|
2001-11-12 / 7:42 p.m. ~The Reluctant Activist~ I almost wrote in my diary last night. I mean I had it started, had about a paragraph or two, then changed my mind. I didn't feel like getting into it. "It" being a debate I was involving myself in, on the Coalition's list serve. It's a Yahoo Groups thing, you sign up and get bombarded with emails, sort of a cross between a message board and a newsgroup. Either way, I am such a hothead I really need to stay off these things�but do I ever learn? Uh�no. Right, so I will touch on it briefly (or maybe not quite so briefly), and boringly, for documentation purposes�it goes like this: some kids at the demonstration on Saturday, yeah, "kids", like early 20s, I'd guess, wore coverings over their faces, dressed all in black, members of a loose organization, if one could call it that, called the black bloc. If I get Google hits for this, I will not be happy. Anyway, these kids look for trouble, they court it, they are out for anarchy, chaos, mob rule, they not only disagree with government policy, they'd prefer to abolish government, and especially police force. Oh yeah, they toy with the police, antagonize them, taunt them, practically beg to be arrested. And Saturday, three of them were. I have no sympathy. Sorry. I'm on the fence about all this now, I really am. I hate what happened 9/11, I feel the pain those people feel, the horror, I watched "60 Minutes" last night, a feature about the volunteers working Ground Zero, that's "volunteers", people who've quit their jobs, who've sacrificed their personal lives, because they feel compelled to help. I don't want to forget that there are still people sifting through rubble, collecting body parts. But I also don't want us to be bombing an entire country in the name of a war on a concept, "terrorism". This is a fallacy, this is unjust and a farce of bizarre proportions. So, I demonstrate, I carry signs, hold onto banners, march in streets if there's a permit, on the sidewalk if there's not, and I chant, in unison with others, I flash peace signs, I call out for fairness in media representation, but I do not condone taunting of our protectors. Call me old fashioned, but I still believe the policeman is our friend. I've turned to police when I've been afraid, when the duplex I lived in had an intruder inside. I was afraid, and when the police came in to help me I was glad. I'm glad the police are helping in NYC, I feel so sorry for the losses they've experienced in their own ranks. I have nothing against the men in blue. I have seen footage from historical marches/rallies/demonstrations, police turning German Shepherds and fire hoses on blacks during the Civil Rights Movement, police beating protestors with clubs during the Democratic Convention in '68, yeah, I've seen them afraid, the police, I've seen them fill up with hate and drunk with power, but only on film. As I stood peacefully on the sidewalk Saturday, a cop taking pictures of me and everyone else, I felt no fear, no hatred, no animosity. I had nothing to hide. Now, on the list serve, I'm being accused of being "dangerously naive" for thinking police won't harass someone who has nothing to hide, someone who has done nothing wrong. Dangerously naive? Me? Huh? So someone from the action center wrote that if I don't have a problem with showing my face so that my picture may be taken, or notes may be written regarding my appearance, then it follows that I wouldn't have a problem with wiretapping, or internet surveillance, or any other civil intrusion. Insert a long and drawn out sigh right about here� That pissed me off, that really pissed me off. I know the guy who wrote it, he is not even a citizen of this country. But he was due to be at last night's meeting, and I was running late, on my third load of laundry, my bath awaiting me, my stomach deciding to rail against me last minute in a premenstrual upset, and then this email, this nastiness, this attack on me for seeing the ridiculousness of it all. And suddenly, last night, I wondered if I can keep this up. If I can be an "activist" at all. I'm not an anarchist, I'm all for law and order, I love our justice system�when it works. Contrary to what anyone who reads this believes, I LOVE this country, both for its physical beauty and its freedoms afforded. But a lot pisses me off, and I am so thankful I can protest. I know in other countries they are shot on sight for protesting, or held in prisons, and not just for wearing masks, for leafletting, but for any number of other ridiculous charges. I simply do not condone these kids who want to make a big splash, the ones who I saw actually prowling at the demo on Saturday, their faces shrouded in scarves, bandanas, etc. They were out for trouble and they deserved what they got. Yes, I believe this. And I stood peacefully, and no cops came close to hassling me. Call me dangerously naive if you insist. I call me cautious. I call me law abiding�when in public. See why this was hard to write? It's still hard to write. There is so much to say, it is too much, too detailed, too controversial, and to be attacked for it, well, we all know how I always feel I am being attacked for this and that, especially when it comes to the 'net, but I know these people in the Coalition and the action center, and they are awfully young. If anyone is naive, it might be them, to think they can overthrow our government. Maybe they should go to some Communist country and try it there. I don't think George W. is ready for a coup. Not by some skinny young men who "want to remain anonymous". I would say to those kids, "Don't you want those Klan members to take off their masks and show their neighbors who they really are? Then why is it alright for YOU to cover YOUR face? What do YOU have to hide?????". Whew. It makes me really mad, this issue. Really mad. This morning on the way to work I began to sing that Sesame Street song, I can't remember which muppet sings it�"It makes me mad - very angry, very, very angry - real mad - very angry, very, very angry - real mad - very angry, very, very angry - real mad�.", etc. You'd have to hear the melody, it's real cute. Insert another sigh here, okay? Okay. The "I Love Lucy" 50th Anniversary Special last night was pretty good. And strangely enough, I found myself laughing out loud at the same old scenes I've seen hundreds of times already, the "Vitameatavegamin" scene, the grape stomping scene, the stupid chocolates on the conveyor belt scene, the giving birth to Little Ricky scene, well, going to the hospital anyway. All of it, hilarious, I laughed in spite of myself. That show is home to me. It will always be in my life, it will always be on TV, somewhere. It was great to see Luci Arnaz and Desi Jr. too, although Desi looked ill, like he's suffered some kind of disease, or is currently suffering it. It was kind of disturbing. I remember thinking he was kind of hot when I was a little kid, but he had this chubby face, and now he is positively gaunt and gray. Luci looks fab though! Today, I was telling Lulu how I finally watched "24" last night. It was repeated on the F/X channel, and I only fell asleep very briefly. Something about that show makes me fall asleep. I don't know, it's a puzzle. But I'm telling her about the plane blowing up at the end, I think, and V. says a plane crashed in New York. I think she's talking about the show, or something, and she cranks up her radio and Lulu runs to her cube to hear, this look of panic on her face. Panic and OMIGOD, this is it, more TERRORISM. I just said, "Calm down, don't panic, I'm sure it's nothing, it's not terrorism, just relax." It was rough for a minute or two. I refused to get into it, almost didn't want to hear about it. I am so glad I don't live in New York City right now! Those poor, poor people, really. I feel so sorry for them. But it wasn't terrorism, it couldn't be. That plane held citizens from the Dominican Republic, not America. I told Lulu. And she thinks it's Jews, because there are Jews in that part of New York. I say, "Lulu, it's not Jews! It's not terrorism, do you WANT it to be terrorism??". Come on already. Uneventful day, aside from all of that. Still some smack going on with the list serve, and I'm about to check out the emails when I finish writing this. I don't want to participate anymore. I skipped the meeting last night because of it, and the stomach thing, and the laundry thing, and I was late, and I didn't want to be late, and I wrote to one person to tell him to use my photos for the web site, but I lied and told him I skipped the meeting because I was sick, and he wrote today to tell me to feel better. I'm not one of them. I can't hate the police, I can't fight for anarchy. I know, they're not all like that. But I don't want to be around the kids who are like that. I like the older folks, the ones in their 50s, the ones who protested Vietnam, those people are real, they are logical, and intelligent, the rest are just looking for a cause to sink their teeth into, and they don't seem to care what it is. They just want a fight. Oh, another veer off topic�Publix had all their Thanksgiving pre-made meals out today, turkeys, hams, all cooked, green bean casseroles, etc., and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was playing on a jukebox, yeah, a JUKEBOX, and there were candy canes and holiday food everywhere. It was great! I wanted to buy everything, but I was just on my lunch break. Tomorrow they're having some kind of Holiday thing, I guess with free samples or something. I hope I don't forget to go! Okay, one final addition to this very long entry - here is a quote, name removed to protect the one who wants to remain anonymous (but his name is plastered all over a list seve with close to 150 members all receiving emails!): _____ was not just wearing a bandana- his head was wrapped in a kaffiyeh. To me it was a statement of solidarity with Arab people, especially those struggling for their freedom in Palestine. It was a brave, and wonderful image that said "I'm not afraid to be identified with the people that the racist state has labeled as terrorists and I defend their cultural rights." I have no way of knowing why _____ decided to wear the kaffiyeh but that's what it meant to me and I wholeheartedly defend him in his action. In general I support the wearing of masks and other self-defense measures to maintain anonymity. Those who think that "peaceful" protests and protestors who "aren't doing anything wrong" aren't targets for police violence and harassment- I'm sorry but you are dangerously naive. The guy had it COVERING his face, from the eyes down - excuse me, but that is NOT how the men wear them in Arab countries. They cover the head and neck, not the mouth. He was trying to be cool, trying to hide his face, and I saw him prowling as the spoken word/performance art stuff was going on. The girl who wrote this email is very young, and highly intolerant. I know this because I was at a Coalition meeting and made some suggestions, and all she could do was roll her eyes and laugh. She is not a good person, has really bad vibes, and I no longer attend those meetings because of her and a few others. Anna agrees with me about the Coalition people. Seriously. I find this quote so interesting - she says she doesn't know why he wore it, the covering, but it means so much, to her - she is interpreting it for her own use. Crazy. Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)
Recent Entries: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - 9:44 a.m. , Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Dead Black Cat - 9:07 a.m. , Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 As Seen From Outer Space - 1:07 a.m. , Saturday, Dec. 05, 2009 I Survived to Tell the Tale - 7:29 a.m. , Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 Reading My Life - 12:55 p.m. , Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 
  |