The plane ride home from NYC sucked...

[skooooo]

...a few of "us" were totally surrounded by Republicans who attended the convention. A woman sitting in the row in front of me spend much time bragging about how she got to hang out with the Tom Delay people. THe man across the aisle was reading Unfit for Command, and the guy next to me was marking favorite passages in his Christian book with a ballpoint pen.

After arriving in Denver a group of Rethuglicans took particular glee with talking loudly about how great the Kid Rock concert was and how great it was when he tore into Kerry, and "just ripped him up." I'm sure this was done for my benefit as I was wearing a Kerry/Edwards button on my shirt.

Granted, in retrospect I think a lot of them felt under seige while they were in New York -- and rightly so. There were anti-Bush t-shirts, buttons and stickers ALL OVER the place. Some of their reaction and relief from being out of that environment is understandable. There was a lot of anger on the street aimed at them.

Another thing I noticed was that it seemed like during the last few days of the convention, there were a few pro-Bush counterprotesters trying to make their presence felt. There were a few guys I saw with Dick Cheney t-shirts on with Cheney flipping the finger and saying "Fuck you!".

In all, NY was a very strange and eerie scene, and, I hope, not a glimpse of the future of this country.

[jonnyblitz]

1. I don't know how they could have felt welcome in NYC.

Everywhere I looked there were anti-GOP banners hanging from buildings, people walking around Ground Zero with signs "REPUBLICANS GO HOME". I am talking EVERYWHERE.

[mhr]

2. NY And The RNC - A Prelude To Social Unrest And Revolution

If * wins this election, you have already seen a part of the future.

Time to clean that AK-47 in the closet?

[kohodog]

6. No, but we'll be able to buy 'em soon. n/t

[realFedUp]

3. out of the rabbit hole

I don't know when these people have an epiphany...
really looking at the facts and not the fluff.

Television "journalists" with the facts to counter
the spin might be a good start, since most of these
people don't read the fine print.

[skooooo]

5. They don't want epiphanies...

...they run on hatred and fear. Funny thing is, some (but not most) of the protesters were just mirror images of the Republicans in this way. I think there's a high level of frustration on both sides.

[realFedUp]

8. They are looking for the Rapture

I think epiphanies are on that same to do list.

[toddaa]

4. Reading material for Airplanes

The increasing numbers of impromptu "bible study groups" that I've been subjected to on plane trips has altered my selection of reading material in recent years. It all started three years ago on a trip to Anaheim, where a Fundy wasted three hours of my time trying to convince me that I needed Jesus. Since then, I've noticed that when I travel alone, I'm always stuck next to a bible highlighting whack job that is just itching to save me from the fiery pits of hell.

That's why I now carry my well worn Nietzsche Reader with me when I travel. If I can't keep the airlines from seating these twits next to me (I swear it's a conspiracy of some sort), then I'll go out of my way to scare the living Jesus out of them.

[skooooo]

7. Yeah, good idea..

....I took out my copy of Rolling Stone, which has Michael Moore on the cover and read the political articles.

[sleipnir]

9. The damn Cheney shirt.

I ran into a bunch of them wearing those shirts in Manhattan. At first I thought they were with us, but something was wrong, they just looked too Midwestern and, well, Republican. Anyway, they start talking and sure enough, they're Pro-Bush. It turns out they are shirts aimed at Kerry and the protesters or so they "kindly" told me. I gave them my own salute, a la Cheney, and went on my way.

[johnnie]

10. Kid rock?

"...how great the Kid Rock concert was and how great it was when he tore into Kerry, and "just ripped him up." "

OK, I demand they release a video of that concert.

[Calico Jack Rackham]

11. Uhhh

is this the same Kid Rock who ripped a US flag and wore it as a poncho?
How patriotic of him.

[skooooo]

12. Yeah..same guy.

Rethugs didn't like him doing that, but all is forgiven now. Heartwarming, huh?