Low turn-out for anti-Bush protests

http://volokh.com/2003_11_16_volokh_archive.html#106925453088204637

We are living in the heart of things -- in Trafalgar Square -- and, for what it's worth, can report that there is nothing of any substance going on at all. It's quite quiet -- people are going about their business, but the usual buzz of tourist activity has slackened a bit. The first round of scheduled protest events involved a big talk by prominent left-leaning activists, and drew about 2,000 people. Then, about 1,000 marched through Oxford Street to protest the Bush Administration's environmental policies. The thousands who were supposed to greet him at Buckingham did not materialize -- there were maybe 100. Right now (Wednesday afternoon), just after the President's big talk, there are a few hundred people milling around Trafalgar Square, a women's prayer circle, and some people congratulating themselves for putting red-dye in the fountains (get it?). The crowd is a little bigger than the crowd two days ago, who were protesting the ban on feeding the pigeons, but certainly smaller than the crowd last month, who were protesting tuition hikes at universities. The cops were cracking up. There was supposed to be a big "alternative state parade" of cyclists and other folks, but it seems to have fizzled.

Hmm. What if they had an anti-war and nobody showed up?

I did hear recently that the BBC want the license fee to be extended to anyone who owns a broad-band enabled computer, because they can be used to view videos etc on the Beeb's lefty website. But I don't know if the government has decided to change the law yet. The BBC's greed knows no limits.

By not paying the TV license fee I also automatically loose the right to own any equipment that allows me to play videos or DVDs, (unless I get a DVD ROM for my computer - but anyway DVDs are too expensive for me). You see if the video/DVD playback equipment contains a UHF receiver and even if I never actually look at any TV channels, then I am still breaking the law.

By the way, the Beeb made a £200 million loss last year and guess who has to fork up the money? Yes, the poor license fee payer, not the fat cat bosses who made the lousy business decisions, or the Labour party who benefit from the BBC's political bias. I hate the BBC. You can tell can't you?

Looks like Jacko is the big news

Nightline Daily E-Mail
November 19, 2003

TONIGHT'S FOCUS HAS CHANGED: The DA and Sheriff from Santa Barbara have just held a press conference, announcing that there is an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson on multiple counts of child molestation, and they are negotiating his surrender with his attorneys. We are going to switch topics to cover this tonight, we'll report on President Bush's visit to Britain and the situation in Iraq tomorrow.

Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
ABCNEWS Washington bureau

The media can do wonders with 200 people. By aiming their cameras carefully and blurring the pictures ever so slightly, they can make it look like 200 million. Then if they carefully choose the words they use in describing the tiny group, such as:Though the massive horde was somewhat smaller than expected, If laid end to end they would reach from here to yonder and back. The roar of the protesting multitude was deafening.(until their amplifier blew up) Etc., Etc.

Around 200 protesters gathered at Jubilee Gardens on London's South Bank for a colourful parade.

BBBBWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aiden Hutton from Suffolk, who played the role of George Bush in the procession, said: "There have been about 14,000 police, I think that's a wonderful turn-out."

It takes that many cops to keep them from violence! At a peace march no less.

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