Like I said in another thread, these people need to pick better battles...this kind of protest does nothing but get people mad at you for blocking the street. -Adam
Apparently they missed the story about the human shield who ran in front of a bulldozer. It's only a matter of time until some guy in a fit of road rage tests his new tires on their skulls.
Yea, I agree with the protestor who said, "no one listens to us, so civil disobediance is the next step." Fine, civil disobediance is a fine thing, but don't stand in traffic and foul up a city. All it does is make you look desperate for attention and foolish. Protestors tried the same thing in Chicago a week back and the same result: they were laughed at, cuffed, and thrown into the paddywagon. Like I have said from the beginning, if you want to make a statement that will stick in everyone's minds, chug some gasoline, and light yourself aflame. I mean, no one ever forgot the monk who did it way back when. It's a powerful message and you will make Darwin proud
What the hell do you think civil disobedience is? I certainly wasn't out there, and I really don't know if I would or wouldn't use the same tactic to protest this war, but don't be dumb.
Like effing up traffic for people who may agree with you. Civil disobedience doesn't need to be counterproductive. But I guess that's part of their strategery.
How would you propose carrying out 'civil disobedience', then? I suppose they could all light a candle and leave it down around Union Square or something more civil and less disobedient like that. But that's an ambiguous statement, and ambiguous statements are not what the protesters are after. I thought civil disobedience = breaking a law through nonviolent protest and mucking things up a little. That's just what they did, and I just can't imagine too many anti-war types changing their stripes because they got stuck in backed-up traffic in Midtown this afternoon.
Ugluk said it right. It's counterproductive. They aren't swaying anyone by doing this, and the only thing that is focused on it how stupid it makes them look. There must be other forms of civil disobedience that would allow them to get their point across a little bit better and make it the main focus of a story instead of the '200+ people arrested for snarling NY traffic at morning rush-hour' part.
Not to mention the fact that clogging up the streets prevents ambulances and fire trucks from getting thru. How much more blood do these protestors want on their hands?
They made the news and it was something different than the typical anti-war protest. Mission accomplished for the protesters. And God forbid that this war should actually affect daily life. I mean, watching it on TV is fine and all, but to actually have to deal with an inconvenience and slow-down in traffic, what is this world coming to?
It just kills me that our guys are over in Iraq laying their lives on the line, living literally day to day to basically protect our way of life and these idiots acknowledge it by making nuisances of themselves. And 50,000 more of these morons are expected to demonstrate in Boston tomorrow. Pathetic fools.
So then you support the "right" of protestors to prevent ambulances and fire trucks from reaching their destinations? Alex
Yes. I also support the right of emptying sports stadiums to prevent ambulances and fire trucks from reaching their destinations. And funeral processions. And road crews. And VIP motorcades. And the farmer dude in D.C. who shut down 10 city blocks with a single tractor. He's my new hero.
The thing is there's a time and a place for everything and the time for these type protests I think has passed. They've made their point. And according to the polls approximately 30% of the country agrees with them.
Actually, I believe those men are laying down their lives to protect our right to protest, speak out, and fight for what we believe in just as they are protecting our way of life. Protesting the war should never be confused with lack of value for life or for those who are fighting. Unfortunately, the illogical jump is being made between opposing the war and hoping that we lose, that our troops die horrible deaths, and that we who oppose the war do not respect the bravery and professionalism of our military. The wonderful thing about freedom is that you can hold your own opinions, express them, and still consider those who disagree with you to be your countrymen and your friends. If everybody thought alike, we would be robots.
Get ready for it.... Or, 65% of those who aren't ignorant enough to think Saddam was responsible for 9-11 agree with them.
Last night I worked late and got home and the familly was asleep. I made me two sandwiches, which I shouldn't have, and ate them while I watched BBC. I flipped around and saw a tad of Conan, and some King of the Hill. I thought that it was great to go to sleep not worring about much. I contrasted that with the family living in Baghdad, perhaps terrorised into not only not leaving Baghdad, but also hearing stories about how the US was going to have to worry less about pinpoint bombing and more about leveling the city to get rid of the fighters therein. Point being, those people are ************ed and I am not. You guys seem to be focusing on the protesters v. the us troops and that's not what I think about at all. My thoughts, if I were to protest, would be against the politicians in Washington and for the people who are going to die in this conflict, especially those who don't support Saddam. (That is our own soldiers and the innocent non-combatants in Iraq for those of you keeping score.) Those people, in and of themselves, justify the protest. As to the ambulance issue, sure, the ambulances should go through. As to the motive of the protesters, I am kind of sick of the good ol' days syndrome about how Vietnam protests were more legitimate. Hell, if I had lived during that time I probably would have gone to the protests just to see if I could get laid. Many of these protesters have good hearts, most probably are as screwed up as the rest of us. The point being, this war is a cost benefit analysis. I am not ready to say one side wins. But what we can say is that the cost to the US WILL be 1) strained international relationships and 2) the loss of innocent, terrorized Iraqis and US soldiers. And that to me makes any protest justified.
I think he was referring to the idiot who stepped in front of a bulldozer attempting to stop it, but who the driver didn't see... Or the 'peace protestors' who turn violent and get into fights with cops, pro-troop protestors, people on the street, etc.
completely innocent people in iraq are being slaughtered in their own homes and you're whining about the protestors disrupting the afternoon commute. boo facking hoo.
There are such things as 6th avenue, broadway, madison, park, lexington etc that emergency vehicles can always use. It ain't a one road town. The thought of anything besides complete gridlock stopping emergency vehicles in manhattan is ridiculous.
Yes, "slaughtered." If anything, they are being slaughtered by the Saddam Fedayeen. Last time i checked, we didn't send Einsatzgruppen into Umm Qasr or Basra to kill whatever moved. Thanks for playing