The Paradox of the Aggresive Peace Protestor
As often happens, downtown Santa Cruz is scene to yet another protest. The clock tower on my end of town is generally their rallying point and I passed through their ranks without causing a ripple. I neither support nor deride their efforts though I personally feel that such an undirected and unknown protest is, essentially, a waste of time.
Not that many of the "protesters" really have anywhere else to go. Most of them seemed to lack shelter as inversely as they possessed multiple piercings and other adornments to conform to whatever physical ideals they aspired to.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just too damned cynical but one woman in particular caught my attention, in the same way that fingers on a balloon catch your attention or fingernails being dragged down a chalkboard.

As I was returning from lunch, I saw this woman, who'd taken to the other side of the intersection to establish herself as her own little mini protest camp, was berating some car that had passed her and said something. She was yelling at this car all the way down the road, being rude, snide, superior in that wholesome look-ma-I'm-a-protestor way. She was yelling that no one could match wits with her because she came from an enlightened position.

Um, pardon me but if you're enlightenment is shouting at traffic then you need to sue your yogi. As the few of who were waiting for the light to change started across the intersection away from this loon, she yelled to her protestor friends that no one would stand near her because she was sooooo smart. I was sorely tempted to turn back and say, "Um no, some of us have JOBS we have to get back to.Some of us don't have the freedom to spend our days berating traffic in a vain attempt to make ourselves feel better because we lack any real power." But I'm definitely not stupid enough to open that can of worms.

But really, enlightened? I'm sorely tempted to go back out there and engage her in a little philosophical smackdown. There are some advantages to being a trained logician and philosopher. But no, I've gotta get back to work and sally forth.

Maybe they'll still be there when I get out of work and then maybe I'll have a word or two with the protestor who seemed ready to throw down at a moment's notice. Or wait, she was ready to throw her "War Solves Nothing" sign and bring on her righteous and enlightened fury. I've always wanted to stage a counter protest with people carrying placards saying, "Protesting Solves Nothing" and "War is fundamental to life" and "Honk if you shower" and "America is the right be hold your beliefs, however stupid and narrow minded you may be." But it wouldn't work out well.

My co worker had a good idea. Go around a protest with a note book asking five questions, things like, do you have a job? when was the last time you voted? have you ever served in the military? etc. And then take those stats, compile them, analyze them and publish them in the paper. I'd guess more than a small portion of those people haven't voted in years and few of them have regular jobs.

Enough war talk, how about something else for a change? I promise that the next post will have nothing to do with war, ShrubCo or Sodumb. Maybe something lighter like the closing of my accounts at Wells Fargo (Weasel Fargo).

In Other News: A Curious Anniversary and Strangely Appropriate Follow up Story
104 years ago today, Mar 20, 1899, At Sing Sing prison, Martha M. Place becomes the first woman to be executed in the electric chair. She was sentenced to death for the murder of her stepdaughter.