Bush made a correct PR choice of avoiding Philadelphia and seeking refuge in a well-secured military base in Ohio ("Mr. Bush won Ohio in 2000, roughly 50 to 46 percent, carrying its 21 electoral votes. According to the Almanic of American Politics, no Republican has ever been elected president without winning Ohio, which is considered the most Republican of the big industrial states," [Raymond Hernandez, "President Praises Troops in a Patriotic Speech in Ohio," _New York Times_, 4 July 2003, <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/04/national/04CND-BUSH.html>]). Had he stuck to his initial plan of attending the opening of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia (Cf. <http://www.justiceinjuly.org/press_release_0613.html>), he could have been symbolically slain (or literally "hit in the head and knocked to his knees" or worse) by a falling picture frame signifying the downfall of the US Constitution, while thousands protested his domestic and international policy around the Center.
***** New York Times July 5, 2003 Mishap Mars Opening of Constitution Museum By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, July 4 (AP) - The opening of the National Constitution Center, a museum devoted to the United States Constitution, was marred today when a huge wood and steel frame collapsed, injuring several people and narrowly missing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
The frame, which was at least 15 feet high, slowly toppled as the guests of honor at the ceremony pulled red, white and blue streamers that were supposed to trigger the drop of a screen at the museum's front entrance on Independence Mall.
Instead, the streamers pulled down the frame, which fell on Mayor John F. Street of Philadelphia, Senator Arlen Specter and other officials.
The crowd of 4,000 gasped as the frame came down around Justice O'Connor, who had counted down from three to start the ceremony.
Mr. Street and Mr. Specter were struck on the arms as they tried to fend off the falling structure. Joseph Torsella, president of the National Constitution Center, was hit in the head and knocked to his knees.
Mr. Torsella was woozy, but walked to an ambulance. He was treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and released. Mayor Street and a government worker were also treated for minor injuries....
Organizers said that when the guests pulled on the ribbons, a screen bearing a reproduction of the signing of the Constitution was to have dropped, revealing a newer painting underneath, with some of the celebrity guests standing in the places of the founding fathers.
A Constitution Center spokeswoman said officials were trying to determine what went wrong.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/05/national/05PHIL.html> *****
***** Saturday, Jul 05, 2003 Posted on Sat, Jul. 05, 2003
Frame's Fall Mars Opening By Jacqueline Soteropoulos and Anthony S. Twyman Inquirer Staff Writers
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor had just concluded her Liberty Medal speech....
But when she and the others - including Gov. [Edward G.] Rendell, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, and Mayor Street - simultaneously tugged metallic ribbons to simulate opening of the curtain, they instead pulled down a massive piece of the stage scenery, in the shape of a picture frame.
It struck Specter, Street and Joseph M. Torsella, Constitution Center president, injuring them slightly. The top beam of the frame, termed "very heavy" by Street, crashed to the floor directly in front of where O'Connor was seated in the first row.
"We could all have been killed there," O'Connor was overheard saying into her open microphone as she and the others looked in astonishment on the massive beam lying almost in their laps....
Rendell saw the structure falling and moved out of the way, but was sitting next to Torsella.
"He deflected it partially with his arm, but part of it hit him in the head... . Joe fell to his knees," Rendell said.
"I said, 'Joe, are you all right?' He said, 'No.'"...
Contact staff writer Jacqueline Soteropoulos at 215-854-4497 or jsoteropoulos at phillynews.com.
<http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6237037.htm> *****
***** Thousands protest near dedication of center As many as 5,000 gathered at Franklin Square and marched through Center City to oppose U.S. policies. By Martha Woodall Inquirer Staff Writer
While dignitaries marked the opening of the new National Constitution Center yesterday, several thousand of the hoi polloi marked the Fourth with a noisy, upbeat antiwar rally a block away at Franklin Square.
Afterward, in a march that snaked through the hot Center City streets, 3,000 to 5,000 demonstrators shook placards to a steady drumbeat and chanted: "Stop the crazy son of a Bush! Stop the war now!"
When the protest originally was scheduled, President Bush was expected to attend the Constitution Center's opening. He later decided to skip the celebration, but organizers went ahead with their plans.
The event attracted veterans of the antiwar movement, college students, and parents pushing children in strollers.
"We think there was a lot of diversity," said Phoebe Schellenberg, a spokeswoman for the nearly 20 groups that organized the event. "We were really pleased because we are trying to say it is people from all walks of life who are opposing these policies."
Speakers and demonstrators lambasted not only the war in Iraq, but also Bush's foreign policy and domestic agenda.
Charles Sherrouse, a Northeast Philadelphia resident and member of the Green Party, said the administration had watered down the Constitution. He and others said the USA Patriot Act, which increased the federal government's surveillance powers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was unconstitutional.
It "is really reminiscent of the McCarthy days. It's taking away our rights of free speech," said Franny Breen of Center City, another Green Party member.
To illustrate the point, a huge puppet of Bush feeding the Bill of Rights into a paper shredder was stationed at the rally-site entrance with a sign reading: "Defend our rights, repeal the Patriot Act now."
"This is a way to exercise the rights that we have," said Candace Olkus of East Mount Airy, who attended the rally with her husband, Shane, and daughters Alex, 10, and Sage, 6.
Deirdre Giswold drove to Philadelphia from New York City with a friend. "In essence, it's not just Bush," she said. "These issues are important if he is here or he's not... . Wherever he is today, maybe he'll hear us."
There also were pleas for Green Party support, calls for ending the death penalty, and speeches demanding the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal from Pennsylvania's death row.
No incidents were reported at the rally. Police said two demonstrators from the Kensington Welfare Rights Union were arrested later when they tried to force their way into the Constitution Center without tickets.
Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall at phillynews.com. Inquirer reporters Anthony S. Twyman and Robert Moran contributed to this article.
<http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6237066.htm> ***** -- Yoshie
* Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>