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<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000>There are Peacekeepers deployed in US
cities, but they're not under UN command.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000>They're armored personnel carriers
supplied to “local” police agencies for little or no cost through the Pentagon's
Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), established in 1995 as part of the
Defense Logistics Agency.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=086492822-01022007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><FONT
face=Verdana color=#008000>Read more at </FONT> <A
href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w9.html">http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w9.html</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=086492822-01022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=086492822-01022007><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000>I'm
wondering if this is the reason for Mr. Rovic's direct personal experience and
observations below.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=#008000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
face=Script size=5>Aleithia </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN
class=086492822-01022007>P.S. Need an
ambulance? How's this as a "first response" to your
request to get "rescued?" (I had to cut the Photo courtesy of
above article, which depicts a military tank labled "rescue" parked in
front of a sign that reads "First Response," in order for this post
to go thru. But no problem. Just go to the url provided
above and you'll see it.)</SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN
class=086492822-01022007></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #339966; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><SPAN
class=086492822-01022007></SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><SPAN
class=086492822-01022007><FONT color=#0000ff> </FONT></SPAN>-----
----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=sglover001@houston.rr.com
href="mailto:sglover001@houston.rr.com">Sherry Glover</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><FONT size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT></P><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The
First Amendment: Good When You Can Get It</SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">David
Rovics</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The organizers
with United for Peace and Justice and all of those participating have once
again pulled off a giant protest march and rally. As has happened
every few months since the invasion of </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Afghanistan</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
hundreds of thousands of people have converged for a national protest, this
time in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DC</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The major media
outlets decided this time that the protest was worth covering. This
time it was aired on CSPAN, reviewed by the New York Times, the Chicago
Tribune and the Houston Chronicle, and even recognized as the socially
diverse crowd that it was young and old, veteran activists and first-time
protesters, soccer moms and socialists.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">As usual, crowd
estimates given by the major media varied wildly from thousands to tens
of thousands to just under 100,000. Some, including the New York
Times, dared mention one estimate of 400,000. This is particularly
notable since the NY Times was one of the many outlets guilty of barely
reporting on past protests, and frequently using vague terms like
thousands when reporting on crowds that had virtually filled
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Central Park</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I missed this
rally, being on tour on the other side of the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Atlantic</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> this
time around. But looking at it from afar, it seems to have been a
model event. UFPJ was given a permit to have a march and a
rally. The masses descended, and the major media took note, at least
to some degree reflecting the reality that could be seen by anyone present
that there are a lot of people in the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> against the
war.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For people
attending or reading about this weekends anti-war protest, there are
certain assumptions that could be made, that the media also seems to be
confirming:</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It may or may not
make much difference, since democracy is mostly about voting, but we have a
First Amendment which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of
assembly. When theres a really big national protest like this, you
will hear about it in the mass media.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Reading the
corporate media over the years and listening to the government spokespeople
as well, certain other assumptions are clearly to be
understood:</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">If it wasnt
reported, it must not have been very big or significant. If there is
any violence at a protest, it was probably started by protesters.
Protests are dangerous places with lots of angry people at them who
generally dont really understand what theyre angry about. For some
reason because of the war on terror, we have to have more police security
at protests since 9/11, since terrorists might target or take advantage of
otherwise non-terroristic protests. There is some kind of relationship
between protest and terror. As we know from our history books, since
the Civil Rights movement the authorities have learned from their violent
excesses in the past, and now when civilians commit acts of nonviolent civil
disobedience, they are gingerly carried off by the police. Police do
not attack nonviolent protesters without provocation.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Of course, all of
these assumptions are false. For those of us who regularly find
ourselves on or near the front lines of dissent in the </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, this is
obvious. But for every one of us like that, there are hundreds more
sympathizers. People like most of my extended family and Ill bet many
of yours, who are against the war, against much of what Bush stands for, but
they havent quite made it to a protest or done much else to make their
views clear, at least not in several decades. Or if they have done
something, theyve been one of the millions over the past several years who
have been to one protest, and not managed to get to another. So very
likely they dont have a very firm picture of what goes on out there in the
land of free expression.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">CNNs polls have
supported the notion for years that most of the country is against the war
and not supportive of the president. Yet most of the protests are
barely reported by CNN, if at all. And if they are reported, they are
rarely given the time necessary to show how the protest movement truly
represents civil society. If you werent there, you probably wouldnt
know it happened.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And if you werent
involved somehow with the organizing of the event, youd be unlikely to know
that the organizers were given a permit to march but not to rally, or to
rally but not to march, or were given no permit at all for any central
location. Or that the police were penning people into cages who wished
to protest. Or that many people were not even being allowed into the
cages in the first place.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Or that people
committing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, or in some cases just
walking down the sidewalk, were being tear-gassed, beaten with clubs, shot
with rubber bullets and electric tazer guns, crushed with horses, held in
unsanitary prison cells. That protest organizers houses were being
raided by police, beaten bloody, computers and cameras stolen. That
spaces rented by protesters had been attacked by the police, with everything
inside the building being seized. That people were being attacked
frequently for the crime of riding bicycles in groups.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And that all of
this had been going on under the false pretense of security since long
before 9/11.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I thought Id
recount some of my personal experiences with protest, speech and the First
Amendment over the past decade or so, as illustrations of how things tend to
go, in the hopes that some readers might find these stories
illuminating.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For those of us
who come with what might be called the radical narrative of history, it
all starts with an understanding that democracy largely happens in the
streets, and that the rights we have only exist if we continue to fight for
them, otherwise they are taken away. It starts with the understanding
that the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century began with the authorities brutalizing and
arresting thousands of people every week for giving pro-labor speeches on
the sidewalk. With the criminalizing millions of members of the IWW
(the Industrial Workers of the World) by calling them German agents
because they called World War I a bosses war. Many opponents of the
war were jailed for years, including socialist leader Eugene Victor Debs,
who won a million votes for president of the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> while in prison
for his anti-war views.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It starts with the
historical understanding that we live in a class society which operates
under the golden rule those who have the gold make the rules, and
everybody else has to stand up for their rights by other means. Those
who have the gold declare the wars, consistently lie about the real purpose
of the war, and profit from the war. Those without the gold fight and
die in the wars.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It starts with the
understanding, also, that the smooth operation of any society requires that
most people do not see history and reality this way. That efforts will
be made on the part of the powers-that-be to prevent this from
happening. And that if it seems this kind of awareness is spreading,
and manifesting itself on the streets, one frequent way to deal with this is
through disinformation or omission of information, and both subtle and overt
forms of repression.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">February
15<SUP>th</SUP>, 2003</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> was an interesting case.
Many of us already knew about the imperial intentions of the
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and didnt need
to see the disaster unfold before we knew invading </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> was a terrible
idea. The protests worldwide involved many millions of people,
including all over the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. Half a
million people, maybe more, were flooding into </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New
York City</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. It was a bitterly cold,
windy winter day.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The NYPD had
denied UFPJ a right to march. Citing security as a concern, the police
created pens for each block, to make sure it was impossible to march.
A block away from the pens, the police were sending thousands of people
walking dozens of blocks in order to then be turned away from entering the
rally area there. It seemed from my observation that perhaps half the
people trying to go to the rally werent able to get in.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">As with most of
the major anti-war rallies in the past several years, most of the people
coming to the February 15<SUP>th</SUP> rally hadnt been to a protest since
the 60s, or ever. For those of us who had, the police behavior was
outrageous, but not surprising. For many of the well-dressed,
middle-aged folks from the suburbs or further afield coming in, the way the
rally was being controlled by the police was shocking, and many of them gave
the cops a good piece of their minds.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A year later the
NYPD this time prevented organizers from holding a rally, only allowing a
very controlled march during the Republican National Convention. This
time the hundreds of thousands of people attempting to represent civil
society and engage in their right to assemble were told we would damage the
grass on </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Central Park</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> if we
held a rally there on </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New York</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">s
commons, where so many other events had been held through the
years.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">On another
occasion more recently, a permit to march was only granted when organizers
threatened to march without a permit anyway. And what of the 100,000
or so people who protested the war in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Afghanistan</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in
April, 2002? Or the 300,000 or so who protested the wars in September,
2005? These were massive events, huge undertakings for many organizers
and many communities from around the country. Each person at each of
these rallies represents a hundred more who didnt make it. But they
got a fraction of the media coverage that this most recent one has
received.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">February
15<SUP>th</SUP>, 2003 and January 27<SUP>th</SUP>, 2007 will at least for
some time be a part of the memories of many people, including the media
consumers who far outnumber the many people who were actually in
attendance. But for these other equally massive outpourings of
national discontent with the regime that were hardly covered? If you
werent there, they may as well not have happened. They do not enter
into the national discourse any more than current events in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Micronesia</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And if this is how
our right to assemble is dealt with, what of those following the Gandhi-MLK
tradition of nonviolent civil disobedience?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">When people think
of the WTO protests in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in
1999, the popular imagination is filled with images of young people dressed
in black trashing Starbucks and McDonalds in downtown </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. A couple hundred people
participated in this activity, and it has not been repeated to any
significant extent at any protests in the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> since
then. Most of the other 60,000 people protesting in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> miles
away from downtown were being drenched with tear gas for sitting in on the
streets, nonviolently surrounding the WTO meetings taking place in the
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Center</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.
But as usual, as soon as anyone started throwing rocks somewhere in
town, this was to be the medias primary focus.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Many people in the
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> feel in some way
that everything changed after 9/11. But in terms of a nation-wide
campaign of disinformation and repression against an activist community, the
WTO protests were the bellwether event of recent years. What had been
local campaigns of various sorts against rapacious corporations had grown
into a nationwide (and already international) movement against corporate
globalization in general. The corporate media responded with
fear-mongering and disinformation, and the authorities responded with
repression.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For years after
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, the
disproportionality of the reaction of the local and federal authorities was
at times comical. Anybody who was on the right email lists leading up
to </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> knew
it was gonna be big. Anybody on the right email lists knew the
protests at the IMF/World Bank meetings in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DC</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> the following
April (A16) was also going to be significant. Anybody on those lists
would also have known that the May 1<SUP>st</SUP> protests calling for the
shutting down of the Stock Exchange on Wall Street was going to be small,
but Mayor Giuliani was taking no chances.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The day began with
what was being billed as a march for undocumented workers. Several
thousand Latino men, women and children marched, flanked by what appeared to
be almost an equal number of cops. As I recall, the cops stood on
either side of the march, two rows deep on each side. Most of the cops
were also about a foot taller than most of the marchers. These
marchers had a broad and thorough understanding of their role in this
society. The most popular sign on the march, in English, read simply
workers of the world, unite.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">This march was
clearly never intended to be anything but a peaceful march with no plans for
civil disobedience. What was at some point intended to follow the
march was perhaps some kind of action, which I dont think had ever gotten
much beyond the planning stages, probably because most of the organizers
were too busy with A16, which had just taken place two weeks before in
DC.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In any case, to
deal with the 200 or so anarchist youth who ostensibly wished to shut down
Wall Street, several thousand police were literally tripping over themselves
in the streets, which were awash with motorcycles, paddy wagons, and bored
cops feeling pretty stupid with nothing to do. In preparation for the
shutting down of Wall Street the cops had actually shut down the entire
business district around Wall Street, looking at the ID of workers and
residents wanting to cross police lines. Groups of police were
deployed to guard every nearby Starbucks or other corporate chain store, as
well as the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">World</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Trade</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Center</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> and
other places they thought might be potential hotspots.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It was two weeks
before then that police in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DC</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> had
mass-arrested 600 or so people for daring to hold an unpermitted
march. This happened in the days leading up to the IMF/World Bank
meetings, so the cops held everybody over the weekend to keep them away from
the protests.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">On the first day
of the meetings themselves, 20,000 or so people surrounded the large area of
town the police had walled off. The organizers of the meetings had to
bus delegates in during the wee hours of the morning, and other delegates
were stuck driving around the city for hours looking for a way
in.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Police behavior
there didnt descend to the kind of wanton brutality of </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, but
I personally was walking past a group from </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Arizona</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> who
had taken over one street, and witnessed an unmarked police van just drive
into and through the group. One man was on the ground. At first
it was unclear whether he was injured, but he had apparently gotten pushed
to the side, rather than underneath the van. The group quickly
reassembled their line afterwards.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That week in DC
the police raided the main convergence center for the protesters and
confiscated all of the puppets and other artistic representations people had
been working on. They did the same thing in </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Philadelphia</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> a few
months later leading up to the Republican National Convention there in
2000. By the time of the Democratic National Convention in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Los Angeles</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and
given the well-deserved reputation for corruption and brutality of the LAPD,
the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">US</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Justice
Department was actually involved with overseeing the police for the
occasion, and specifically ordered them not to steal the puppets this
time.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">No event was too
small or too large to warrant the hysteria of the corporate media when it
came to anti-globalization protesters. The anarchists from
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> are
going to come destroy the city. This was the mantra of the corporate
media in the weeks leading up to any protest for some time.
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
anarchists were the outside agitators of the day. Nowadays its
foreign fighters.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I think it was an
anarchist book fair I was singing at in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bloomington</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Indiana</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
around then. It was the sort of event in a small university town that
would a few years before have been considered quaint and very
Bloomington-esque. But now it was a cause for alarm, and for
fear-mongering about anarchists from </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and
maybe an excuse for the police department to apply for federal grants to buy
some new equipment.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">When the anarchist
youth took to the streets on bicycles in a fairly small Critical Mass ride,
the police took the occasion to strike, throwing young people off of their
bikes, handcuffing them and arresting them. Im not sure for
what. Some kind of obscure traffic violation? Disorderly
bicycling?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">My concert was
happening a half block from where the arrests took place, and as usual, I
was setting up to play, and not on a bicycle getting brutalized and
arrested. One young man came up to me and gave me a CD. This is
from my friend, he said. He was trying to come to your show, but he
got arrested. This was actually the third time he had been trying to
go to one of your shows but got arrested first. It was then that I
was sure I was playing in the right sorts of places.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The protests in
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> were a defining
moment. By now it was 2003, two years after 9/11. The war on
terror and the war on </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
anarchists had merged. </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">s police chief,
Timoney, had been responsible for the brutality of the </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Philadelphia</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
police during the RNC there, and now he was police chief of
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, in time for the
FTAA (Free Trade Area of the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Americas</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">)
meetings and accompanying protests.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For weeks leading
up to the protests, the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> media was
whipping up a frenzy with talk about downtown being destroyed by
anti-globalization rioters from all over the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Americas</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. Police Chief Timoney was
showing videos to the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> police that were
implying that police were killed during what were increasingly being
referred to as the riots in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Seattle</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. By the time we arrived, the
cops were out for blood.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Downtown
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> was completely
shut down, almost no businesses were open, many were boarded up. The
few businesses that were open were on our side. The downtown exits on
the highway were shut. Nobody was there but us, the cops, and the
media, who had mostly imbedded themselves fearfully behind police
lines.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Some of the cops
and media were quite clearly afraid of us, which was another one of those
things that would have been really funny if it werent terrifying.
Thousands of cops in riot gear, driving around in armored personnel
carriers, flying around in multiple helicopters circling overhead at any
given time, and theyre afraid of 20,000 or so entirely unarmed people, most
of whom are fairly scrawny white college students?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The scheduled
events included a rally in an amphitheater, a march, and then another rally
back at the amphitheater. However, the cops decided not to let more
than 200 or so people into the 10,000-seat amphitheater for whatever reason,
either before or after the march. I managed to get in, and was, as
programmed, singing for the small crowd that was in there when the police
began their unscheduled, unprovoked assault on the demonstration
outside.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I was doing a tour
up the east coast immediately following the FTAA protests, and it was like a
gallery of wounds. Every town, every gig was full of people who had
been injured by the police in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. Here was
one friend with a big red splotch from being shot in the breast by a
tazer. Heres another with a hard lump the size of a baseball on his
thigh from being shot point-blank by a rubber bullet. Then the word
that someone from </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Jersey</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> died
mysteriously days after inhaling too much tear gas. Those non-lethal
weapons again. By the time I got up to </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New York
City</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> I was singing at a benefit for
Indymedia there, who had gotten most of their cameras taken by the
police.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I was reminded of
one visit to the </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Lower East Side</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in
the 90s, during the final siege of </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Tompkins</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Square</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Park</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> by the police,
to try to seize it along with the rest of the neighborhood, to make it safe
for gentrification. There were garbage cans burning, crowds yelling
and banging on things, overall it was a very festive occasion. I
remember seeing an older guy I knew as Uncle Don there, and he had a broken
arm. I asked him what he thought the prospects were. Too many
people are getting their bones broken, he said. It cant keep going
like this.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The blatant tactic
is essentially to use overwhelming military force in order to keep a social
movement from getting too far off the ground. And while these brutal
and bizarre events receive gobs of local media attention, they are virtually
ignored by the national press.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Many thousands of
people from all walks of life representing hundreds of different
organizations were pouring into the streets outside of these various
meetings of the corporate elites, and this was generally not national
news. If any national media might have considered covering the
protests in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Miami</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, they scrapped
those stories in favor of breaking news having to do with Michael Jacksons
nose, if I recall.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The local Miami TV
stations were actual comedy, however. We were being given a birds eye
view of scenes of the protests. We could see beneath us the police
attacking demonstrators, but the newscaster was saying things like, I think
theres some kind of scuffle. The police are defending
themselves.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Of course, we have
the internet (at least as long as Congress maintains net neutrality
laws). Weve got Pacifica Radio and many other means of reaching
people with useful information. But this kind of drumbeat propaganda
on the commercial and so-called public airwaves has a profound impact.
It is still a huge part of how most people find common reference points,
common understandings of broader reality, most of the
time.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And what about
just setting up a soapbox and speaking on the sidewalk? Well, youre
partially blocking a public walkway. Incredibly, I can tell you from
personal experience that in most places where people congregate in this
country, including on most subway platforms, you cannot sing a song with
your guitar case in front of you without being told to leave by the
police. The few places where it is legal to do this, such as
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Boston</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, it
only became legal after court battles over the First Amendment were won by
the Street Artists Guild in the 1970s.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I remember
listening to BBC World Service a couple years ago. They were doing a
piece about street music being banned in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Singapore</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. They obviously thought it
was a bit of an extreme measure on the part of the authorities there.
They joked that they liked the musicians playing in the London
Underground. Little did they know, evidently, that their own
government had banned music from the subway platforms a few years before, in
1995, as part of the Criminal Justice Act. I remember it vividly, as
it happened just before the summer I was planning to make a living busking
in the tube</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It seems to me
theres something to be said for knowing your situation. And whatever
happens, some things can be known. Weve got freedom of speech,
sometimes. Every once in a while the media might even pay attention,
though most of the time theyll get it entirely wrong. And freedom of
assembly? Weve got that sometimes, as long as you apply for a permit
and actually get one. Just make sure to move when they tell you to, if
they give you time to move after they tell you to. Otherwise you may
be beaten and tortured with non-lethal weapons. But usually they
wont fire live ammunition. Viva democracy!</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><EM><I><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">David Rovics is a
singer-songwriter who tours regularly throughout
</SPAN></FONT></I></EM><EM><I><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">North
America</SPAN></FONT></I></EM><EM><I><FONT face=Arial color=black
size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT></I></EM><EM><I><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Europe</SPAN></FONT></I></EM><EM><I><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and occasionally
elsewhere. His website is </SPAN></FONT></I></EM><FONT face=Arial
color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A
href="http://www.davidrovics.com"><EM><I><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none">www.davidrovics.com</SPAN></FONT></I></EM></A><EM><I><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</SPAN></FONT></I></EM></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2 PTSIZE="10"
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DRovics@aol.com<BR>DRovics@gmail.com<BR>(617)
872-5124<BR></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">P.O.
Box</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
300995</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Jamaica
Plain</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">MA</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">02130</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR><A
href="http://www.davidrovics.com/"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">www.davidrovics.com</SPAN></FONT></A>
CD's, DVD's, MP3's, online videos, upcoming shows, essays, links and
more...!</SPAN></FONT></P>
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