🚀 go-pugleaf

The right of protest is among the most fundamental rights and is required
for democracy to flourish. Like all rights, of course, the right to protest
is not an absolute right - yet one must have some ability to cause
discomfort to the object of the protest; else the action is meaningless.

Increasingly, police have been given carte blanche to confine protests to
"official protest areas" ...meaning, out of sight and out of mind.   This
nullifies the right of protest, in my opinion. I also suspect that the
police are aware that some of their actions violate the civil rights of
protestors, yet they feel that maintaining the status quo and quashing
opposition to established powers is worth the eventual loss of a few
lawsuits *years* down the road (when, in all likelihood, a different mayor
and different police chief will be in power, and will be able to shrug off
the episode as someone else's responsibility).

Even more disturbing than police conduct, however, is the apparent
complacancy and even complicity of the news media in DC, particularly
television.  Although I'll give them a bit more credit than the Seattle
people, we still must face the fact that press coverage was largely a mix of
official government press releases and supportive PR.   Thanks to C-SPAN, I
was aware that many of the groups involved had strong and valid points
regarding human rights and exploitation. Speakers from the AFL-CIO and
AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) made
cogent and well-reasoned arguments for opposition to the IMF. On these
subjects, television news was silent.

In view of all this, one wonders where all this so-called "liberal media"
must be hiding.  After all, are not liberals *supposed* to be supportive of
change (and the protest the must necessarily precede it) ..are they not the
ones who care about equality for all people, healthcare for the poor, and
other radical anti-American notions?   That's what liberals are supposed to
stand for.   I guess the the "liberal media" do a good job of hiding this
left wing bias.  Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly keep telling us that the
liberals control the media.  Funny how they *look* like the lapdogs of money
and power instead. Clever bastards, these liberals.


The Cranky Media Guy
http://www.crankymediaguy.com


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Stanley J. Broskey, Ph.D. <drsjb@email.msn.com> wrote in message
news:#PR4y0Sq$GA.305@cpmsnbbsa04...
> Who was 'out of control'? The protesters in DC, last weekend?  Or the DC
> police ???   Are Americans guaranteed the Right to Protest or have we
ceased
> to be a Democracy?
> drsjb
> forensic scientist
>
>