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View Full Version : DNC Covention restricting protesters just like the RNC.




Stelliform
Jul 25, 2004, 09:06 AM
CNN Link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/24/dems.main/index.html)

I found this line amusing...

"I came here because I never believed in the war. In my opinion, this war is illegal and immoral," Suarez Del Solar said, adding that he was confused by the position of the presumptive Democratic nominee.

"Because Kerry supports the war? Or not supports the war?" he asked.

I also found this interesting. I know that there has been some complaints about the RNC disrupting life in NYC. The DNC sounds just as bad.


Manholes have been welded shut, and there are few, if any, mailboxes and trash cans in sight.

Interstate 93, the main highway on which traffic flows in and out of the city, will be closed during convention hours because it passes within a few feet of the FleetCenter convention site. About 40 miles of roads will be closed in total.

The Boston subway's North Station, a main commuter hub, also will be shut down.

Because of those closures, the city has asked workers to stay home during convention week.

I would be upset if I had to close my business for a week! But then I think back to my first Mardi Gras when I lived near the parade routes. I was too busy to stop and participate that year, and I was pissed at all of the street closures. I couldn't get to my house for hours at a time. Years later, I just close down my office Monday and Tuesday Mardi Gras week. You know what they say, you have to roll with the punches. And if you run your life on such a razor's edge that a week of non productivity will destroy you, then you kind of brought this on yourself.



zimv20
Jul 25, 2004, 02:31 PM
the stuff you quoted from the article doesn't surprise me. i saw a piece about this on the news the other night, the thing i didn't like was that, again, the protesters have been assigned a "protest zone" and will be kept away from the delegates.

i did note, however, that in Boston, at least the protestors are in sight of the convention center.

i'm getting really sick of this protest zone BS.

Sayhey
Jul 26, 2004, 12:24 AM
If you haven't already seen it, take a look at the Daily Show's insight on the topic in the clip called "Freedom of Oppression" (http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/videos.jhtml).

zimv20
Jul 26, 2004, 01:24 AM
If you haven't already seen it, take a look at the Daily Show's insight on the topic in the clip called "Freedom of Oppression" (http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/videos.jhtml).
i thought Conventional Wisdom was the best of the bunch. must viewing for everyone here.

Thanatoast
Jul 26, 2004, 08:29 PM
I was listening to NPR on the way home today and they had a reporter in Boston to tell how the convention was going. He mentioned that rush hour hadn't been too bad, that the amazing amount of guns on the streets wasn't too freaky, and that everyone was handling the random bag searches really well. Random bag searches!? And people are okay with this? The guy also described the mood as "Fortress Boston", which has got to be the worst idea organizers could've picked. Sure, the terrorists haven't won, but we're shutting down the highway, having the army patrol the streets, and randomly searching anyone who walks by. Fortress Boston is what Bush would like to turn America into. Fortress America. It turns the stomach.

LethalWolfe
Jul 26, 2004, 08:34 PM
I was listening to NPR on the way home today and they had a reporter in Boston to tell how the convention was going. He mentioned that rush hour hadn't been too bad, that the amazing amount of guns on the streets wasn't too freaky, and that everyone was handling the random bag searches really well. Random bag searches!? And people are okay with this? The guy also described the mood as "Fortress Boston", which has got to be the worst idea organizers could've picked. Sure, the terrorists haven't won, but we're shutting down the highway, having the army patrol the streets, and randomly searching anyone who walks by. Fortress Boston is what Bush would like to turn America into. Fortress America. It turns the stomach.


But it does have a nice ring to it, "Fortress Boston."

Now, were the random bag searches conducted all over the city or just in/around the DNC?


Lethal

jelloshotsrule
Jul 26, 2004, 10:10 PM
i loved nader's response to a question of whether he'll go to the convention, and/or if he'll go to the free speech zones and stand with protesters... something along the lines of... "i don't get that, a 'free speech zone'.... so what's everything else? non-free speech zones?" sums it up quite nicely


keep in mind that 4 years ago, the dems stood in the staple center and watched as police tear gassed protesters..

also who was president when the wto protesters were beaten and gassed in seattle?