'Protesters make waves at Bush coronation tea party'

[ailsagirl]

Stay strong, our day will come

By Jackson Thoreau

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- If you read most mainstream media accounts, you'd think there wasn't much of a protest during Bush's January 2005 coronation week.

You probably wouldn't read about the members of the national women's peace group Code Pink, who obtained tickets to the inauguration from their Congress reps and got up close to Bush on Thursday as he strained to recall some memorized lines. After Bush issued his standard propaganda about "spreading" freedom in faraway lands like it was chicken feed as he took away the same in his own country, Code Pinkers, including co-founders Medea Benjamin, 51, and Jodie Evans, 50, unrolled anti-war banners and shouted some better lines: "Champagne is flying while soldiers are dying."

Dittobushies began chanting themselves, causing Bush to appear shaken and stop his acting lines. Some of the overkill army of police dragged the women away and let most go, while holding Benjamin and Diane Wilson, 56, of Texas for at least another day.

Score one for Bush opponents.

=snip=

Moving from the charade to the parade, there seemed to be almost as many protesters along the route as fur-coated and cowboy hat-clad supporters. Many supporters showed they were as shallow as their candidate, as they just couldn't take the cold and having to submit to standing in line for a police check and took off early to a hotel party.

That left it to some protesters to stage a "die-in" with fake blood just outside the White House grounds, even staying in the street as police cars drove around them and a few dittobushies jeered at them. There were many signs on the route, including a direct one held by Meredith Lair, 32, who had just completed a doctorate in history at Pennsylvania State University. Her sign read, "Mr. Bush, under my mittens I'm giving you the finger."

A disturbance at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue involving some more aggressive protesters who threw snowballs, including one that struck Cheney's vehicle, and yelled "Fuck Bush" and police that included tear gas, pepper spray and beatings actually halted Bush's motorcade.

Score another for Bush opponents.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=19596&mode=nested&order=0

[Sugarbleus]

1. Dynamite article!!! Thanks for posting this...

I've saved it for future reference...Geez, I would have liked to being there.

Boy am I proud of the protestors and activists on this one. Well done.

I feel like "Steam" is starting to build up for action or change. Thank Goodness.. I'm ready.

TAKE AMERICA BACK!

[tsuki]

8. If you are any where near NO, LA, March 19th is the day for an

anti-war protest. 2nd anniversary of the war.

[Sugarbleus]

10. In N. Calif. here. I'm sure there will be events up this way in March..

Joined in last year right in my own town. San Francisco and surrounding will have something too.

I've been meaning to add a little something about these marches/rallies/protests: I want to see MORE of we more "Senior" types and mothers and disabled and working class type etc, to join in these events with unique signage too. COME ON PEEPS, you know who you are...let's go. We can't just sit back and let the college age citizens do all the work. Though I am awestruck to no end by their efforts ;)

Woohoo...... TAKE AMERICA BACK!

[tsuki]

12. At the Jazz Funeral, there was a large number of us "Senior" types.

We kept wandering around asking each other "Did you think we'd be doing the same thing 40 years later?" We had mothers and disabled, but the workers were working. They honked their horns and flashed the peace sign from buildings they were working on. It is difficult with a family to give up that one day of pay when you are living on the edge. So, it was great to see them hooting for us.

I am having trouble getting the young people out. After 25 years of teaching in the public system down here that "we are NOT a democracy, we are a REPRESENTATIVE democracy, and that elected official are not elected to do the will of the people, but rather, what is best for the people," there is an apathy among the younger...Why Bother?

If you teach in your school system that it doesn't matter, why bother with the lines and all.

BTW, the above was a theme of my son's American Democracy class. I was a "safe house" for my son and his friends. I tried to argue it, but they became apathetic toward voting.

Son has seen the light, and some of his friends, but a great many are of the belief, "it just doesn't matter, THEY don't listen anyway."

Grrrr.

[Sugarbleus]

13. GREAT to meet you!!

"After 40 years"<---how appropriate LOL I've said the same thing so many times myself.

I salute you for all the work you do with the youngin's..even though they do sometimes come along sloooooooooooowly. Kudos to your son for his Democracy classwork too.

Anyway, I'm spreading the word as best I can to encourage other's of our generation and those I've already mentioned to come on out when events are planned. Hopefully there will be events that can take place on days when people are not at work. I'm hopeful on that *fingers crossed* ;)

Watching events from home, one doesn't always get to see the entire cross section of participants at these rallies and protests. The events in NYC during the RNC convention had much better coverage. I did see people of all stripes out there and was MUCH encouraged.

Somehow, at least from my own perspective, I think it would be beneficial to have more troubling issues addressed at these events: The poor, homeless, disabled in wheelchairs (as I and hubby would be), the aging who are protesting the lousy Medicare fiasco and the medication/drug access problem, people clammoring about the overtime issue, schools closing, hospitals closing, libraries closing, women's issues, SICK people without healthcare access, CRITICALLY wounded/disfigured Iraq war veterans.......everything that is a problem in American society today. These images could make a profound impact if brought out into the light of day, IMO!

The problems within our society are being hidden from view. The only thing the cameras pick up are a few young, often times hippy-looking (former hippie here), kinda rag tag individuals and call them the disenchanted, pot smoking youth. That's just not the face of the entire problem and the public and the world needs to know that.

The youth have the energy, I praise them for their organizational abilities--we did it too when we were young. We just have to get the rest of the public out into the streets too. Heck, I'm prepared if asked to go to the senior centers and the guy at the DMV who loved my Bush is a fascist bumper sticker and ask them to come out with me. Let their voices be heard...show themselves.

To better times and more voices... :toast:

[tsuki]

14. Glad to meet you! You know, even though there were over 1500

protesters in NO, Faux News reported only 200 to 250 maximum that night. (Does Rupert Murdock require all his news staff flunk a lie detector before they are hired?)

Been thinking. You think Skinner would make a page for scheduled protests?

:yourock:

[Sugarbleus]

15. I'm not sure, but I thought there was a page someplace in here

for activism/events etc. Must go check. Good idea though.

C-span didn't do much better in their coverage either, though I do appreciate their efforts...it's better than zero.

Ha, C-span did capture a middle aged woman holding a sign AND hold a PRETZEL...LOL LOL Too cool.

TAKE BACK AMERICA!

[Pam-Moby]

2. I would of loved being a fly on the wall

when Code Pinkers shouted "Champagne is flying while soldiers are dying." I bet Bushie was fuming.

[tsuki]

9. Code Pink was also at the Jazz Funeral. They are a group to be

reckoned with.

[devilgrrl]

3. This is a great one...

passed it off to my list. :-)

[ailsagirl]

4. God, I just love each and every one of those people...

I have them taped on CSPAN-- I'm going to go watch them now.

WE ARE NOT A MINORITY!!! The MSM can trivialize us all they want but we're never going to stop our fight!!

:grouphug:

[burn the bush]

5. you'll be glad to know that we were able to tell there were massive pro

test on the mainstream tv. I'm sure that wasn't the plan but it was pretty funny. First they did interupt the speech. You could hear the commotion and for a brief few seconds, they actually showed the action.
Then during the drive, you could hear the protestors. First it started out ok and they were doing the turtle creep. Then the noise just grew as they came to "the protesters" The ss guys had to run as they sped up. It was too funny. Then they thought that would be it but it wasn't. The boos and commotion while less than at the main area continued almost throughout the drive. Down til the got to the "special seats" for the pugs. The ss guys had to run another time and you could tell they were kicking stuff out of the road and there was commotion going on. I think that was at the spraying site.
The news guys had no choice but to remark on it. While they refused to directly cover us, it sure didn't go off as planned.

Everybody that was there...YOU GUYS ROCK!! And I hope everyone is ok.

[ailsagirl]

6. I'm glad the commotion got into the ms coverage but...

what is "the spraying site?"

I like the sound of that!!

:)

[burn the bush]

7. where they tear gassed and pepper sprayed the protesters

[ailsagirl]

11. Oh-- I DON'T like the sound of that...

I had thought maybe the protestors sprayed Chimp's limo with somethng.
I should have known it was the protestors who were being sprayed by the pigs...