> Yes, indeed. Looks like the NYT is telling something of the actual
> story. There was an emphasis on the "family" component of the
> anti-GOP demonstration, with people quoted being Repubs with second
> thoughts rather than the lefty fringe. Looks like there is some kind
> of consensus that Bush needs to go.
i'm so proud of my neighbors & friends. lots of folks came from out of town, but by where i was (gay marchers waiting for hours on the block between 13th and 14th street and 7th) this was simply us manhattan people. Larry (small f friend for - he wouldn't want me to say how many - years) and i left Peter & the rest after waiting for well over an hour & got ice cream at 23rd and 6th and rejoined the march at 5th avenue and walked to Union Square. went back to where Peter etc were still waiting to move! then i took the westside IRT back to the UpperWestSide, went home to piss and went to the Park. cops were pretty much staying out of sight, and lots of protesters on the great lawn.
last night brave mouse blockers gave the cops a good chase all through midtown. and spirited protests gathered at a delegate dinner at the Boat House in Central Park and at a concert for GOP donors at Tully Hall. best summary is at <http://www.nyc.indymedia.org/> and see particularly the stories under the heading "Bronx Cheer: Well Into Evening, GOP Delegates Unwelcomed by New Yorkers". most of the cops were cool yesterday, but the plainclothes red squad gestapo on scooters were wicked. several of our National Lawyers Guild legal observers were deliberately picked off and busted. <www.ladygalaxy.org/dave> the Guild was to hold a press conference on the steps of 100 Centre Street (the main criminal courts) this morning.
international press was all that could be hoped. top story from Canada to Europe to New Zealand, with the best account (next of course to Liza's) in the Asia Times <http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FH31Aa03.html> everyone in the world who is aware of news was aware of how huge the demo was. above all it was lead news for al-Jazeera <http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6B854BCB-36C6-4BC7-9B10-359F4F9E4B92.htm> which properly emphasized the overwhelming support of the marchers for an immediate withdrawal of the US occupation/torture forces from Iraq.
apparently as a result of events yesterday oil exports from Iraq are now completely blocked! - and will be so for a while. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040830.wIraqoil0830main/BNStory/Front/> BTW, if you haven't seen it yet, the "Editorial" in the summer issue of New Left Review by Susan Watkins entitled "Vichy on the Tigris" downloadable at <http://www.newleftreview.net/> is totally excellent. Bravi NLR!
john mage