Free Republic

NEW YORK --There was a marked sameness to the protest marches in New York City last week -- several of them came through my neighborhood and one crossed in front of my building. What was striking, to my eye, was the tension between the protesters and the police … or, rather, how utterly one-sided the tension was. No matter how the protesters ranted and raved, the police, for their part, remained eerily serene. Indeed, the exchanges between the two sides seemed less adversarial than familial. The protesters shuffled down the street like spoiled children, chanting their potty-mouthed slogans, hoisting their...

Tompkinsville artist Scott LoBaido is rolling out the welcome mat for next week's Republican National Convention, with a patriotic art show entitled "Hail to the Chief," opening tomorrow at a Manhattan gallery. And the unapologetically Republican LoBaido has a message for GOP convention delegates, who will spend four days in Democratic New York City beginning on Monday. "You have a native New Yorker welcoming you," LoBaido said yesterday. "Come see art that's not against you." The show will be held at the Tribute Gallery at 24 Broadway, and opens with a reception tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. featuring the...

Coming soon to a convention near you: Sound like it has never (or at least, rarely) been heard before. As politicians at the Republican National Convention use microphones to make themselves heard from the podium, other sounds in and around the event will be emitted in cutting-edge audio technology. Outside the convention hall, New York City police plan to control protesters using a device that directs sound for up to 1,500 feet in a spotlight-like beam. Meanwhile, a display of former Republican presidents inside the hall will feature campaign speeches that are funneled to listeners through highly focused audio beams.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ginny Wolfe212-356-2344 Washington, DC – Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN), Chairman of the 2004 Platform Committee, today announced the creation of an online Platform Portal and invited Americans to participate in the development of ideas for the 2004 Republican Platform. The web-based tool, which goes live today at 12 p.m. and can be accessed at www.gopconvention.com/platform, allows Republicans across the nation to contribute to the creation of the party’s platform. “The best ideas most often come from Americans who solve real problems and live real dreams every single day,” said Senator Frist. “With your...

The lineup of primetime speakers at the Republican Convention predictably reflects its New York location by giving prominent spots to the hosts, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki. But those enjoying the coveted spotlight also pay tribute to New York's former Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Joining the hosts will be other mavericks and dissidents who represent a minority in Ronald Reagan's GOP. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona's Senator John McCain, and California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will all be at the primetime podium. The only announced speaker who actually agrees with President Bush on major issues is Democratic...