Flutterby™! : It has begun 2003-03-20 17:57:18.324799+00

It has begun

2003-03-20 17:57:18.324799+00 by Dan Lyke 5 comments

I understand the reaction of anger. I think that's a lot of what has us attacking Iraq when the Osama bin Laden issues remain unresolved. What I don't understand is why people think that acting like an asshole promotes peace.

"We don't want to alienate people. I hope people realize that political murder merits action that inconveniences them," said Quinn Miller, 32...

Inconvenienced for what? So that "150-200 protesters, carrying banners with the image of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara" can tie up traffic and cause the associated rise in pollution that all those cars stopped and idling bring? Oh yeah, that guy sure kept "political murder" to a minimum. I'm sorry, but this morning's actions in San Francisco have pushed me that much further towards being "for" the war, if we don't have enough information to make the decision on the merits of the data and simply have to side with the people who seem sanest in this moment, then cry "havoc" and let slip the dogs.

All I have to say about the war is "FINALLY!" We've all known that war was coming, and whether you agree with it or not, you should be relieved that it's this much closer to being over. It's time to put down your "No Blood For Oil" signs and go home. And hope and pray that our troops will be able to go home too.

We've had lots of sirens and police traffic today. I just took a walk around the block to get outside, and there are 3 helicopters hovering over the Financial District, with another helicopter and an airplane flying circles around them. There's a hook and ladder truck parked in the bus zone on the corner, and a lot of bus traffic a few blocks off from their usual route, obviously bypassing the blockades.

We had some protesters in Atlanta as well. The linked story puts the numbers at about 25 at 11:00am but they had swelled to a couple of hundred by 5:00pm and then they took to the streets instead of the sidewalks. I think that for many of them its just a way for them to piss people off and claim to have a reason for it. Assholes are like that, yeah they are.

Day two: Much smaller. I walked from the ferry to the office in hopes of seeing some of the protests, I saw a few folks gathered behind the old Mint building, and a big convoy of cop cars that passed me twice (might have been different vehicles). I apparently missed the big gathering by starting up Market Street rather than Mission.

Walked by the Justice Building for lunch, a distinctly different kind of crowd loitering outside than are usually there, and I overheard a few snippets of conversation that told me most of them were probably just released.