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Protesters' tactics alienating even those against war
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 3/23/03 | Joe Garofoli

Posted on 03/23/2003 3:01:19 PM PST by I_Love_My_Husband

Protesters' tactics alienating even those against war Experts question effectiveness but organizers see success

Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco -- As a few hundred anti-war demonstrators marched past white-collar workers and hard hats along Market Street on Friday, some chanted, "It's only a matter of time before you join us, join us."

But after the disruptions in San Francisco last week that led to 2,133 arrests over two days, and with activists promising more civil disobedience Monday and Tuesday, it's becoming harder for many people to sympathize with the demonstrators -- even for those who support their cause.

"The protesters are acting like sore losers," said Aitan Melamud, a retired urologist, as he watched a protest outside Bechtel Corp. headquarters Friday morning. "Like if they can't have their way, then we can't go on with our lives."

Dejah Dorantes was dropping off an overnight package near Montgomery and Bush streets Friday afternoon when she was caught between demonstrators coming one way and police the other. One officer told her and others to get inside a Walgreens or risk arrest and asked the manager to lock the door.

"Chrissakes, I feel like a war correspondent, and all this really is is just a civil disobedience-riot zone in my own native city of San Francisco," Dorantes said.

Those familiar with the peace movement say that if activists want to transform the protests into a lasting political force, they have to reach out to those who cannot see past their tactics.

Tonight, organizers with Direct Action, the loose-knit network that coordinated last week's civil disobedience, will meet to map out their next steps.

"It's kind of an empowering thing for people -- 'Wow, we shut down the Financial District of San Francisco,' " said Stephen Zunes, an associate professor of history at the University of San Francisco and an expert on social movements.

"But," Zunes said, "they have to get a general strike called or something like that before these kind of tactics can turn into a political power. Often, these type of movements peter out quickly."

----rest of commie bs snipped------

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: antiamericans; losers; protesters
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To: Theresa
Cool your jets. Geesh.


Zip it, sister. When one of these courageous warriors lying on the ground is your husband,
brother, or father, then give me a ring, okay? Until then, stuff a sock in it.

21 posted on 03/23/2003 5:14:15 PM PST by O.C. - Old Cracker
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To: I_Love_My_Husband
Gentle readers, I too, was once, in a galaxy far far away, an idealistic "liberal"; until I saw how they really operated, who their ideological allies were, and what the Law of Unintended Consequences means. If you're 16 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you're 32 and you're not a conservative, you have no brain.
22 posted on 03/23/2003 5:19:16 PM PST by Freedom4US
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To: AAABEST
Ty for the references. It is war.

The foolish Wahhibists do not know what they hath wrought.

We will oppose. 'Pod

23 posted on 03/23/2003 5:28:08 PM PST by sauropod (If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy...)
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To: petuniasevan
If I were in law enforcement I'd arrest these yahoos, book them, and then drop them off in a "hood" in Oakland. At 3 AM.

Oh, you're vicious. I once took the wrong exit off 80 and ended up in an Oakland hood at midnight, on my motorcycle. Scary.

24 posted on 03/23/2003 5:39:52 PM PST by exDemMom (US Navy, 1980-1984 & W in '04)
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To: O.C. - Old Cracker
You zip it. Death to Islam? We are trying to destroy the WMD's, kill a dictator and liberate a nation full of people who are followers of the Islamic religion. We are not trying to kill a religion, and every single one of our soldiers would agree that that is the mission, not "death to Islam".......whatever the hell that means. So you zip it.
25 posted on 03/23/2003 6:13:15 PM PST by Theresa
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To: I_Love_My_Husband


26 posted on 03/23/2003 6:18:29 PM PST by Prince Charles
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To: I_Love_My_Husband
Fox only showed this once that I know of, but I really enjoyed the clip of the lady they showed telling the protesters off--telling them they need to get down on the ground and kiss it because many people had died to give them the right to stand there. Did anyone else see this? She deserves a metal.
27 posted on 03/23/2003 6:24:23 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: Prince Charles
Thanks for these pix!

I needed this smile, after a day of tears and hurt. Love you!

28 posted on 03/23/2003 6:28:47 PM PST by joyful1
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To: joyful1
My pleasure. It's a small counterbalance. Cheers.
29 posted on 03/23/2003 6:30:20 PM PST by Prince Charles
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To: AAABEST
Your post should be in newspapers; no titles, no direction, no spin. Just the facts. I'm copying it and sending it out. Thanks.
30 posted on 03/23/2003 6:35:04 PM PST by TIGHTEN
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To: Republican Wildcat
I saw that. It was fabulous!
31 posted on 03/23/2003 6:37:13 PM PST by sunshine state
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To: petuniasevan
If I wasn't a christian and family man, I'd be thinking about doing some uncivil disobedience on protesters' heads.
32 posted on 03/23/2003 6:41:16 PM PST by Godfollow
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To: I_Love_My_Husband
"It's kind of an empowering thing for people -- 'Wow, we shut down the Financial District of San Francisco,' "

That's what this protesting is mostly about -- people wholly without character attempting to garner something none of them have ever felt in their lives: power.

33 posted on 03/23/2003 6:42:03 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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Comment #34 Removed by Moderator

To: O.C. - Old Cracker
"It's time for the 21st century version of the Crusades to begin, except this time we leave no Muslim alive. "

You really ought to shut up.

35 posted on 03/23/2003 10:34:35 PM PST by Theresa
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To: Theresa
You really ought to shut up.

Well, if you really want to silence me, contact the Admin Moderator and complain about my posts, perhaps they will ban me. Either way, I couldn't care less.

Look, Muslims started this war years ago and made the same mistake that the Japs made in 1941 when they brought it onto our soil. They have awakened a sleeping giant and we will crush them one by one. Death to Islam!

36 posted on 03/24/2003 5:24:59 AM PST by O.C. - Old Cracker
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To: Inspectorette
The rest of them are the snotnosed college kids who think it's a big party.

You're right about this, of course. However, the problem is that, compared with the Vietnam protests, the present-day "peace movement" is starting out from the beginning under far tighter Communist control.

This business of organizing "snotnosed college kids" (SCK's) into "affinity groups" is an old Fascist/Bolshevik tactic. The Nazis used it in the Weimar period, the radical Left has used it all over the world. It is designed to take SCK's and turn them into hardcore radicals/terrorists by drawing them to identify with the affinity group as their "peer group" and involving them little by little in escalating violence.

These tactics have been described on David Horowitz's site by an ex-radical organizer in a couple of revealing and disturbing articles:

An Open Letter to Student Anti-War Protesters

Leftwing "Peace" Saboteurs

37 posted on 03/24/2003 5:43:01 AM PST by Southern Federalist
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To: O.C. - Old Cracker; Theresa
It's time for the 21st century version of the Crusades to begin, except this time we leave no Muslim alive.

Before doing that, Old Cracker, maybe you ought to try Viagra first...

38 posted on 03/24/2003 5:48:10 AM PST by Poohbah (Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!)
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To: O.C. - Old Cracker
"Death to Islam means exactly what it says. It's time for the 21st century version of the Crusades to begin, except this time we leave no Muslim alive."

Ah, the old fanatic is back. I happen to have a relative by marriage who is Muslim AND a U.S. citizen. If you or anybody else comes after her I'll make sure you pay and pay big.

You need to stuff a sock in it, jerk.
39 posted on 03/24/2003 7:18:03 AM PST by kegler4
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Comment #40 Removed by Moderator


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