My friend in the chickensuit and Fathead dick's visit to $500 plate lunch.

[lonestarnot]

Protest pics at [e-mail]

John Faherty
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 16, 2006 12:00 AM

It was certainly cooler inside the Arizona Biltmore Resort. The atmosphere was probably fancier. And if there was chicken at the luncheon honoring Vice President Dick Cheney, it was probably on a plate next to mashed potatoes and not walking around holding a sign.

But that does not mean things inside were any more interesting than they were outside at the intersection set up for protesters at 24th Street and Missouri Avenue Tuesday.

Approximately 150 people were there to protest the war in Iraq, tax breaks for the rich, and the rising cost of prescription drugs, among other things. advertisement



They carried signs, played bongos and chanted: "Support our troops . . . bring them home."

Quite a few of the protesters were elderly, there were a few young people, and many others were baby boomers.

It was clear this was not 1968 when President Johnson was frequently accosted by thousands of people chanting, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"

These times are not as politicized. This war does not seem to incite the same passion as the Vietnam War did, and the protesters are more managed than in previous decades.

Standing next to Officer Al Ramirez of the Phoenix Police was like standing next to a neighbor at a block party.

Ramirez works in the Community and Patrol Services section of the department, which means he has been at more rallies than he can probably remember.

Some of the men and women at the protest would slow down and say, "Hi, Al," as they passed the corner were he was keeping an eye on things.

He would say hello back and often knew their names as well.

"A lot of these folks we have seen before. We have developed a rapport with them. That helps a lot," Ramirez said. "We're here to make sure their rights are protected."

You can bet that somewhere a person who took a billy club to the head during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago is smiling.

Ramirez says he would never bring his own political beliefs to the job - nor would he share them with a reporter - but he stands firm in his belief "that everyone has the right to voice their opinion."

The officer said that over the years, protesters have periodically tried to trick him into holding a sign while they pretend to tie their shoe or make a phone call. He falls for nothing.

Among the people voicing their opinion, a few stood out. There were three young students from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale.

Brittne Lawson, Pamela Weir, and Anna He all wished there were more of their peers involved in politics and protest.

"I think young people think they can't make a difference," Lawson, 16, said.

"I think most teenagers are apathetic and ignorant," He, 16, agreed.

"Thirty years from now, when I look back, I'll be able to say I did what I could," Weir, 17, said.

The three of them can only hope to reach the level of commitment of the man who introduced himself as Mr. McChicken.

Mr. McChicken was actually Chris Fleischman, who was wearing a chicken suit on a pretty warm day, holding a sign referring to the lunch as a "Chickenhawk Convention."

"Yea, it's hot. And it's hard to see out of this thing while we cross the street," Fleischman said. "I am doing this because I think this occupation is really breaking international law."

And what about the oppression of chickens?

"Speaking as a vegetarian, I would support free-range chickens. But I can only do so much."

[lonestarnot]

1. kick

[Emit]

2. Can you check your link? Tx. n/t

[lonestarnot]

3. The link is one of those stupid yahoo registration required pinker

group sites. Sorry if it doesn't work. I will get the picture later and post it.