Posted on 08/30/2004 7:08:32 PM PDT by Utah Girl
New York, N.Y. — Danny Glover was angry. Along with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and radical filmmaker Michael Moore, Glover had just finished leading the "No to the Bush Agenda!" march through the streets of New York. Cfooling off in Union Square, the actor was asked why, amid the thousands of expressions of outrage at George W. Bush seen and heard during the march, there were very, very few mentions of John Kerry.
"That's a surprise," Glover agreed. "John Kerry should have been here. There should have been people with John Kerry leaflets and John Kerry buttons and everything all along this march line, and there weren't."
At that, a fellow marcher interrupted Glover. The protest was against the war, she pointed out, so how could Kerry come to New York, since he voted for the war in late 2002? "What I'm saying is that the fact that he is not here says something," Glover answered, "about where he was, and where he is now."
As that exchange suggested, the most remarkable thing about Sunday's rally was the degree to which Kerry was a non-presence — and even the target of a not-so-subtle hostility. Yes, the protesters seemed profoundly motivated to get rid of George W. Bush. But many appeared not to care who the next president might be, or — beyond the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq — what that president might do. A significant number seemed to wish that the new president be someone other than Kerry.
Whatever the case, they certainly had the Bush-hating part down. That was everywhere. F**K BUSH, read one sign. BUSH: LIAR, BIGOT, MORON, read another. BUSH IS AN EVIL F***ING LIAR, read a third. Many, many other signs expressed similar sentiments.
But other demonstrators were more effective. When the march was beginning, with Jackson, Glover, and Moore heading up Seventh Avenue toward Madison Square Garden, site of the Republican convention, hundreds of protesters jammed into a side street, carrying full-size cardboard replicas of coffins. Each was covered with an American flag. They were part of a group called One Thousand Coffins, which said it wanted to created a "serene observance parade" to symbolize the nearly 1,000 American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. At the beginning of the parade, organizers recruited marchers to be "pall bearers," yelling out, "Anybody here want to volunteer to carry a coffin?"
Of course, the protesters made no attempt to say why those soldiers died, or to mention the thousands of American civilians who died on September 11 — but the sight of all those coffins was nevertheless impressive. Had they been placed in a solemn procession at the front of the march, they might have made a powerful anti-war statement. But the One Thousand Coffins marchers found themselves jammed at the end of the protest; the places at the front were reserved for the celebrities.
And for every marcher who made an effective point, there were more who chose simply to rant. For example, several — not a small number — seemed unable to resist the temptation to make sexually suggestive plays on the words "Bush" and "Dick" in the president's and vice president's names. Several women wore t-shirts saying, MY BUSH WOULD MAKE A BETTER PRESIDENT. Several other protesters, also women, wore shirts saying, MY DICK WOULD MAKE A BETTER VICE PRESIDENT.
Perhaps they thought it was funny, or that it helped their cause. But the one thing that was sorely missing at the protest was a real sense of humor. Organizers would undoubtedly say that was because the subject was so serious. But it was still possible to lighten up, and perhaps even to make fun of themselves. Just ask the marchers who came up with the sign, NEW YORK NIGHTCLUB VETERANS FOR TRUTH.
My sign?
"JOHN KERRY UNA'STAN' PEANUT BUTTER SAM-MICHES AND KOOL-AIDE!"
--The Right Reverend Jesse Jackson, August 2004
Massah was off wind-surfing.
I wonder how many black people live around the Kerry's. That is, how many who aren't cleaning the mansions.
He's easily impressed. It looked very juvenile and passe to me.
Isn't this the guy that said he would consider it an honor to be call the second black president?
That's because Oprah Winfrey is the richest black woman in America.
"That's a surprise," Glover agreed. "John Kerry should have been here.
John Kerry, like all Communist leaders before him, is, in the long run, a slacker. Yes, I do believe he is very much a Communist.
How many voters are going to base their votes on seeing bimbos wearing t-shirts about "Bush" and "Dick"? If the stock market ever sells shares on the stupidity of liberals, I'm going long.
Hey kids....John just organizes dupes to stand in for him......
He wont actually 'work' .... might chip one of those expensively manicured metro sexual fingernails
It's going to turn their stomaches when the President is re-elected.
"He's easily impressed. It looked very juvenile and passe to me."
I think the point is that on a scale of maturity (while still intellectually dishonest) their method ranked much higher above their fellow Bush haters.
I can't wait until Election Night 2004. We're going to hear a lot of whining...
That's all Kerry has done is take vacations. He campaigns for a few days, then has to take some time off. I think he either has ADD or bad health.
Or a bad case of LAZY.
"John Kerry should have been here."
John is in Christmas in Cambodia with his dog "VC" looking for Bob Hope. 8mm pictures to follow on the nightly news.
Or gigolo-itis.
Right, they shouldn't support John Kerry because he has been on both sides of the Iraq war issue. There is an obvious solution--they can vote for Ralph Nader!
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