DNC CONVENTION- DAY 2
BOSTON-DAY 2
The big event today was the International ANSWER march on the DNC. Before I get into the details, I must say- my respect for Answer went down a few notches, today. The march was dominated by extremist organizations that did little to improve the image of the anti-war movement- in fact- it hurt it.
Anarchists, revolutionary socialists, and communists spent a great deal of their time chanting "communist revolution now!", and a great majority of the speakers at the pre-and-post march speakers encouraged apathy by denouncing the democratic process in general, saying words to the effect that our democratic process was so corrupt, that there was no point in voting at all.
I have ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT for that kinda talk, and even less tolerance. I have a millionij times more respect for a die-hard Bush supporter that votes, than someone who spends all of their waking hours, scribbling marginalia in "das Kapital", and "a critique of pure reason."
To such types, I say- go out, get a danged job, and start spending a few hours a week trying to IMPROVE the world about you, rather than immersing yourself in philosophy that's as detatched from reality as I am from underarm deoderant. I believed in alla that "revolution now" crap, when I was 14, and ya know what? I GREW UP! You're expecting the largest capitalist nation on earth (in which 45% of the folks out there are so wrapped up in TV to vote) to suddenly explode in a SOCIALIST REVOLUTION?
HELL-O!!!! ANYONE HOME?
But enough about that...
The most exciting event of the day started before the march began. As I arrived at the Boston Common assembly area, I noticed something of a commotion- no- a HUGE commotion. About 100-plus folks were clustered together, cameras rolling and snapping, and a great deal of yelling. Naturally, this is the sorta thing I'm looking for.
Turns out, a skinhead anti-abortion protestor had thrown a substance he claimed was fetal blood at one of the tables. Nuts- indeed. Among the news organizations in attendance was, of course, Fox "news", and this evening, They did include it in their local evening news. However- they didn't mention the blood, and just reported it as a case of "evil, bad, unamerican protestors beating up an innocent pro-lifer. I regret that I didn't get any still images of the incident, but I did shoot a bit of video- which will be posted as soon as I can get it formatted, post-convention.)
I must admit, BTW- I'm learning more about the fine art of shooting video, every day- thank goodness I got a tripod on loan from the campaign media department- because otherwise, I'd be doomed, quality wise (my hands are quite unsteady...)
The most interesting new development in Boston, today, is the sudden appearance of national guard/army troops, decked out in full camo. We all knew they were coming (see update below), but it was an interesting addition to the boston atmosphere. They weren't in abundance- the majority of the security forces in town were the local cops, decked out in an outfit that reminded me of "starship Troopers." No doubt, these uniforms were designed to be both functional, in a riot situation, but also intimidating as all hell.
Bteween the riot shirlds covering their faces, to their impossibly thick body armor, to their freaky "Judge Dredd" style boots, these guys look like they could stop a mack truck. In addition, Boston cops in standard uniform were out in force, on horseback, bike, and on foot. Dozens of police and prison vehicles patrolled the streets- some were apparent- with "Department of corrections" painted on their sides- some were ominous, unmarked black vehicles, obvious only on account of their number. There were also a number of empty school busses.
However, despite both of these security elements being out in force, there was no violence, whatsoever- the evening news reported only one arrest. The police did nothing to impede or restrict the march, other than standard crowd control. In fact, columns of starship troopers marched alongside the protest, every step of the way. The only major restriction was when the march arrived at the fleet center, where the true spectacle of the security became apparent...
I had heard that the street in front of the fleet center had been shut off. I figured that just meant that the road was blocked, with tank catchers on each end- not so.
Along the entire block facing the Fleet Center, was a 12-foot high solid-chain-link fence, and to greet the march, was a triple phalanx of starship troopers, along with secret service agents, and sharpshooters above, on a catwalk, armed with tear gas and automatic rifles.
Secure, indeed...
It was pretty plain what the plan was, among the security forces: intimidate, with an overwhelming show of force, but maintain a hands-off approach. The last thing that the democratic party wants is another 1968-style fracas on the eve of their convention.
Overall, it was a busy day- but a productive one. On the upsaide, I've captured a good 20 minutes of useable footage (out of over an hour of tape.) On the downside, I'm writing this at 2:30 AM in the morning, while compiling a video intro for the Boston Social Forum footage, using a computer and software that are new to me. I'm dead-dog tired, my feet and hands are developing blisters, my back is killing me, and I have a sunburn that's gonna start flaking tomorrow. The scary thing is:
THE CONVENTION HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET.
Tomorrow, I'm going to be doing video shoots at an ACLU event, and doing a clandestine mission- not a very exciting one, but of a nature that I cannot discuss, in this forum- nothing nasty, or illegal, or even worth the notice of the Tom Ridge drones who monitor this site- I just can't talk about it in public...
But anyhoo, folks- I'm danged tired- I have a feeling I'll be posting a comprehensive wrap-up, once I get home. I thought this would be a working vacation- but it's turned out to be more work than avaction, and I'm having to glean time to do updatyes, when I can. The convention starts tomorrow, and the grapevine says that Dennis will be getting prime-time minutes- I hope- sincerely hope- that this will be my ticket onto the floor- but only time will tell...
Until tomorrow...