@ 2004-07-09 19:59:00
The single greatest event of my life.
So I went to protest Dubya today, as he was visiting my humble little burg of East Lampeter, PA.
Adam came over and with my and Matt's help, created two banners. They read:
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
and
MORE TREES, LESS BUSH
The action got started off right when we arrived on the scene, and seven or eight teenage guys decided to "re-enact" the prison abuse scandals in Iraq by stripping down to thongs and making a human pyramid, while donning black hoods. The police officers on the scene immediately tackled them and led them out in handcuffs. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in court. Meanwhile, a crazy fortysomething man was asking Sean and Adam if they put their efforts into worshiping Christ. They said, "Yes, we like Jesus. We go to church." The man was befuddled, not expecting that sort of response from two teenage boys. Anyway, chants were formed, and heckling ensued. Adam and I even got filmed by a cameraman screaming "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER!" as we simultaneously shook our copies of 1984 in the air. I don't know if it will actually get used in news footage, but if anyone sees it, please let me know.
It gets so much better.
Sean had to go back to work (he snuck out to join in the fun), so we drove him back to my place where his car was, then me, Adam, and Brendan went to another spot along the highway that we had spied earlier. A friendly Kerry supporter named Mr. Shenk let us use his front yard to display our banners. Now comes the good part. After waiting around for about 45 minutes, the motorcade passed by us again. A few police cars, followed by a van or two, drove by. Then, a Bush/Cheney bus passed, followed by a second one going slower. At the front of this second bus was The W himself, waving cheerily at his supporters on the other side of the highway. Adam, Brendan, and I rose our banner (the More Trees, Less Bush one) and he turned to wave to our side of the road. His smile faded, and he raised his left arm in our direction. And then, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States of America, extended his middle finger.
Read that last sentence again.
I got flipped off by George W. Bush.
A ponytailed man standing next to us confirmed the event, saying, "I do believe the President of the U.S. just gave you boys the finger." We laughed probably for the next half hour, and promptly told everyone we knew. Brendan actually snapped a picture of Bushy in action, but the glare and the tint of the bus windows make it difficult to see him at all. Nonetheless, it was the best possible reaction.
We pissed George W. Bush off. We are true patriots.
[edit] After the unexpected overflow of replies, I feel I must also give props to my friends who participated in this glorious event. Adam, jazzkat and Brendan, Digging_For_Fire on Xanga.[/edit]