We live in an interesting time. Television news programs and reality shows resemble Saturday Night Live sketches. The most trustworthy news source on my BBC-less cable lineup is Jon Stewart's Daily Show. When “real tv” reaches the surreal and Comedy Central produces the most thoughtful political commentary du jour, I can’t help but think something is amiss in media today. Frustrated with the world as I know it turning upside-down through the picture tube, I set out on Saturday to experience a media event through something other than my television.
I attended the peace demonstration at the UN, spawned by a combination of curiosity and idealism. I am not a political activist; I am merely a person who is disheartened by war. I realize, based on my limited knowledge of history, that war is probably inevitable. But that doesn’t stop me from holding onto the hope that the world’s problems could be solved without bloodshed. Clearly there are a few hundred thousand people in New York, and a few million people around the world who, at least on Saturday, shared my hope.
I arrived late, joined by three Brits who, like me, were nursing a hangover. My friend Beth was already on the scene, instructing us by cell phone which route to take to meet her. By 2 p.m. the demonstration area was teeming with people, who spilled into the streets and avenues far beyond 49th Street and 1st Avenue. Police had barricaded the streets as far up as 60th Street and Lexington Avenue, where we arrived. Latecomers like ourselves were denied access to the throng of people three avenues away. We wandered up to 66th Street, where we finally crossed eastward along with a growing crowd of fellow walkers. By the time we were midway down the street, my friends and I looked at each other with excitement and surprise. So many people were walking down the car-less block that we were, in fact, marching. Despite the fact that the city did not grant the organizers the right to march, that was precisely what we were doing.
At each avenue we gained more people, and although we were swept up with the chanting (“This is what democracy looks like!… Tell them what democracy looks like!”), we were a bit confused about where we going. With the speakers and main stage of the rally sixteen blocks south of us, our northward path seemed counter-intuitive. Harlem? La Guardia Airport? The Guggenheim? I couldn’t imagine what important political destination lie on the Upper East Side or beyond. Still, we eagerly followed the crowd.
As we arrived at 1st Avenue and turned southward, it was finally clear that we were joining the other demonstrators downtown. By this time it was 3 p.m. and the temperature had dropped to “I can’t feel my thighs”. Huddled in a mass of bodies, we tried to keep warm, entertained by the signs brandished by our fellow marchers.
Hippies, hipsters, and high school kids were among the diverse crowd. Regardless of everyone’s purpose for being there (anger towards Bush, disgust with war, picking up your morning bagel at the wrong time and getting swept up in the sea of people), it was empowering to take over the streets that were normally bustling with buses and cabs. On one street we passed two cars, their drivers and passengers looking at us with curiosity and some degree of impatience, but not with the fear that has permeated the city for the past “Code-Orange” week. A friend of mine was further uptown and witnessed a violent skirmish between police on horseback and the crowd, but downtown with the Glamericans (more on them later), the peace march was exactly that -- peaceful.
Although I hadn’t given much thought to what I was getting into on Saturday, once I was there it became clear. I was a small part of a greater whole, and came away with a profound respect for the drive of my fellow New Yorkers. When I could no longer feel my hands and my friends’ bellies ached for brunch, we left the demonstration. We walked away with a small feeling of accomplishment, and a short list of the most memorable signs we saw that day.
Anti-Pres
Even though I’m not a big fan of the Pres, it shocked me to see how many people chose anti-Bust sentiment for their signs. Ranging from unflattering cartoons to the more direct, here are the highlights of this category:
-Stop Mad Cowboy Disease
-VotetoImpeach.com
-Bomb Texas They Have Oil Too
-The Idiot of Mass Destruction
-Bushit
-Stop THESE Warheads (photo of heads of state)
and our favorite, Eat Another Pretzel, Asshole (raised high by a bearded 30-something in a mesh cap)
The Old Standards
Beth, while waiting for us to arrive, had encountered some guitar-strummers who lead a round of Kumbaya. This, she believed, was a little too much. For me this moment came when I heard the cracking voices of Caucasians singing We Shall Overcome. I suppose every war protest is going to have its share of the old standards. This trickled down to the following signs:
-Veterans Against War
-Not In My Name
-No Blood For Oil
with some timely newcomers, phrased as questions:
-Is the Media Pro-War?
-Would We Go To War if Iraq’s Export Was Broccoli?
The Glamericans
Perhaps the highlight of our day was encountering the Glamericans, a posse of drag queens and their fashion-fabulous friends. Bedecked in feather boas and snakeskin cowboy hats, the Glamericans were chanting “Makeup, Not War”. Even their posters were adorned with feathers, and the following catchy slogans:
-Glam Not War
-Baby, I AM The Bomb
-War is So Last Century
-My Sign’s Peace, What’s Yours?
-Sexy Peace
-Botox, Not Bombs
Los Angeles Checks In
When I returned to my apartment I landed on the CNN on Steroids channel, which was covering the demonstration in LA. Martin Sheen and Rob Reiner spoke in support of the US Troops, but with the hope of a peaceful resolution that will keep them safe. As the correspondent shouted to the camera over the din of the crowd, one left-coast rallier held a sign with Hollywood flair. I See Dead People, it read. Only in LA.
Who knows if any of this will make a difference. Even though millions of people gathered worldwide to voice their pleas to stave off war, I have a feeling it’s going to happen anyway. When and if it does, there will surely be more of these in the future. I should start thinking now about what my sign will say. There’s a lot of competition out there.
Even though we'll probably end up going to war since the assholes in charge don't care what ordinary citizens want, you'll know that you did your part, however small, to let your voice be heard and that's great.
fioricet
Why be a man when you can be a success?
pain relief by ordering fioricet online
you can buy cheap fioricet on our site http://www.fioricet-online-here.com !
It`s nice to be important, but its more important to be nice.
I can help you to be as nice as you wish! Just click here: cheap fioricet or here: http://www.fioricet-online-here.com You can buy fioricet online - it guaranteed pain relief without side effects!
Blogging is the next generation of the Internet. If you've got something to say that interests somebody else, by golly, then there you have it! It's not about search engine rank or advertising, either. It's about word-of-mouse, and presentation. More here
Blogging is the next generation of the Internet. If you've got something to say that interests somebody else, by golly, then there you have it! It's not about search engine rank or advertising, either. It's about word-of-mouse, and presentation. More here
Blogging is the next generation of the Internet. If you've got something to say that interests somebody else, by golly, then there you have it! It's not about search engine rank or advertising, either. It's about word-of-mouse, and presentation. More here
Thanks to author for this blog, it was realy excite. Read my blog to.
Thanks to author for this blog, it was realy excite. Read my blog to.
You may find it interesting to check the pages about gambling gambling http://gambling.bj.onlinegamingassociation.com/ - Tons of interesdting stuff!!!
wsop - paradise poker, partypoker | texas holdem poker - online poker, online poker | poker games - empire poker, wsop | party poker - world series of poker, poker books | poker tables - texas hold'em, poker supplies | world series of poker - poker books, poker online | pacific poker - poker online, pacific poker | poker games - poker, WPT | texas holdem poker - partypoker, empirepoker | poker tables - online poker, poker tips | texas holdem poker - world series of poker, texas hold'em poker
bocigalingus must be something funny.
free poker online - internet poker, empirepoker | poker rules - texas holdem poker, partypoker | internet poker - paradise poker, poker tips | pacific poker - world series of poker, poker tournaments | texas holdem poker - online poker, poker rules | poker tips - online poker sites, poker | poker - texas holdem, poker stars | poker stars - poker chips, paradise poker | poker chips - online poker sites, wsop | poker stars - poker supplies, texas holdem | world poker tour - free poker online, poker supplies | paradise poker - wsop, poker | partypoker - party poker, online poker | free poker online - online poker, poker supplies | free poker online - empire poker, internet poker | empire poker - poker online, world poker tour | poker stars - paradise poker, poker rules | texas holdem - poker chips, WPT
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.
The purpose of life is to fight maturity.
[hgh] [hgh spray] [human growth hormone] [growth hormone] [hgh energizer] [anti-aging supplement] [hghultimate]. Visit http://www.hghultimate.info
[travel] [travel cheap] [travel europe] [air travel] [vacation package] [ski vacation] [european vacation] [austria travels]. Visit http://www.austria-travels.info
[sex toys] [masturbation] [male masturbation] [male sex toys] [sex toy] [fleshlight] [masturbation mutual]. Visit http://www.masturbation-mutual.info
[penis enlargement] [penis pills] [penis enlargement pills] [big penis] [natural penis enlargement] [penis] [enlargement penis technique]. Visit http://www.enlargement-penis-technique.info
[sex toys] [masturbation] [male masturbation] [male sex toys] [sex toy] [fleshlight] [masturbation tip]. Visit http://www.masturbation-tip.info
[penis enlargement] [penis pills] [penis enlargement pills] [big penis] [natural penis enlargement] [penis] [enlargement free penis]. Visit http://www.enlargement-free-penis.info
He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.
In your free time, check the sites in the field of auto loan auto loan http://www.doobu.com/auto-loan.html cash loan cash loan http://www.doobu.com/cash-loan.html college loan college loan http://www.doobu.com/college-loan.html home finance home finance http://www.doobu.com/home-finance.html home mortgage home mortgage http://www.doobu.com/home-mortgage.html loans calculator loans calculator http://www.doobu.com/loans-calculator.html mortgage mortgage http://www.doobu.com/mortgage.html mortgage loan mortgage loan http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-loan.html mortgage rates mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-rates.html payday advance payday advance http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance.html payday advance loan payday advance loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance-loan.html payday cash loan payday cash loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-cash-loan.html payday loan payday loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-loan.html payday loans payday loans http://www.doobu.com/payday-loans.html refinancing refinancing http://www.doobu.com/refinancing.html reverse mortgage reverse mortgage http://www.doobu.com/reverse-mortgage.html second mortgage second mortgage http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgage.html second mortgages second mortgages http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgages.html student loan student loan http://www.doobu.com/student-loan.html best mortgage rates best mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/best-mortgage-rates.html cash advance payday loan cash advance payday loan http://www.doobu.com/cash-advance-payday-loan.html direct loans direct loans http://www.doobu.com/direct-loans.html fast payday loan fast payday loan http://www.doobu.com/fast-payday-loan.html faxless payday loans faxless payday loans http://www.doobu.com/faxless-payday-loans.html home loan home loan http://www.doobu.com/home-loan.html jumbo mortgage jumbo mortgage http://www.doobu.com/jumbo-mortgage.html loan loan http://www.doobu.com/loan.html mortgage calculator mortgage calculator http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculator.html mortgage calculators mortgage calculators http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculators.html mortgage lender mortgage lender http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-lender.html mortgage quote mortgage quote http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-quote.html mortgage refinance mortgage refinance http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-refinance.html mortgage refinancing mortgage refinancing http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-refinancing.html payday payday http://www.doobu.com/payday.html personal loans personal loans http://www.doobu.com/personal-loans.html - Tons of interesdting stuff!!!
In your free time, check the sites in the field of auto loan auto loan http://www.doobu.com/auto-loan.html cash loan cash loan http://www.doobu.com/cash-loan.html college loan college loan http://www.doobu.com/college-loan.html home finance home finance http://www.doobu.com/home-finance.html home mortgage home mortgage http://www.doobu.com/home-mortgage.html loans calculator loans calculator http://www.doobu.com/loans-calculator.html mortgage mortgage http://www.doobu.com/mortgage.html mortgage loan mortgage loan http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-loan.html mortgage rates mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-rates.html payday advance payday advance http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance.html payday advance loan payday advance loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-advance-loan.html payday cash loan payday cash loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-cash-loan.html payday loan payday loan http://www.doobu.com/payday-loan.html payday loans payday loans http://www.doobu.com/payday-loans.html refinancing refinancing http://www.doobu.com/refinancing.html reverse mortgage reverse mortgage http://www.doobu.com/reverse-mortgage.html second mortgage second mortgage http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgage.html second mortgages second mortgages http://www.doobu.com/second-mortgages.html student loan student loan http://www.doobu.com/student-loan.html best mortgage rates best mortgage rates http://www.doobu.com/best-mortgage-rates.html cash advance payday loan cash advance payday loan http://www.doobu.com/cash-advance-payday-loan.html direct loans direct loans http://www.doobu.com/direct-loans.html fast payday loan fast payday loan http://www.doobu.com/fast-payday-loan.html faxless payday loans faxless payday loans http://www.doobu.com/faxless-payday-loans.html home loan home loan http://www.doobu.com/home-loan.html jumbo mortgage jumbo mortgage http://www.doobu.com/jumbo-mortgage.html loan loan http://www.doobu.com/loan.html mortgage calculator mortgage calculator http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculator.html mortgage calculators mortgage calculators http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-calculators.html mortgage lender mortgage lender http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-lender.html mortgage quote mortgage quote http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-quote.html mortgage refinance mortgage refinance http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-refinance.html mortgage refinancing mortgage refinancing http://www.doobu.com/mortgage-refinancing.html payday payday http://www.doobu.com/payday.html personal loans personal loans http://www.doobu.com/personal-loans.html - Tons of interesdting stuff!!!
