Two demonstrations in three days?
3 minute read
March 18, 2009, 4:50 AM
Yeah, I’m going to two demonstrations in about three days’ time, which is something unusual for me. Usually things aren’t spaced so closely, but this is what happens sometimes.
Thursday is the sixth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, and that day will be full of activism in DC for it. I’m planning to attend another Funk the War demonstration with DC SDS, and hopefully, unlike last year, all my equipment will come out intact this time. The Canon didn’t get to come out for the Anon raid last weekend, so Funk the War will be its first protest, provided the weather cooperates. According to AccuWeather, it will be in the mid-50s, and raining on and off throughout the day. Thus it might be Duckie’s time to shine again, but hopefully I’ll get to see how the Canon does in the bouncy conditions of a protest. Duckie, meanwhile, is a known quantity at protests, and does quite well in the daytime, as it was pressed into service, by necessity, as the primary camera for the NSM Counter-Protest last April.
Then on Saturday, March 21, there will be another march on the Pentagon, sponsored by ANSWER Coalition. This hopefully will not be a repeat of the March on the Pentagon from two years ago, but we shall see, I suppose. Recall that I described the previous Pentagon march as a poor idea, since it was in not-very-visible locations, and the final rally was in the Pentagon’s somewhat-isolated north parking lot – in front of an office building that would be mostly empty on the weekend. Of course, what a difference two years makes otherwise, though – last time, I had received numerous threatening messages from right-wing wackos just ahead of the event, and this time, I seem to have slipped in under the conservative radar. And when you consider that the de facto leader of the Republican party is Rush Limbaugh, of all people, they have more pressing matters to worry about than threatening activists. And with the right-wing wackos safely back on their medicine, AccuWeather indicates that it will be sunny and again in the mid-50s on Saturday. Excellent!
And when you consider the memories of the past two years, is it any wonder that I’m somewhat nervous about these two demonstrations? After all, I lost Big Mavica at the last Funk the War that I was at, and then the last Pentagon march I was in was during a rather tumultuous time in my life, with the aforementioned threatening messages, plus my departure from Wal-Mart. Thus the memories kind of cloud the present, but I am determined not to let that get in the way of my effort to get the best shots possible on both days.
And lastly, I finally replaced my red Chuck Taylors, which I’ve had since around March 2007. I got new, green Chucks to replace them, and they will likely enter service on Monday. The red ones have about two more wearings left in them, and I’ll bet you know what those wearings are for, too. The Pentagon march is particularly significant there, since the earlier Pentagon march was the first protest I took those old shoes to, and they will be the last. Seriously, the current plan is to take flip-flops along for Saturday’s demonstration in a bag, and then switch to them and toss the Chucks on site after the demonstration is over. And let’s admit – my red Chucks are basically finished, as they are literally falling apart, as there’s a big hole in the side of one shoe, numerous smaller holes, the soles are worn to the point of smoothness, and even the insole is starting to look worn out. And of course, they got a lot of use. They’ve been with me through the 2007 Pentagon march, the September 15 anti-war protest, October Rebellion, Funk the War 3, counter-protesting the Nazis, and countless Anon raids, along with regular everyday usage.
Web site: Jackie Chan is Chun Li... o_O
Song: Eh... whatever.
Quote: So there you go. See you in DC?