Notes from the NY Not In Our Name Protest:

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Notes from the NY Not In Our Name Protest:

5 am: Can’t sleep, adrenaline pumping overtime; become reacquainted with sunrise.

9 am: Get paged into the office. Cabling issues, wonderful. Timing couldn’t be better. Decide breakfast is overrated, bike into work.

11 am: Problems fixed, am eating bacon and egg on a roll. Resolve to never again underrate breakfast. Cancel brunch at Dizzy’s. Can I bike back, get prepped for the protest, make it back? Decide no. Jump onto the SDMB. SDMB very underrated; also bacon and egg on a roll.

11:30 am: Last of organizing phone calls in, fortunately have cell phone charger in office. Organizing parties a lot more fun, plus much easier.

12:30 pm: Am at 86th & Lex. Voice mail says everyone running late.

12:35 pm: Linger at the 92nd St Y Fair. Get a Shiatsu massage. Get Don, who is now my boy; Don’s hands are like pistons; I feel chi flow, is excellent. Don gives me an extra 10 minutes because he likes my musculature. Me too, Don. I give him an extra $10, get his card.

1 pm: Met one of my friends, we’re walking our way up the park. By 93rd street, it’s a madhouse. Half naked women, street theater staging, a woman wearing a placard that details wrongdoing by US in Angola. Go us.

1:05 pm: We enter at 97th street. We get handed roughly an old-growth forest worth of fliers. Many actually having to do with the protest. I congratulate the** Veterans For Peace** contingent. Everyone wearing great shirts, great slogans. Speak to the Oberlin for Peace contingent. They appear to be about 14 years old, but are completely covered with inner light, plus facial hair.

1:10 pm: Where Ace signs up for everything. Next week, I will Stop Saddam by Riding a Bike while Toking Twice for Justice not Oil. Or something. I take the “test your political ideology” test. Still dead centrist. I make a note to tell Uigi, who sent me prior cautionary e-mail about posting my Ultra Left Wing ideological rants. Be v. afraid of the strong center!

1:12 pm: Get distracted by the Women’s V-Ball. They’re damn good, especially the wiry one with the cut shot. I’m in lust. They had no idea about today.

1:15 pm: We have worked out most important part of protest; where we’re at. We have compromised between standing by the stage, and sitting on the grass. From our vantage point, the East Meadow has over 10,000 people in it already; people are streaming in via the east gates. Everyone is laughing, giving the creative signs thumbs up. Families, couples, all ages and races are here. Saw a 80 year old and a 1 year old. Incredibly hot contingent of Indian chicks, but they were sitting higher on the natural stadium. Am bummed about compromise.

1:20 pm: Notice other hot chicks. Not wearing underwear. Go me and my compromising skills. Love me some leftist women. Lust in my heart, and elsewhere.

1:25 pm: Program about to start. Now 15,000 people, still a jam by the entrance. The East Meadow is covered with a rainbow of smiling faces. The Sun has just come out, and people start stripping down and catching rays, lying out on blankets like I have at home, and eating their picnic lunches like mine still in the fridge. Signs, everywhere signs. Get Your War On make the rounds. We laugh about Voltron. Flyer says, “adopt a minefield benefit.” Really? Someone flies a kite. Go Charlie Brown.

1:30 pm: Program starts. Beautifully voiced Indian MC; Young but amazingly qualified man with requisite backwards cap; People are exhorted to move to the left. Second MC notes that everyone here is in the process of moving to the left, and that’s a good thing.

1:45 pm: Beautiful program. People who lost family members in the towers start it off.

2 pm: Women who’s husband was abducted, deported, with no information is breaking down on stage. I missed the intro, turn to a friend: “Was this here, or Iraq?” It was here. I get a good cry, hope my masculinity still secure. Doff my shirt.

2:05 pm: People are still coming late. Opera in the Park redux.

2:30 pm: Tom Duane gives a fiery speech, not like him at all. Go power nerd.

2:37 pm: The reverend, the rabbi, and the mosque leaders have all the best speakers. Some Irish guy really funny and sad at the same time. Must look up the German word for it.

2:39 pm: Law professor? Throws patriot act/anti-bill of rights into audience, where it is torn to pieces.

2:45 pm: Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins bring the mother-fucking place down. Just destroy it. Tim: “We must fight fundamentalism in all its forms.” “Any religion that ties in with evil, loses me.” “Whether it is shooting at abortion clinic, or attacking with airplanes.” “Fundamentalists want to take away everything I hold dear, arts, dance, music… independent women…” SS: “I look out at you, and I’m glad to know I’m not crazy; not alone.” “We must support our courageous senators, Robert Byrd, Russ Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Barbara Lee… and I suppose you could throw in the NY Senators.”

2:50 pm: Starving and thirsty. Make run for drinks. I promise to be back in time for the pledge. I hustle through the throng, and am stopped by Angola, now part of a 51 person equilateral triangle of American military intervention. A showstopper. My god, I had no idea about some of these. Who writes the history books?

2:59 pm: Skipped vendor, hit bodega. Why sell moldy bananas? Why more area behind counter than in front? Who knows. Going OJ, Avis Era to make it back. Hurdled many small dogs.

3 pm: Take pledge. 20,000+ people all reciting the same pledge. Like allegiance, but voluntary. Simply amazing. I bliss-out. All is white.

3: 15 pm: Drinking orange juice. Stella Dora cookies. Lunch v. underrated.

3:25 pm: Friends find me. I go over and say hello. Bastards have chairs. We talk with DOT and several smart people on full estimate. 22,000 people at max, maybe 27,000 attended ± 3,000. Great turnout. East Meadow can perhaps hold 37,000 if everyone held breath. Why do police always lowball turnout? Nobody knows.

3:30 pm: C. McKinney amazing speaker, v. moving. How did she ever get kicked out?

3:35 pm: Am reminded that she was in GA. How did she ever get elected? She could own NJ, simply own it.

3:40 pm: Much puppeteering, banners, “regime change… in the US.” “The Bprepared sign” loses points for unoriginality. “Axis of Evil” with the usual suspects, nice paper-mache.

4 pm: Many off-message speakers follow. At least they don’t repeat. Exhortations for money, followed by Obies with garbage bags labeled donations. They can’t hustle for beans. Should have the guys from Wash. Sq. Park!

4:30 pm: Apparently, this is also a rally for Puerto Rico, Cuba, Palestine, Native Americans, Police Brutality (anti), Leonard Peltier, Amadou, and I think I missed some. However, for these kind of rallies, message and speakers amazingly well mixed and coordinated. Several youngsters mixed in, everyone speaks for 60 seconds, including Martin Sheen.

4:35 pm: “I assume he wasn’t the lead singer for Talking Heads?” Uncomfortable silence. Don’t do drugs kids, lest you end up addlepated on stage.

4:40 pm: Latecomers left early. Dinner conversation fodder? Who knows. Comedienne Reno has us in stitches w. barking dog on stage. “You know, I’d feel safer if the government didn’t have the right to incarcerate me at the stroke of a pen, or come in and steal my hard drive in the middle of the night, but maybe that’s just me?” “Mr. Ashcroftinheimer…”

4:45 pm: Speakers have covered the gamut, from our Founding Fathers, to Margaret Mead. “Not in our name,” frequent closing. Saul Williams quite talented. Great rap tune; must buy album. Other musicians quite good, especially the Columbian; great pipes.

4:50 pm: Okay, that guy was just plain shrill. Ow.

4:55 pm: Backwards cap exhorts a final rally. Not In Our Name luminaries come forward to read the Times Ad. Amazing, what’s in there. Totally stoked. We all sing along with the Saul Williams title track, holding our representations of the world high.

5pm: We’re out. I’m exhausted. Bought much literature, sloganeering. Found some things not signed up for, signed up. We hit the 92nd St. Y fair for a funnel cake. Looks like we had a frosting fight. Yum, and I’m done.

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According to her father, it was because of the “J-E-W-S”, and from other things I’ve read, this fruit didn’t fall very far from the tree. It’s good to see the Congress rid of this poisonous woman.

3

Did the Jewish block actually vote for her? Were they the swing voters here?

I tend to think it was mainly voters, perhaps Republicans?

She seemed to be well embraced in NY.

What other things did you read, DCU? I’d like to have a chance, as you might say, to weigh the evidence for myself. Link?

4

The Jewish bloc voted against McKinney in great numbers, mostly because of her tacit support of Hamas and similar organizations.

This is the charming person who suggested that Bush had actual foreknowledge of 9/11. The person who cozies up to terrorist groups. The person who tried to nab that check from a Saudi prince after Giuliani turned it down. She has embraced – and was endorsed by – Louis Farrakahn.

And while she may enjoy cheers from a crowd that is mostly comprised of the peacenik hard-left, I doubt New Yorkers overall would think much of hearing from her.

Google her name and you’ll come up with a lot – here’s a story to get you started.

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Here’s the offending quote. It has aged quite well:

Note, it doesn’t say “Bush.” She says “the administration.” Do you think the administration didn’t have fair warning? Have you heard further about the FBI landlord who rented to two of the terrorists? The more I learn, the more Cynthia seems right. At some point, this tips past gross incompetance and into malfeasance. You could argue the wording, but if such slights are sufficient to boot elected officials, there would be nary a Republican to be found in Washington.

The second charge, of gaining funding from slimy Muslim organizations; what of it? Is this any different from the myriad funding that all the Senators have had to give back – from David Duke to the Chinese government? I thought the Rep’s argument was of the impossibility of vetting all these individuals and I quite agree. Give back the money – ok. Advocating a Muslim position – ok. Having the Jewish bloc go against you – so what? Poisonous? No. Tacit support of Hamas? Please.

I’ve googled; no luck – so do find me a causus belli for that ad hominem attack among the “other things that you’ve read,” won’t you?

I’d hate to think you only hold other people to a better standard than third hand information.

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If you’re going to quote her, do it right and include the full quote:

The implications of what she says are far from just an inquiry into FBI screwups.**

Fine, she says the Bush administration had foreknowledge of the attacks. That’s really not much better, you know.**

Of the specific events of 9/11? No. It’s an absurd charge. Even though much of this happened on Bill Clinton’s watch, and I am no fan of Clinton, I am not inclined to saddle his administration with responsibility for foreknowledge of the attacks.**

He was an FBI informant, not an FBI agent. And the case agent merely knew there were two Saudi men living there for a time. It’s a tragic case of failure to followup on the part of the field office, but that hardly translates to knowledge that the 9/11 attacks were coming. Cite.**

Are you seriously suggesting that this is more than a failure to piece together intelligence information in a timely fashion (information that, BTW, is much easier to piece together with the benefit of hindsight)? Do you really believe that American law enforcement and intelligence services wanted an attack to happen – that they knew it was coming and did nothing about it? Do you really think – as McKinney apparently does – that these agencies could have warned the people of New York and just decided not to?

That’s just sick.

**

I’ll remember you said that next time Trent Lott is invited to speak by the CCC.

Seriously, these are pretty odious people. In particular is Florida professor Sami Al-Arian – quoted in the article – whose opinion of Israel and what shoud be done with it has been well known for a long time.**

Lessee, she’s also claimed Vice President Al Gore has a low ''Negro tolerance level," because she had “never known him to have more than one black person around him at any given time.”

She’s claimed that there are attempts to disenfranchise blacks in her district, anc cites as evidence the fact that her (Democrat-run) voting district’s finances are handled by “four white women.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has called her the “most prominent nut” in the sea of nuttiness that is conspiracy theory – no small feat.

You must not have Googled very hard. I found that stuff in less time than it took me to enter it. She’s an embarassment, and it’s good that she’s gone. (Georgia cleaned house this year; I was glad to see Barr go as well).

If you want to go further with this, I suggest you ask a mod to move it to the Pit.

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By the way, I was reading the New York Sun’s writeup of the protest and noticed this:

Such lovely people you were sharing the park with this weekend, Ace. Gotta love those peace-loving libbies who cite to the long-discredited Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

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Yeah Cynthia McKinney is a bit of a nut. Didn’t her campaign resort to phoning voters threatening them that it is illegal to vote in a Democratic Primary if you’re not a registered Democrat? Which, by the way, is perfectly legal.

And the Protocols of The Elders of Zion? I know you can’t be guilty by association but the minute someone brings up that it makes everyone else around them look bad.

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Serious guilt by association. I do love that from a lawyer.

Hey, didn’t Trent Lott actually [URL=http://www.fair.org/extra/9903/ccc.html]adress the CCC? Nice analogy; I assume C. McKinney actually spoke to Hamas?

As for your evidence it is mostly guilt by the most tenuous of associations; rhetorical mau-mauing of which I do not countenance, but is unforutanately quite common; the Jewish statement and the Sept. 11th statement, which are strictly speaking, true for all their non-illumination.

It appears that her opponents have put words in her mouth and assumed the worst possible motives. Where to they assume, as I’ve often seen, that she means “Bush knew and didn’t tell anyone?”

It simply is not there.

Are these all the quotes? You have provided nothing outside the bounds of ordinary political discourse as of yet, not so much as a lie, much less poison. If these are all that you can provide, one would come to the conclusion that Mrs. McKinney is more honest than the average politician, something that I find most honorable.

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Claiming that a sitting vice-president has a “low Negro tolerance level” is within the bounds of ordinary political discource?

Citing the skin color of local election officials as evidence of black disenfranchisement is acceptable behavior to you?

The suggestion that the administration ignored warnings of 9/11 so that persons close to the administration could reap “huge profits” is reasonable in your view?

Ace, seek professional help. You truly are the His4ever of the left.

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Just for fun: Fark Photoshop contest of a photo at the rally.

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The quote is kind of clear to me: She believes or has been led to believe that the war has been masterminded for profit motives.

Here’s another quote

Taken from here. Notice that last sentence.
And I’d like to hear your response to Ayman Asawa and his (deluded) belief in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

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DCU: We’re not in the pit here. Easy on the accusations of insanity, it’s really not appropriate here.

As for the rest of your willful misinterpretation, I’ll state it again. I just said I didn’t countenance Mau-Mauing; but it goes on daily, you really can’t get to exercised about that.

And once again, you take issue with your personal connotation of her words, while the objective denotation is accurate. Do you disagree?

PS: I have a picture of the original “Axis of Insanity.” Quite good, really.

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Even Zell Miller distanced himself from her loony views on the administration intentionally profiting from 9/11:

And further:

Go back a little farther and she continues to damn herself.

Um, yeah.

These are the kind of people who support her:

and

When asked to clarify these remarks, this shyster said:

You don’t judge guilt or innocence in a court of law by association, but I’ll be damned if you don’t judge people by the company they keep. And in 2001, 90% of her campaign funding originated out of state.

Dewey is right. Get help.

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Maeglin: Again, I don’t think “get help,” is an appropriate response, regardless of whether you agree. Please open a thread in the pit for that; I think I’ll rather move this to GD.

Mods, could we?

Thanks bunches,
Ace.

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I’ll punt to Maeglin’s post regarding McKinney’s 9/11 views. I will add one thing, though: if, say, J.C. Watts had claimed Al Gore had a “low Negro tolerance level,” I seriously doubt you would be chalking it up to mere mau-mauing.

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Zell Miller? Jonah Golberg? Lot’s of people made political hay over Mrs. McKinney’s comments, though I’ve not seen any offense. That either means McKinney is indeed a loon, or a lot of people on the political scene are ass-covering lickspittles who brandish second-hand conventional wisdom to advance their own career and agenda.

I’ll bet you know my answer to that one.

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DCU: You would be seriously wrong. Why would you assume such a thing? I am nothing if not consistent; I think Mau-Mauing is stupid; also that representatives make stupid statements on a daily basis. Who cares?

Plus which, it’ll no longer be possible, since JC Watts is stepping down.

Another Token bites the dust.

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Say, how do I e-mail a moderator? All I see are the “Report this post” links…

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Zell Miller is Georgia’s democratic governor. While certainly no liberal, I think you have an uphill battle to wage if you are going to argue that his comments are somehow motivated entirely by his own political aspirations. Ragging on a democratic rep with from his own state with no provocation is not likely to earn him many brownie points. His republican suburban constituents already like him. Why gild the lily and make trouble?

[quite]ass-covering lickspittles who brandish second-hand conventional wisdom to advance their own career and agenda.
[/quote]

Oh, nothing at all like Jihad Cindy, who backpedaled after she was called out on her ludicrous accusations of 9/11 profiteering:

Greasy axles, Ace, greasy axles.

Aside from the get help nonsense, how about you respond to my substantitive issues?

GD, indeed.