Are you afraid of convention protest backlash??----------

[ItsMyParty]

I have this sick feeling that if it is massive and if the media shows any of it to any extent, you are going to have midwestern states shut the door in Kerry's face with one big bang. I know how they 'loved' the protesters of the 60's and 70's...part of the reason for the right wingers of today!!! This stuff freaks them out. It really does. That's where I was during those eras and I now realize that's how so much of this 'cultural' war started in this country. I know people have suggested that protesters 'dress up'. I don't think that will help that much. It's just that these midwestern states are both so critical and so close right now that I dread to see what their polls will be like if all hell breaks lose in Manhatten. Perhaps it will be alright if people literally just stand there silently and hold signs. I think the silence would impact people but not frighten them. Can you imagine 10's of thousands just standing silently???--actually, as I think of it, it would be powerful.

[Walt Starr]

1. Only if there are agent provocateur plants in the crowd

My hope is there will be enough non-violent protesters with cell phones to report the actions of the few "bad eggs" who are being planted into the crowds to start things. If we show the protesters called this stuff in, maybe the agent provocateurs will be exposed for what they are.

[seventhson]

4. there will be - and they must be exposed

one problem with the rad anarchist kids is that they are easily aroused and the ones arousing them are probably Halliburton/Carlyle/Dyncorp spooks trained in blackops agitprop.

Keeping the peace is critical.

I have served as a marshall and legal observer in a number of marches (in Washington) and I can tell you that there WILL be agent-provocatyeurs trying to raise hell at the RNC for precisely the reasons stated in this post -- but also because they WANT chaos and disrtuption and maybe even terror attacks to suspend or cancel the election.


ANYONE who wants to act out against property or disrupt things to force a violent response will hurt the cause of Peace.

[seventhson]

9. Expose them with cameras, camera-phones and recordings

Thing is - now WE have the same means to surveil the crooked spooks as they used to have to surveil us.

Take pictures of events. GET photos of the perpetrators .

Be careful to protect the evidence from harm or destruction by corrupt agents - plan to publish them here and elsewhere and claim first amendment rights if stuff is subject to seizure. Download and get all images and audio to safety quickly.

THAT will prevent corrupt provocateurs from staying anonymous. And if people are fool enough to provoke violence or vandalism, then we need to weed them out of the peace crowd.

[Vincardog]

15. Agent- provocateurs

We need to have some video Cameras and catch them in the act. How about the cellular phones with cameras? We need to stop the right wing nut protest warriors.

[Warpy]

8. The one certain thing is that the brownshirts

and other GOP dirty tricksters will be out in force, trying to turn things ugly.

To neutralize this, dress like you're on trial for murder. Show them in Peoria that the cops are beating solid citizens.

Go with a group of people you trust. If you see violence, link arms around the instigator and march him over to the cops. Tell them you've made a citizen's arrest, describe what happened, and be prepared to give your names (that's the form, but it will never show up on the police blotter if the thug's GOP).

If violence erupts beyond your control, leave the scene any way you can. Back off, isolate the violent people from the rest of the crowd, make it obvious who the thugs are.

Above all, don't believe any loudmouth who says he just saw the cops beating old ladies or bay bees. That's the oldest trick in the book to incite a riot.

Good luck.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. No nt

[ieoeja]

3. Yes

Where I grew up in the rural midwest anti-war sentiments during Vietnam were practically non-existent. And everybody despised the protestors.

The only Vietnam controversy we had was the refusal by many, particularly among the WW-II vets, to recognize those returning from Vietnam as war veterans because they didn't have to stay in til war's end "Kerry was only in country 4 months", and the helicopters gave them immediate medi-vac "Kerry wasn't wounded enough". Which is why you would never see a Vietnam vet making those kinds of accusations Swift Boat Veterans for Truth today, or it would sound like an echo of the crap with which they had to put up upon their return.

[The Magistrate]

5. No, Sir

The "backlash" in '68 was mostly on the left, consisting of people who reacted against Mr. Humphrey for his having benefited from the police riot. The violent repression of dissent did the damage to the Democratic Party in that year. It may well be that excesses in protecting the Republican Party convention from dissent this year have a similar effect, though certainly on a smaller scale, among both conservatives of libertarian orientation, and un-committed "moderate" voters.

If the protesters are wise, they will, as has been suggested here before in other discussions, equip their ranks with a healthy sprinkling of signs that express support for the police and firefighters of New York in their current pay dispute with the city, and tie this to the current administration's starving these urban first responders of funds. This may well affect police attitudes, and has the advantage of being true, for "homeland defense" has turned into a pork-barrel boondoggle of the most noxious sort, with grotesque proportions of the funding going to rural venues that have senior Republican congress-critters, where it can make no material contribution to the safety of our nation, but may assist the preservation of Republican officeholders in those regions....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[hippiegranny]

6. yes, and I'm not sure why

I just kind of have a gut feeling about it. Maybe it's because I don't trust the media to portray it in the light in which it was intended.

[YIMA]

7. Blac Bloc

Various anarchist and anti-capitalist sites have been planning a major disruption of the R convention since it was announced. No doubt emotionally charged protesters will be inclined to join in. To hope that these individuals will stand silently by is hope against hope, and there's going to be a lot of them. And those who beleive this won't play well to middle America are probably correct.

[jimshoes]

10. Actually I think the protesters are

going to have a more positive effect on NYC than the convention. In terms of money spent that actually benefits the most people in and around the convention eg. taxi fares, food service, lodging, entertainment and so forth, NYC would be foolish to marginalize this large of a demographic even though they might not necessarily agree with the message.

[seventhson]

12. Yeah - Bloomberg actually impressed me giving protesters the same discount

buttons as RNC convention delegates.

I actually think that is a very NY thing to do. It is a tourist event, really and Bloomberg, despite being an asshole aboiut the assembly, wants us to buy things and have a good time.

[seventhson]

11. For anyone going:Remember the cops and firefighter heroes of 9-11 in NYC

and Virginia.

My cousin in law is a cop injured rescuing people at the Pentagon.

These people are heroes and they suffered at the hands of the BFEE more than many of us will ever know.

Most of the NYC cops are very cool but they do NOT take shit and they also do not suffer fools. They will leave you alone unless you threaten to mess up their job of keeping the peace and making sure everyone (inlcusing YOU) are safe.

Show respect to these men and women who lost loved ones on the frontline of the BFEE's MIHOP. They are mostly on our side, believe me.

They are as pissed as Bush as we are, but they do NOT want to have to risk getting hurt over stupidity.

[wildeyed]

13. Yes.

I guess I am not clear what the protests are supposed to accomplish. How will they help win the election for the dems on Nov 2? Seriously, someone enlighten me, I am all ears.

I live in the south, so I know what you are afraid of. People in NC don't like bushco. We have suffered huge job losses on his watch, so the dems could take this state on economics alone. But people here are REALLY conservative. They do not like loud and they do not like angry.

We are all on the same side. We all want to defeat Bush in November. All I am asking, please don't undo everything that is being accomplished here by behaving in an undisciplined manner. Not that you would, just please be careful.

[TWiley]

14. I have had recent experience with demonstrating at a bush speech

I know of 7 women of all ages who were elbowed hard in the ribs at the last demonstration. In fact, one Sierra Club demonstrator got elbowed so hard by this 250 LB republican that she was knocked to her knees. She is 67 years old.

I got shoulder butted at least a dozen times, and twice I was shoved hard multiple times by screaming freeper types. I was verbally threatened with violence on several occasions. It is difficult to keep the cool at those times.

Also, the bush organizers who were wearing yellow T-Shirts with a big W on them were rather nasty as well. I believe this one female organizer was trying to incite violence by telling the people that we had been "attacking" them all morning, and to not take it. She then lead those waiting in line with the "4 more years" chant.

Knowing what I know now, I would take one, or two of those disposable camera's with me the next time to document who the worst ones are.

All of these experiences are certainly survivable, so do not be afraid of those jerks, just try to be level headed. The elderly Sierra Club demonstrator was probably the most seriously hurt by those republican monsters.


A video camera may go a long way if there happens to be a "Rodney King" moment

[The Sushi Bandit]

16. No... cause the networks wont show it!