To Greet G.O.P., Protests of Varying Volume

[Snellius]

When the Republican National Convention comes to town, the Rev. Peter Laarman hopes to greet it with a quiet, reserved defiance. He wants religious leaders to hold discussion groups on concerns about politicizing Sept. 11. He wants to have seminars to discuss lost jobs. And he wants to bring experts to New York to discuss national security.

What he does not want to do is take to the streets with huge protests. Instead, through a campaign he calls the Accountability Project, he hopes to offer a thoughtful counterpoint when the Republicans stage their nominating convention in New York, scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 2.

But Mr. Laarman may find his tempered voice drowned out in what may well be a tense and angry time on the streets of Manhattan.

Though the Police Department and many protest organizers have been reluctant to predict how many people will ultimately turn out for protests, estimates have ranged from 500,000 people to a million.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/23/nyregion/23protest.html

[ixion]

1. NYC will be one massive 'free speech zone'

Gotta love that. :bounce:

[chenGOD]

2. It could get ugly.

Didn't I read that John Timoney will be organizing riot police in New York? John timoney: Not a Nice Man

[diamond14]

8. that'll be the reTHUG effort to discourage protestors..."don't go

there, it'll be ugly"...been hearing that already from all the reTHUGlican media talking heads and newspapers...it's reTHUGS typical scare tactics...watch out...mushroom clouds are coming...


IT'LL BE A GREAT BIG PARTY...'Billionaires for Bush' "Pink-Ladies" "Singing Grannies"...OUR Veterans and Military Families....the poor people's 'bushville'.... everybody will be there and the WHOLE city will be great BIG party...so bring your friends and neighbors, ignore the crap from the reTHUGs...and come on out and DANCE in the streets.....

it's a ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity and it's FREE....

[tom_paine]

10. It might be scare tactics but it WILL get ugly

All the embedded propagandists will need some nosering-wearing anarchists to have the snot beat out of them so they can get some good photos that will convince the vast majority of the Imperial Subjects of Amerika that their Emperor doesn't have widespread opposition from Middle Class Amerika...what's left of it.

Having said that, I don't care. I'm going!

The Totalitarian Darkness we face is too great to sit this one out.

If Rev. Neimoller can speak out against Hitler, then I can speak out against Bunnypants*!

Whatever reprisals I get (and we will get them) are NOTHING compared to what he endured.

White Rose FOREVER!

[schultzee]

5. It was on the news that bush is going to have military in with military

arms to protect the convention. Has that changed? They also said that NYC police were saying that they could handle it.

[diamond14]

9. more scare tactics...if you are really so scared...walk with OUR

VETERANS and Military Families...nobody would DARE do anything to them....gosh, in the October 25, 2003 DC Pro-Peace Rally, I walked for a while with a World War One Veteran...one person on each side, photographers and news reporters rolling and he walked with his walker right down Pennsylvania Avenue....we finally put him in the traveling vehicle for people with disabilities and he waved and laughed as the van rolled along near us....

those who scare WE THE PEOPLE are out of touch with reality....

IT's a PARTY...enjoy the March...the banners, balloons, costumes, street theatre...walk with clergy, Veteran, doctors and nurses against war....walk with the 'Pink Ladies' the "singing Grandma's" the 'Billionaires for bush*"....it's a BIG parade...the streets will be filled...they'll be SINGING and DANCING IN THE STREETS...because we will KNOW....this is the beginning of the end of the bush* regime...

[schultzee]

3. Bush does not want dissent. No president ever deserved more

non-violent dissent than this pig who is trampling all over the constitution.

[joeunderdog]

4. think the press will cover this focus group?

[loudsue]

6. Great strategy in that picture!!

A million protesters need to be out in force supporting the Repug convention with signs that show "support" for the bizarre things bush and the republicans have done. This one says a lot! I like it!!

:kick::kick::kick::kick:

[Cooley Hurd]

7. This will rival (maybe even surpass) the Feb 2003 march for sure!

How do you herd a million people into free speech zones? I don't think it's possible (without using violent means).

NYC is going to be a very tense place during the convention...