people circled the site and rang bells for over an hour in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as well as all other victims of violence. Some bell-ringers said they were also ringing in protest of the Bush administration, as the Republican National Convention begins on Monday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)"

MEANWHILE...THIS crowd turned out to hear what President Kerry had to say.

[liberalcanuck]

18. Wow. That's an amazing sight. It's really encouraging for us Democrats

in areas like conservative (puke!) Georgia to see the size of these rallies.

On another note: I hope the demonstrations are peaceful but if they aren't, I wouldn't immediately discredit the protest. People, myself included, are really pissed at an administration that keeps trying to ram a twisted agenda down our throats - one would think this assclown was selected with a mandate or something. I'm really not in the mood for singing Kumbaya.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

19. It's what is generally referred to as "a powder keg."

You're right. I am assuming that there will be extremely peaceful, mature, focused people who will show up. Once they're surrounded by all of the emotion (as well as the push-back from the GOP) it's hard to predict their behavior. I hope people can keep their cool but we have not seen anything like the Bush administration in out lifetime. Let's hope we never see it again.

:toast:

[gulliver]

20. Rove tickled pink.

Protests are obsolete. They range from useless to counter-productive as far as I can tell. We have the Internet for research and communication. We can talk directly to the media via e-mail and telephone. We can talk to our friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and family. That's how the message actually gets out.

Political rallies are still great. Seeing the sizes of the crowds Kerry is drawing has a big positive impact. But a protest will have no impact at all or the impact will be negative. People don't trust what they read in the papers. They aren't going to trust someone carrying a sign.

I wish these people would just go home. They should send their travel money to the DNC, and if they plan on walking around, they sould canvass. Otherwise, it's just a "cool party" with only downside potential for the race.

[Seabiscuit]

22. Protests are not obsolete.

In fact, you're going to see more and more of them before the election. Most Americans do not follow the news on the internet as DU'ers so. They get their news from TV and radio. Or newspapers and magazines. Unfortunately, only C-SPAN is covering the protests in NYC today live. No other channel is covering it - not CBS, not NBC, not ABC, not CNN, not FOX, not CNBC, not MSNBC. Fortunately, many newspapers such as the NY Times DO cover it, and do so on their front page. And numerous magazines will be showing pictures of protests on their covers from now until the election.

The people walking the streets of New York City today are ALSO sending their money to the DNC and the Kerry/Edwards campaign. It's not an either/or situation.

Do you remember the Iran Hostage Crisis? If it weren't for the American media covering all the Iranian protesters surrounding the U.S. Embassy there, the anti-American protests there would have died an early death and the hostages probably would have been released during Carter's administration. Protests count, especially when they get media coverage.

And even negative media coverage is good - let the right-wing talk show hosts like Limbaugh smear them all they want - they're still giving the protesters coverage, and the word and the message is getting out.

I am old enough to have been active in the anti-war protests during the Vietnam war. There was a lot of media coverage back then, both positive and negative, and it helped turn the tide of public opinion against that war.

[barb162]

24. your last paragraph

me too. This reminds me of those protests, seeing the anti-war signs.... An aside though: One difference is that so many of the marchers are talking in their cell phones.

[Seabiscuit]

26. True enough...

We were/are comrades in arms.

As for the cell-phones, people in NYC now are obviously having fun talking to family/friends relaying the news - I saw one guy with a cell phone dancing around in front of C-SPAN's camera as if to say "here I am" to whoever he was talking to on his cell-phone.

Another great shot: two gay guys got in front of the camera and french-kissed, then held up a flower and waved at the camera. Just to stick it to the fundies. Great photo-op!

We also didn't have the internet back in the Vietnam days, so even though we probably didn't meet then, we can meet now on DU!

Peace, bro!

[gulliver]

33. You know, seeing the coffins... I could be wrong.

This organized display of coffings thing is a heck of an attention grabber. That's not what I was expecting.

That's not obsolete. It's pretty powerful stuff.

Maybe it will get through.

[Seabiscuit]

36. Great to hear

you're keeping your mind open - yes, the coffin display was great street theater, and should have an impact on anyone seeing it.

[Seabiscuit]

21. C-SPAN is offering good coverage right now

n/t

[Honor Where Are You]

23. No one else is!!!

[Seabiscuit]

27. True

And FOX sure won't, because everytime anyone in the crowd gets near a FOX cameraman, the whole crowd starts chanting "FOX NEWS SUCKS" and "FOX NEWS LIES".

[AndyTiedye]

31. That's What They Are Doing Now

"FOX NEWS SUCKS!"

[Art_from_Ark]

35. One of life's magic moments

Wish I could be there :hi:

[Seabiscuit]

28. C-SPAN announced onscreen

that protesters on 7th Ave. have been walking past Madison Square Garden since noon ET. That's almost three hours already - and looking down 7th Ave. to the south, there are still more coming as far as the eye can see.

[Francine Frensky]

25. And Fox will find the freakiest protestors to put on tv

I'm watching this on C-Span and it is pretty much average americans out there, mostly white crowd, mostly straight looking, maybe a few more beards than the usual NY look, but I KNOW the spin will be these are all freaks and drop outs of society.

And you won't see any overhead shots that would indicate how HUUUGE the crowd is.

Thank goodness for C-Span.

[Honor Where Are You]

29. Still no major news channels covering. N/T

[Seabiscuit]

30. Some freeper set fire

to the green dragon on 7th Avenue near the cameras, and disrupted the protest march for about 20 minutes while the police and firemen cleaned up the mess. Finally, 7th Avenue is flowing again with thousands upon thousands upon thousands of protesters. After watching for over 3 hours, I get the impression there must be about a million people on the street protesting.

All MSNBC has said about it so far is "three people were arrested". Hell, it was probably three freepers who disrupted everything when they set the fire mentioned above. Will MSNBC tell you that? I don't think so, Tim.

[pfitz59]

32. 3 people out of a million protestors...

Sez good about both protestors and police. Cool..