[lit-ideas] Re: Convention

More from NYC.

yrs,
andreas
www.andreas.com


Hi all,

I'm in New York at the GOP Convention and have just been scanning a few 
TV stations. The coverage is horrible. Approximately 500,000 people 
flooded the streets of NY on Sunday. Grandmas, kids, conservatives, 
etc...but the media focused on a few arrests and a paper mache dragon 
that was set on fire for 10 minutes.

Last night, my boyfriend and I met up with two Bay Area people (one 
holding an anti-Bush sign) and decided to walk around Madison Square 
Gardens and Times Square. We stumbled upon a GOP party at a hotel. A 
slew of delegates were in front. It's not everyday that we're 
surrounded by Republican in San Francisco, so we decided to walk by and 
were immediately accosted by about 10 cops - one rushed us with a billy 
club. I'm holding a laptop in one hand and my boyfriend's in the other. 
No bandanas or signs. Apparently, we entered the "frozen zone." The 
cops told us the Secret Service doesn't want anyone with an anti-Bush 
sign or shirts to enter the "delegate area." This was on the sidewalk!! 
They threatened to arrest us if we didn't leave the scene immediately.

Then we met a girl who stood outside of the same hotel  for three hours 
holding a sign that read: "My Mom Earns $5.15/hour - My dad's job was 
outsourced - They have no healthcare - Thanks Mr. President" - she was 
told she couldn't hold her sign directly in front of the hotel and was 
almost arrested - she cried and was finally allowed to hold her sign 
down the street from the hotel because "I'm 5'2 and white." We rode 
with her on the train and a few delegates accused her of lying. "Your 
mom doesn't make $5.15/hour."

Needless to say, I was shocked.

If you'd like to read about what's really happening at the convention 
and on the streets, check out:
http://democracynow.org/
Also, Your Call is about to air - we'll have a bunch of guests from the 
streets. We'll also be talking to a gay rights group who said they 
didn't put a lot of resources into sending members to NY because they 
didn't want to abide by the "free speech zone" laws and knew they 
wouldn't get much press.
The Log Cabin Republicans are deciding whether they will endorse Bush.
http://www.logcabin.org/logcabin/index.html

Yesterday we spoke to everyone from Republicans for Choice to the 
Christian Coalition about the GOP platform. The editors of American 
Conservative Magazine - Pat Buchanan's magazine - came on to say 
they're voting Democrat for the first time.
http://www.amconmag.com/
http://www.yourcallradio.org/

We're meeting a lot of great people from the Bay Area.

-Rose

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