Reply #12: Here's a first hand account from Canton from my e-mail

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Here is Steve's account of the Canton protest:
My wife and I spent 4 hours in the on-again off-again rain this morning, holding protest signs in front of drive-by traffic, across from the Canton Civic Center.
 
When Market Street traffic was blocked to protect the pretender of the United States, We went a few blocks south to where cross traffic could read our signs.
 
Judy's said "George W. Bush You're Fired!" front and "Mr. President Why did you lie to us?" reverse. Mine was a little more confrontatory (as list readers might expect), front said "Liar Coward Bully Thief" and "George Bush doesn't understand unemployment, on Novernber 2, 2004 let's help him figure it out." reverse.
 
We got about 2/3 raised thumbs and 1/3 raised fingers in response! One lady gasped in surprise as she drove by, I don't know what protected part of the universe she lives in but it was obvious that she never thought to connect those 4 words with her president.
 
As the end of george's visit approached, early departers waved pro bush posters in our face. I asked the well scrubbed young parents if their children were draft age yet, telling one lady that her 4 sons looked like good material for soldiers. "Yes, Christian soldiers!", she replied.
 
More and more white upper class families, grandparents, parent and kids flowed past. We heard calls of "baby killers", and was told that my sign described Clinton! A few well dressed guys let loose with "idiot" and "asshole", but that was to be expected given Cheney's example!
 
Finally, the bus convoy drove past, dozens of state patrol, and secret service cars, 4 busses and a truck, and my favorite, the swat team van! Judy and I held our signs up towards the convoy, 20 feet from the president, telling him what more and more Americans think about him: "Liar Coward Bully Thief"
 
The crowd swelled as the pent up audience was released, bush supporters walking in a steady stream, all reading my sign while I looked them in the eyes, then Kerry supporters, the union members laid off and angry, groups of younger less well off kids mixed in with the staid bush crowd. Finally a middle aged bush woman pushed or punched a young Kerry woman, and the shrieking and calls of "she hit me, arrest her!" brought the attention of no less than 6 squad cars! The police did what they were trained to do, and did it well. They sent the two complaintants into separate cars, where they sat and cooled their heels for about 10 minutes, then I overheard the police tell the aggrieved womand that if the other woman apologized and she accepted it, then everyone could go about their business. The older lady came over, apologized, and they each went their separate ways with stories to tell at dinner!
 
After that it was even rainier, traffic thinned out, and we went to get lunch at the City Diner. We walked in and sat down next to one of the families that we had confronted on the street! They gave us fish eyes for a while, finished their malts and left without eating!
Another protester came in and said a group of them had staked out the place where george was supposed to stop for lunch, Lindsay's on Dueber and W Tusc. They reported that the convoy saw the signs already in the restaurant parking lot and just kept on going onto I77 on their way to Cambridge! "We ran him out of town!" the guy said.
 
After lunch we drove home exhausted, who would think that just standing in one place could be so tiring! All in all, a good time.
 
bush is playing the religion card this year. These people cannot be reasoned with. Someone more clever than I will need to devise a strategy to shake up those smug, self-assured, self-righteous Christian Soldiers, and help the scales to fall from their eyes.