Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

There is nothing on TV except the damned  inaugeration today. You know, at least 49% of us didn't vote for him. We should get a choice whether we want to watch King George or regular daytime TV. Seriously, I pay $65 bucks a month for digital cable. They could really programme something in so I could have watched news or something. I'd even settle for soaps right now.

At least we got to listen to him babble semi-drunk. Did anyone else catch the part about "not so distingushed [guests]"? I swear, it was so like watching my father make a speech: "I wanna thank Barbara and Jenna for joining the campaign trail. It was like the camping trip I never took you girls on."

My personal favourite, however, is they keep interrupting it with little updates on an "unsubstantiated" terror threat in Boston. They're totally nonchalanant about it, even though Mitt the Shitt came back from DC way early and is staying around here. They keep emphasizing how not serious this is and how shady the details around it are. This makes me think it's pretty credible. Hello, reverse psychology? I've got idiots for you.

Oh, and bah to my organic broccoli that started to go back after less than a week. I want my pesticides. It keeps longer.

From: Sherry at Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 8:50 PM
Subject: Update from New York City

ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY!

Sorry we haven't been up-to-date with our up-dates, but thanks to George Bush and Mayor Bloomberg, we've been in jail!

Here's what happened: We'd joined a march organized by War Resisters League, Schools of the Americas, Pax Christi, Veterans for Peace and others. The event was framed with this statement:

Our aim is to confront the administration with the death and suffering for which they are responsible: more than 10,000 Iraiqs and Afghanis, as many as 1,000 Americans killed, thousands more wounded and scarred for life, as well as the economic victims of Bush policies - the unemployed, the uninsured, the undereducated. The Republicans have chosen to hold their convention in New York City to link George Bush and "Ground Zero". Bush's policies have created "ground zeros" of death and suffering throughout the world and we hold him accountable for that."

Organizers asked people to gather at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Church and Fulton Streets (just in front of Ground Zero). The plan was to march from Ground Zero up Broadway to Union Square and finally to Madison Square Garden where a "die-in" would be dramatized to honor the fallen.

We arrived early to distribute Progressive Democrats of America fliers to the crowd as they gathered. An estimated 1-2,000 people had assembled. After a brief negotiation between organizers and police, a police officer clearly in charge of the event (whose badge read "Shea") announced to the marchers over a megaphone that the march could begin. He cautioned marchers to:

1. Obey all traffic lights
2. Walk 2 X 2
3. Stay close to the fence and keep the sidewalk clear

As we were told to do, we waited for the traffic light to change before crossing Church Street to begin marching East on Fulton. As we began to walk along the south side of St. Pauls's Church, we walked 2 X 2 and stayed as close to St. Paul's wrought iron fence as we could. When 100-200 had moved onto Fulton Street sidewalk, the march was halted by police at the front forcing marchers to spill into the whole sidewalk. The police (who numbered almost as many as the protesters) immediately closed off and circled the marchers contained on the sidewalk. We couldn't move. We couldn't back up or leave. We heard no warning and were not allowed disperse. We were enclosed by an orange net fencing and were told that we were being arrested.

At about 4:15 p.m., police began rounding us up, handcuffing us and putting us onto buses to be taken away. We then began being told that we were not "arrested" but merely "detained".

What followed was a 24-hour ordeal of being moved from a temporary holding facility and eventually to central booking. We were continuously moved from cell to cell - chained to each other in chain-gang fashion. Conditions were deplorable. The cells were overcrowded and filthy and the food was not edible.

As more and more people were brought into jail, we learned that similar sweeps had taken place across Manhattan. People were picked up at Union Square, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, the Library, and various other locations. It was a planned sweep to interrupt and shut down growing nonviolent protests to the Republican National Convention.

Such is the "America" that George Bush has brought us to.

We do want to acknowledge that the rank and file police were overwhelmingly in support of us but seem to feel forced to satisfy the top brass to keep their jobs and feed their families. During our incarceration, we heard these comments from police:

• One police officer looked us in the eye and sadly said, "I'm so sorry."
• Another said: "You don't think that any of us want to be doing this, do you?"
• Another officer told us during the wee hours of the morning, that "We're doing this to keep the rich Republicans happy."
• Another officer reminded us that: "When you're feeling down and discouraged, remember why you're here and what you came to do."
• And my favorite story. When a young 17-year-old woman began to cry as she was being fingerprinted, the officer finger printing her gently said to her: "Remember your cause and keep your mind on why you came hereand on what you came to do. Remember all of those people who came before you and did just what you did tonight for something they believed in."

But the issue is much bigger than whether or not the police were with us or against us. whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, a Libertarian or a Green. whether you're pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. whether you're pro-life or pro-choice. whether you're progressive or conservative. These are all diversionary divisive issues that are taking our focus from the real threat.

The real threat is to the very survival of our Democracy and our right to free speech and to dissent granted to us through the First Amendment to the Constitution!

If we don't wake up soon, people, it will be too late! Our Democracy is under siege and we must all have the courage to take a stand in its defense.

As one of our favorite sayings goes... "If you're not yet outraged, you're not paying attention!"

We'll report tomorrow on actions and events going on in the city. Plans were being made for a massive assembly around Madison Square Garden on the night that Bush accepts the nomination. We'll see if the current Republican Party power base is able to shut it down.

Sherry and Thom Bohlen reporting from New York City
September 1, 2004

Now, I remember what I wanted to say...

I found an article last night on Salon. Please take the time to read the article now...

What the fuck...? Glowsticks are drug paraphenalia, as is unlimited drinking water and chill rooms, where people can go and cool off for a bit, according to a new law in New Orleans and a couple other cities. The new laws also prohibit groups like DanceSafe from being at raves and from ambulances from being onsite in case something happens. Their reasoning? If those items are present, kids will think it's ok to do drugs.

How does this make any sense? I wonder if these morons making the laws have ever danced before, anywhere? I know that this week-end, at Dawn's wedding, where there were no drugs at all, I drank an obscene amount of water. I also had to step outside a few times to cool off. I consumed no alcohol and took no drugs. I was overheated from dancing.

I don't understand how these idiots think that this is somehow going to make drugs less prevelant. It's just going to make it more dangerous. I mean, what's better, having a kid OD on extasy and having an ambulance be right there or having the kid die before anyone could get to her/him because, according to the law, if there were no ambulances, kids would not do drugs.

It's the same logic that people are using with sex education. Teaching kids about safe sex, giving them access to condoms, and teaching them about contraception is the reason why kids are fucking. If you only teach abstinence, kids will not have sex.

Hello, Mr. Bush? Were you ever an adolescent boy? I bet no one taught you about jacking off, but you did it anyhow. It's the same way with sex. In fact, I bet your daughters are out there, sleeping with guys (or girls) regardless of what they're telling you, or how often you told them to wait until marriage.

It's the same way with drugs. Kids will do them, no matter what. I'm not saying that it's right, or that they should, but it will still happen. It's just a matter of how safe they will be when, not if, they do it.

I guess we should start arresting kids on Halloween who carry glowsticks. And anyone who dares to drink water. I guess this makes every house with water in it a crack house. And let's abolish hospitals. Not only do they have ambulances, but they treat drug overdoses!

Sieg heil, Fuerher Bush. Are you watching me yet, Big Brother?