Not to sound paranoid, but why did the DC protests go so smoothly?

[Big Kahuna]

Why was there zero media coverage?

Why were the police so laid-back?

Why are there no smashed heads on the pavement?

Why were there no fenced-in "Free speech zones"?

Why is * in a NORAD bunker in Colorado?

By the prickling of my thumb, something wicked this way comes!

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Both CNN and MSNBC had links on their websites.

[Mr_Spock]

2. One way to deal with it I suppose

They ignored it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. It went smoothly because of the media blackout

------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace Rally SUPER THREAD:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4870788

Save this nation one town, county, and state at a time:
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/electionreform.htm

[Botany]

4. NBC news

30 seconds .....
they did say that their was a couple hundred freepers LOL

NBC = GE = Big bucks in the war biz.

[bonito]

5. It's because the wicked are afraid of the majority

and trying to slide by with the least amount of friction.

[FreedomAngel82]

10. Yes

And if there was violence it would have been reported on the news. They wanted to ignore it completley. So true.

[bonito]

15. A snake will slide right out of your hand

You can't catch it head on, you got to come up from behind and grab it right behind its head. I hope Fitzgerald knows this.

[WilliamPitt]

6. Smoothly?

It was the most disorganized major rally I've been to. It was great, it was huge, but it was far from smooth.

[IndyOp]

8. What do you think about the *wide* variety of topics

addressed by the speakers?

[WilliamPitt]

12. That's ANSWER

In order to get 300,000 people to come to a rally, they invite every group on the planet - from the Socialist Workers party to the Mumia people to the Leonard Peltier people to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Gerunds - and they give them all a speaking slot.

It gives, it takes.

[IndyOp]

14. I agree. It might've helped if they asked all speakers

to explicitly, frequently link their topics back to the issue of the occupation in Iraq. Some speakers did. If all speakers had more explicitly, frequently connected the dots it would have been even more 'educational' and would have kept the attention of people (even some DU'ers) who turned off the speeches when the topic strayed 'too far'.

Hey, given that I've not yet quit my job to organize protests full-time, I'm not going to throw stones. Just trying to think strategically - what will really move our causes forward?

:kick:

[qanda]

13. I agree with you Will

The amount of people there made it special. The spirit of the people there made it special. The unified voice against Bush made it special. But it was very disorganized. We didn't know where the march started or where it ended. I still had a wonderful feeling when it was all over, but I'm wondering if there were more people there than they were expecting and that's why there was such disorganization.

[Up2Late]

7. There was this! Good thing they caught this one.

:eyes: :sarcasm:

REUTERS/Stringer/usa
A metropolitan police officer arrests a protester during an anti-war protest in Washington September 24, 2005. More than 100,000 protesters flooded Washington on Saturday to stage dual demonstrations against the U.S.-led war in Iraq and economic globalization, before coming together to demand that U.S. President George W. Bush bring troops home.

<http://photos.reuters.com/Pictures/NewsGallery.aspx?type=News¤tPage=4>

[jayctravis]

9. Good god...what happened...it looks like they're

tumbling in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

[knowbody0]

11. just got back from seattle protest

only one arrest. a Palestinian boy named Trevor. Legal Observers were there watching the cops, all of whom were on bikes and wore shorts. very smooth in Seattle, i got 97 pics but could not count. the march was 8 blocks long. what an awesome day.

[SledDriver]

16. So if something goes off tomorrow in DC...

:nuke:
they can blame the protesters :tinfoilhat:

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. In what little coverage there was

I kept hearing conditional stuff like "The mostly peaceful protest" and "Little violence or arrests reported so far," and a lot about the police presence.

Yeah, because we all know them dirty commie hippies carry rocks and bottles and bags of shit to throw, and they all know how to make a Molotov cocktail. So just because there's been no violence yet doesn't mean they aren't plannin' some. Oh, and they don't take baths, either.

:eyes: