April 04, 2004
Protesting the Protestors
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| Bigots |
I went to New Paltz today to protest Phelps. I found it rather troubling that, of all my gay friends, it was me, the dominantly straight member of the troup that actually hauled my ass out of bed at 7:00am (8:00am with the daylight's savings thing) and demonstrated on behalf of the forces of Good.
I met Erik in front of the Guilded Otter, where supposedly the Otter himself was making gyrating hip movements in front of Phelps' crew. There was some organized chanting on our side of the street. Police were keeping the Phelps crew (henceforce referred to as "the protestors") on one side of the street and our crew ("the counter-protestors") on the other. Really, there was no chance of riots. As my brother says, everyone in New Paltz gets laid often enough that they don't boil over about anything.
I should also mention that there were a lot more counter-protestors than protestors, but I suppose that in a town like New Paltz, that makes sense.
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| Case in point |
When Phelps' gang moved over to a (non-baptist) church on the other side of town, we followed. Out came Rose, the church's choirmaster, to lead the Counter-Protestors in a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace. Apparently, it really gets on the Baptists' nerves to sing gospel tunes at them. In response, they sang America the Beautiful at us, but they forgot the words. Oops.
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| Right on, sister. Although I'm not gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. |
It was actually kind of sad to go the whole affair. I've heard that these people bring their kids, and it is the truth. Nothing makes me more afraid than seeing a 4 year-old holding a sign that says "God Hates Fags".
Anyway, if you're interested in hurling insults at racists and bigots, check out the Phelps congregation schedule.
| TrackBackProbably to go along with their signs: "God Hates America." I didn't get any pictures of those though. While there were only a dozen of so protestors, most of them were behind the police (the police politely pulled their vans in front of the protestors :)).
Posted by: Reid on April 5, 2004 12:15 PMThe girl with the sign "Protests are Gay" reminds me of a sign I saw at the protest on the Boston Common the night that the MA Legislature was voting on constitutional ammendments. It was "God Hates Bad Signage"
That still makes me chuckle when I think about it.
Posted by: Henry on April 5, 2004 08:10 PMPost a comment
Further back...
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Previous Trips...
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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The Curve of Binding Energy
John McPhee follows famous physicist Ted Taylor in this piece that was -- and probably still -- ahead of its time.
Originally published in 1973, McPhee outlined the coming security and environmental issues surrounding the plutonium enrichment processes. For the most part, though, McPhee invites the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, although he does point out the ease with which any number of people could obtain the material (though not necessarily the manufacturing prowess) to make an atomic weapon.
The question still sits in my mind after reading -- are we being too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?
Rated 
by reid
on October 01, 2007
by reid
on October 01, 2007
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Zodiac
Zodiac touts itself as an 'eco-thriller,' and it is just that. Told from the first-person perspective of ST (or Sangamon Taylor), the book recounts a roughly six-month period of his life busting big corporations for violating environmental laws.
Not the tree-hugging political activist type, ST is equipped with chem labs, scuba divers, maps, and an organization (GEE International, the Group of Environmental Extremists) that masterfully brings the press into the fold to scare the public with the very real dangers posed by illegal dumping. It's sort of a Sierra Club member's wet dream -- a band of ecowarriors that actually get things done.
ST finds something odd happening in Boston Harbor during his tale: a new form of pollution that could poison everyone on the planet in a matter of weeks. His quest to uncover exactly who and what is causing the latest spike in toxins goes all the way up to the President of the United States, and could end up costing him his own life.
While a neat and fast-paced tale, the novel drags on a bit toward the end, begging disbelief from even the most forgiving sci-fi folk. While not as good as his latest offerings, it's still a great read for those that enjoy a good Stephenson novel (or even those who don't).
Rated 
by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005
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Cat's Cradle
A few years ago, I attempted to woo an online datee, and she immediately criticized me for my politics. I protested the war on Iraq, which was "a shame." She defended her position of complete noninvolvement by standing behind Vonnegut.
It may seem odd to open a review that way. My assumption is now not that she was an idiot, but that she had only read Cat's Cradle, and only with a rather odd viewpoint.
Cat's Cradle looks at a cold-war world where the personifications of religious, political, and scientific single-mindedness collide to destroy the world.
Vonnegut tells a masterful tale, but it makes me wonder what one person's indifference would do to prevent us from all dying? So for now I will continue to unblindly stop unjust wars, even while I'm only reading.
Rated by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005
Ummh, why are the protestors dragging their flags on the ground?
Posted by: Stephen on April 5, 2004 11:36 AM