cannabisnews.com: Protesters March To Beat of Loony Tunes





Protesters March To Beat of Loony Tunes
Posted by FoM on July 31, 2000 at 10:22:12 PT
By Steve Dunleavy
Source: New York Post
There were potheads, redheads, skinheads, eggheads and airheads. And shepherding this motley crew of 5,000, as drumbeats and chants made shouting the only alternative for conversation, was Capt. William Fisher. A cop at the head of a parade of lefties. But there is more to this day of temporary, and so far peaceful, insanity. 
Flanking the demonstrators protesting everything from prostitutes to peanuts, was Police Commissioner John Timoney. Dressed in dark shorts, white T-shirt and riding a bicycle, Timoney, the former New York police biggie, was saying: "We do things differently here in Philadelphia than in New York. That guy Fisher works all year doing absolutely nothing but working with groups who want to march or demonstrate - civil-rights groups, unions, anyone who has a permit, things like that." Captain Fisher, a 24-year veteran of the department and graduate of Notre Dame, said, "The organizer of this whole demonstration is a buddy of mine." Indeed a city of brotherly love. Unity 2000 organizer Michael Morrill said, "I've been working with Captain Fisher since last December. A very reasonable man." Police Commissioner Timoney, the tough, Irish-born, pathological marathon runner, said: "I love this city. Do you know I row on the river six times a week?" He added with a laugh: "I'm asked why I didn't row back in New York, and I tell them I couldn't row in the East River because of the bodies." Yesterday, John the Commish had a bountiful bevy of bodies that one rarely sees in a single day: Men on stilts, men with fake bones in their noses, women wearing Statue of Liberty headdresses, men and women trucking a 50-foot balloon resembling a huge bomb - even one woman wearing a giant-sized condom over her head. And then there were the religious freaks - no, wrong word - zealots. Brother Stephen White of Victory Outreach made what appeared to be an obscene gesture for a man of God. Under a fundamentalist banner, he said: "Sex is the biggest sin in this country. Any woman who opens her legs to a man, unless sanctified by God, is a prostitute and the men are whoremongers. "Millions commit disgusting sex every day but, I can promise you, God can make whores virgins, really makes them virgins." Doctor Ridgely Muhammad, head of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, who grows corn and watermelon in Georgia, was saying: "We can't make a living out of watermelon and corn. Only the people who grow peanuts can get rich and that's because they're white and because of Jimmy Carter." Under the banner of Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Supporters was Steve Parks, a professor of English at Temple University. With him was his charming wife Laurie, son Elliot, 12, and daughter Sadie, 10. Do people ever say: "How dare you bring your kids to this kind of demo?" he was asked. "Yes, and I say ‘How dare I not?' " he answered. Mrs. Bear Atwood, behind a huge banner which read, "Abortion on Demand," is a member of the New Jersey chapter of NOW. She was with her son, Corey, 12. "I don't at all believe he is too young to participate," she said. "Absolutely not." By far, the biggest contingent was the protesters supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was sentenced to death for murdering Police Officer Danny Faulkner. Bashir El was holding a placard with Mumia's picture reading, "No More Lynching." "I was an intern when he was working for radio station WDAS. He was polite and pensive," he said. "Do you think Mumia is innocent of the killing?" he was asked. "How do I know? All I know is he was strapped in a chair during the trial. I don't know whether he did it or not. I just know he did not get a fair trial." Hmmm. Dave Silverman, New Jersey state director of American Atheists was saying: "Of course we don't believe in God, but atheists are nice people, too. You can go with the fantasy of heaven, but when you die you die, that's it." What is that cliché? Never met an atheist in a foxhole. Now, in truth, at this Republican convention site, it has to be said all the above were polite, obliging, peaceful human beings with whom, incidentally, I don't share one iota of common ground. But then again, that's what this whole thing is all about. And then on the corner of JFK and 16th, before the whole crew took off down Ben Franklin Boulevard on their way toward the magnificent Philadelphia Art Museum, there was Bob Kunst, of Miami's Oral Majority, festooned with bumper stickers reading "No More Bush-it." He told me, "They're only two dollars." Nearby was Amy Blum wearing a simple white T-shirt with painted words saying "Make Those Scary Republicans Go Away." "They're only five dollars," she said. Even in Philadelphia, brotherly love doesn't come free. Aaah, that fresh air of capitalism among those who vehemently oppose the color green. Letters To The Editor: letters nypost.comContact Information:http://www.nypost.com/contact/contactus.htmPublished: July 31, 2000Copyright 2000 NYP Holdings, Inc. Related Articles & Web Sites:The Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Shadow Conventionshttp://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/Common Causehttp://www.commoncause.org/Public Campaignhttp://www.publiccampaign.org/ Shadow Convention 2000 News Boardhttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/Shadcon.htmMapInc. Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://mapinc.org/shadow.htm CannabisNews Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=shadow 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #1 posted by Jerad on July 31, 2000 at 10:46:51 PT:
Ughh
I hate being stereotyped as a 'pothead'...They don't realize that pot is safer then alcohol, tobacco and any perscription drug, and some over-the-counter drugs. I'm not stupid, so I'd rather not be called a 'pothead' by someone who has probably never used pot themselves. Maybe if the government would stop using those rediculous scare tactics, like that marijuana is a 'gateway drug', 'lowers testosterone levels in males', etc. Maybe if Canada gets it decriminalized or legalized (They announced it today at 10 AM EST, I haven't heard the results yet) people here in the US who are misinformed about marijuana will come to realize it really isn't that bad. Anyways i'm going to go to sleep, i'm tired as hellLater
[ Post Comment ]

Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: