The World Can't Wait... (to see me!)
If you haven't seen it yet, check out the 10 min video in the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-N8LEPnzEk
So I went to the protest in Austin. The rally was to begin on the capitol grounds and then march down the main street of downtown - Congress Ave.
The crowd started off small.
More and more people trickled in.
Soon the crowd began to thicken. The goons were out and about a little; there was one instance where they had a list and were scanning the crowd, but nothing serious went down. Patchouli is a very popular hippie scent. There were a lot of old people, 50+, that probably marched in the Vietnam protests.
The crowd chanted "One family, one heart, one spirit, one start!" It didn't catch on and I think people were ready for the politically-charged lyrics of the band "Funk Shui". The lyrics were pertinent and well-delivered. If only I had written them down...
The banner to be carried down the street:
Some signs (I hope you can read them):
And the path the march took (I left before the march):
There were some injured vets - one guy had a missing leg - a poignant reminder of the consequences of this illegal war.
I also grabbed some pics of the rest of the capitol. This caused a stir a while back:
I noticed that the woman on top of the capitol building is wielding a sword:
Only in Texas.
You have probably wondered what I look like. Well, here is a picture of me later that day working on an unrelated art project with a friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-N8LEPnzEk
So I went to the protest in Austin. The rally was to begin on the capitol grounds and then march down the main street of downtown - Congress Ave.
The crowd started off small.
More and more people trickled in.
Soon the crowd began to thicken. The goons were out and about a little; there was one instance where they had a list and were scanning the crowd, but nothing serious went down. Patchouli is a very popular hippie scent. There were a lot of old people, 50+, that probably marched in the Vietnam protests.
The crowd chanted "One family, one heart, one spirit, one start!" It didn't catch on and I think people were ready for the politically-charged lyrics of the band "Funk Shui". The lyrics were pertinent and well-delivered. If only I had written them down...The banner to be carried down the street:
Some signs (I hope you can read them):
And the path the march took (I left before the march):
There were some injured vets - one guy had a missing leg - a poignant reminder of the consequences of this illegal war.
I also grabbed some pics of the rest of the capitol. This caused a stir a while back:
I noticed that the woman on top of the capitol building is wielding a sword:
Only in Texas.
You have probably wondered what I look like. Well, here is a picture of me later that day working on an unrelated art project with a friend:
posted by Mookie at 11:59 PM
8 Comments:
Thanks for the pictures. Living in Texas was fairly depressing for me when I was there, but luckily you live in an area with some caring and thinking people. Do you know how many people participated in the rally?
Nice title also. I couldn't get a very good idea of what you looked like from the coop photo you sent me. This one is much more suitable for my desktop background! (jk). And btw, I am part of a group of people that is starting up a food coop in Berkeley. It's still in the developing stages, but I'm looking forward to being a part of it.
I don't know how many people there were total. More and more kept trickling in, but a friend of mine who went with me said that the ones on the weekends (like the one to protest the war in iraq) draw a lot more people, enough to fill up the entire lawn.
That coop thing looks cool. If you want, I can talk to the people at Wheatsville and ask them about how they did it. It has been around for 30 years, so they have some experience. Or, I could put you in touch with someone there that may know a bit more about it.
"This one is much more suitable for my desktop background!"
I can send you a few more pics and you can make a collage! ;-)
Thank you for the photo report, Mookie. Maybe you should send your pictures to the worldcantwait.org people, I think they are posting photos from all over the country. It's nice to see that you had good weather and a lot of people were there. It was quite the opposite here. I am still planning to write something up.
And yes, it's cool to see what you look like. :-)
Even though I believe that protests cannot accomplish anything during this administration, it makes me feel better knowing that apathy hasn't consumed us all.
Excellent pictures. And perhaps, one of the infrequent times any of us has seen each other. I agree with sh: it's good attaching a face to a fellow blogger.
SH,
Good idea. I submitted a few photos and thanked them profusely for helping to bring so many people together for a single cause.
Tune,
"Even though I believe that protests cannot accomplish anything during this administration"
Protests may not "produce" anything, but we did get some media attention at the rally. Also, we managed to gather right as people were exiting the capitol building and going home, so someone was bound to see us. With protesting, I think the idea is to show people how pissed off you are and that you are showing defiance against the current administration. Getting a bunch of people to show up at a single place at a particular time to walk a mile or so is generally not very easy to do. That so many did just that suggests that they are rather peeved with the current situation. Will this change the plans of the Bushies? Probably not. Even if this changed the mind of one person, or maybe conveyed to them that these issues are serious to us, then I think the protest was successful. Also, as someone at the protest pointed out, we protest against this regime while we still can. And if there ever comes a time when we cannot, then we have truly lost. I would rather my voice be heard before it is silenced than to have never raised it at all.
"it's good attaching a face to a fellow blogger."
It is. Has anyone told you you have an uncanny resemblance to Charles Darwin?
You're actually the first.
I guess I totally need to shave. Beginning to look a bit like Methuselah.
Protests may not "produce" anything, but we did get some media attention at the rally.
Unlike during the Clinton years, where a large protest could reverse a policy immediately [after all, Clinton wanted support from both parties], or even bring forth a response, the Bushies care nothing about public opinion. They've accomplished their radical push: a fanatical base, two new Supreme Court justices, the death of taxes for the wealthy, and enough laws passed that it will take the Democrats years to accomplish anything.
Also, as someone at the protest pointed out, we protest against this regime while we still can. And if there ever comes a time when we cannot, then we have truly lost.
So true. Do you remember the law put into effect during the Republican National Convention? We're on our way there. Once they restrict where and when we march, it's only a matter of time. Perhaps I'm a bit pessimistic, but I think the act of protest has lost its edge during Republican control.
Tune,
Clinton was a wheeler and dealer, and considering the amount of crap he had to go through while in office, I'm amazed he was able to pass as many laws as he did. I don't agree with all of his policies ("free" trade), but I can't help but admit that he was a great politician (which may or may not be a compliment).
The free speech zones? Yes, I remember seeing those online, and nowhere else in the media. THAT is what's scary. This administration has been curtailing rights ever so slowly and quietly that people hardly notice. Hitler and his people moved a lot quicker, or so it seems in hindsight. Bush and his goons don't work so blatantly, but that is just fine, as after a few terrorists attacks, all those sneaky laws that were passed "to fight terror" will go into effect and we have the roundups and the extraditions, etc. And when you are either with them or against them, that makes some of us legitimate targets.
Thanks mookie, but I think the people on the steering committee are modeling it after a successful coop venture in New York (website here) with a membership of about 13,000 members. They used to be a part of it I believe.
I've put up a bunch of fliers for the coop around the city, but I need to get my ass in gear and get to a committee meeting.
And when you are either with them or against them, that makes some of us legitimate targets
Following another terrorist attack, it seems like the adminstration would have a rather easy time if they decided to seriously restrict the rights of "godless atheists" and "red commies", since our lack of "values" must make us sympathetic to the terrorists.
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