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2001-11-10 / 6:42 p.m. ~It's too hot for November~ How's that for a fairly innocuous entry title? Well, it was really warm today, way too warm, and it hasn't rained for like a year or something, so there are wildfires burning in the mountains (and why do they always let us know that no People have died, but not how many animals have perished?????). It was a perfect day for a demonstration at CNN. Yeah, baby! I drove around downtown for a fucking half hour trying to find free parking. My city has changed, much for the worse in some ways, one of which is parking. They have put up no parking signs everywhere! Every street. Every other street is one way only, always going the wrong way, never what you need, the parking lots are very expensive, $5-$12, and that's on a non-event day. This is Saturday too, people, what the fuck? So I was worried about being late, had to park like 1/2 mile or more from the park, but still I got there before the march started. Met up with a couple people, okay, the only other people, from the Action Center, the old activist people, the ones who've been demonstrating since the Vietnam war. I offered to carry an end of a giant banner and off we went. About 75 people, mostly college kids, quite a few anarchists, dressed in black, some girls with odd hair, one with pink, very short, one white girl with dreads, long blonde dreads. Very few African Americans, but they were vocal, one had a sign which read: "The Media is FUCKING us!". We marched, very haphazardly I thought, considering we had no permit and had to stay on sidewalks. A beautiful sunny day, lots of people at the tourist attractions downtown, oh so surprised and baffled and whatever else, to see us. We chanted, "Half the story, all the time, CNN!" and "CNN lies, Afghani babies die", etc. It was militant, it felt great, people stopped and listened, they watched us, they filmed us, cameras everywhere. By the time we got to CNN the police took note. Mostly because we were spilling into the street. We were so well behaved, yet one cop saw fit to aim his camera's lens at us all, as if he were filming - and it was a still camera. It was too funny. Several of us took pictures of him, just because it was too funny. Two other cops held little notepads, took copious little notes. One told a TV reporter she had to cross the street in the crosswalk when she tried to jaywalk. She asked his name, wrote it down, his badge number, etc. It was hilarious. The same TV cameraman who covered our march on the 27th of October was there again. Another showed up late. There were "speakers" and performance art, some spoken word stuff, people with cardboard televisions over their heads, cutouts for their faces, aluminum foil on the outsides. Like space TVs, or something. And I saw the woman with the little boy, the ones I'd snapped a photo of at the last march (I am guessing he is her son, but he accompanies her on demonstrations, helps her carry signs, must be 5 years old or so - too cute!), so I gave them a copy. I'd brought my pics with me just for that reason. I had a second set of prints made, so it was fun to find people I'd taken pictures of, like the man with the peace sign flag, married to the woman from "Communist China", and give them copies. He was proud to tell me he was introducing his wife to the joy of free speech! He shook my hand solidly, a compatriot, a comrade. As we rounded the corner to the famous CNN sign, the huge red letters on one side of the building, someone must've stepped off the curb, next thing any of us knew he was wrestled to the ground, several cops all on top of this skinny young man, because he had a bandana covering his face. It is a misdemeanor to wear a mask in public, unless on Halloween. I didn't know, but my banner carrying partner confirmed it. It's to put a curb on Klan marches. And maybe other things, I don't know. Still, it was violent, it scared people, it made others very angry, I took pictures and we all stopped to watch. Then it was chants of "Let him go! Let him go!", then two others were arrested, I believe for the same reason, we went over to the letters, the CNN sign, shouted "Let them go, FREE SPEECH!", or something. We stood for a long time there, hordes of tourists coming and going, groups of children, all kinds of folks, all so puzzled, but we were so peaceful. Then back to the park. It was fairly amazing, very exciting actually. It felt like we really made an impression. In fact.....when I checked the news, the local news, at 6:00....we were the LEAD STORY!!! Oh yeah! They were so fair, mentioned we stood for fairness in media representation, that we have a beef with CNN, claiming they are biased, and other news media too, they recorded our chants, showed us in the street, on the sidewalks, showed some of the spoken word stuff, and mentioned the arrests. It was a great little piece. I taped it, of course. Anna didn't show up. She is here on a Visa and I think she was very afraid of getting arrested. She knew there was no march/demo permit so she automatically thought that meant trouble. But it could hardly have been better. The arrests were misdemeanors, two, and one potential felony, I think, and they helped us get the coverage....sad, but true. Big splash today, big splash. Next weekend is the demo at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, the terrorist training ground, and I'm on the fence. I don't know enough about it, only rumors, I'm just not sure if I should go - last year Martin Sheen went, or was it the year before?, and the celebrity aspect drew media attention. I believe he was even arrested. It's a civil disobedience kind of thing, cross into the military installation even though it's forbidden, make a big stink, get arrested. I just don't think I want to do all that.......... We'll see. There's an action center meeting tomorrow and we'll focus on it, no doubt. But today was great, really great. Oh, aside from all that.....I had a strange dream this morning.....I was back at my house, the one I dream about, the one I lived in when I was a teenager, only in the dream, for the first time ever, it had hardwood floors. I was alone, but I could hear footsteps on the floors, shoes on the floor, sounds, sensations, but couldn't see anyone, noises all around me, I didn't want to be there, I wanted to wake up, I knew it was a dream, I began to slap my cheeks, trying to wake myself up, I SO wanted to be awake, and I think finally I switched to a different location. It was so vivid, so strange. And in the next dream I was on a side street looking for where I'd parked my car. As I drove around downtown this afternoon, for that half hour, I kept thinking of the dream, wondering if I'd lose my car. I got Thai takeout after work yesterday. I'm talking to Lulu again, and the temp, only because it's slow sometimes, we need to blow off steam, and P. is out of town. It was just Lulu, L., the temp and me, 5-6:00. Lulu even asks me questions, addresses me, and I think if only she would ask me what's wrong when I'm silent for an entire week, instead of ignoring me. I think if only she would ask what's wrong....I'm an open book, I'd tell her, but she...and everyone else, simply ignore me, tiptoe around me when I fall silent. So, I drove for the takeout, came home and pigged out, I'd felt really sick all day, like I was coming down with the flu, feverish, logy, weak, dizzy, and I joked that I have anthrax. "I don't feel good...I think I have anthrax." Yes, it's funny, anthrax is a joke, it's a conspiracy, don't you see??? To keep us all afraid so that we'll trust the government, let Bush do whatever he wants. Oh, you think that's crazy? Hah! Right, takeout, came home, stuffed myself silly on Basil Rolls, Chicken Coconut Milk Soup, Nam Sod, Salmon Curry and rice, stuffed. Lay on the sofa, Norma on my lap, watched "Dark Angel" for the first time this season, then went to try again to watch "24", right? I got to the same point as before, and fell fast asleep. Still haven't seen it. Slept on the sofa until like 2:00 or 3:00 this morning, got up, washed up, went to bed, and ironically...couldn't fall asleep. So, I watched "To Tell the Truth", and the movie "Safe", with Julianne Moore as a woman afflicted with "environmental illnesses". Heavy shit. Worst was that she was so meek! I hate to see weak, meek women portrayed on screen. She couldn't speak up for herself at all. It was horrible. Okay, towards the end she made things happen, but the opening scene with her husband fucking her, the shot looking above his back, watching her expression as she strokes his back, as if she is not enjoying it for a minute, as he thrusts into her until he comes. Horrible. Anway, I'm going to watch "Survivor" on tape now! I can't read Tattoobelly's entry until I do. I hope the demonstrators don't have to spend the night in jail........it's a misdemeanor, the mask thing, they must let them off. They must, right? I gave a couple bucks towards a fund to get them out. Wow, what a day. Cost of the War in Iraq
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