http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-061005march,1,2077805.story?coll=chi-news-hed
I admire the sincerity here, but someone needs to give Sister Mars some pointers on how to appeal to people beyond the unemployed drum-pounding demographic.
And why can’t these events ever focus on one topic?
While I don’t like Bush, I don’t want the future to be shaped by tribal drummers and bad poets either.
I can see the protest from my window. There are more cops down there than protesters.
A few hundred whackos, that’s all. Nothing earth shattering. Hell, I’m kinda glad we have a few of these guys running around. As long as no one gets hurt, it adds a little spice to the mix.
Seems to be the nature of the beast. Given the general apathy of the American public combined with a complete lack of immediacy regarding the topic, the only people who tend to go out and protest are those who have an issue that is of such mindboggling importance that it overrules everything. Like freeing Mumia, or ending the WTO, or such.
Unfortunately, if you don’t let people have a shout or two about their pet topic, they’ll decide to stop showing up. And when things are anemic enough that cops outnumber the protestors, you’ll let people talking about anything they want to for fear that they’ll splinter and create their own group that won’t march with yours.
With moderate or large sized groups, this practice creates effective coalitions - Big Labor joining uneasily with Progressive Social Reformers to keep the Democratic Party in power from the '30’s until the '60’s; the Moral Majority teaming up with Small Government types to get the Republicans in power from '80 to now. Unfortunately, with small groups scraping for attention and desperate for size, there’s a tendency to grab anyone willing to lift a finger in support, which means that these tiny grass roots protests can tend to collapse under the weight of their varied slogans.
But as John Mace says, God Bless 'Em. At least, as long as they’re not disturbing my evening commute.
Having seen how the future looks when it gets shaped by oilmen billionares and war profiteers, I’d like to give the drummers and poets a try. I figure the odds of getting killed by bad poetry or loud drums are less, and I can always buy earplugs… 
We had about 200 here. Its nice, but ineffective, as the public is so brainless they wouldn’t care if Bush declared martial law and suspended all their rights. I truly believe this. Apathy indeed.
The protestors need to do something more…drastic.
More drastic than bad poetry?
Is that even possibile?
Yeah, exactly! Drastic! But not too drastic, like, say, voting. That would be too much work.
{ gangster mode } Ever heard of a thing called “mime”? Or “performance art”? Oh, it’s out there. And it ain’t pretty. And you don’t wanna know. { /gangster mode }
Depends. Does their group include a woman named Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings?
Oh, you Vogons and your terrifying poetry! :rolleyes: Go on wit your own bad self. 