Have you ever been to a public protest?

I've been to and/or organized probably over a hundred protests and demonstrations, including protests against US actions in Vietnam, Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iraq and Iran; protests against government cutbacks in health care and other services; protests against Reagan's union busting of PATCO (the union of US air traffic controllers); protests against Iran's arrest and imprisonment of certain journalists and academics; protests against hate crime murders and police brutality; and demonstrations in support of teachers denied tenure, affordable housing, unions, divestment in South Africa and nuclear disarmament.

 

1976 protested the destruction of a residential hotel in SF.
Protested against Newt Gingrichs contract on America.
Dozens of Iraq war protests.

I just looked this up for the political forum thread.
The Guinness World Book of Records has the largest protest at 3 million people.
Anyone recall it?

 

I was at one last month for the first time. It was very calm, Civil, And informational.

I'll be attending more of them as we go through the summer.

 

That is a reasonably safe activity to engage in if you live in the United States or Canada. Try that stunt in Iran, you will die

 

I was in NYC for the 2/15/03 march.

No, it didn't change anything. But it does serve as a powerful counter-example to the lie that "everybody" thought Iraq had weapons. What a crock of revisionist history.

 

But probably not soon enough.

Tom

 

True, they like to make the entire croaking process last as long as possible. Wouldn't be surprised if countries like North Korea and Iran undead you, then croak you again

 

I hope that we will be able to exercise free speech and public protest in the future. I have heard that one part of the recent health care bill provides for a private army for Obama. I have seen video of him making a speech that our military is not sufficient, we must have a civilian military. If this is true it sounds pretty creepy. Google "Obama's private army"

 

Like on Stargate SG-1? So like the North Koreans are space aliens who built the Egyptian pyramids as landing pads for their mother-ships? Where's McGuyver when you need him? I have a rubber band and a paper clip.

 

Please reread what you wrote and consider if it sounds reasonable in any way.

 

I think he was being sarcastic.

 

I wouldn't be so sure.

Obama’s “Private Army” | FactCheck.org

:tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3::tinfoil3:

 

Thanks for clarifying that

 

The multi million dollar homes in Newport Beach tried to get El Toro Marine Base (which had been permanently shut down a year earlier) converted to an international airport ... never mind Long Beach, Ontario, LAX, and San Diego airports near by. It was all about having a nice quiet afternoon on the 44 foot sloop ... no jet noise from John Wayne airport take off's while one grills the halibut.

With El Toro converted, John Wayne airport would have to be shut down, because the 2 are too close for commercial traffic. Thus, WE would get jet noise & dirty exhaust, instead of Newport folks. Our protests turned the tide, and now those hundreds of El Toro acres are being turned into a big ol park. woot! one for the green team! Screw Newport!



.

 

When I was at a small junior college in the early 70's, we pitched a tent in front of the main admin building to protest the sewer that had backed up in the bathtub in the ex-president's house where 13 of us guys were now staying.

The President came out and told us that he would go to the house with the Maintenance manager and take a look. If we would take down our protest tent he promised if they could not fix the problem that he would have the maintenance men over first thing Monday morning. He even rolled up his shirt sleeve and stuck his hand in the "crap" in the bathtub to see if he could help.

Boy was he pissed when he found out on Monday that the reason the sewer was backed up was because we had filled the vent pipes with beer cans while sitting on the roof watching the tennis matches next door !!

 

A long time ago, back in N.D., I had a friend who worked in a women's health clinic. There were anti-abortion protesters outside frequently. So one day I went there and joined the anti-abortion protesters with a sign that said "WAR KILLS MORE UNBORN BABIES." Nobody actually reads protest signs, because the protesters welcomed me. They were aware of my anti-nuclear protests, so when they saw me coming, with my sign clearly visible, they were very pleased. I was standing with them for 10 or 15 minutes before one of them actually read my sign, and said, "You mean you're not WITH us???"

It was rather funny. However, my friend asked me not to do it again, feeling that any protest presence at the clinic was harmful, even if it was a counter-protest. So it was a one-time thing.

 

Um ... no. You can kill somebody, then intubate an defibrillate them, get them going again, kill them, over and over until you finally kill them permanently

 

I'm just curious if you ever protested against this

Karachay - The Deadly Lake That Kills Within 5 Minutes - Popular Science and Technology Blog by Jos Kirps

or this

The Soviet Weapons Program - The Tsar Bomba

or was it rather one sided

 

I opposed (and still do) all violence, and that included all war and all weapons. Under the rubric of "Think globally, act locally" I protested the weapons in my back yard, which were the Minuteman III missiles of which North Dakota had 300 at the time. (Half of those have since been moved to another state.)

I was occasionally criticized by people who never protested anything, and who felt I should be protesting something other than what I was. I was never criticized by people who were protesting those other things. Anti-war activists recognize that there are many faces to war, and nobody can address them all. In particular, it seems shallow and insincere to protest other countries' weapons if you are not protesting your own country's weapons; and anti-war protesters generally regard the anti-war protesters in other countries as allies. The anti-war protesters in the former U.S.S.R., AFAIK, were glad that American anti-war protesters were doing what we were.

I live where I live, and I protest where I live.

So, no, I did not go to Russia to protest those nuclear waste sites.

 

You betcha; I've protested inflated reports about Prius safety concerns by the media as they substitute sensational video clips and sound bytes in place of responsible investigative journalism.