Oct. 14, 2002 - 21:18 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Heard

Robyn Blumner of the St. Petersburg Times has an article in our paper this morning the title is, "Keeping Protesters Out Of Sight." Wherein it mentions the practise of putting protesters behind fences, barricades, etc. and keeping them from peacefully protesting in the sight and hearing of those who should see and hear those protests. Seems to be country wide too.

Robyn Blumner says, "In the past, courts have ruled protest pens invalid. Americans have a right to address grievances to their president when he appears in public, even if that ruins a particular "photo op." "My advice to Bush is to thicken his skin and work on the sagacity of his arguments."

This sort of thing worries me. I never have been one to get into one protest march or another, physical limitations preclude such activity on my part. The last thing where I participated was when Heather and I picked out a spot on East Colfax Avenue and spent most of a day there, two of the many who did so, to show support for our service men serving in the Gulf War. That was not a protest against government but a protest against the fallacious philosophy that our service men were somehow responsible for the whole schmear.

My protests are now confined to my diary. This one, right here. I seem to be bringing up some of the same points over and over. One of them -- no two of them, are civil rights and freedom of speech. In this instance I think both are being spit on by officialdom.

It seems to me that as long as the protests are peaceful (I didn't say silent) anyone should be able to protest anything within sight and hearing of officialdom.

I don't mean these rabid anti-abortionists who line the entrance to clinics, close enough to folk going in there that protesters can pluck at their sleeves and restrain them, there should be the establishment of a short buffer zone between protesters and others, still in sight and hearing yet far enough separated that people going in or out can't be plucked at or clawed. Or some of the same folks who picket the home of a doctor who performs abortions (In my mind, that is disturbance of the peace in a residential neighborhood). I see no reason to restrain the people from lining the streets anywhere, anytime to protest whatever. Have their signs waving and being vocal.

The thing that gets me is the practise of this pushing protesters off away from those who should hear what they have to say. Personal protesting sure beats polls to my way of thinking. Its a perfect right of any of us to do so I think. The countrywide operation of sidelining protesters away from routes and public buildings is despicable to my mind.

Who are the folks that cause this to happen ? From where does the pressure come ? Secret Service ? FBI ? Who has the power and influence to cause such things to happen in city after city ?

Is this accomplished by threats to city officials and law enforcement folk ? Hasn't it occurred to any of the movers and shakers that preventing dissent by peaceful protests can only cause an increase the numbers of dissenters ?

I am Mr. John Q. Peon (one of many) and I resent any one trying to put me in the herd when what I want, is to be Heard . . . . . . . .

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