Lessons From A Little Night Demonstration. Did I go too far?

byronius

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Thu Feb-02-06 03:26 PM
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Lessons From A Little Night Demonstration. Did I go too far?

Showed up at the World Can't Wait demonstration during the SOTU at 16th and Broadway in Sacramento. I made a giant sign (see below). Made friends with an ACLU guy who was there, very nice man, well-read, thoughtful. He was a little uncomfortable with my message. I explained that I was an Abbie Hoffman Democrat, that I don't believe the protests were changing anyone's mind, and that I was there to speak truth and vent a little, so I don't go crazy. I suggested that a little shock value might crack a right-wing shell or two. He seemed to understand, offering up a statement suggesting that perhaps the time to be 'reasonable' had come and gone.

Later, a woman crossed the street from another corner of the protest. She asked me if I thought my sign was inflammatory, and counterproductive to the general cause. I explained myself again, but was met with flat disagreement. It made me contemplate my actions. Later, on a round-the-corners walk with the ACLU guy, the woman's partner made a cutting remark. "Are you crossing at the next light?", she asked. "Yes", I replied. "Good", she said, in a very, very nasty tone. Sheeesh.

I got a lot of honks, thumbs-up, and just a few middle fingers and 'FU's' -- it felt good just to be out there, holding down the reality island. Some very drunk, toothless man drove by shouting "F-UCK 'EM ALLLLL!!" One truck with a man and his seventeen-year-old son pulled up to the light and rolled down the window. "You're callin' me a gangster?", he said. The ACLU guy broke in. "Why are you a Republican?", he asked. The guy in the truck smiled. "No Taxes!", he said.

I responded. "No taxes, no teachers, no roads, no cops, no hospitals, no military, no nothing -- let's all get guns and shoot each other, and let the strongest man rule! Whooooo!" The guy in the truck rolled up his window and drove on. A few minutes later, I watched the man and his son cross the street, coming toward the island. The son had his hood pulled over his face and was in a slouch that made it clear this wasn't his idea. The man glowered at me, and I met his gaze. I was at least a foot taller than him -- he seemed to size me up, and decide against a confrontation. They continued on and disappeared.

A little later, I saw the woman and her partner across the street talking to other protesters. They seemed to be looking at me disapprovingly -- maybe I was paranoid, but I don't think so. The event left me feeling a little concerned. Had I gone too far with the sign? I'm an electronic election reform person -- that's my issue. Without verifiable voting, I don't think democracy works. I see it as a bottleneck affecting all other issues. I believe my message is factually correct -- but was the woman right? The sign says "Means", not "Are" -- I mean to say that the word 'Republican' is becoming synonymous with 'Gangster'. That's what the word means to me, now -- and it didn't necessarily mean that before the 2004 election. But they've gone so far, and been so radically dangerous to the very foundations of America -- did I go too far? Is it saying too much? Does reasonable logic really mean anything anymore, or are we really supposed to keep trying to maintain a one-sided dialog? I'm asking.