Sunday, August 29, 2004
For Your Own Good
Some mornings writing for this blog is like falling out of bed. Ladies and gentlemen, Garrison Keillor, from his new book, Homegrown Democrat: "Republicans: The No.1 reason the rest of the world thinks we’re deaf, dumb and dangerous." That's a quote worthy of replacing Hunter S. Thompson's words at the top of this blog, but a more pertinent one today is this: "Here in 2004, George W. Bush is running for reelection on a platform of tragedy--the single greatest failure of national defense in our history, the attacks of 9/11 in which 19 men with box cutters put this nation into a tailspin. . . ." As the Republicans convene their faux-diverse, faux-compassionate, smugly self-congratulatory orgy of ostentatious patriotism this week, remember that the event is being held in New York for one reason only--to permit the Republican Party to dance on the graves of the 9/11 victims. That's why they're there and that's what they're doing, and if there's a hell, that's where they belong.
Today belongs to the protesters. Do they represent a Constitutionally sanctioned expression by Americans acting in the finest historical traditions of dissent? Or are they a bunch of dangerous loonballs who hate America? The cable channels will tell us--but I think we already know what they'll say. You'll see a lot more pictures of body-pierced and tattooed goth-types than you will of the Quakers.
But you should know that the precautions taken against protesters at the convention and at other Bush campaign events are not being done to silence dissent. No, indeed. Christopher Brauchli of the Boulder Daily Camera wrote yesterday that the Secret Service has explained the real reason for the restrictions on protesters:
Some mornings writing for this blog is like falling out of bed. Ladies and gentlemen, Garrison Keillor, from his new book, Homegrown Democrat: "Republicans: The No.1 reason the rest of the world thinks we’re deaf, dumb and dangerous." That's a quote worthy of replacing Hunter S. Thompson's words at the top of this blog, but a more pertinent one today is this: "Here in 2004, George W. Bush is running for reelection on a platform of tragedy--the single greatest failure of national defense in our history, the attacks of 9/11 in which 19 men with box cutters put this nation into a tailspin. . . ." As the Republicans convene their faux-diverse, faux-compassionate, smugly self-congratulatory orgy of ostentatious patriotism this week, remember that the event is being held in New York for one reason only--to permit the Republican Party to dance on the graves of the 9/11 victims. That's why they're there and that's what they're doing, and if there's a hell, that's where they belong.
Today belongs to the protesters. Do they represent a Constitutionally sanctioned expression by Americans acting in the finest historical traditions of dissent? Or are they a bunch of dangerous loonballs who hate America? The cable channels will tell us--but I think we already know what they'll say. You'll see a lot more pictures of body-pierced and tattooed goth-types than you will of the Quakers.
But you should know that the precautions taken against protesters at the convention and at other Bush campaign events are not being done to silence dissent. No, indeed. Christopher Brauchli of the Boulder Daily Camera wrote yesterday that the Secret Service has explained the real reason for the restrictions on protesters:
These individuals may be so involved with trying to shout their support or non-support that inadvertently they may walk out into the motorcade route and be injured. And that is really the reason why we set these places up, so we can make sure that they have the right of free speech, but, two, we want to be sure that they are able to go home at the end of the evening and not be injured in any way.So it's for your own good, really. Although as Brauchli notes, sending the FBI to visit activists at home, thus discouraging them from even showing up, is an even more effective way of protecting the protesters' health and safety.
